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Colorado

I'd like too start a discussion of whats going on with that little pumpkin on its way to hopefully huge size and weight.Ive grown for twenty years and know a lot about the process and have seen pumpkins grow amazingly fast yet I don't know whats really happening.Any botany people out there that know the basics of fruit formation? Its seems more complicated than just sugar production followed by a photo op with ones winning pumpkin at the local contest.

10/25/2017 4:15:21 PM

Colorado

I'm bringing this up because of having grown many larger aggressive plants in the past that wouldn't set fruit on the main or had weaker female blooms on the main than its secondaries.The opposite of what I'd expect to see with apical dominance.

10/25/2017 4:19:43 PM

Colorado

Any observations,insights or theories.?

10/25/2017 4:20:40 PM

Grittyville, WA

That's an interesting observation about weak blooms on the main. So what your saying is, is it possible in some plants or in some growing environments the apical bud could be suppressing the growth of the fruit?

10/25/2017 5:11:28 PM

Grittyville, WA

"The apical bud produces an auxin (IAA) that inhibits growth of the lateral buds further down on the stem towards the axillary bud." So this could inhibit the flower buds too.

10/25/2017 5:15:20 PM

Grittyville, WA

My bet is various plants have more or less IAA than others which part of the variation in plants. Some plants naturally want to do a spider pattern with five apical vines more than a Christmas tree.

10/25/2017 5:25:18 PM

Grittyville, WA

Plants which are slow starting have less apical dominance but can set a better flower later and make up for weaker/less aggressive vegetative growth simply because they don't fight the development of the fruit?!

10/25/2017 5:36:24 PM

Colorado

These plants i'm referring to all were vigorous with normal secondary development. Some wouldn't set a fruit anywhere,some would set fruit on side.This year I had a 2624 plant that the females on the main just didn't have that shine when they opened and some where a day or more slow to open. The first fruit I tried on the main set but was slow and ended up being my smallest fruit. The fruit on the secondaries developed more normally and had that look you want to see.The main should have the most nutrient supply but the fruit don't seem to get what they need early.

10/25/2017 5:38:51 PM

Wisconsin

This is to me one of the more interesting topics that doesn't get discussed all that much. I beleive the key to bigger pumpkins is source/sink managment I have few ideas that I want to try next year.

10/27/2017 10:57:49 AM

Eugene,OR

What are your ideas Mike?

11/27/2017 6:06:43 PM