Author Topic: making a pumpkin (Read 3716 times)

rdak · « **on:** August 05, 2004, 11:21:39 »

my pumpkin plant has got one fruit developing and I want it to be a monster (for a competition)- should I remove the other flowers?

GardnerJ · « **Reply #1 on:** August 05, 2004, 11:49:11 »

i'm not an expert but yes i think i have read somewhere that you have to remover everything else so all the energy goes into the one fruit? I also think you have to feed it lots aswell?
Jemma ::)

derbex · « **Reply #2 on:** August 05, 2004, 11:54:08 »

And water I believe -6 galls/week.

I have let mine run -they're all going bright orange now, will they continue to grow?

Jeremy

Sarah-b · « **Reply #3 on:** August 05, 2004, 12:17:37 »

Be careful though - I had 2 tiny pumpkins on one of my plants and one sort of rotted, or got attacked by woodlice and slugs (was hard to tell which had happened first) - then I was glad I hadn't restricted the plant to just one fruit.
The remaining fruit is only about 10com in diameter - is there time for it to get big before halowe'en?

Sarah

rdak · « **Reply #4 on:** August 05, 2004, 12:51:08 »

my (pumpkin :P ) is only about 3cm in diameter- was hoping I still had time before Halowe'en, but have seen some on the allotment the size of beach balls.
should I only remove flowers, or do I need to lop off tendrils and shoots?

Doris_Pinks · « **Reply #5 on:** August 05, 2004, 13:51:00 »

Ross I have pinched the growing shoot out of mine, because I have 2 fruits on it, but only do this if you know your fruit is growing well. pumpkins grow at an amazing daily rate, my book says that a well fed and watered pumpkin can put on as much as 2lb (1kg) per day! :o
They do like a high potash feed, tomato food at half strength is good, on every other watering.Pinch out the growing tip, leave the leaves on,(they say these are needed to produce a big um) and water and feed well would be my advice to get a giant!

rdak · « **Reply #6 on:** August 05, 2004, 15:06:47 »

ok, will do!

oubykh · « **Reply #7 on:** August 05, 2004, 22:59:30 »

i planted seeds from last years tesco halloween pumpkin and the six put out have romped home!
the largest is football size with another 10-12 smaller sizes down. i only halted their progress when the tendrils were intent on taking over the neighbouring crops and pinched out then. I feed them with tomato feed when young for a few weeks but the last month have watered only once and left to nature.

Bannerdown · « **Reply #8 on:** August 07, 2004, 11:10:54 »

If you can keep two just in case one keels over! Hint, at the place where the leaf joins the runner you may see a swelling, this is an auxiliary root, ensure this is covered with soil and it will also feed your monster pumpkin. The everlasting question is when to cut short the runners, do you let the runners go wild toi have more leaf surface area,and hence more sunshine converters, or cut them off at some stage to divert the growth from runners into the pumpkin? I do not know the answer to that one! Cheers, Tony.

Andy H · « **Reply #9 on:** August 09, 2004, 23:30:03 »

???all confused.Doris,you pinch out the runners? What bit is that?
New to all this but one on plot is 33.75" circ.
cut off bit growing after 1st pumkin but 2nd one is bigger and 1st one seems to be dying? should I cut it off?

Bannerdown · « **Reply #10 on:** August 10, 2004, 09:52:48 »

If your pumpkins still have shiny yellow/orange skins, they are still growing. Do not think of cutting them from the plant until the skins are covered with fine cracks, the skin has now 'set' and will grow no more. Yes remove surplus flowers and small fruit or they will try and 'catch up' with your biggies! Cheers, Tony.

Andy H · « **Reply #11 on:** August 10, 2004, 21:30:24 »

OK,the BIG question???
If I have a pumpkin with 2 stems going in different directions and I only want to keep "1" do I cut the other one near the main root or just the smaller fruit?
Would the leaves from the "other" stem produce anything that goes towards growing the stem I want???

Andy

Bannerdown · « **Reply #12 on:** August 11, 2004, 20:53:49 »

Hi Andy, To produce a really huge pumpkin it takes a LOT of ground. As the runners form, fan them out as the spokes of a wheel, reading your queary I think you may have got the idea a bit wrong. I have won the local pub pumpkin competition by growing the beast in the pub garden (as we are all high tech raised beds in our garden at home), but with the Landlord/lady wanting to hand on the pub, I have been a bit at sixes an sevens and put the growing on hold until I/we know what is going on. The SINGLE plant that grew my biggest pumpkin covered ground equal to your average garage floor space TIMES FOUR! It seems this Big pumpkin thing is taking off. For some reason the local goes for the greatest circumference rather than weight. There is a story there as well. Next year I shall look for a more settled bit of land and grow on....If required I'll give a week by week update of what I'm bunging on the beast! Comfrey Water as a foliar feed is a good starter, (but not too strong) P.S. Our seeds are given to the pub by one of the seed companies so we don't go for the "Atlantic Giant", and any ringers can be spotted a mile off! Cheers, Tony.

Andy H · « **Reply #13 on:** August 12, 2004, 19:50:21 »

Thanks Tony, Tell me(cos I am fik) what bit are the runners? the bits that look like spagetti and grip onto things? Are they the bits you should cover with soil?

I have a photo so far but can email it but not get it on here. so far our biggest is 3ft9 circ.and growing, It is our first full year of allotment and planted an array of about 40 things to trial and have filled our chest freezer and so we are quite chuffed so far! The pumkins are an experiment and done really for fun but there is a local competition soon that I may enter even if to just see what others have turned out!

Many thanks, Andy & Becky

Andy H · « **Reply #14 on:** August 12, 2004, 23:19:24 »

well I cut the 1st one off as going soft so down to one on the plot now,upto 3`11" circ I suppose we will just let nature take its course...

Doris_Pinks · « **Reply #15 on:** August 21, 2004, 13:38:05 »

WOW Andy looks great!! Been away for a week so looking forward to getting up to the plot to see how mine is doing! (hopefully as well as yours!) Must remember to take camera!! (just in case it has survived ;D ) DP

Doris_Pinks · « **Reply #16 on:** August 21, 2004, 16:48:04 »

Well, it survived, not as big as yours........yet! ;D Must give it some food tomorrow!

Andy H · « **Reply #17 on:** August 21, 2004, 19:57:55 »

Yeah but Doris I have got big hands!!!

Doris_Pinks · « **Reply #18 on:** August 22, 2004, 12:18:10 »

So have I ;D ;D ;D

oubykh · « **Reply #19 on:** August 23, 2004, 11:16:36 »

Whilst searching for things to do with pumpkins i came across this site.
http://www.spookmaster.com/pumpkin-carving-patterns-browse.htm

I know its a bit early to mention halloween but i'm sharpening those knives all ready!!

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Author Topic: making a pumpkin (Read 3716 times)

rdak

rdak

rdak