I have very small patch. 14x32=448 sq ft.
The other patch is a tad smaller. 15x28=420 sq ft.
I rather have a 25x25. Will have to widen the patch little at a time.
I received some advice from a State Champ in WI. He has told me to take a sharp knife --start at the split and cut it almost to the end of the stem--towards the vine-- and do this with every split then doctor it with captan, taking a straw and dipping it into the dry captan and blowing it into the cracks/splits until completely coated. ( very nervous) His splits were so big he could fit his hand into it. As long as the splits do not go as deep as the pumpkin cavity, it should be fine. If the splits reach the cavity, it will rot. AFter he cut his stem and doctored with captan, it grew an additional 600 pounds within 21 days. I do not expect this kind of growth from mine, but it does give me some kind of hope. His pumpkin grew to 1175.5 pounds and was the new WI state champ in 2006.
28 days after pollination: 87 1/2 - 61 - 68 =216 1/2 OTT= 215 pounds.
Cloudy day--rain in forecast.
No pictures- Camera died--must find new camera.
Giant Pumpkins
Trying to see if i can work my new camera
picture of Split on bottom of Pumpkin STem
Wow-I don't know if I'd be able to do that kind of surgery, though it sounds like you've found an excellent source of advice. So, by cutting it toward the vine yourself, you can prevent it from splitting into the pumpkin?
Thanks for the plot sizes. That gives me some idea of broad scale when I look at your plant pictures, too.
Past the halfway point, Cricket. Time to bring in the cheerleaders. You should pass 402 lbs and set the Alabama state record.
Thank you Farmerdill. wiping sweat off my forehead everyday.
If this one doesnt make it, surely the next one will. If we didnt have all this rain, things would be better.
Yes Tropic--thats the way I understand it to be. I havent done it yet---Im chicken. Nervous.
Remember how many of us are thinking you thru this! This is almost as much fun as tasting tomatoes!!
"Almost"? You must be kidding, it's likes ... too wonderful for words! Cricket, it's raining here, and the forecast is calling for more rain during the coming week. Yikes!
I'll be standing under umbralla, cheering you on!
29 days after pollination 89 1/2"+62"+70"=221 1/2" OTT est 230 pounds.
It looks like the biggest this pumpkin can get if it doesnt BURST is about 630 pounds by day 60. I have some doctoring to do. Toying around with new camera today too.
We have some Sun this morning!
This camera is great.
Top of stem splits, some stretch splits on pumpkin, and lots of hair line stretch marks on pumpkin. The hairline stretch marks oooze, pumpkin fluids seeping out.
And if you look real close at the big split--you can see light coming from the split under the stem.
1000.4 Lishness Plant on the Right---the one i want to grow next pumpkin on hopefully in about 2 weeks.
The chair really gives you an idea of the size of that thing!
We've gotten some rain recently so my Dill's are growing again but they're still looking somewhat pathetic especially compared to Crickets. Here's a picture of the plants (2 of them) The interesting thing is the far one has decided to flee the sun and is running off into the woods.
Here's the first decent pumpkin it's setting. There's also another smaller fruit I'm leaving on this vine to see how they do. Mostly I haven't been picking off the blossoms because they seem to rot and fall off on their own.
Aint that a cute little baby! Lots of luck to ya Jeff. Its a fun hobby.
It takes a small bit of energy to produce those flowers. The theory is if you cut off all the male flowers way before they bloom--then all that extra engery goes into growing the fruit.
Which is alot of energy when you have 25 males blooming at one time.
30 days after pollination 92-64-72=228 OTT estimated 250 lbs.
250 lbs day 30 - 25 lbs day 14= 225 lbs (divided by 16 days)= 14.06 lbs average daily X 50 = 703 lbs estimated by day 60. (thats future forecast which is never perfectly right)
I cut off the flowers because, for fear of the bacterial wilt spread by the cucumber beetles, I spray the pumpkin and I want to keep the bees from visiting the vine.
I figure this pumpkin needs to grow 10 days to meet the state record but I want to grow 4 days past that---so hoping to grow 14 more days without bursting or spliting any worse. Then off to the scales. She gained 111 pounds the past 7 days during cloudy rainy days.
I marked my splits so i can see how much it is spliting and when to panic.
Someone(another giant grower) suggested that I caulk my splits. Pondering on that idea.
I wondered about that. Will it work? Can it still be considered for weighing? Well back to what I am actually supposed to be doing!
Yes Grammy. Still official for weighing if you use caulk to close splits. But the pumpkin has to be healthy---as in no rotting. As soon as those splits reach the cavity--it will rot immediately.
Some of the splits were a tad longer this morning. bout 1/8 of an inch longer.
Someone told me that I was counting my days wrong from pollination. YOu don't count the day that it was pollinated. You start on the day after it was pollinated as Day 1. So technically this pumpkin is only 30 days today. Plus --i pollinated it a day early cause there was only one male availabe---a day early and the female was partially open. Then the next day the female bloom was open completely all day which is still considered pollinating even though there were no other males and no other pumpkin plants for miles. So I really dont know which day I should consider day 1. If I count the day that the blossom was closed as day 1, then the pumpkin would only be 29 days old today instead of 31.
