From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Australia

Everyone must be well under way? hows it all going?
Anyone else in Aus growing pumpkins Hydroponically?

I've got one sitting at about 63kg but has stalled out and done alot of weeping.

This is the latest photo with weeping spots and all.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Rollux/IMAG2146_zpsadeea0de.jpg

12/17/2014 6:10:15 AM

Australia eastcoastcitrus@hotmail.com

is your pumpkin grown hydroponically outside i mean not in a greenhouse and when did you sow the seed thanks dale

12/18/2014 4:38:11 AM

Australia

Yes outside in the open, I've had it covered with a tea towel and then a towel the whole time.
I'm not sure exactly of the date I got the seed sown, I think it was around early October.

12/18/2014 2:26:39 PM

Australia eastcoastcitrus@hotmail.com

how many days old is the kin as it looks kind of mature my knowledge of hydroponics is limited but have you changed the feeding programme and is the vine only feeding from the stump

12/19/2014 3:39:28 AM

Australia

right now the pumpkin is 30 days old, I swapped out the water in the reservoir for fresh water and fresh nutrients just to make sure i wasnt getting a build up of anything and then about 3 days later it stopped growing and started weeping. I kept all the nutrients the same, same ratio, kept the ph at 6.5. I can't see a reason for it to stop growing or start weeping. That was about day 20 it stopped growing. Most of those spots have started healing and scaring up. Its not weeping wildly like it was. Just had a 39 degree day and it still firm and mostly not weeping. I'm slightly hopefull I'll have a pumpkin at the end of this.
Yes it is only feeding from the stump. My pumpkin is 5 milk crates high over brick paving so I havn't been able to do much with the secondaries, or the main vine for that matter.

12/19/2014 1:58:15 PM

Tasmania Australia

I am kind of new to this, but could be wrong here, but it sounds like the plant is a tad hot.
Maybe an application or two of calcium and a shade cover for the young pumpkin.
And set up a something like a sprinkler system for the foliage.
Just a thought, but as said, i am also still learning

12/20/2014 12:33:04 AM

Australia eastcoastcitrus@hotmail.com

sounds to young to stop growing where abouts are you is it always hot as we had a 42 degrees celcius yhe other day and i overhead watered to keep the patch cool as i said i know very little about hydroponics and bluesilver isalso right its good to keep the hot sun off them best of luck with it

12/20/2014 4:40:43 AM

Australia

I'm in Perth
We've only had a couple of days over 30 degrees celcius so far. The day before yesterday was 39, the leaves didn't wilt but they did end up with a few sun burn patches.
I dont feel like its a heat thing since the weather had been so mild.
It has been very windy almost the whole time so I have lost a fair few leaves.
I should mention that it was the first female flower on the vine that actually took, and the vine started slowing down after pollination. So maybe I just didn't have enough leaves.
Near the end of the vine I'm starting to see more secondaries pop out with female flowers so I might try my luck with them. I guess the pumpkin is truely finished growing if the vine is starting to come back to life.

12/20/2014 1:35:51 PM

Tasmania Australia

The only thing i can suggest now is to see if you can pollinate another one on the main vine if they are still flowering.
Or as you mentioned, pollinate one of the secondaries, you could then turn that into the main vine perhaps.

12/20/2014 5:51:54 PM

Australia

I've spotted 3 females coming, one right on end of the main vain, and two on secondaries. One of the secondaries has grown over my other hydroponic bath tub, so I may not polinate that. The other two I'm keen to give a shot!

12/20/2014 11:55:30 PM