From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Abbotsford, B.C

I've got this one plant, the 1109 LaRue 04, and it has a 200 or so pounder that is growing off a strong secondary. It is a low, flat, and very boring looking pumpkin, and it's growing at a so-so pace. The 1109 LaRue plant, however, is just going bonkers, throwing off vines in all directions and crowding the two pumpkin plants on either side of it. Plus there is tons of weeds about to drop all of their seeds intermingled with the 1109 LaRue plant. On either side of the 1109 LaRue plant is a pumpkin plant with pumpkins that are doing very well; the 876 Mombert plant on one side with one 350 lber and one 450 lber, and on the other side, the 753 Eaton plant with a 300 lber that is growing very fast. What I need to decide is, should I pull the 1109? It would make it way way easier to care for the more important plants at this stage. It would make them easier to access and weed, plus easier to fertilize and clip off all of those nasty tertiaries that are popping up everywhere. I would also be able to take care of all of the weeds that are in and among the 1109 plant. But there is this big pumpkin on the plant! I don't like the idea of pulling a plant with a big pumpkin! I goes against the grain! Need advice here; should I pull it or not? Maybe I could take a poll here, yes I pull it, or no, I keep it. Depending on the results, I'll keep it or pull it. Please post what you think I should do. Yours truly,

Cameron

8/19/2005 11:46:50 PM

Cheyenne, Wyoming

Pull It

8/20/2005 12:55:55 AM

Rhode Island

camern

you dont need to pull the plant you just need to down size the darn thing
if space is a consideration just get in there and
1. terminate the end or shorten and terminate the end of your main (pumpkins can also grow with no main after the fruit)
2. trim off as much from each side vine end as you need to get the size plant your area can handle ( you could have also done this eary in the plants development )
3. be sure all third stage growth is removed ( in case you are a new grower thats the vines that grow off the vines that grow off the main vine )
lasy year we experiemented with a small plant due to a disease situation that forced us to do some majot trimming, still at 125 square ft and very little plant before it the pumpkin grew over 900 lbs
it can be done

dick

8/20/2005 3:22:16 AM

Ohio

make a snake pattern out of it(single vine) to downsize it, make it fun, dont pull it.

8/20/2005 5:07:23 AM

Vancouver, White Rock, Canada

Leave it. Trim the secondaries back to make it easier to access the other plants, but I'd keep the 1109, you never know what will happen if you trim some of the secondaries off, maybe the fruit will accelerate?

200lbs in our climate at this time of the year is no tiny pumpkin...

8/20/2005 8:42:28 PM

Abbotsford, B.C

Really? Well, comparitively speaking, it is the smallest in the patch. And yes, Pap, I know what tertiaries are. The reason I didn't do exactly what you said in #2 is because I went on a trip after having done only four plants, and the 1109 was one of the plants that was left undone (for vine pruning & burying). When I got back, I took one look at the tangle of vines and thought, 'Oh no, I really don't want to tackle that'. So I sort of left it and left it until it started to invade the other plants, and then I had to go on another trip, and when I got back, things were a jungle. Oh, and this pumpkin is not actually on the main, it's on the main secondary. The main turned into a flat vine early on in it's development, and I cut it off. Ok, it looks like I am going to keep the plant, but cut off a lot of it. Thanks everyone for the replies,

Cameron

8/20/2005 9:16:23 PM