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Chesterfield, MO

Hey Guys

This year I am having a really hard time with soft spots. At around 70 pounds my pumpkin on the 963 Stucker stopped growing and went soft all around. Then my big one (245 lbs) stopped growing and started getting soft on the bottom. What is up with this!? My only pumpkin that is rock hard is one that is about 120 est and living off a cut off secondary. That makes me think that it had to be something internal in the plant that caused it rather than external. My solid pumpkin doesn't even have a shade tent. It looks like once the "softness" appears, it seems to spread. What makes these pumpkins go soft!?

On a little different issue..my dad and I have a little difference in opinion. Would it be better to leave my soft pumpkin on the vine and hope for it to get orange or cut it off? By cutting it off, could I stop the spread of soft spots? Thank you so much for your help...I want to figure out what in the world caused this so that it does not happen next year!

Steve G.
Baffled in Missouri

8/30/2003 11:02:54 PM

Chesterfield, MO

One more thing I should add...I sprayed Eagle + Mancozeb for the 1st time on 8/16. Shortly after that, what minimal pumpkin growth I had (<10 lbs/day) completely stopped. I am doubtful, but could these products have had any effect?

8/30/2003 11:41:07 PM

[email protected]

Not likely. Been using that combo here all year with no negative impact on growth. Perhaps the infection had already started if growth slowed on 8-16 & soft spots are evident now.

We had this problem 3 years ago on Prizewinners. Thus my move toward earlier fungicide applications now. It worked here so far. (knock wood)

Steve

8/31/2003 12:07:04 AM

New Brunswick

Hmmm...I culled a pumpkin at least 3 weeks ago, actual weight 76 pounds. I left it sitting right out in the weather. It is still sound. I culled another pair of pumpkins even bigger and left them where they were, and within a week both had soft spots and the bottom rotted out. Makes me think that they had been aborted by the pumpkin plant itself. Both had ceased growing much shortly before culling. Both plants have one and two pumpkins still on and one has an OTT weight of 349 pounds and is still growing, though slowly as a result of this blasted cold weather.

8/31/2003 10:08:10 AM