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Zurich, Ontario Canada

My kin is at day 25 and growing well. Problem I have is the blossom end is nose diving rather than growing straight out like the rest of the fruit. At this rate I dont think I will be able to see the blossum end in a week as it will be under the fruit.
So should i put sand under the front to level it off or just let it carry on.

8/3/2015 1:50:46 PM

Colorado

Ive got one doing similar.I blocked the a## end with a soil berm and took sand away from the stem end. Its early so time will tell whether it will changes anything

8/3/2015 3:59:19 PM

Western NY

I have one that is doing same thing and I probably wont see blossom end until I lift it. I already broke my main kin off on this plant and stem is to short to do anything except dig a channel in the sand and have a fan blowing on it 24/7.

8/3/2015 4:21:23 PM

Cornelius, Oregon

There is a solution, but how brave are you...lol

Day 25 may be too late anyway for this drastic tactic. I roll them over but its a hair raising process and takes multiple people. Sherwood has seen me do it, but It took some practice. My 944 last year was a 'twister'.

8/3/2015 5:38:36 PM

Zurich, Ontario Canada

Roll over!! Its over 300 pounds. Good idea but don't think I have the gronads to risk that.

8/3/2015 5:46:10 PM

Central NY

Lol...twisters sound scary

8/3/2015 6:30:45 PM

Wixom MI.

I have never been able to stop it once it starts. Its like the top of the pumpkin grows twice the speed as the bottom does.then the under side will buckle upward into the pumpkin to ??? Never understood why some pumpkins do this and others dont in the same growing area.

8/3/2015 6:49:35 PM

Zurich, Ontario Canada

I have lots of stem so that is not a concern. So is the blossum end more apt to rot if it is in the dirt (sand) because I still have time to dig a trench under it for air.

8/3/2015 7:30:48 PM

I did the balancing act two years ago and ended up with a nice round 900 lb. pumpkin I put just enough dirt around the biggest part and kept the blossom end parallel to the ground and it filled in quite nicely. Had to put towels on the pallet to stop it from rolling off when I moved it. Do you have a picture in your diary?

8/3/2015 8:39:30 PM

East Jordan, MI

I believe it is partially because the ground is colder than the air, so the bottom grows slower than the top.

We put a 1 inch sheet of open pore (the cheap white stuff -- and poke a few holes in it with a pencil to make sure any water that gets on it can drain away) under the mill fabric on ours and have pretty much stopped the issue if you get it level when it is young and keep it that way by propping up the stem or pulling the kin away from the vine (to drop the stem a little).

8/3/2015 8:46:15 PM

Colorado

hey cecil, that's a very intuitive theory. I'm gonna try that

8/3/2015 10:33:07 PM