One reason why giant growers like to keep up with how many days old the pumpkin is ---is because they have a BenchMark Chart for 1000 pounder pumpkins and how much they should measure by certain days so you know if you are goin to reach a 1000 pounds.
Here are the benchmarks for 1000 pounders:
Day 10=26"cc
Day 20=68"cc
Day 30=108"cc
Day 40=134"cc
These are my measurements: goin by percise pollination date.
Day 10=31"cc
Day 20=71"cc
Day 30= havent got there yet. Technically on Day 29 = 94 1/2"cc
The cloudy days - which we have had plenty of that-- slow down the growth. The leaves bring in the sunshine = energy to grow giant pumpkins. They need Full Sunlight locations. Plus they need lots of water but not soggy ground or the vines will rot. When it is not raining alot---i water the plant 60 gallons a day. 30 in the morning and 30 at night.
Also if you can get the pumpkin to grow at least 85 days, this can also increase your chances of a 1000 pounder if the benchmarks are close.
I wont be that lucky with all these splits. Just crossing my fingers that it makes it another 13 days from now. Count Down!
Technically 29 days after pollination : 94 1/2"cc - 65-73=232 1/2" OTT est 263 lbs.
It didnt grow much yesterday. Only 13 pounds. Kinda disappointing. But its weird, looking back at the weight gains per day, its seems to grow heavy one day, then light the next day, heavy then light, heavy then light. LIke this:15 lbs, 11 lbs, 15lbs,12 lbs, 16lbs, 11lbs, 16lbs, 20lbs, 13lbs today. So not my imagination---just weird.
Happy Gardening
Wow! 60 gallons of water a day!
Cricket,
Looking good! We'll keep our fingers crossed for ya!
Red
It was raining yesterday AGain! We got 3 1/2 inches past few days.
The sun is shinning today. Rain Rain go away, come again some other day!
So technically today is Day 31: 98-67-75 = 240" OTT estimated 290 pounds and still spliting. Not too bad--but enough to worry me. None of the splits are to the cavity so that is a good thing. Doctored all the splits with calcium to help heal it. Let dry then doctored with dry powdered captan.
Thanks Red. I have to get this lady to grow 10more days at least before I have her weighed.
Some of you dont know that I have a greenhouse business. The NorthWest Alabama state fair wants me to set up a booth at the fair showing either a giant pumpkin or Poster Boards of the pumpkin growth as an attraction to the 4-H area and at the same time advertise my business. No prize money or anything. Just advertisement. Fair is SEpt 12-15. The thought makes me nervous.
Anyway--here she is today.
The splits are roughly skin deep. Nothing to cavity---------Cross Fingers
Slowly but surely
Crickets; want me rally some local support for you? I don't have much experience in my back ground. But you can count on me as a supporter. And I talk alot too, so it may help. lol
LOL . the more the marrier.
I went out and cut some of the leaves away from the pumpkin so they wouldnt cause any scaring rubbing against it.
Sure is a Tall Pumpkin. They call it Wagon Wheel Shaped
crossing fingers and toes for you, here in ky..........
I sure am enjoying watching your pumpkin grow!!!!!!!
I watch all your threads..........
you sure can grow maters!!!!!!!!!!!
Pauletta
"Thanks Red. I have to get this lady to grow 10more days at least before I have her weighed."--CricketsGarden
Just wondering; why are pumpkins "she"?
I am loving this thread. My birthday is Halloween, and I love pumpkins.
She looks good! Thanks for posting new pix for me!
CapeCodGardener,
"Just wondering; why are pumpkins "she"?"
Maybe because they are the womb???
The pumpkin is a she because only the female flowers become fruit after being pollinated by a male flower.
ahhh, and I thought it's "cute as a pumpkin" hence female gender? Whatta ya know. lol
yep-female from the get go.
we either didnt grow much in the past 24 hours or I measured wrong yesterday. Thinking my tape got caught on the stem-vine on the CC measurements.
so= 32days after pollination 98-68-77=243 OTT estimated 300 pounds. Bring on the Cheerleaders---We have 7 days to go to tie state record. Then a few days after that to beat it. I will only cut it from the vine if there seems to be problems. If no problems--I will keep it growing.
I put shade cloth on my other pumpkin patch
RAH RAH
More sunshine and I have to water the pumpkin plant today.
CIS- BOOM- BA ,
Go - Cricket!!!!!
You are going to do it -I just know it-
GROW PUMPKIN _ GROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sharon
Sally!
You got me hooked on this Thread!
How awesome is all this???????
Gita
It has rained so much in the past few weeks that I haven't been taking care of the vines very good. I was watering/fertilizer this morning (50 gallons) and I saw a plant pushing up the shade cloth and thought what is That? Looked a little closer and it was pumpkin vine. It found its way to the flower bed--climbed an okra plant and shot straight up. It pushed so hard that it broke its on tip off. I took pictures. Even more===it had two pumpkins on it, one newly pollinated and one not.
Pushing out the top
the other female on that vine
