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Kutztown, PA

After reading a few post on here a couple of years ago regarding hormone signaling whenever I have to cull a pumpkin I stretch it over two days. I cut through half the stem on one day and completely through it the next. Is everyone still doing it that way. Is there really any need or is it one of those unverified truths?

7/1/2024 11:47:41 AM

Grittyville, WA

I think its ok to be superstitious. I think the time of day might matter. But beyond that I dont know enough to even speculate. Thats my 2 cents... more like 1 cent!

[Last edit: 07/01/24 6:58:54 PM]

7/1/2024 6:57:16 PM

Brooktondale, New York

How many secondaries can you wack off in a day? Does it have the same effect? Does pinching of baby kins matter? What does the time of day have to do with it?

7/1/2024 10:27:14 PM

Syracuse, NY

I have a strange, I'm sure, habit of 'thumbing off' the tendrils randomly (like that thing Gramps will do, saying he's got your nose now, lol) anywhere I see them stretching out like almost a foot to latch onto anything, assuming that it'll be easier to move the vine soon and also because I'm under the impression that by doing so, I'm 'telling' the plant that it's not safe to be growing here and it had better grow faster to overcome what might have become a predator to it - a 'Landscape of Fear', if you will.
Wow, one long sentence...Any time there are weeds on one side of my plant in the way of the secondary vines, those secondary vines do not seem to grow at ALL as fast as the ones without weeds in the way. Having said that, I can also say that it just makes sense to do a cull in more than one step/day and I'm also wondering if there's any benefit to pollinating fruits that a grower KNOWS will not be kept and are practice-only. A pumpkin plant may be responding to inputs we don't even realize might have an effect on growth.
eg

7/1/2024 11:54:37 PM

Grittyville, WA

Turgor. Calcium levels. There's a lot of things that change throughout the day. There might be a time of day the plant would get stressed by a major change but another time of day it wouldnt even notice. One thing I can say is that for a big wound it might stop the bleeding faster to throw some crushed limestone/dolomite on it. Ive done this with no problems and it seems to help.

7/2/2024 2:56:54 AM

Kutztown, PA

I think there would probably be a big difference between what hormones might be triggered by nipping off some very small pumpkin blossom, tendrils, males, than culling a fruit that's already been pollinated. That's presuming any hormone signaling actually occurs. Don't know, just heard it said. Anyway, I'm going to keep up with the voodoo; the two day cull.

[Last edit: 07/02/24 9:45:20 AM]

7/2/2024 9:44:46 AM

Syracuse, NY

That's the spirit!
Today's cull is the two-days cull---eg

7/2/2024 2:29:12 PM

Kutztown, PA

That's right pumpkinpal2, todays cull is a Tues-day cull. But tomorrow would be a Wons day cull.

7/2/2024 2:36:47 PM

Syracuse, NY

Auuugh, there was still some in the bottle!
...two funny----ha ha ha ---eg

7/2/2024 11:41:32 PM