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Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Hi all, currently here in South Africa we are in spring and about to go into summer. This year is my first time growing a giant pumpkin plant and i am experiencing a few potential issues. 1. I am letting the plant grow like mad and it has about 4 separate branches each with small un-pollinated pumpkins. There is one that has been fertilized now and it is growing quickly but the stem just before it has split and there is a huge piece of it missing. Is this a problem? 2. The leaves on the plant close to the stem where it enters the ground look dried out and as if they are dying but the rest of the plant is healthy and green. Is this something i should be worried about or is it normal?

12/4/2015 12:39:59 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

1. Sounds like a problem. Also instead of setting a pumpkin on a side vine, it is best to set it on the main if you can. 2.Might be a problem. Start a diary and post some pictures so other growers can see what is going on. Could be a lot of different things going on there.

12/4/2015 3:48:38 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Pictures help a lot...Split and missing parts is tough to understand... is it a critter? BUG? Nothing sounds normal. Once they get going the root system is from each leaf if you've already lost the main root you can still finish up but smaller then before.

12/4/2015 6:08:52 PM

Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Hi, thanks for the replies. I have attached links to potos of the leaves that are dying where the plant is rooted in the ground, the split / missing piece of the vine or stem and the healthier looking leaves. Am i perhaps over watering or fertilizing? 5 liters of fertilizer and about 15 liters of water a week. I now have 2 splits like in the picture below.
http://s7.postimg.org/jr2qk2si3/dead_leaves.jpg
http://s7.postimg.org/p7pzs7b9n/healthy_leaves.jpg
http://s28.postimg.org/4xt6e173x/vine.jpg

12/5/2015 11:56:59 AM

stoughton WI

hi wayne, it looks like the leaves may be diseased but sometimes hard to tell on pics, you may want to cut them off, if continues you may have to pull the plant in order to prevent it from spreading. as far as the vine, I believe its just a split, if the split is long enough they will open up like that, but it is still possible to grow a pumpkin with a split like that. if you could post pics on big pumpkins it may be easier for people to help out.

12/5/2015 6:17:11 PM

N.c.

1) that wall is probably shading your plant too much.
2) excessive shade is promoting disease
3) looks like powdery mildew, put the diseased leaves in a garbage bag and get rid of them
4) get some mancozeb and apply top and bottom of leaves
5) begin a rotatation of fungicides
6) you need at least 2.5 centimeters of water a week across your root system, perhaps more ( my guess is for sure more than 2.5 centimeters of water )
7) where are your roots?

http://soilandhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/01aglibrary/010137veg.roots/010137ch33.html

8) stop fertilizing for a week or two or three
9) try to set a pumpkin on the main vine then after you are certain of at least one that is set cull what is on the side vines

12/5/2015 10:00:12 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Hi Wayneallin, giving a plant 15 liters of water per week seems pretty low, not sure what the weather provides. Giving your plant a 1:3 ratio of fertilizer to water seems very high. Not sure what the dilution of your ferts are. Without knowing exactly what is happening in your garden, I would say more water, less fertilizer. Best of luck!

12/6/2015 12:16:49 AM

East Jordan, MI

I agree with the guys above
The split is almost surely from too much nitrogen
and the dying leaves does look like powdery mildew

more water, less fertilizer and get some fungicides

12/6/2015 8:14:51 AM

Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Hi everyone, thanks for the advice and help. I'll cut down on the fertilizer and attempt to keep the bad leaves under control. Hopefully i will be posting some big pumpkin photos soon.

12/6/2015 1:25:40 PM