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New Zealand

the flippin wind is going hard and blowing a few leaves over is it better to leave them attached to keep doing there job or will they be to susceptable to disease because they are on the ground any experience or theories? appreciated

12/24/2010 12:55:49 AM

Muddy Waters

blowing over what? from where? Are you talking compost pile.Im not sure.

12/24/2010 5:46:34 AM

Western PA

I would give them a few days and see if they perk up after the wind slows down. I have read that a lot of growers will suffer dammage from a storm, then after a day or two some of the leaves will stand back up.

If you see that the stalks are snapped, they may be done. Best of luck.

12/24/2010 9:48:29 AM

Kentucky, U.S.A.

Handy, It's growing season in New Zealand! Whisky, thanks for entertaining us during our "OFF" season! I'm a rookie so I'll leave my comments at that. Merry Christmas, BSD, David

12/24/2010 11:01:15 AM

New York

Depending in the severity of the damage, it might be beneficial to try to stake the leaves up if they seem like they can still provide for the plant. I've found it's best to keep open wounds to a minimum in growing competition plants, so this might be the superior alternative to simply pruning off the wayward leaves.

12/24/2010 11:35:25 AM

Rhode Island

depending on the amount of leaves that blew over and yourenergy level you could buy some thin bamboo stakes as suggested above and twist tie the bent over leaf stem.
then on the other hand we have had several big pumpkins grown off plants that had 80 percent or better of the leaves laving on the ground a good part of the season.
rons wr and one of his 1,400 plus pounders grew that way.

pap

12/24/2010 1:27:42 PM

East Jordan, MI

We had some 60+ mph winds more than once this season. Once it rolled the vine completely over and it righted itself within a few days. I lost several leaves completely, more than once, but the ones close around them seemed to get bigger and fill in the space. I had some leaves that cracked during wind but were still alive and viable, so I left them. What I didn't do was treat the cracks or monitor them closely enough -- at least at first -- later on I was much better at it. One on the main vine somehow got some water in it and started rotting. It ended up being so bad by the time I saw it that I ended up losing the main at that point, which removed the first 5 side vines and the main root (about 150 sq feet of plant).

So my advice is treat with peroxide and your favorite fungicide, keep it dry and watch it CLOSELY. If there is a problem act QUICKLY, time is not your friend when something is going wrong.

12/24/2010 3:45:21 PM

Joliet, IL

depends on the severity. if a leaf stalk on the main folds over and splits at the base, i remove it immediately so pooling water doesn't get in the stalk. the secondary leaves i will leave on if there are some splits where they folded over. these areas need to be monitored for any sign of rot at the base and then removed at that time before damaging the secondary vines. also, leaves bent to the ground under other leaves will be the first to get powdery mildew in my experience as they are shaded a bit, so keep an eye on those.

12/24/2010 11:34:55 PM

New Zealand

thanks guys awesome help much appreciated

12/25/2010 4:13:54 AM