From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Joliet, IL

Tonight after a crap day at work and unwinding with some cold ones in my garage looking out at the patch...I had an epiphany.. a moment of clarity in "my" mind.

It started with me measuring a 21.25" tomato...then just looking at the ribs forming undet the white sheets of my pumpkins...and I thought.. why do they want to grow big? And I rolled it around in a Budweiser induced thinking process....and came up with a lot of side thoughts but no real answer.

About 3 beers later I looked at my sunflowers...the ones 11' tall have bigger leaves...thicker stalk....and higher than its neighboring sunflowers....it has an advantage growing bigger plant due to crowding. If a pumpkin in the wild decomposed in a field and some seeds sprout the next year...which sprout passes on its traits? The strongest. And with stronger plants come more vigor and larger fruits.

Has anyone else ever contemplated the scientific advantage of why so big? Please feel free to go in long winded depths like this post. Lol.

8/8/2013 8:57:19 PM

Joliet, IL

Follow up thought....maybe in nature a larger fruit gets obviously noticed more by the animals that are going to eat it and propigate the seeds along with manure hence insuring its genetic lineage to go far and wide...like gingis kahn.

8/8/2013 9:10:51 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Drink more beer :)

8/8/2013 9:36:37 PM

Torrance, Ca.

I love you Shazzy!

8/8/2013 9:38:33 PM

Joliet, IL

I am...and now a late night pizza on the way...I know why I am so f.. "big"......tee hee

8/8/2013 9:38:42 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Was it Shazzy or Ron White who once said "I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade... And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka, and have a party".

8/8/2013 9:46:32 PM

Winston Salem, NC

Shazzy White...They call him Tater Salad!

8/8/2013 9:48:55 PM

BC, Canada

Cliff expounds his "Buffalo Theory" to Norm:

“Well, you see, Norm, it’s like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it’s the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.

In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine.

And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”

8/8/2013 9:54:02 PM

Joliet, IL

Tater Salad......lol.......one of my nicknames besides shazzy was
"Chuck Wagon"... there was a Korean golfer I believe....maybe Japanese golfer named TC Chin. My friends called me TC Double Chin for a year or so when I wise pushing the scales at 290 in 1996. Lol.

8/8/2013 10:32:36 PM

Joliet, IL

Cavity...you my friend are a wordsmithe.....thank you for the belly laugh

8/8/2013 10:36:23 PM

milford, CT,

I have thought for years that we are breeding out the determinate growth genes of AG's.This would make growth indeterminate..the older the fruit the bigger...with no final genetic endpoint...only environmental. That means they will continue to grow until there is no more source of nutrients or time just ran out... 7-8 years ago a good grower told me that I needed to sustain 25 lbs a day for 3 - 4 weeks to get a big one...That is no longer true..many of the 1600 lb plus fruit have 25 + lbs a day for 5 - 6 weeks or more.Many of the fruit 7-8 years ago were harvested @ 90 days..now many fruit are left to grow for 100-115 days because they are still growing. Just my thoughts..any discussion would be gladly recieved!!! Mark

8/8/2013 10:37:26 PM

Joliet, IL

Spot on Mark. About 6 years ago the overall consesus changed on thick walled heavy density traits being genetic more so than cultural. I made posts trying to encourage a statitic for longevity of growth as a genetic trait before the 1161. They wouldn't quit. And some of there offspring just wouldn't quit. Definately genetics in my eyes. Many of the medium hitters have seen the long term growers....so not just cultural in my book.

Great input Mark.

8/8/2013 11:12:27 PM

Colorado

Its all because of humans selecting the biggest fruit, Big plant- big fruit isnt because there the fittest or strongest.They need a human to water,prune, weed, spray insecticide etc. The plants dont have much disease resistance etc, Smaller fruit with hardier plants to produce lots of seeds is a stronger biological formula.Our ags are starting to produce fewer seeds and those are distributed by the postal service-ha

8/9/2013 4:27:31 PM

Cedar Lake, IN.

Shazzy I've never met you but now I have to.

8/9/2013 8:35:56 PM

Joliet, IL

Lol Kurty

8/10/2013 8:24:43 AM