From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Cologne / Germany

Well, that´s it for my Deary pumpkin. The split has doubled in size, right now there´s another one below the stem.
What should i do? Leave him on the vine and risk rot or cut and store him? Fruit was pollinated on June 28th, maybe I have some seeds from it.

8/22/2002 1:18:29 PM

Indiana

Floh,
Get a small paint brush out. First try a 10% bleach solution and get all of the inside with it. Then get a fan on it and dry it out. Then paste on some Captan/sulfur mix, and keep the fan on it. I am babying a large stem split also. Dry it out is the key.

Tom Beachy

8/22/2002 2:34:44 PM

Cologne / Germany

Thanks Tom, but as far as I can see it goes right into the cavity. I guess I can´t have high hopes on that.

8/22/2002 2:56:08 PM

Indiana

Sorry to say, but if it goes into the cavity, forget it. Pick it and weigh, and harvest the seeds. The seeds should be mature at 55 days.

Tom Beachy

8/22/2002 3:44:19 PM

Knopp, Germany

Floh, mein beileidt. (did i spell that correctly?)

sorry to hear about your Deary...hoping your Eisenhour kicks butt!

8/22/2002 3:52:32 PM

Cologne / Germany

Okay guys, that´s destiny. Opened a couple of beer bottles together with my wife, (share good and bad as it comes!!), we´ll cut him off this morning. Don´t know we can carry him by hand, maybe the crane will work (was nonfunctional today, water in the engine, that says it all...)
Make some pictures for sure.

8/22/2002 4:14:11 PM

Liverpool , England

Yo Floh,
Sorry to be picky..but its not leave him on the vine..its leave her on the vine...pumpkins are female.Soooo sorry you lost her man.

Alun

8/22/2002 7:41:01 PM

Western Pa.

Floh,

Leave it on! If you can't take a piece of straw, and stick it "all the way in", it will still grow! If the hole enters the cavity, the pumpkin will likely rot in a few days. I've seen several pumpkins( they're very thick by the stem), that have looked like they're done, only to add another 100# or more! Too many growers on this site are too anxious to "give up"! Hang in there!
my 2 cents,

kilr

8/23/2002 1:51:49 AM

Cooks Creek, Manitoba, Canada

I agree with kilr. I had a pumpkin split last year at the 250lb mark. The split went all the way into the cavity and it continued to grow for the next three weeks making it to 400lbs before finally rotting out.

8/23/2002 8:13:47 AM

Cologne / Germany

So far, the pumpkin is still on the vine. Kilr, the straw test went out bad, it really went in deeeeep...I´ll check again and post a pic in my diary when I come home today. The splits are big and deep but dry, no oozing. Game not over yet!? Thanks for your opinions.

8/23/2002 9:49:38 AM

Cologne / Germany

The digicam did a better job than the piece of straw and my own eyes. The room behind the split (must be 4" deep) appears to be closed. Bleached, used the hair-dryer for half an hour and wrapped some batting around the stem area to keep ants and flies away from the splits.
Meanwhile the site supervisor already instructed me how to use the crane. Yes, patience is the word...

8/23/2002 4:32:16 PM

Western Pa.

What's Patience have to do with it? She's in sunny California!

kilr

8/24/2002 1:42:32 AM

Knopp, Germany

Kilr's trying to stir somthin up.....LOL

8/24/2002 11:06:47 AM