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Lodi, California

This post somewhat relates to the post below. A few days ago I was thinking about why certain pumpkins (1495, 1381, ect) go heavy. I thought, prehapse there is a gene in the pumpkin that increases Calcium uptake? Or a gene that simply condenses the pumpkins flesh into a thicker cell wall. What do you guys think? Thanks!

1/1/2014 1:15:43 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I think it could be more than just genetics that makes pumpkins go heavy. Weather can have a big effect on weight. Last year my son and I grew pumpkins from seed stocks that were known to go heavy and had gone 5 to 15% heavy for us in the past. But our season started out cold and wet and then turned to drought. Our pumpkins went 8% and 10% light. Half of the pumpkins weighed at Anamosa last year went light.

1/1/2014 2:14:22 PM

50 Acres

It is the many variables in this sport that keeps it interesting. Growing the BIG ONE keeps us coming back year after year. JIM

1/1/2014 4:21:33 PM

East Jordan, MI

I think it has to do with genetics (for thickness and possibly density of flesh) AND nutrition/health of the plant/pumpkin.

Our pumpkins almost all tend to go on the heavy side of the chart, but this year's went seriously heavy, so I sent off a core sample of the actual pumpkin flesh to a lab to see if I could tell why.

The CA was one of the lowest nutrients in the test at .31%.
N and K were nearly the same at 2.36 and 2.5%, P was 1.1%, MG .18% sulfur .2%, sodium .02%

in ppm the micronutrients were
Zinc -- 35
Copper -- 11
Manganese -- 17
Iron -- 376
Boron -- 17

Moisture was 90.8%
Dry Matter was 9.2%
Carbon 37.7%
Carbon to N ratio 16:1 (ideal 15:1)

pH 6.1
EC -- mmhos (SS) 3.04

1/1/2014 5:40:00 PM

Midway, UT

At least part of heavy is genetics, part of it is due to environment and part of it is due to the tape. I've seen pumpkins with relatively normal thickness go very heavy where the meat seems to be more dense or have a higher water content. I've seen heavy pumpkins that had thick meat on them too. If you look at genetic lines the 1495 almost always produces heavy pumpkins. The 901 Hunt was the same. That heaviness in those cases are clearly are due to genetics since the pumpkins going heavy are so consistent. I couldn't tell you what specifically causes it although I've researched it a fair amount. I've seen the claim that it might be due to calcium but with time I'm not sure there is evidence for that.

I've also seen where almost every pumpkin grown in Colorado goes light in a season, particularly during hot years, so there is definitely an environmental factor when it comes to a pumpkin going heavy.

The last factor is shape. Some pumpkins are hard to measure where there isn't a clear parallel line around the pumpkin and you could easily make a pumpkin 5% light or 5% heavy depending on how you measure it and what you want it to be.

1/1/2014 8:25:10 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

don't forget the chart????

1/1/2014 8:53:57 PM