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Dillonvale, Ohio

What makes a pumpkin stop growing? OTT was 99" last Thursday, and it still is 99". Around that time, not 100% sure of day, either Wednesday or Thursday, I started giving Miracle-gro tomato, I switched to 10-10-10 yesterday when I went to 20 gallons of water a day from 10. Now I'm thinking of stopping all fertilizer and just water until it starts gaining again

7/12/2016 9:36:21 PM

Colorado

It sounds like it aborted..it happens. One cause can be yellow vine disease.

7/12/2016 11:01:08 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Agree with Joe. If it stopped this early, it won't start back up unless you are measuring wrong each day. How often are you fertilizing and how heavy? Sometimes it's good as a new grower to fert once a week and let the soil do the work at every buried node. It is easy to overcare for it aka ferts, water etc.

Don't cull it until you are sure, I haven't seen it so don't base any decisions on what I said.

7/13/2016 8:04:17 AM

Aurora

If possible, try to switch over to a more organic method of feeding. If you click on the link:

http://www.hollandsgiants.com/fertprogram.html

Sometimes, the use of synthetic fertilizers can render the soil sterile and increase levels of salts you don't want in the planting soil.

There many seasoned growers here on the site with a lot of great information on feeding. I agree with burying leaf nodes and mainly focusing on watering. If you have not already done so, set up a shade shelter over some of your plant with the fruit. I read "How to Grow Giant Pumpkins the All Organic Way" and watched videos by Bubba. I am not sure if you set up a grower diary, but that is always a great way to post pics and write out everything you are doing during the season. This really helps especially if something happens you were not expecting. I hope this helps and I hope your pumpkin begins gaining again. Sometimes, the plant may be spending energy on its root system or even on the secondary vine growth. I'd bet it is just trying to do one or both above.

7/13/2016 10:59:53 AM

Dillonvale, Ohio

I have a diary started, will I have access to it next year? Or do I just plan on printing it out at the end of this year so I know what I did.

7/13/2016 12:10:39 PM

Dillonvale, Ohio

I also have a small confession, I did not actually put a tape to the kin since last Thursday. I was using a piece of nylon string to measure the circumstance, and it stayed the same, so I concluded that it wasn't doing anything. Well I just taped it at 107". I'll chalk it up as a rookie mistake. I do have a cover over the kin, more kin than plant. I'm cutting back on the fertilizer for now, and I'm looking for urea mate and/or potassium sulfate to start August 1.

7/13/2016 12:13:34 PM

Western PA

The pic in your diary (entry #6) looks like it may have yellow vine disease. when the leaves start to get small on the vine tips and growth slows, that would be my guess. Hope I'm wrong.

7/13/2016 2:44:42 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I have had them quit growing and found a mouse hole in the bottom, or a vine borer got in the vine and went through the stem and into the fruit.

7/13/2016 3:43:43 PM

Dillonvale, Ohio

ZAPPA, that picture is actually from my other plant. That plant has had a rough life, all the pictures in my diary are actually from that plant. I thought yellow vine disease, over watering and been told nitrogen deficiency by OSU extension office. I have all but given up hope on that plant.

7/13/2016 3:59:28 PM

Western PA

Ah, I see.

7/13/2016 5:11:40 PM