Message Board - BigPumpkins.com

Kutztown, PA

Since I really only have last years single plant experience I'll explain my thinking this year. Last year my main didn't grow that much after pollination. I have 4 plants this year. One I'm dead heading because I have two pumpkins on it that aren't growing well. It has plenty of plant and I dont want to donate much more bury time to it. The next planta pumpkin is growing on a secondary as the main was removed early due to some funky knarled growth where leaves wouldnt open. Its doing great now but I'm letting the secondary (now the main) grow our some secondary vines just to catch up a little. The
third plant is growing like crazy has a nice pumpkin on it and the main and secondary vines are filling the spot. I plan to dead head the main and grow the secondary's out to fill the space. Lastly I have a great plant, started late and not pollinates until 7/4. The plant caught up to the others, and there's enough secondary growth to fill up the space. I'm dead heading that one with all the secondary's behind the pumpkin.

7/8/2022 10:02:22 AM

Jake

Westmoreland, KS

So here is my thought going forward. My 2261 is cut at the pumpkin and I tried setting a fruit on my 2356 with a cut main...didn't take. Both of these plants had extremely fast secondary growth and the 3rd stage growth from the first 2 secondaries right at by the fruit were growing extremely well. I cut the vine once I saw this good 3rd stage growth. If you saw mike's Paton fruit last year it didn't have much for 3rd stage growth on that plant I would have let the main continue to grow. Just my thoughts on when I will and won't cut the main vine.

7/8/2022 11:32:17 AM

Kutztown, PA

Jake, just so I'm clear: you're " good 3rd stage growth" are the tertiary's growing off the left and right secondary's just before the pumpkin - right? How much main is dangling after the pumpkin typically?

7/8/2022 1:24:42 PM

Ever notice that when you terminate a vine the last few leaves grow to a larger than average size? Is it possible that by terminating the main at the pumpkin, that a similar action might take place in the fruit???
Seems to me like it could...

7/8/2022 1:41:12 PM

Kutztown, PA

Ever notice how when some insight produce by keen observation goes uncredited when there's no name attached to it? LOL
I'm going to guess Moby Mike, AKA "The Terminator" posted it. Either that or some guy named "_____ Dash." I'll certainly take notice of this reported phenomena when I "terminate" the mains.

7/8/2022 2:39:44 PM

Kutztown, PA

Could use a grammar check there but - oh well!

7/8/2022 2:41:13 PM

Grittyville, WA

I have an oddball technique of terminating the main one node after the pumpkin, giving one extra secondary. I just like keeping the cuts where infection could enter an extra little distance away from the pumpkin's stem. But, there is a very specific timing & way to prune it so that the young pumpkin bends that extra piece of main vine away from the shoulder of the pumpkin. And/or a bungee cord could be used. I've gotten that last secondary to grow 180 degrees back up the middle of the plant... A plant that holds its leaves out wide, that last secondary could be run back up the middle of the plant without too much conflict. Then late in the fall... you still have a solid green plant. Plenty of ideas too try.
I have really liked watching the growers who are using scales. (Is anyone besides McMillan growing on a scale?)

7/8/2022 3:20:44 PM

Pinnacle Peak

British Columbia, Canada

I have one with the main past the fruit and another with it terminated after. Wanted to have both past the fruit but 1 of them cracked while making the s-curve and I decided to cut it.

7/8/2022 3:57:20 PM

McMillin Giants

Salem Ohio

I terminated all six main vines 1” past pumpkin stems and also the secondary that goes into the stem. This is the first year I have tried this and it is working well so far. It makes it really easy to work with the pumpkins.

7/8/2022 5:24:54 PM

No,Gar, I'm not the beard.
I'm Jesse King, from California. :)
Its just a theory, but it is food for thought...
I should also note:
*I did not cut the main on my one and only plant this year. I'm too afraid to go all in, yet, and possibly have an abort later and have to go with a side viner.
:)

7/8/2022 10:40:42 PM

cjb

Plymouth, MN

I tried it on one of my plants, but the "main" was a retrained secondary cause of ribbon vine and the secondary growth off of it has been a bit lackluster. It may be caused by a couple of other really strong early secondaries, so we'll see whether things change as they get terminated.

7/8/2022 11:21:34 PM

Berggren

Brooktondale, New York

So you just take your knife, clean her really good. Then slice right through the main vine right next to this fruit you have been dreaming about since the last seed auction. It kinda feels dangerous, bold, " cutting edge " if you will. Are the pumpkin police about to jump out of the bushes? My question is when does it stop dumping water? A little warning on the fifty gallons you have to replace that runs out to wash your final pick would have been nice. Your all in now. Plus it tastes pretty good. You got to try it.

7/9/2022 12:39:02 AM

Grittyville, WA

Terminating very early, well ahead of pollination, reduces the bleeding to essentially zero. Dusting with sulfer might help congeal/coagulate the wound. (Not sure which word to use there.) You could also try calcium (lime)... since sulfer sticks so readily to clothing it can almost be considered a hazard.

7/9/2022 1:32:19 AM

pumpkinpal2

Syracuse, NY

As you know, Gritty, you and I like to go 'one past', to ensure a good seal or terminal that will keep the end from being 'really' The End; I think it's genetic for us, lol---eg

7/9/2022 3:23:06 AM

Tconway (BigStem)

Austin MN

I did it to all my plants this year and terminated it around day 6-9 like Mike suggested. It did bleed initially but I painted on sulfur and let it air dry. Figured I want to try it this year and see if it helps.

