With that size of a stem and fore and aft ends, I'd hafta say, not being an expert, that to hammer these veggies with the appropriate or even if inappropriate amounts of vine-burying, soil-incorporated Mycorrhizae, copious amounts of H2O combined with probably a 20-20-20 water-soluble, ONLY IF one does not care about next year's soil test, would lay that narrow midsection to rest for at least THAT time around. Kind of a nice 'Lady figure', if I dare say so....Hmmm...YUP! eric g
I was pretty hands off on the cushaw. I just let it grow on the container with minimal fertilizer and zero vine burying. My goal was 40#'s. Im sure its possible with more attention.