From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Garden State Pumpkins

I can't find the post now but Joe Pukos said he rather fill in a bare spot with a tertiary rather then let it go bare. I have one plant throwing no secondaries down one side...not by my choice but the plants. Before I read Joes post I had terminated all the tertiaries on the lone secondary on that side. I finally have one more coming. Would it be better to let the tertiaries fill in this spot now. Will that feed the pumpkin or I could through training start wrapping every other secondary back around into the opening. probably losing 200 square feet to this bare spot! Thanks for any ideas!

7/12/2003 8:41:42 AM

Knopp, Germany

Chuck, I am probably the last one that should answer this one, but my 2 cents are that if you are losing 200 sq ft, then that means that you are losing out on green foliage to do the photosynthesis job. And to me that means a loss of energy going to the pumpkin. In your case i say go for it with the tertiaries. Okay, everyone, reday, aim, fire...YIKES!!!!!

7/12/2003 9:24:45 AM

North Ga

Chuck, I terminated all the vines on the 455 when I thought I had a good one going. When it rotted I let all other secondaries and tertiaries grow. They filled in a lot of bare spots. Now I have another fairly good size fruit growing on a tertiary. The bad part is that it makes it hard to get to the center of the plant for spraying. 2000 sq. ft. plant now. I guess what I'm saying is to not let too many tertiaries go wild.

7/12/2003 9:55:54 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

Thanks Owen Pappy, I can train the area I'm talking about. The main is cutting off the area towards the fence. If I grew the tertiaries they would be trained much the same as secondaries off a main. The dilema Is I always be told to trim tertiaries as they have no benefit to the main.

7/12/2003 10:07:17 AM

Caceres, mid west of Spain

I've thought a lot on this subject, Chuck. I don't either like to have empty spots in the patch (I am very concerned with stetic, wow!), but the matter of fact, in my humble opinion, should be the size of the plant. There is a perfect size for a x-mas tree plant; how large? I don't know, but if you carefully analyze the AGGC data base, you found it could be around 600 sq ft, if statistics are working.
Then, I think that the best we can do is trying to get and maintain that size all season through. In my case it means to have all the patch covered with leaves, so I will try, like Joe wrote, to recover bare areas. But in bigger patchs like Stan's, with plants more separated, maybe you would only need to let them grow a little further.

Don

7/12/2003 11:50:05 AM

Sequim, WA

When they are small and tender I like them in stir fry.

7/13/2003 7:33:12 PM

Leicester, NY

I think most growers will agree if one wants to grow a large fruit, the tertiaries must be pruned extensively. That being said, you have a very unusual situation to deal with alexsdad and you’ll have to be very creative on filling or partially filling that bare area. I would want at least some leaves in there and in this case, allowing the tertiaries to grow, might be your best bet. Also, you might consider allowing the secondaries on the good side to grow a few feet longer (if you have the room) to help compensate..Joe P.

7/13/2003 10:19:44 PM

Buffalo,Minnesota

2000 Square Feet!!!! I don`t think my whole yard is that big!

7/13/2003 10:25:30 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Thanks everyone! Brand new patch so I was trying to see what was what and where the best spots were...If you saw the way I laid it out on paper and the way it is yall die laughing!...on paper looks great but in reality the way the sun goes and trees shade and the pumpkin plants have they're own mind...I had given this plant up as lost and directed another plant into its direction figuring the worst would be I grow it's side vines towards the fence. wouldn't you know it wants to go towards the other plant leaving the open side barren of leaves. From what I can see on the new lone secondary the tertiaries are only growing out one side TOO! away from the bare spot...looks like a toftness loop is in order for the far secondaries!

7/13/2003 10:46:26 PM