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Missouri

Hello everyone. I'm new to the forum, but I've been browsing through it for several years. I've been growing pumpkins for around 8 years now and I finally have a pretty good one on the vine and I had a few questions that I was hoping someone could help me with so I don't screw it up.

I'm 12 days away from cutoff, but I've noticed several tiny bugs have started crawling on my fruit. Thus far, I've been very conservative with the fruit and I have kept it shaded and not let anything touch it. I've been using Sevin and Daconil concentrate in a pump sprayer to spray the leaves and the ground around the pumpkin, but I've avoided directly spraying the pumpkin. My question is, can I spray the Sevin/Daconil mix directly on the pumpkin without any adverse effects?

My next question is, is there anything that you all do to the pumpkin itself after you've removed it from the vine to help preserve it?

Thank you all in advance for your input. I look forward to hearing what you all have to say.

7/24/2024 3:28:43 PM

In the shade or
better yet in a cooled building and maybe wipe it down with a weak bleach solution once a week or so

7/24/2024 8:56:34 PM

Missouri

Thanks for the input and reply. I'll definitely keep it shaded. Any thoughts on spraying the fruit itself with Sevin/Daconil?

7/24/2024 9:49:01 PM

Western PA

Spraying it with fungicides and insecticides on the fruit is recommended, ( while still on the vine growing). I started spraying mine at day 20. Commercial growers of any and all, fruit spray everything. ( grapes, apples, melons, you name it ).
As long as you have used your spray mixture on your plants with whatever rate your using with no I’ll effects, you should be good to go.

7/25/2024 8:00:01 AM

Upa Creek, Mo

Cover the pumpkin with a white sheet and tuck it in on the sides. Most insects don't go after the pumpkin itself (they like plants), but mice will on the bottom.

Store it inside in a cool place... not an uncooled garage. If on a hard wood floor, check often for rot on the bottom as it can ruin the floor. Don't ask me how I know.

7/25/2024 8:00:49 AM

Western PA

Also, leave it on the vine as long as you can. They won’t loose any weight that way.

7/25/2024 8:01:03 AM

Western PA

Also, leave it on the vine as long as you can. They won’t loose any weight that way.
What bugs are crawling on your pumpkin ?
Pics of them ?

7/25/2024 8:02:06 AM

Missouri

Hey everyone, thank you for the replies. The bugs are like super tiny gnats. I tried taking a picture but I can’t really get one. There’s a bunch of the little pests though.

7/25/2024 8:28:33 AM

Missouri

Can you post pictures in a thread?

7/25/2024 12:28:24 PM

Hadley Ny

LMAO Smallmouth

7/25/2024 1:17:43 PM