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Grittyville, WA

I think this is a symptom that both new and successful experienced growers face. Only the very best growers seem to be able to push every pumpkin to its full potential.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=296000

Add more what? Everything...??

Thanks

8/12/2018 6:17:54 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Looks like it is aborting, getting soft on the bottom. Looks like one of your blossom down pumpkins. Might have gotten rot started in the blossom.

8/12/2018 9:34:54 PM

Grittyville, WA

Gee thanks iowa now i gotta go out late at night and feel under my pumpkin. So wrong.
Someone must know what this issue is... Calcium?

8/13/2018 1:02:08 AM

Grittyville, WA

This probably belongs in the new growers forum but its a common problem. I know I am not the only one so I figured it was worthy of discussion...

8/13/2018 1:10:41 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Ya, I get shrivel when I swim in the ocean and the water is real cold, but the shrivel is not so bad when I swim in the lake in the summer when the water is warm.

My best uneducated guess would be cold water shrivel, only happens to male pumpkins, females seem to be immune to the dreaded “shrivel”

8/13/2018 11:20:24 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I don't think it is calcium, unless your soil test was real low. Sometimes they get a systemic infection. I had one plant last year that just would not grow anything. They would get 50 to 80 pounds then rot. All over the plant, main, secondaries, made no difference. And it was the spot closest to the road surfaced with crushed limestone, got plenty of dust, plenty of calcium carbonate. Did you have the blossom on sand? Possible that it needs better air circulation. Blossoms rot easily, could have spread. If I try the blossom down next year, I think I will use thick Styrofoam with a hole cut in it to prevent the blossom from touching sand or soil.

8/13/2018 11:45:26 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Excessive nitrogen limiting the uptake

8/13/2018 1:11:54 PM

Grittyville, WA

I think lots of the big guys use heavy --although not excessive-- nitrogen. But they can get away with it because they up they bump up the calcium/silicate and have more roots... nitrogen may be an issue because I did not amend with as much calcium/lime as I should have... also there was some flagging in the heat so maybe adequate root area/water was the issue in combination with the calcium availability in the soil. Still seeking help/insight. Please email me or post?!

8/14/2018 1:37:48 PM

Grittyville, WA

I will take a look at your diaries Iowegian... Yes I do think rot/aborts is a relevant & related issue... I am somewhere in between on this one where the pumpkin is solid and sound and growing. . . Not developing fully though. Thanks...!

8/14/2018 1:50:52 PM

On a cliff in the desert

Did you get a soil sample analyzed this spring and added amendments? If you didn't do that, maybe your problem would be fixed by adding what your sample says you need.

8/14/2018 2:23:09 PM

Grittyville, WA

Its a simple question and its a common problem. Some good answers so far... Even some of the better growers who spend a lot and get soil tests done & add the right amendments etc have this problem of 'end shrivel' or growth fluctuations/uneven growth and pumpkins which do not reach their full potential... Even Hollands 2363 perhaps did not reach its full potential. Few of us will ever get perfect results... even with a soil test. Cant we just admit that and discuss a common problem...

8/14/2018 4:15:50 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Great advice wile Coyote.

8/14/2018 4:58:02 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=279964 This is the plant last year had some kind of systemic infection. I couldn't get anything to grow on it. We had 3 other plants just up and die for us. Calcium was OK. Might have been all the bugs bringing in disease. I didn't do any fall work because of the new knee. We had real cold winter, burned the patch off this spring. Very light bug pressure and no disease issues so far.

8/14/2018 11:59:37 PM

Grittyville, WA

Yes good advice wile. Thanks Iowa I have one area where the pumpkin/plant growth is very weak and getting poor results too. I’ve not identified the problem. It could be disease but my first bet would be a poor combo of soil nutrients. Not sure which nutrients.

Ps the blossom down kin is solid no white rot... it’s very very thin on the bottom though. Definitely a disappointment.

8/16/2018 12:27:17 PM