Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 39 Entries. Thursday, June 14 View Page LanTerra Update > year 17 begins. A bit early for these Last year started FP seeds on June 2o th. So 4 FP's Planted in the last week into non tilled soil. 2 - Field Pumpkins 99.6 Landry 17 (108 Lyons 16 x Self) 2 - Field Pumpkins 131 Kline 17 (158 McKinnon 16 x Self)   Thursday, June 14 View Page Tomater Update > Going to be a big year for maters at LanTerra. 21 plants on the go so far in four planting batches. On the Go and in the ground, 7 - 3.75, BZ, Catapano 2007, Sib of 3.9, BZ Catapano, note: Dale Thurber grew a meaty 4.67 in 14 off this seed, http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=231601 3 - 5.78, BZ, Bryson 17. (4.84, BZ Bryson 14) In Pots. 2 - 5.41, Del, Landry 11 > 3.4 Catapano Delicious. 3 - 4.42, Del, Landry 11 > 7.33 Hunt 10, Delicious X self. Still to go in late plants, 1 - ZacZilla 14, will make a good pollinator for 3.75 Catapano 5 - 3.75, BZ, Catapano 2007   Thursday, June 14 View Page 4.42 Landry 11, Good & healthy all mulched in with and backed by the Big Kahuna now with 17 years of purely perceived and missed placed pumpkin pleasurement.   Thursday, June 14 View Page A couple of 5.78 Bryson 17. New this year is a six zone Hunter irrigation controller. All LanTerra plants are drip feed and controlled from my iPhone.   Thursday, June 14 View Page LanTerra Update > the others include Sunflowers, Castor Beans and elephant ear type banana plants too. Also new this year is the GVGO veggie of the year Giant Cucumbers. I will have 3 or 4 plants. Soon to plant is a 13.7 Wursten 17 and 3 Johnston/Butler Cucs. Going to try some 209 English, Bushel gourds as well.   Thursday, June 14 View Page New Things > Going to test out air pots this year and grow some maters plants in multi gallon tan coloured fabric grow bags this year. Hoping for more adventitious roots from the air pruning. Also have been worried about high soil temperatures in past years hindering vine node root growth. To combat this > I will have placed temperature monitors at a few nodes. Soil temps above the mid 80's can be lowered with a sudden blast of iPhone enhance cold shower or a misty encounter with Mrs. H2O. Automation is a lazy mans dream. 1. Mater Black planting pots are being painted white to reflect heat. 2. FP Vine nodes will be buried with Promix, Azos and Mycos, then mulched with pelletized cat litter. To reflect heat lowering soil node temperatures, to Reflect light under the canopy, to retain soil moisture and lastly to absorb ethylene gas. Several 3.75 maters will get the white to grey mulched cat litter. Some will get Red Pine Bark chips as mulch and controls will get bare soil.   Thursday, June 14 View Page Plant Transplanting Starter Solution Essential at 1 oz per gallon. Phosphites and nutrients. Root Booster 5-15-5, with PGR's IBA and NAA. Full strength. Generic water sol 12-8-4. Glycine 1 oz per gallon, Chelate.   Thursday, June 14 View Page Virgin Mater Planting Mix is listed below. Its a bit heavy on the N side to start out. Should not need to supplement N during the season and I anticipate no -cations of Ammonium N competition in the soil as OM is very low in this mix. So summer N bloom and distal BER should be controlled. Most important to have max uptake of nutrients including Ca. Trusty pH pen is handy to test irrigation water all summer and modify if tie up becomes an issue via leaf testing results. Pumpkin Pro. Generous handful. Azos. Heaping spoonful. Scott's 31-1-1 slow release. Sprinkle of Pro Mix Potting & Myco. up to 2 cubic feet of mix per plant All season coated Slow release 12-8-4   Sunday, June 24 View Page LanTerra Update > First mater mega blossoms appear on Landry 5.41 & Landry 4.42. Trimmed all plants back heavily this evening. 2+” of rain since yesterday evening so lots of soil leaching happening. All Field pumpkins starting to vine with the longest 4 to 5 feet. Worried I’m a bit too early for them to make it into the fall. Cucumbers are ok but not set in ground yet. Also have one Bushel gourd going and a few late Tow-Maters to go in that will have greenhouse protection setup for them. Off to a good start so far. Someone tell Marv. and Bnot to watch that tomato leaderboard.   Monday, June 25 View Page The first small mega on the 4.42. Considering Starting to terminate all other shoot growth. Still early and that plant is still small so I may hold off while waiting on the next one out.   Thursday, July 12 View Page LanTerra Update > Hot and sunny driving abortions on maters and pumpkins. A brief cool down and heat let up looks to allow a first set on the Field pumpkins to take hold. Still a bit early for them though. First Powdery mildew spotted on pollinator plants. Pollinated first field Pumpkin today. Caleb1, 3rd fruit at 14' ft on main vine 99.6 Landry 17 x Sib x self, (108 Lyons 16 x Self)   Saturday, July 14 View Page Mulch tests > on Tomato plants. 