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Central IL

Can someone post a picture of a tertiary vine? I want to get to pruning, but either my vine has no tertiaries or I am rotten at spotting them. They are not the little curly ques that just grab onto everything, right?

Not going to competion weight, just a learning year. Butler giant punpkin seeds, Vine is 15' ish, pumpkin nicely placed 10' out at about 26" in circumference growin fast.

Ps. I put a shade (old white tangier scrap on poles) up over the pumpkin. Do I keep it shaded till harvest? Or is there a point I should pull it.

8/7/2015 12:40:54 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Tertiary vines are the side vines that come off the secondary vines.

8/7/2015 1:47:40 AM

Central NY

Shade til harvest

8/7/2015 6:28:51 AM

Central Illinois

They look the same as any other vine but smaller, first vine is the main, out of that grows the secondary vine, the tertiaries grow out of the secondary vines. If you have a jungle of vines you will have a hard time figuring them out.

8/7/2015 8:07:47 AM

Easthampton, MA

Avoiding a jungle of vines is very good advice. This year I had some unconventional training of secondaries and wasn't worried since I didn't think I would need to get into the center any more. I was quite wrong about that, and walking over my knot-work was difficult to say the least. Next year I will making very clean rows (with secondaries that is). It also allows you to drop boards or similar for walkways between the rows to avoid soil compaction. I had mashed down quite a few areas of soil after a few trips to the main vine near the stump.

An organized plant is a plant that is easier to care for. One of my MANY year 2lessons for me. :)

8/7/2015 1:30:40 PM

Central IL

I know what the tertiaries should be, and I'm looking for them, but I have no vines coming off my secondaries. I guess I'll just keep watching. I figured I'd let the secondaries go out until the reached the edge of the bed (8' or so) and then prune and bury them.

MadMike ... Good idea about the board. I'll have to try that!

I'll have to get a bigger shade today. He outgrew the one I had him under.

8/7/2015 3:08:01 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

It is a good idea to catch the tertiary vines when they first start to bud out. I didn't do a good enough job this year and I have tertiaries popping up here and there. I have to tape a sharp knife to a long stick so I can cut them off without stepping on vines or compacting the soil to get them.

8/7/2015 10:15:21 PM

Central IL

Iowegian do you have a picture? I would love to do that but I seriously don't know what I am looking for. Are the tendrils all the start of a new tertiary?

8/7/2015 10:30:16 PM

Bethlehem CT

Often the tertiaries don't really start to grow out until you dead head (cut the vine) to stop it's growth. If you look carefully at each leaf node they will be there. Most growers try to locate them when they are tiny and just pinch them off with there fingertips. Some of the pinched ones will still form a tertiary vine after it has been pinched. Those will have to be cut too.

8/8/2015 6:44:13 AM

Upa Creek, Mo

I agree with what Big Moon said. Once secondaries are terminated, buried and well rooted the terts show up. I usually notice them late July to August. You can't miss them.

8/8/2015 9:17:07 AM

Kentucky, U.S.A.

I know some times terms are thrown out, and with the super fast growth it becomes quite overwhelming real fast! If you can find a seasoned grower in your area you'll be blessed to lean on them (most are very helpful). Tertiaries, or as I call the 'thirds'(for us simple minded folks) are the third progression of vine growth. These plants, given space, time and climate, can grown on and on. At each leaf node they will in time produce the next stage vine. Sometimes it just takes longer. Soil, amendments/nutrients all play a part, but, sooner or later they'll show up! It's nice if they show up early and you can pinch them off. Normally at each leaf node you'll have a leaf, a trendril or two, a flower, and a vine. Sometimes I get a male cluster vine (a vine that just produces some male flowers and doesn't develop into a full on vine). If the growth is allowed to continue you start seeing some abnormal growth, which can be interesting! Have fun, sounds like you're going to have a nice pumpkin!

8/8/2015 10:39:41 AM

Easthampton, MA

I like the idea of the knife on the stick to reach into the plant. :)

8/8/2015 5:55:28 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I will try to get some pictures once the rain quits. We have been getting an all-night soaker.

8/9/2015 8:37:43 AM

Central Illinois

Buy some long arm pruners from harbor freight tools

8/9/2015 9:41:26 AM

Upa Creek, Mo

Madmike, I have been using an old sharpened pocketknife taped to a 10 foot Hackberry stick for a few years. Works great to get in the little areas.

8/9/2015 10:47:34 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I posted a couple of pics on my diary. I hope they help.

8/9/2015 10:45:49 PM

50 Acres

Being Canadian I tape an old straigh razor to a hockey stick handle. Works great. But getting back to the, no tertiaries that would be great, no wasted growth.

8/10/2015 10:23:09 AM