From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Santa Cruz, CA

When the plant reaches what legnth do you start burying the main vine?

6/5/2006 10:54:54 AM

[email protected]

Only bury nodes here.

6/5/2006 9:53:02 PM

Santa Cruz, CA

Do you bury nodes within a foot of the stump? or farther out?

6/6/2006 12:14:32 AM

Rhode Island

we usually bury the entire main once it has run a few ft on the ground.
we do this to discourage borers from entering the main.covering leaf nodes only also works well as noted above.

always go back in early august and clean the soil off the top of the main and the first three ft or so of the side vines.

we do this so we can keep a good eye on the main during the stretch run and ,i also feel the vines really were not meant to grow under ground or the plant would have evolved that way.
we just bury to encourage more rapid early root development, a sometimes barrier from insects early on, and to anchor the plant.

6/6/2006 5:33:37 AM

[email protected]

Another benefit pf burying is to keep the vine from wind damage. But as Pap says, not before 3-4 feet. Prior top then you should be using crossed tomato stakes, bamboo sticks, flag or balloon sticks or even cut plastic coat hangers to secure the vine to the ground.

Plants being grown in soils with a history of Fusarium or Rhizoctonia should probably not be buried at all.

Vine borers are much easier to control than Fusarium.

6/6/2006 7:18:39 AM

Santa Cruz, CA

In Santa Cruz, California I'm pretty sure we don't have vine borers. If not, do we then just bury the nodes and not the vines at all? To bury the node, I'm assuming that we put a few inches of soil piled on top of each leaf access? This is our first year burying vines so sorry for all the questions. I've seen full vine burying on pumpkin videos but not node burying. We have bamboo stakes holding down the plants now.

6/6/2006 10:40:32 AM

Napa Valley, CA

Most of the patches that I have visited in California, Oregon and Washington have vines that are fully buried and usually remain so throughout the growing season.
I am not aware of any problems occuring if you have healthy soil with good drainage.
I start burying the main as soon as it starts to lay down.

6/6/2006 6:45:44 PM

hamilton,Ontario

aafter many years of getting hit by Vine borers and not finishing as mother nature wants me too...I will bury the vines as soon as I am able...I figure I have nothiing to lose but my time and when playing in the Pumpkin patch there aint no better time.....

6/6/2006 7:39:47 PM

San Diego

in california, well southern california, I never bury the vine. Only put some dirt at each node, I don't even worry about the top root on the vine, just the bottom one. There are no borers here, so the only thing you chance with burying is rot, so why take the chance? I did bury in the past and I got vine rot every time I tried it, even in good soil. Some reason it doesn't work good here. Every area of the country is different, so find what works for you.

6/6/2006 8:06:18 PM

Santa Rosa, CA.

You could just bury the side vines and leave the main uncovered. That is what I'm doing this year.

6/6/2006 8:27:31 PM