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Location

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Date Posted

Whitehall Montana

Does anyone supplement their growing products with Ga3 and what quantities would one use?I know kelp and seaweed both have GA3 but is there enough in those products to grow a monster or should they be supplemented?

11/6/2015 10:23:15 PM

Rhode Island

slim
we have never used it and our results speak for themselves. id say no you dont need to fool with ga3. its been tried many many times with limited results.

plenty of products available on this site alone that will grow you a monster pumpkin.(see wallace organic wonder
*W O W * listed here on bp)

pap wallace

11/7/2015 7:08:23 AM

Whitehall Montana

Thank you Pap,I plan on using Wow Products in 2017 after a year off,was just really wondering how the scientist decide what is appropriate amount for products.

11/7/2015 10:12:04 AM

Upa Creek, MO

Slim, I took a year off after pulling plants early June. Not recommended for the faint of heart. Grow if possible.

11/7/2015 3:56:26 PM

Ireland

Slim its the balance between the hormones in the plant that you need to get right. Dont just dump on Ga3 because it is known to extend cell elongation etc. You have to be extremely carefull with using these sort of products.

11/7/2015 4:31:38 PM

Valencia Spain

With giberellic ácido, I think u May Get no seeds
I use to set tomatos 1CC in 1 litre and I Get no seeds in the tomatos

11/8/2015 5:05:50 AM

Connecticut

GA3 I was looking into for a potential long gourd treatment but there are some potential complications with this.

For one GA3 can induce parthenocarpic (seedless) fruit which is something that is not good for keeping a genetic line going...
"Auxins and gibberellins are considered as the key elements in parthenocarpic fruit development of those lines."
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1055/s-2005-837494/abstract

Also, the reason why I looked into it for long gourds (and not pumpkins) is Gibberellic Acid tends to promote cell elongation. For pumpkins I think more even cell expansion is advantageous but for long gourds we want length. It is complicated and at this time I do not feel I have found the proper type of GA (there are many different types 1,3,4,7,11 show the most promise) or the concentration or proper mixture. There there is the entire process of determining the best timing for applications.

In short, I have not been putting much time into the long gourd end of things simply because I am focusing on my other spray for pumpkins. There are many variables that are often not taken into consideration and with these types of materials that need precision in order to work properly.

Study about the cell elongation of GA's
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC432475/

11/8/2015 9:04:16 PM

Whitehall Montana

I looked into the cell elongation and is very interesting.It also elongates flower stems and vines.Now doesn't most of the auxins and gibberlins come from the kelp and seaweed we use growing pumpkins?It seems that our kelp is not really well defined on how much we use in the soil or foliar.

11/8/2015 10:23:22 PM

Austin MN

Matt you are right with the seedless(pathinocarpy) factor that is why I am some what worried withe Bigstem long gourd product. But u think I have it figured out where it will still work and have a good seed count!

11/8/2015 11:28:11 PM

Whitehall Montana

I see it is mostly used for seedless grapes and the fruit is pretty consistant on size.I also understand needing to save the genetics by saving seeds but it might be worth just seeing how big one could go even losing the seeds.

11/9/2015 10:42:15 AM

Springfield, VT

I tried it this year basing the rates for grapes on two pumpkins. It caused the fruit sidewalls to elongate excessively and thin down the blossom end. The first on blew up after becoming a bad bird bath the blossom stayed right at the stem. The second overgrew the blossom where it was horizontal to the ground and sucked up.

11/9/2015 6:30:14 PM

Connecticut

Slim- Most of the auxins and gibberellic acids that are in our plants are simply made by our plants. Kelp/seaweed does have some of these hormones, but there is also gold and silver in kelp. The important part is not if kelp contains x,y, or z, but the amount or % that it contains...
http://cdn.arbico-organics.com/downloads/maxicrop-kelp-analysis.pdf

Tconway- What GA do you plan on using in your Bigstem long gourd? I have only done initial research and so far what I have seen has lead me to be very cautious.

VTWilbur- Your findings is exactly why I have been cautious. Altering the hormone concentrations can often lead to poor tissue development and mutations that will have negative effects. This is where researching, checking and researching again can pay off. I personally have determined that focusing on one combination of hormones at a time is best and GA's are not getting my focus, at the moment. However, I still find them interesting and there is a potential benefit, but there is also risk.

11/9/2015 10:52:49 PM

Austin MN

Matt like we discussed in New York if you recall? It not so much about the hormone that is important but getting that hormone stable for the plant to achieve the effects of thus hormone.

11/9/2015 11:26:38 PM

Lymington UK

Stuart and I put some courgettes in a couple of years ago to see what affect GA's have on the fruits. I won't bore you with any details but in a nut shell there apeared to be no benifits. If you spray over the whole plant it will just trash them by stretching the internodes. We found no difference in the fruit shapes when we just sprayed them alone
What I would say is, keep thinking outside the box Slim, it's the way forward
Ian

11/10/2015 1:58:36 PM

Valencia Spain

I use on toms cos i Cant Get them to set naturally

11/10/2015 3:49:43 PM

Connecticut

Tconway- What I am concerned about is even if you have a way to get the hormone stable, if the hormone produces ill-effects, the integrity of the fruit will still suffer in the end.

IanP (and VTWilbur)- Thanks for sharing your experiences.

westham- You want to look at your cultural practices since, if you cannot get a fruit set under normal conditions, this may be an indication of other problems.

Slim- Thanks for posting this question. It has produced a good conversation.

11/10/2015 7:51:24 PM

Austin MN

Matt if the hormone stays stable in the plant meaning that it does not over rude the whole plant production but simply assest the plant to elongate more it in theory should not have negative effect on seed count.

11/10/2015 8:23:59 PM