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Austin MN

I know there are many weigh offs yet but I want to start getting data on how it performed for people this year? I know it was used on Maters, pumpkins, squash, long gourds, and I think a melon or two.

Feel free to comment or email me how it did for you! I would also love to get peoples testimonies as well :)

Thank you every one and I hope BigStem helped get you a new personal best or will in the future!

10/4/2016 8:13:40 PM

Austin MN

tanner.n.conway@gmail.com

10/4/2016 8:15:27 PM

Muddy Waters

I used it on squid ward.Was growing great till intruders stepped on my vines.

10/4/2016 8:31:45 PM

Eddyz@efirehose.net

Not good at all here, Used both Big Stem and Anthesis, everything I set initially aborted within a week for both products. (2 Squash and 3 pumpkins) Only pumpkin I didn't use it on at all, pollinated the first time. Second round of pollinations with nothing added all pollinated. So not so good here. But we tried

10/4/2016 8:50:04 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I lost a couple early to disease. I used it on my 1001. It was growing great until Labor Day when it stopped due to grower error. I didn't get enough curve in the main and it stressed it too much. If that hadn't happened I'm sure it would have been a personal best by a lot. When I lost pumpkins, I used the remaining Big Stem on our 1047 plant. It kept growing right up to October. I think it is worth another try.

10/4/2016 9:00:11 PM

Austin MN

Eddy very sorry to hear that! that is the first I have heard so far of pumpkins and squash aborting, hopefully there are not to many cases of that! I have your address and can send you more free of charge if you would like?

10/4/2016 9:02:06 PM

Peosta, Iowa

Had so many vine issues with are damp, humid summer, not sure if it did good or bad

10/4/2016 9:41:05 PM

Eddyz@efirehose.net

Tanner
With everything new, there will be good and bad. I didn't have luck but others very well may have and I hope so. The thing is that you can't get a clear picture if people told tell you what went on.
Now could it be the greenhouse growing is different than outdoors, Mine were all inside so my humidity was always high in the mornings plus my mean temperature was always about 80 degrees before I opened up so that could have been a factor.

10/4/2016 10:35:32 PM

Austin MN

Very true Eddy, best of luck next year and thanks again for the support :)

10/4/2016 10:37:57 PM

Lloydminster/AB

I used some that Eddy gave me, grew my best ever but I made some other changes as well. I don't think it hurt. I put it on at the latest time recommended. I wanted to make sure it was set.

10/4/2016 11:47:39 PM

Central Illinois

I used Big Stem and Anthesis, I got my first 2 pumpkins over 1000.I also used for the first time, Green Gro vine burying mix, WOW myko and Marks root keeper .

10/5/2016 11:06:23 AM

Napa, Ca.

Tanner
Gary Miller and I used both Anthesis and your Big Stem products. Everything was looking very good at ten days after pollination when we applied the first dose of your product. At ten to twenty dap, four of my six pumpkins started slowing down and eventually aborted. I did have two that were just under 400 inches and those two pumpkins got a second Big Stem treatment, but I lost them both in early to mid August. Gary pollinated some pumpkins before and after these treatments, those are all doing OK. The fifteen or so that were treated during the same period as mine all aborted. As far as your product, I'm sorry, I don't feel like we are able to make any conclusions, but I do feel like a response is needed either way.

10/5/2016 1:25:22 PM

Austin MN

Hawk sorry to hear about the abortions on your plants. Thanks for the input!

I want to make sure I hear all results both good and bad so I can tweak things if needed!

10/5/2016 3:15:32 PM

Austin MN

One thing I have found this year with more research is the hormones seem to take better affect at dusk. So spraying at night might have better effect and also lower the chances of an aborted fruit.

10/5/2016 3:19:04 PM

Austin MN

The formulation of BigStem does have a more alkaline pH. Which if sprayed early than having hot humid weather could lead to aborted fruit.
I will keep looking into more research on improving pumpkin set with the hormone.

10/5/2016 3:20:48 PM

Santa Rosa, CA.

I too used bigstem and Anthesis with results that were less than great. All my fruit aborted shortly after applying. I'm not sure it was so much your product but maybe the combination of the two or the Anthesis. I'm a little slow so it took until I ran out of Anthesis before I realized what was happening and was able to set fruit.
I will say I continued to use bigstem for the remainder or the season and have a nice fruit for Half Moon Bay.

10/5/2016 8:15:29 PM

Muddy Waters

I didnt use it on all my plants & had aborts due to the heat.I dont believe big stem had anything to with it.To many hormones can be toxic.There are some hormones in most products on the market.I see a lot of folks using the same basic beneficial s from 3 different company's.Kind of a waste of money if you ask me.Money could be better spent on other amendments.The beneficials will turn to cannibalism if over done.Just a thought.Keep it going Tanner.I think you have a good thing going if done in moderation.

10/5/2016 8:50:07 PM

Austin MN

Thanks for the kind words Mark! :) I really strive for helping growers achieve new goals and having a product that will help! I plan to take all the data and information i get this winter and tweak things to better performn.

