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Cranston, Rhode Island

This morning I found two splits in the stem leading into the skin. There's some clear sap oozing out. What would be a good way to disinfect the crack and split?? This might have occured due to a huge amount of rain in a 10 hr. period yesterday. Can you use clorox bleach to prevent the area from infection?

Thanks, Will

9/3/2003 1:14:51 PM

Commack, NY

Will......i have suffered a couple of stem splits this year myself....very early on though. What i did was i applied a dry fungicide powder to the area, and i have a fan blowing on it 24/7. So far it has worked well for me. the splits have gotten considerably larger, however as of right now its a non issue.

good luck
scott

9/3/2003 1:39:50 PM

Montoursville, PA

Hydrogen Peroxide 3% dumpped in right out of the bottle will serve as a fungicide. Any liquid fungicide will work.
So will any dry if you can get it into the debth of the split.

9/3/2003 3:35:22 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

Following up on Doc's suggestion, I purchased a little
squeeze bulb thing from the drug store. It's used to evacuate fluid from kid's ears. Works great to blow powdered fungicide into pumpkin stem cracks ! Check it out.
Duff

9/3/2003 7:38:37 PM

Cranston, Rhode Island

Thanks for all your input.

Will

9/4/2003 12:11:46 PM

Montoursville, PA

The Dollar Stores have squirt bottles cheap. Hair dressers have neat-o chemical squeeze throw away bottles. My biggest problem is the fungicide powders seem to suck water in their spare time. Thirty seconds in a baggie securely tied shut radar oven zapping will dry them out. The moisture will be driven out of the squeeze bottle into the baggie. Works good if you know who does not catch you doing it. :)

9/4/2003 10:30:23 PM