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Western PA

Could someone tell me what methods are used to secure the gourd so it does not fall off when it gets bigger?

I have one about 2.5ft right now, at what point will the gourd typically pop off when it is not secured?

Thanks alot for the Help!

7/23/2008 11:39:02 PM

Jericho Vermont

I have found that the gourd stem is extremely tough and will easily support the weight of the lg. In saying this my longest gourd was 108 inches and not a wr. Even when it is time to cut the gourds off you almost need a saw to cut through the vine. What I do for support is to hammer to grade stakes about 2-3 feet apart and use cloth to wrap around the lg and supported on both grade stakes. This stops them from swinging in the breeze. We have had storms that can move the gourd 1-2 feet in the air. Very scary. LOL

7/24/2008 6:32:01 AM

Topsfield, Ma.

As John says, the stem is structurally sound...but you might want to anchor vine that the stems attached to, to the trellis. The tendrils alone are not strong enough to keep the vine attached to the trellis once the LG starts putting on length and weight. Good luck!
Duff

7/24/2008 8:25:35 PM

Sparta, NC

I tie mine from the sides to keep em from swaying in the wind. Last year I used pantyhose tied around my 106.5 to help support it because it much bigger than any lg I had grown before.

7/24/2008 9:10:42 PM

eastern Ontario

I use strips of cloth to anchor the vine-stem joint to the trellis.The stems are very strong and in a straight pull can hold the LG just fine.

7/25/2008 9:22:54 PM

Sparta, NC

I also use a piece of foam under the stem to keep the wire from cutting into the stem.

7/26/2008 6:34:45 AM

eastern Ontario

Forgot to mention,I use an 8' piece of 2" PVC pipe ro provide a bigger curvature for the stem to pass around.So the stem is anchored at the vine with cloth and then makes a 90 degree turn over the pipe and down to the gourd.
In this way I can use up some of the stem horizontally and don'r need my trellis as high.

7/26/2008 12:31:22 PM