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Entry Date
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Nick Name
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Location
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Tuesday, May 22, 2012
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Josh
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Morgantown, Indiana
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Entry 25 of 31 |
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Here is my Fredricks 980 number 2 on May 22 2012. This seed was planted on April 27th. The weather has been nearly perfect for growth and that will be the case tomorrow as well with a high temperature of 80F predicted. After that we will get too hot. I have figured out that the main reason why champion pumpkins come from particular latitude belts around the world is because of temperature. World champions are grown with high temperatures of 79F in July and August with a window of about 75F to 84F. I have not examined low temperatures or daily means yet but plant to investigate it. They will clearly grow faster with high temperatures of 85F than 80F but that faster growth comes at the price of advancing maturity and a shorter growth period. Last summer I compared the leaves of my field pumpkins to a commercial pumpkin grower and noticed that his leaves looked more robust/thicker and had more of a leathery look to them as opposed to mine which were thin like paper. I believe this was the result of too little nitrogen in my soil so I incorporated more nitrogen in my soil with manure oak leaves and moss from the lake. I also fertilized with the liquid fish fertilizer. I see this has given my leaves a thicker more robust look to them allready......it may have even mangled them a little so maybe a bit too much nitrogen.
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