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Entry Date
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Nick Name
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Location
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Friday, September 19, 2025
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Matt D.
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Connecticut
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Entry 66 of 71 |
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Importance of Scouting
This is an important skill and something that can often be difficult for new growers to acquire and is best developed over time. However, being able to be proactive and identify problems early can increase the odds of controlling the issue before it gets out of hand.
An important aspect of scouting is to know what the "normal" or "expected" is for any given plant. With giant pumpkins with their large leaves, it can be very attractive to many potential issues that could be environment, disease, insect or grower induced.
Acquiring this skill is something that can be a challenge but a proper diagnosis is important for any level of control of a threat to the plant/pumpkin.
In this image there is some salt build-up on the leaf margin that is the result of a spot spray of a test product. Below there is some powdery mildew showing, but there are also some dead powdery mildew spots showing that overall, the disease is being kept in check and not spreading rapidly. This is likely due to two reasons.
1. The simple fact that the spot spray is working, but also leaving a residue so still some potential refinement in this area, which is why only a small area was selected as a test area.
2. The plants natural resistance to Powdery Mildew (see next diary post for more information on this.)
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