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Ca

I have several Blossom end stems on 30 plus day old pumpkins. On my 861 Lawerce pumpkin the blossom end is growing towards the ground. The Blossom stem is about to hit the ground. Can I cut off the Blossom stem safely so it will not cause a hole or split to the pumpkin?

7/31/2006 10:46:46 PM

Ca

I ment my 861 Fredricks not 861 Lawerce.

7/31/2006 10:48:34 PM

San Jose [email protected]

I dont know what a blossom stem is, you have a blossom end, where the flower used to be, that as far as I know does not grow, it just shrivels up, then the stem end, which you cannot cut off until weigh off time, if it is the blossom end that is shriveled up, just take your hand and swipe it off

7/31/2006 11:16:30 PM

Ca

Some of mine did not shrivel up for whatever reason. They are real hard like a stem. They are rather long. The one on my 861 fredricks is about to hit the ground. I don't have a photo of it yet, but here is one from Boily's diary from a few years ago.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=16539

Mine is like that but it's about to be jammed into the ground. If that happens I think it will cause a hole or split in my pumpkin. I just don't know if cutting it off is safe or not. But I have to do something asap. I only have a few days.

7/31/2006 11:40:28 PM

SF Bay Area, California

Don't mess with the blossom stub. I broke one off accidently a few years ago and the blossom end went soft and mushy in a few days - lost the pumpkin. Pumpkins don't like people messin' with their reproductive parts at all.....

I would dig a hole so the blossom stub doesn't hit dirt....

8/1/2006 12:06:04 AM

[email protected]

Agreed....leave it alone. Pull & roll the fruit earlier or get help to properly position the pumpkin. Has the main vine been undercut so it can rise with the pumpkin?

8/1/2006 7:28:27 AM

Ca

The fruit position and vine posistion are not a problem. The Pumpkin has been growing more on the top of the fruit than the bottom and it caused the Blossom end to turn towards the ground. I will try to dig a small hole in the ground and see what happens. Why do some of the blossom stems stay on while other fall off?

8/1/2006 2:32:59 PM