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Kansas

I'm new to the site. I can't believe I ran across this. I have been on here about 20 minutes looking around and wooahh... Lots of information.

I have seen the giant pumpkins on TV for a couple of years, so I thought I would give it a try since I now have a place of my own. I ordered my seeds off of bigseeds.com I don't know if that was a good place to go or not, but it was my first attempt.

I now have a giant pumpkin taking off. In Less than a week, it has went from softball size to bigger than a basketball.

My foliage on the plant got HUGE. I just let it go and it's still growing. If you took 2 chevy half ton trucks and put them side by side, this is the area that ONE seed has taken up.

I was new to hand pollination, but I got it figured out. I have 3 pumpkins growing on my big plant. I talked about the one larger than a basketball. The other two are about the size of a gallon of water. I keep getting female flowers, but I'm reluctant to try and pollinate b/c I have 3 already going on that plant.

Can someone please point me in the correct direction now?

I've read a little about pruning the plant back so that pumpkins receive the most nutrient as possible. I would like to know more.

I've read a little about a person having to move the pumpkin a little each day to keep the main vine to the pumpkin from breaking/splitting. Help on that one?

I have just used a real light general fertilizer. It sure hasn't hurt anything.

As soon as I figure out the exact variety of the seed, I'll post that. I need to look at the envelope when I get home.

I'm up for any information. I'll read through old posts later. I read a nice "how to" on the giant watermelons that I'm growing as well. I wish I could find something like that for the pumpkins.

Thanks in advance.

Brian

7/15/2010 4:50:26 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

BS, welcome to the madness, lots (almost all) of the info you request is available on this site!! Read, read, read...and get ready for an addiction!!! #1, if you figured out how to do controlled pollinations already...you are serious about this!!! Quick question, Just one plant? #2, pruning, allow main vine to grow, and secondary vines to grow till "You" decide they are at their maximum...max can be decided by size of your patch or "premium" secondary length seems to be between 10 to 20'!Looking for somewhere close to (approx) 600 sq. ft. of plant! No tertiary growth should be allowed. Cut it off and dust w/ a fungicide!!

7/16/2010 12:33:41 AM

Owensboro, Ky.

#3, the movement of the pkn is to keep the pkn (which will grow large) from pushing itself off of the vine! This is a geometric thing...not only front to back, but from top to bottom!! As yer Slunger (KY term for large pkn) grows it will pull the vine upwards, you need slack in the vine upwards, even if that means you cut a few secondary roots before and after yer "Slunger"!!
#4...Several very nice How to's...Don Langevin has a few books out...4 I think? and Pap has a neat tutorial booklet also!!! Grow em BIG!!! Peace, Wayne

7/16/2010 12:42:08 AM

Kansas

Wayne,

I have 2 seeds that took off. I have a new garden this year. I just had a new house built and I'm getting everything established. My garden needs raised up about 6" minimum. I have plenty of dirt to haul in this winter. It's very fertile dirt that has been piled for over 2 years now. Anyhow, one pumpkin about drowned out from the dirt retaining water so much. It's taken back off over the last month. The main vine on it is about 15 ft long now. It has some female flowers on it, but it's not had the gusto as the other seed did. The seed that took off went nuts. I'll be surprised if that other plant will produce. I do have one of those one ton atlantic plants going. It's doing well. I thought it was a hybrid pumpkin, but it looks more like a squash to me. Right now, the squash on it is about 18" long and 7 or 8" in diameter.

My secondary vines on my good pumpkin plant are a good 15 to 20 feet. I finally looped them around so they would be growing in a circle for a while, but the made the circle and headed out. I have 24" chicken wire around my garden to keep the dang rabbits out and that plant had a secondary vine grow up and over the fence and now it's about 6 ft outside the boundary.

Think of my plant as an "X". The center of the X is the main vine. The other legs of the x can represent the secondary vines. I have a pumpkin on one leg of the X and then 2 pumpkins on another leg.

Can I cut the vine past the pumpkins and prune the other vines back a ways? I know that eventually I will cut off the smallest pumpkins to feed the largest one as much as possible.

7/16/2010 1:55:02 PM

Kansas

I have some crazy tall corn by the pumpkins as well. The damn things are pushing over 15 feet tall and have yet to start to tossle. To give you an idea, I can't put my hand all the way around the stock.


Wayne, what do you mean by tertiary growth?

Secondary Roots? Are these the roots that come off of the vines?

Does the pumpkin feed primarily off of the main vine or the secondary root system?

I read about placing the pumpkin on a pallet. What size do people usually do that? As long as it's not too big to lift by hand? Is plywood better? with the pallet, we could use the skid steer to get it out of there awfully easy. I come from a long line of farmers. My parents still have about 1000 acres that we rent out. I chose to take an engineering path rather than farm. I still have a knack for growing things though.

Brian

Thanks a lot for the info.

7/16/2010 1:55:06 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

BS, You obviously know the main vine!!! Vines growing off of the main are the secondaries!!! Vines that grow off of the secondaries, are called tertiaries (3rd growth)!! They should be terminated!!! Secondaries should also be terminated at some point, to help yer plant's energies go to growing the pkn, instead of more plant!!!
Secondary roots...at each leaf node, the vine will start to produce roots...burying vines is a common practice, to help produce more roots, which in turn bring more nutrients from the soil to yer pkn!! I think they call em 2ndary roots, cause the roots from the main stump are the primary roots!!!
Placing on a pallet is done at the time you harvest. Lots, prbly most, put something under during the growing season. Mill cloth, or sand (very fine sand>>white in color usually) to prevent critters from attacking from the bottom, and helping the fruit to slide as it grows!!! Hope this helps!!!
Grow em BIG!!! Peace, Wayne

7/17/2010 12:42:09 AM

Owensboro, Ky.

Oh yeah...two things...asking questions is totally acceptable, and I want some tall corn seeds this fall!!!!! LOL Peace, Wayne

7/17/2010 12:44:00 AM

Owensboro, Ky.

BS, one other quick recommendation. That might help you get better responses to your questions. Try the new growers forum thread, or any of the others that your questions relate to. I think lots of folks skip this thread, as it relates to a book that Don wrote. Hope this helps!!! Also, read, read, read!!!! LOL Peace, Wayne

7/17/2010 12:50:36 AM

Kansas

Wayne,

Thanks again for the advice. I didn't know this was a book thread. I learn more each day!

If a mod would be kind enough to move my post over to the new growers forum, I would appreciate that.

I checked the pumpkin this morning and she's growing fast! I'm going to be doing some pruning tonight.

Thanks.

Brian

7/19/2010 11:58:53 AM

Owensboro, Ky.

Brian, there are moderator's on this site, but what they do is to not let rude stuff onto it. Just repost yer ?'s on the proper thread...btw...if you look for a while...you will find out that this site is HUGE!!! Just like the pkn's they grow!!!!!!
Glad to hear that "she's" growin fast!!! Peace, Wayne
PS. Don L. has now authored 4 (I think) books about how to grow AG's!!!

7/20/2010 1:09:51 AM

Middle TN

Hi BSouders, welcome to BP, a really great bunch of friendly and helpful folks here.

Tammy (fellow newbie)

7/20/2010 12:43:22 PM

Mn

Hi BSouders, welcome to the MADNESS.

7/20/2010 1:34:06 PM

Niagara Falls,NY

Brian, Bigseeds.com is a great site for seeds and supplies. Also Ray Waterman knows alot about pumpkin growing and is a nice person who is always willing to help you out-welcome to this insane hobby!

9/5/2010 12:37:28 PM