10/5/2016 9:17:57 PM

Austin MN

I will also add that I will be selling BigStem for much cheaper now that I gave my system for making set up! Instead of $45 per plant plus shipping it will be $30 per plant shipping included!

10/5/2016 9:19:13 PM

New Richmond WI

My patch seems to enjoy everything I apply including Big Stem :)

10/6/2016 6:09:16 AM

Connecticut

I realize this is a post about BigStem, but since my Anthesis was mentioned, I just wanted to provide some data regarding Anthesis and the odds of fruit set.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/MsgBoard/ViewThread.asp?b=3&p=557094

10/6/2016 4:16:28 PM

Austin MN

Looking at what Matt said about his anthesis I believe using both products at the same time could lead to aborts. Like Bubba put it to much of anything is bad especially hormones! I think looking at a few people's results i will recommend app

10/6/2016 5:42:37 PM

Austin MN

Recommend applying the first application at day ten for best results that way mine and Matt's anthesis do not infer making for a hormone imbalance that could lead to aborted fruit.

10/6/2016 5:43:45 PM

Austin MN

Plus day ten would make sure you don't use it on a fruit that may not have set. So you save product till you need it.

10/6/2016 5:45:01 PM

Connecticut

Hi Tconway (Tanner)-

I was wondering what data you have to support that a day 10 application of BigStem would offer the best results?

My data suggest there would still be an interaction at day 10. Reading that multiple growers had abortion issues shortly after applying BigStem after an Anthesis application supports my data that Anthesis has effects that extend well beyond day 10.

10/6/2016 8:48:56 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

i have been waiting all season for this???????

10/6/2016 9:00:09 PM

Austin MN

Matt I am going more off of that I think using both products at day two might be to much hormone for the plant to handle leading to abortions. With BigStem it is not aimed so much in a certain time frame rather supplying Cytokine and treaholse to the plant.

I still am collecting data but I myself, LL, and Pete all used bigstem around day ten. I did it because I was not sure I was gonna pull the plant or not and LL and Pete did it as they forgot. All three of use seemed to have great results. Mine will get weighed this weekend and Pete lost a monster do to a BES that was well on pace for a world record.

My thinking is that since my product does not need a time window to get applied in it would be better to wait to reassure pollination took at day ten.

My biggest concern as I see right now with BigStem is some people who used it had fruit abort. The one I noticed that was in common was that it looked like they used Anthesis and BigStem at the same time talking with my professor who has his PhD in plant hormone studies he believes as well as I that using both products at the same time is overwhelming for the plant and could lead to aborted fruit.

I think if people used Anthesis and BigStem later at the ten day mark it would have greatly less chance of aborting the fruit. This is all theory right now but the idea of to much of anything at one time especially hormones could potentially reduce the chance of fruit set.

10/6/2016 9:45:30 PM

Austin MN

As far as I know people who only used BigStem by itself did not have aborted fruit to my knowledge. It would be hard to say what caused it as so many things can stress a plant out leading to aborted fruit.

That is why I think applying bigstem on day ten would greatly reduce the risk of aborted fruit if they used Anthesis as well.

Hope that helps explain my reasoning?

10/6/2016 9:48:48 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

I think,,,It looks like,,,He believes,,My Thinking,,, My biggest concern,,aborts,, All theory suggests...,,,lol. I grew my World Record Tomato with Dunkels and WOW but i tell you now if it wasn't for WOW it would only have been 3pounds...How much including shipping??...lol

10/6/2016 10:04:02 PM

Eddyz@efirehose.net

Tanner
I used Big Stem only on specific plants, as I did with Anthesis I did not use both products together on the same plant. Same goes with the California growers, they used one or the other not both together

10/6/2016 10:21:52 PM

Austin MN

Thank you Eddy for clearing that up as I was not sure. Like most things you will have good and bad results depending on many factors! I am to keep tweaking things to get this as best I can. It was the first major year out

10/6/2016 10:25:32 PM

Austin MN

And there still is much for me to learn and test to perfect it. Thank you to every one who used it and my apologies to anyone should got unsatisfactory results from it.

10/6/2016 10:26:52 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

the money makers on this wonderful hobby site are starting to wear thin every time i Login...

10/6/2016 10:44:24 PM

Eddyz@efirehose.net

Tanner and Matt
you both developed a product and in their infancies, you will have setbacks, I would think in due course you both could be on to something with implications reaching more than just pumpkin growers.
I have no issues with my results as it was my choice to use it. I would rather have tried and failed than sit in the back and dissect something I know nothing about.
I would not be against trying it again if it was tweaked, probably only on one plant and actually keep a much better set of records with humidity , temperature, if it was sunny, cloudy etc etc.

10/6/2016 11:14:53 PM

Wixom MI.

i used big stem on my tomatoes and without anthesis and i had very good results this year. i also started using big stem when the plants were only 4"-6" tall well before flower buds appeared and i noticed much larger flower buds than usual. but i also used Dunkels tomato turbo and lithovit on them too.

10/7/2016 9:32:53 PM