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Ohio

Checked my 2 day old pumpkin this am and the blossom end had a funky hairy mold growing on it, along with a bit of ozzing. I scraped off the mold and put a fan on it (it is under a shade tent) but should I use a little bleach and water to clean it off better? If so how much bleach to water? Anything else to try? The pumpkin still had a shine to it. Thanks

8/1/2011 11:10:50 AM

El Paso TX.

a 10% bleach wash would be a good idea (9 parts water to 1 part bleach) and use an old toothbrush to try and remove as much of the mold growth as possible -- did you leave the flower on ?? the drying flower will provide an ideal place for mold growth to start so best to remove the petals the day after pollination to keep it from starting to get moldy - but seems you caught it fairly early so should be able to recover easily.

8/1/2011 11:56:01 AM

Ohio

JCFan - Thanks for the reply. I did remove some of the flower but I guess not enough! It has been very hot and humid here. Off to try the bleach wash! So a soft scrub of the blossom end with a toothbrush won't hurt it?

8/1/2011 2:41:29 PM

Midwest

After the bleach, paint it with Daconil and put a fan on it.

8/2/2011 1:50:31 AM