7/9/2022 8:07:24 AM

big moon

Bethlehem CT

About 15 years ago, it was a general practice to keep the main going all season. You were sort of a rebel if you cut the main at the fruit.

7/9/2022 9:00:55 AM

Smallmouth

Upa Creek, Mo

Do not terminate well ahead off pollination as mentioned above. What if it is 105 pollination day and it doesn't take. Talk about eggs in one basket.

7/9/2022 10:14:54 AM

Grittyville, WA

Its a risk... the question isnt if there is a risk... the question is if the reward can outweigh the risk.

If dead ending early was shown to give a weight gain of say 5% (about 100 lbs) but slightly lowered the odds of getting one set, then you've run into a typical case of "no pain no gain". Growers would be forced to either play it safe or bet the farm... And in the end, the biggest reward might go to those who took the most risk. There are top growers who are risk averse. Its a fine strategy! But someday, someone might show that a higher risk strategy can win.

7/9/2022 1:20:17 PM

Hayden R

Western Massachusetts

7/9/2022 4:14:54 PM

Rmen

valtierra/spain

My 2552 and 2517 do not cut the main one to the end, let it grow outside the greenhouse. I believe that what Joe AIlts commented years ago. the plant must send the energy somewhere, if you tell the plant that it is all pruned, that there are still growth areas, in theory the plant will send energy there, and more will enter the pumpkin. I trust that still, maybe I'm wrong, but I trust Joe Ailts. Growing in front of the pumpkin makes sense, since the plant will send energy there. But I see that the tomato is the opposite, that they prune everything on top of the fruit, after the fruit has set. I don't know if Stefano let the main one grow until the end, it's possible... it's possible.

7/9/2022 5:14:25 PM

So.Cal.Grower

Torrance, Ca.

Moby Mike is taking the year off but will be back next ear.;)

Joe A. holds a very important point and most all pumpkins over 2500 have had the main still attached. It makes sense,, as the main sends signals back to the growing fruit.

We'll never know unless someone grows a bunch of fruit over a couple year period and looks at the weights.

Moby really impresses me each year cutting at the fruit, but he also has amazing soil and very little soil disease.

I think Joe A knows more about pumpkins then most of us so If I was able to grow the main I would for those extra pounds near the end of the season.

That's one of the reasons I love growing
so much! Things change so much year to year and if I were to list all the things that have changed in the 14 years I've been growing,, that list would be very long! lol

I have terrible disease this year and shouldn't have anything. Due to a couple small chemical changes with newer products that have come out, I have one fruit on the worst disease side doing amazing numbers. It was doing mid 50's one night and snapped the main right in half at the stem! I cut the main, cleaned it up, fans blowing now and the fruit is still doing mid to upper 40's every day,,,, go figure..???

I can't wait to see what you do after taking this year off Rmen!!! I really like the peroxide idea and that will be part of my year off as well. We have a whole plan for that year off because I feel strongly about a 2000 pound fruit being growing this far south. I just need to slow that disease to down little.

7/10/2022 8:33:35 AM

Rmen

valtierra/spain

Peroxide works very well to disinfect the soil, also in heat treatment, and others... but the real problem is the bacteria or fungi that your irrigation water has. If it is water that does not give diseases to the earth, it is perfect, but if it is water that is somewhat contaminated, the diseases will reappear. There are ways to disinfect irrigation water, perhaps ultraviolet light is feasible for those who have electricity in their patch, but there are more methods. Steve Geddes irrigated with chlorinated water, depending on the level of chlorine, maybe it's a solution, chlorinate the water, wait in a tank for the chlorine to disappear and then irrigate... Or irrigate with rainwater.

7/10/2022 5:03:36 PM

Kutztown, PA

So, if the main vine is the only one that can speak to the pumpkin how would you explain big pumpkins being grown on a secondary vine after the main was damaged and cut off. How does the detached main no what secondary to hand the cell phone to? What plant tissue type is exclusive to the main vine or generated in a secondary posthumously that enables signaling? When the Master electrician was explaining to his apprentice that electricity will flow in the direction of ground following the path of least resistance the apprentice asked: How does it know which way to go?

7/11/2022 9:45:19 AM

Ned

Honesdale, Pennsylvania

I did it on one of my 3 main plants. It sort of felt good, LOL.

7/11/2022 10:39:10 AM

Kutztown, PA

Assuming you have enough plant to feed your pumpkin (700 sf to 1000 sf seems to be the current thinking) then having everything dead headed at some point makes sense to me. Someone on here said they typically hope to end all plant growth by 30 DAP. That makes sense to me too since it eliminates the vine growth sinks hopefully diverting more growth to the root system thus the pumpkin. Where am I going wrong? Besides, I'm sick of burying vines! :)

7/11/2022 11:00:05 AM

I like to keep a lil bit of the plant vegging for as long as the plant will allow it. Otherwise the leaves are shot by the end of the grow, at least in my patch. Gotta still be growing some leaves in July\August to have nice ones in September.
I'm not suggesting that this is what anyone else should do! Its just how I manage my particular setup.

7/11/2022 5:02:58 PM

Gar,Man, maybe its just one of those miracles of nature that we're not supposed to understand :)

7/11/2022 5:07:52 PM