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Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Hi, have 4 pumpkins pollinated and decided to stop there as July is fast approaching.

One pumpkin it's on the third secondary and is about the size of a large cantaloupe.
I have another pumpkin on the sixth secondary that is about three times the size of a golf ball.

My third pumpkin is on the main fine had about 13 1/2 feet and is a little smaller than a softball, and my laugh pumpkin is on the main vine had about 16 feet and is about golf ball size.

I know it's way too early to think about culling any of them but I was wondering at what point does a person cull their slow growering pumpkins?

A scenario that I'm thinking of is what happens if my pumpkin on the third secondary is growing the fastest ? Do I dare call my pumpkins on the main vine if they are slower growers?

P.s. ...My pumpkins are very slow out of the gate compared to a lot of peoples

Example-my pumpkin on the third secondary that's about the size of a very large cantaloup is well over two weeks old : /

Thanks for any advice

6/28/2016 12:39:41 AM

Vancouver Island, British Columbia

PS, sorry for the spelling mistakes on the above post… I blame it on the voice recognition software :-)

6/28/2016 12:41:43 AM

Upa Creek, MO

Not too early to think about culling, you just want to make sure what you keep is growing since sometimes they just stop. Main vine pkns sometimes start slower than secondaries, but then gain momentum when the big weight is being put on. You definitely want to keep a main viner. Also, I wouldn't cull 3 at the same time. I'd narrow down to one main and one side vine. Symmetry and vine position or where the stem is perpendicular to the vine is more desired and should help you decide.

6/28/2016 8:23:19 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Hey Joe, I always advise newer growers to grow 1 on the main vine and one on a secondary (as late a secondary as possible) especially if it's your one and only plant. Too many new growers go all in, and then have their pumpkin fail...and that's it...done and may never grow again.

If the one at 16' keeps growing, cull the earlier one and pollinate another on a secondary for your "back up" or "oh shit" pumpkin. I don't usually cull anything till 20 days after pollination. Don't go all in too early if you cull it down to one.

6/28/2016 12:21:00 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

As a side note...you are pretty early for our area and growing climate to be pollinated and thinking of culling. The only other grower I know of who has pollinated and has started culling is Spambie....and he is the current BC Champion.

6/28/2016 12:24:47 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

....well...Spambie is second I guess to the former World and Canadian Champion Jake Van Kooten who has retired from growing...

6/28/2016 12:27:04 PM

Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Good advise guys, thank you!

Here's one for the books… Last year I read very little about how to grow a pumpkin, read something about a Christmas tree pattern, so I made a triangle out tilled soil in the shape of a Christmas tree.

Not bothering to read further instructions I planted my AG plant at the wrong end of the triangle… LOL, when I figured out what I've done wrong I had to dig it back up and planted at the other end.

Did I learn a lesson from not educating myself… Nope!
I also heavily fertilized every single day!!

The first pumpkin that appeared was on the main vine ...so I culled all the rest and behold… My pumpkin grew to the enormous size of 10 pounds and then quit growing ...lol

being that I started so late ....Season over!

I've vowed never to let something like that happen again, and to ask questions and do plenty of reading!!

Live and learn :-)

Thank again guys!

6/28/2016 8:58:35 PM