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Canada

OK well my father is doing awsome this year, His 839 Hunt
is out around the 20 ft mark with 6-8 ft secondarys
he has 2 fruit ( 8 days old ) on the main about 14 ft out
and the other around the 10 ft mark, both opened same mourning, both fruits at 8 days are a tad larger than softballs, another female opened this mourning at 16 ft mark and he pollinated and closed and hes got another 2 opening by wendnesday or thursday which he plans to pollinate as well. My father really hasnt been fertilizering it heavy he likes to stick with low even numbers all year round. hes been useing 7-7-7 since the plant hit the ground and just 2 weeks ago i got him switched over and useing an 10-15-20 fertilizer and he plants to switch to an 15-15-30 come Aug.

Come Aug first would you say its safe to dead head all secondarys and burry along with main vine and keep the 2 best fruit till the end? Hes the type of guy that doesnt like to take chances so there is NO way i can get him to cull down to best fruit. he likes the idea of haveing 2 at least this way h will have something to bring to Port Elgin this year.

so is Aug 1st a good time to deadhead and burry and cull down to best 2 fruit?

thanks Dave

7/10/2005 9:23:09 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Dave, let them get to about day 15 or later. A good basket ball size near 40+ inches CC is good to begin the annual cull.

7/14/2005 12:18:41 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Dave, I have two plants that are completely terminated. The earlier you can transition from vine growth to fruit growth the bigger pumpkin you'll end up with. Don't get hung up on having that second fruit, its better to trim down to one earlier than later.

My plants are all around 20 feet in length and taper back out to 14' at the crown end. They are all about 550sq.ft.

7/14/2005 12:29:16 PM

Canada

Yup my fathers one fruit at day 15 ( 781.5 landry) is now larger then basketball. hes wondering if he should terminate the main and let the secondarys grow? or terminate all and lightly apply 20-20-20 on a weekly basis.

By middle of week I'll have my FIRST 2 pollinated completed on my 721.5 vincent probably 1st week in aug i'll terminate the main and secondarys.

thanks
Dave

7/17/2005 10:08:30 PM

Walkerton Ont

i want to terminate early this year, but want fruit to have enough eneregy just incase leaves get old,

7/18/2005 2:40:26 AM