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Albuquerque NM

was wondering what people used on the pumpkin, if anything at all. In the past i applied seaweed and calcium but not sure if that helped or made things worst. I have a 10dap set at 14ft . what do all you mad pumpkin science doc's think is best?

7/7/2014 1:16:01 PM

Ontario, Canada.

cozy > Direct towel covering applications of Ca to the fruit have kind of fallen out of favour in the past few years. The suggestion is that it is of little use. There is a past paper or two that have indicated very early spray applications at bud stage could be advantages. Topical spraying has proven beneficial on other market types of fruit. With AGP's, the jury is out on this and open for review.

I gave up applying wet Ca drenched towels to the fruit several years ago after splitting and blowing events in my patch had me pulling my hair out.

Try focussing to ensure you have maximum solubility & therefore maximum availability of potential nutrients in the root zone.

After making this change about 6 years ago I have never lost a fruit to BES.

Your question of fruit application is however still very valid. Kelp contains cytokines which delay senescence and promote life extension. There is certainly nothing harmful with infrequent sprays.

Russ

7/10/2014 8:36:40 AM

Western NY

In addition to Russ's comments, I would add that anything, and especially calcium added to the fruit can discolor and pockmark it, especially with a young fruit.

7/10/2014 9:46:25 AM

West Paris Me.

Try focusing to ensure you have maximum solubility & therefore maximum availability of potential nutrients in the root zone.
Russ can you explain this? I am not sure what you mean. thanks

7/10/2014 10:04:03 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Ok well let me try.

So....we all try to do soil samples in the spring or fall each year right...OK then....What your lab report usually tells you is what is actually in the soil correct? ok.

What it does not tell is what elements or nutrients in the soil are freely available to be taken up by the plant. You see nutrients or elemental cations can become sequestered or tied up and locked away from the roots by a number of means. This is often caused by high or low soil pH or compounds that combine within the soil to tie up elements or by competition from similar cations within the rhizosphere.

So lets say your lab report shows you have xxxx ppm of calcium (Ca) and it indicates adequate levels in the soil. However for a host of reasons this Ca may not be completely available to the plant.

Take for instance two very simple factors that reduce Ca availability to the roots. One is Bicarbonates in irrigation water can tie up Ca in a salt compound that is not mobile in the soil solution. The other is competing cations of ammonium nitrates can also block the uptake of calcium by the roots. Salts are not mobile and they cannot be uptake by roots.

So in order to have plant effective and sufficient quantities of Ca in the soil solution and grower may need to supplement. This is required even though a soil report states the ppm levels maybe ok. Supplemental drenches are therefore the very best way to ensure Ca and all the other macro and micro nutrients remain soluble and in abundance within the soils watery solutions.

Maximum solubility therefore assures the grower of maximum availability to the plants roots.

7/11/2014 8:44:18 AM

West Paris Me.

Thank you very much.

7/12/2014 8:38:10 PM