1. Zeolite & paper pellets 2. Red Pine Wood Chips 3. Combined zeolite and wood chips 4. Bare Dirt Plants with Red Pine wood chips are bigger and more robust. Bare soil are growing well but are bigger than the plants mulched with zeolite pellets.   Saturday, July 14 View Page LanTerra Update > DAP 2 nice looking fruit started on the 99.6. Not really the blossom I was hoping for however it’s off to a good first two days. This is Caleb1 resting in red mulch to aid in cell elongation. The fruit was exposed to natural Ethylene on Day 0 for 6 hours. After which the entire plant was sprayed with kinetin. The fruit was only sparingly sprayed. Happy with the peduncle size and length so it appears very robust. Now the daily micro nutrient, amino glycine drenches begin.   Saturday, July 14 View Page LanTerra Mulch > here is a pic of the main vine on the Kline FP. It is has been buried with Promix myco potting soil, RTI Azos, RTI Myco a high Nitrate granule and slow release NPK granules. Watered in with soluble root shield and an IBA liquid mixed growth hormone with Glycine and corn syrup. For the first time I have managed to not apply Kelps or Cytokinins. My thought was that synthetic Kinetin’s or kelps hinder apical dominance. The vine is buried with a thin layer of Zeolite pellets. For details of my thoughts on plant mulches please reference the Soon to be released Giant Vegetable Growers of Ontario (GVGO) news letter.   Saturday, July 14 View Page Mulch Update > Soil Temperatures at surface. Ambient 80*F full sun with light winds Lawn Grass perennial rye 81*F Red mulch wet 85 dry 90 Grey/white Zeolite pellets wet 95, dry 100 Red mulch & Zeolite Pellets wet 90, dry 95 Bare Soil peat to clay loam, wet 75, dry 100 up to 135 dry > yikes that’s far too hot!   Thursday, July 19 View Page Caleb1 Update > Dap 7 = 23” amazing growth rate on such a small plant. Very vigorous set. Leaking ship at the rear. This one might explode. Yehaas love it . Grow Calabie Grow!   Thursday, July 19 View Page LanTerra Update > pollinated today second female on main vine, 14’, 3-Lobe, 2-M self. Logans5 > 131 Kline 17 x self. Love the long skinny blossom fruit on her. A huge 3 lobe bud and very symmetrical. Used two fresh opened males. This one will get natural ethylene derived from a few plant cuttings this evening at sundown. The entire plant will get a kinetin spray this evening prior to sunset. Logans5 looks to be a strong contender.   Sunday, July 22 View Page Three days of rains have left the patch saturated. FP Caleb1 D10 = 33” fast grower for sure, but not likely to hold together.   Sunday, July 22 View Page Kline FP pumpkin Loganis5 > long tube like pumpkin. This plant is vey healthy. Sprayed all plants with potassium bicarbonate and HC Oil this evening after the rain left town.   Monday, July 23 View Page LanTerra Update > Heavy rain again. thunderstorms again tracking from SE to NW 3” today. Installed a fan on FP (Caleb1 +3” CC) in hopes of keeping it together. Its been bleeding for the past 4 days but is still holding together. Two applications of potassium Bicarb in the last 24 hours need to get out there as soon as the rain stops.   Monday, July 23 View Page LanTerra Update > kinetin spray from plant prod. Like this stuff a lot.   Monday, July 23 View Page Field pumpkin blossom end. Necrotic and very gnarly looking butt end.   Monday, July 23 View Page FP blossom Pic on day 11   Tuesday, July 24 View Page LanTerra Update > Heavy, heavy rains again this morning. FP Kline 17 (Caleb1) D12 = 38 +2” CC in past 24 hours. The fan has now dried up on the blossom end after 24 hrs. Sprayed with kinetin and Ca & micros mixed with Glycine. Still very ugly though. Sprayed all plants twice today with potassium bicarbonate and micros. No sign of PM.   Wednesday, August 15 View Page Early set on the 131 Kline FP. It’s a good sized one currently on day 26.   Wednesday, August 15 View Page 2018 GVGO special vegetable > giant cucumbers happy with this one so far. Grown in a 10 gallon black plastic pot. Nice straight growth is thought to result from minimal stress. They are fun to grow. The plants really talk to you. Reading their leaves tend to droop very easily if water stressed in the slightest way. This plant is about ten sq feet grown on a trellis. This set is the plants first and close to the main node.   Wednesday, August 15 View Page Giant Cuc’s already far bigger than any cucumber I ever grew.   Wednesday, August 15 View Page Hoots is guarding the 131 Kline FP. Delaying this one has been a challenge. I’ve hit it with a few doses of kinetin, IBA and lots of aminos. Drenched with myco’s & micro’s with Ca. Given it corn syrup, molasses and maple syrup too. In fact the 131 has dined on everything a moron could possible pour on but the kitchen sink.   