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Pa

here is my situatuion. I have a 400pd fruit on my plant and noticed a small hole in the pumpkin about 2 weeks ago. The hole started small and has now expanded to the size of a dime. It is located dead center, top of the fruit. I probed it with a small wire and it is at a depth of 1 inch. a small area around the hole (maybe 1/4in) is starting to turn brown. Im still gaing 4'' a day cc. Is this problem correctable? can i save it? could you please lend me your knowledge on how to fix it? I was gonna spray with bleach, sprinkle with sulphur and then captan. This is my first "surgery" and i want to do all i can to fix it. Thank you for any and all help you can give me.

8/3/2010 9:22:01 AM

You might want to post some pics for a better diagnosis. I think the general rule of thumb is to keep something like this dry, so you may have to modify what you use as fruit protection/shading. You might also need to rig up a small fan. This is like the one I've used, though mine cost something like nine bucks, not ninety:

http://www.amazon.com/Holmes-HACP7W-UC-7-Inch-Clip-Personal/dp/B00006WNO4

Again, you should be able to find a small fan like that at a hardware store, etc., and don't pay $90, that just happened to be a good picture. And since it's electric, you'll definitely want to keep it dry. No need to electrocute your pumpkin.

For particularly challenging situations, I have used a kiddy pool turned upside down for protection. Just be careful to situate it so it doesn’t damage your fruit, vines, etc., and secure it so it doesn’t blow away and wipe out your plant.

As for the hole itself, if it’s soft and mushy (you mentioned it turning brown), you may need to CAREFULLY debride the area. The obvious risk here, is that in the process, you open the wound up so much that you breach the cavity. The flip-side is that if you don’t properly debride the infected material (assuming there is some), the rot will continue to the point of breach in any case.

After debridement, apply an antiseptic of your choosing. I have heard that a Captan paste works very well. I have use bleach solution, concentrated Daconil, or nothing at all before, just depending on the nature of the wound. In any case, after cleaning it out, I have tried to dry it out as soon as possible and keep it dry. Hence the fan and moisture protection.

A hole in “dead center at the top of the fruit” sounds like an intersection of a rib and Dill ring. These usually don’t turn out well in my patch, but without a picture, it’s hard to tell. If it’s critter damage, you still have a shot.

Best of luck, I hope it works ou

8/3/2010 12:51:29 PM

Sorry, too long a post, as I was saying, hope it works out for you, and best of luck,

Neal

PS - a spoon works well for cleaning the wound, gently scraping, never jabbing.

8/3/2010 1:07:45 PM

Pa

neal, thank you so much for the info. i cant imagine it being critter damage, but may be. im going to do my best to get that area cleaned and dry it out. You did not mention any sulphur addition in your post. would it help if i used it in conjunction with a fan? Im stopping to get a kiddie pool tonight. ill do my best to get a pic loaded. Im hoping i can get it healed up, the wound is not very deep or wide, much less than some pics ive seen on here.

8/3/2010 2:21:01 PM

Griffith, In

sammy, if you have your fruit tented, you dont need a pool, just a stake to hang the fan on,,,and the tent will protect the fan, but i do suggest using an extension cord that either has or is plugged into a gfci receptacle and to unplug the fan while watering your patch

8/3/2010 2:31:00 PM

A tent is probably better overall since it allows better airflow. I had one particular fruit where, with the sprinkler set up I had, the only way to protect it was a kiddy pool. Good point on the the GFCI by Judy, I didn't have that luxury, so I unplugged.

I've never used sulphur, so can't offer advice specifically on it, but I'd use something in addition to the fan, whether it's sulphur or another fungicide.

8/3/2010 2:45:04 PM

sevierville, Tn

I have used sulfer as a paste, also mixed with captain. If there is rot , i would use a mixture.

8/3/2010 2:58:47 PM