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Upa Creek, MO

I had a really bad case of gummy stem last year in the soil and am limited to growing in the same spot. With high heat and humidity, disease really picks up by July. Does anyone not bury their vines and still have decent outcomes? Would skip burying them help with soil borne diseases? I plan on treating the area once I till the garden, but am wondering if letting them just root from the bottom of each node would help with gummy stem etc?

Thanks

2/28/2014 3:03:59 PM

http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/BP-142-W.pdf
A grower in this area was to to let his land sit for at least 3 yrs. and not to plant anything with a vine.Hot dry weather is a big help to get rid of it. At the bottom of this page is a link to another purdue page with some sprays that might work for curcibits.

2/28/2014 3:53:47 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I bury vines for 2 main reasons: to hold them down in the wind and to hide them from vine borers. If you hold your vines down with something like bamboo skewers and have a good insecticide program, you shouldn't lose too much by not burying the vines. Does your soil have drainage problems? if so, installing some plastic drain tile or drainage ditches to help dry out the soil might help with soil borne diseases. Ditches helped me cut down on root rot problems. If humidity is a problem, getting better air circulation and more sunlight by removing shade might help.

2/28/2014 4:27:37 PM

Bethlehem CT

I usually drop a little soil on top of the vine at each leaf node to coax out that top root. Last year I stopped in early July because of how wet it was. I have heard of some growers washing away the soil after the root makes contact with the ground and starts to grow. I worry about rot and disease too (and my soil drains fast, I would really worry if it was silt or clay.). I don't like the idea of my vines being constantly damp. I don't use soil fungicide drenches or anything so I like to keep the vine dry.
My 12 year old son also grows AG's, he has never buried his vines and he has grown up to a 900est. pound pumpkin that way. I am no monster grower by any stretch, but I was happy to have lots of pumpkins last year, when many people around here lost theirs with all the early wet humid weather.

2/28/2014 6:25:37 PM

France

If I'm correct, Chad Revier grew a 1367lb without burying any vines.

2/28/2014 6:53:16 PM

Deerfield, Michigan

I grew my 982 and only buried about 30% of the vines. I can't say if it hurts your overall outcome but this year I plan on burying more due to more time available. We will see in October what difference it makes.

2/28/2014 7:26:29 PM

Muddy Waters

I think if you use a regular regiment of beneficials/mycorrhizae/bacillus.You can fight off soil borne disease.I would also look at good drainage.Is your soil sand//clay?I grew the 1478.5 with only letting the bottom root grow.I dont like burying vines.I only do it at the node,after it roots I let it wash away.Beni Meier said he did the same thing.

2/28/2014 9:12:48 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

I bury vines for only one reason: to minimize wind damage.

2/28/2014 10:29:16 PM

Partlow,Va

Don't burry any vines and they root just fine. I pulled up dirt against the leaf nodes but did not cover the vine in a wet year last year and they rooted very deep. For my area it seems that you can burry vines on a hill or in a dry year but not in land that won't drain as well. I put a new patch in my best spot of bottom land last year and found out that pumpkins don't like wet feet and it took me 15 plants to figure it out! lol
I hope that you may not have the soil problems that you think you have!

2/28/2014 10:33:10 PM

Partlow,Va

Something else Luke...get a large cheap fan and leave it on during the day(At night the humidity is so high it does no good). Place it at the stump blowing down the main vine toward the kin and it will keep the main from rotting.I'm sure it plays havok on the bugs as well. Best of Luck this year.

2/28/2014 10:44:45 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it. I attribute some of it to the shade I grow in and my antiquated irrigation system. I've been known to get the soakers going (which pool un-evenly)and forget about them. My soil drains pretty fast these days since I've added so much OM through compost over the past few years, but the shade might be my downfall. Here's a typical 2pm afternoon pic that I took a couple years ago.


http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=154283

3/1/2014 9:28:45 AM

Joliet, IL

I dont bury vines. I just add myc fungi to soil at leaf junctions and make sure the soil is flush to bottom of vines for a good tap rooting from bottom tap. If high winds or hail are coming I will lightly bury the main for protection and stabilization then unbury it. I use to only bury at leaf junctions in the past then went to no burying in 2012 and last year in 2013. With the amount of misting for cooling it is too risky to chance with disease pressure. No stump or rot issues on any plants these last 2 years. As long as one good solid tap is secure from the bottom at every leaf junction, I feel this is plenty of roots in a 750sq ft plant to provide enough water to get a pumpkin to grow at its maximum potential. Are more upper taps that advantageous to risk disease? Is it possible too many taps equal too much water in a plant increasing blowouts and foamy stumps? Would I grow bigger pumpkins if burying more vines pushing for every last pound? Probably in a perfect world. I was proud to grow only 3 plants last year and produce 4 digits on all 3. For hot weather growing with heavy misting needed then I choose the route of not taking that chance of burying for long term vine health. I personally think the vines like to breath and think of the plant more as a sideways laying down tree with tap roots at leaf junctions.

3/2/2014 10:20:32 AM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

I'd absolutely LOVE to be able to grow without burying. Hoping a good crop of sudangrass around the perimeter and a reduced patch size will allow me to forego burying this year. With a 1/2 mile long bean field to the north, I really get beat up by storms from that direction.

3/2/2014 11:41:50 AM

Colorado

Beni meyer said( in Orlando) that he takes the dirt off the vines once the root develops from the top node. He has had vine rotting issues.

3/3/2014 12:01:43 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Thanks again. I probably won't bury at all this year to deter disease

3/3/2014 12:07:22 PM