Monday, August 20 View Page Giant Cucumber I think it’s a bit small. Perfectly straight and plump.   Monday, August 20 View Page Sprays of kinetin are hard to find. Here is a good one sold in Canada. Bloom Booster by Plant Prod.   Monday, August 20 View Page A good sized fruit on the 131 Kline. Its turning but still gaining 2” per day. Very healthy plant need this one to go heavy. Main vine still very epically dominant. Length has grown to 45’ Long and it’s weaved back on its self three times.   Saturday, August 25 View Page   Saturday, August 25 View Page LanTerra Update : pm heaven the last two days with lots of night time rain and humidity. Spraying foliage and adjacent ground areas with a high pH solution in the dark this evening as last rain shower passed at 8:45pm. Maters are doing well still too early to tell. Down to 14 plants. All have two and threes with a few scattered dragon heads developing. In this pick I note the size of the abscission joint. Hope it’s a good sign of things to come. Field Pumpkin off the 131 Kline will finish around 180 OTT so nothing too special. Hoping for a heavy number. Have another on the go. Still have my own 99.6 from last year growing and I expect to have something weigh-off worthy. Interestingly the Back up 131 has a fruit that is still gaining 2” on Day 22. It has not started to turn orange yet. The Glycine/kinetin Spray program might be working to help delay senescence. Gonna heat back up tomorrow so time for a stomata control spray in the morning. My choice for this is a Stoller product called Relief.   Saturday, August 25 View Page A good triple on the 4.42 Landry.   Saturday, August 25 View Page Two dragons....   Sunday, August 26 View Page Giant cucumber! Boy Oh Boy these are fun to grow. Here is the straight one at 19” long still growing about 2.5 ounces per day. Finally hit 7 Lbs. This one is in a 10 gallon pot. The plant has a backup fruit growing higher up that has reached 17”. Not the best setup for them. Next year plan to set up open air trellises and use larger white fibre pots or larger air pots. Gonna give it an apical dominate, sink strengthening blast of IBA, NAA this evening for root growth.   Monday, August 27 View Page Last thing I need.... An Earth Networks Dangerous Thunderstorm Alert is in effect until 8/27/2018 3:28 AM EDT Event Start: 8/27/2018 2:43 AM EDT Event End: 8/27/2018 3:28 AM EDT Earth Networks Dangerous Thunderstorm Alert Earth Networks Headquarters Germantown, MD * Until 3:28 AM EDT * At 2:43 AM EDT...The Earth Networks Total Lightning Network is indicating a thunderstorm with a significant rate of lightning occurring in your area and moving in your direction. This storm has an increased potential to produce severe weather such as very frequent lightning, heavy rain, hail and/or damaging winds and should be considered dangerous. (For more information on this Earth Networks product visit www.earthnetworks.com) * Storm is located near Latitude: 43.15, Longitude: -82.426 * Repeating, this storm contains frequent lightning and has an increased potential to produce severe weather and should be considered dangerous. Take appropriate measures to ensure safety to life and property immediately. This alert is being issued in an advisory capacity by Earth Networks Headquarters due to the detection of frequent lightning by The Earth Networks Total Lightning Network. It is not associated in any way with the country’s official meteorological services nor to any official alert linked to this storm. Active advisories or warnings issued by the official meteorological services should be followed in precedence to this alert. Stay tuned to www.earthnetworks.com, other Earth Networks applications or local media outlets for the latest   Friday, August 31 View Page LanTerra Update > vine burying continues in the last two days I have top dressed about 200’ of vines with fresh inoculated soil about 2” deep and watered in with compost tea and a heavy Glycine amino package of PGR’s, Ca, Mg, other micros phosphite and molasses   Friday, August 31 View Page Auggie Doggie > our new cocker pup shows off his friend. Lanterra Field Pumpkin update > powdery Mildew is a bit of a challenge in my patches. Some of the interior leaves of the 131 Kline plant are too crowded for proper air circulation and have become infected. Resorting to sulphur dust this evening on limited leaves only. Nevertheless the 131 plant is surging ahead with the main vine that now exceeds 55 feet long. The main vine has a completely mature fruit at 174.5 inches. A vigorous grower the 131 also has a secondary back vine reaching 45 feet with recently pollinated fruits at 40 and 43 feet out both are still growing strong and with fresh morning and evening drenches. The combination of fish emulsion and Sulphur certainly has a zinging smell to it . yuck...