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Sweden

The end of season is coming.... What are your ideas to put the extra of the pumpkin from day 65 or so?
This year I plan to continue with seaweed tea and then cut of some of the wine when the growth is decrease.
/Lars
Gothenburg
Sweden

8/26/2004 12:56:19 PM

Cologne / Germany

The end is near? Don´t even remind me :-)
This weekend I´ll bury everything that is not burried yet, add some CaO/K granular fert and weed again, spray "Baycor" against Powdery Mildew. Go with your vines as long as you can - if still intact they feed your pumpkin. Think about cutting the main right after the pumpkin around 2 weeks before it´s over if not already done. This will be my personal last step in September depending on growth.
Ingo

8/27/2004 11:16:46 AM

Atlanta, Georgia

Do you guys think it's too late to add some high K fertilizer?
Michel

8/31/2004 10:41:32 PM

Sweden

I don’t believe in adding fertilizer continuing to high dose of anything. The pumpkin needs certainly some K but if the pumpkin do not grow enough fast it could equally need some thing else. My theory is that the plant need a lot of N in the beginning of the season but from august and later both P and K is important still it necessary with some N. All over the season a balanced mix is the best. The conclusion of this could be that if the pumpkin is growing well, keep up doing what ever you do. If it not? Probably it is not depending of to less K?
But who knows really what the pumpkin need?
Lars

9/3/2004 2:00:31 PM

Cologne / Germany

I agree with you Lars. Now our pumpkin plants are 4 months old, mostly terminated, weak due to mildew and other stuff, and we tend to take care for our biggest fruit only. For sure getting a big fruit is the reason for the plant but without the plant - no big fruit. I think it´s a good idea to keep on feeding the plant till it´s over - maybe with something like NPK 15-15-40 which is for sure not a common product to buy.

9/3/2004 5:50:40 PM

Atlanta, Georgia

I added some K to the plants and it rained 3 liters to wash it in.
I'm fortunate this year that the two plants are extremely healthy with no mildew or any other problems.
If I can cover the whole plants with potato fleece before wednesday when it's expected to be cold at night then I think I'll have something nice in October this year although I don't think I'll go to the weigh-off.

As soon as the ground dries out a bit I'll make another measurement and can tell you how fast the pumpkin is growing at this time...
Michel

9/4/2004 4:04:09 AM