From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Upa Creek, Mo

For those that have been growing for many years (2010 and before), have you noticed more blossom end splits through time compared to when you started? With average daily weights increasing double from just 15 years ago, wouldn't a big factor in BES be newer genetics and not just symmetry or a nutritional deficiency?

I have been growing since 2010, and am at a 50% split rate. Earlier seeds seem to hold up much better for me.

8/7/2021 7:28:59 PM

Westmoreland, KS

I've followed genetics of the seeds that I grow to see if BES is in the gene pool. Most of the time mine aren't the prettiest because I want heavy/no bes...Only time I see bes is when I try pretty and don't worry about the genetics for bes.

8/7/2021 7:47:27 PM

Colorado

Duke, i think we've been slowly moving the gene pool away from bes,stem splits,dill rings and rib splits.At least with the big,heavy and fugly seed lines.

8/7/2021 11:25:15 PM

Eugene,OR

I think that there are far fewer blossom end splits & stem splits than there were 15-20 years ago.

8/7/2021 11:40:04 PM

Bethlehem CT

I have been seeing less of them in my patch too. Perhaps the orange, square shouldered ribbed pumpkins are more likely to split on you.

8/8/2021 7:49:01 AM

Jericho Vermont

Unfortunately we are seeing a few stem end splits this year but our last BES was the 2009 Wallace. And I think we were one of the few BES that ever happened with the 2009. In the late 90's early 2000's BES was quite typical with almost every orange cross but it seems like this has been bred out of most of todays orange. We get huge temperature fluctuations that will test any genetics from days of single digit growth to 30plus pounds. Amazing anything can hang in there.

8/8/2021 8:43:12 AM

Nova Scotia

I think previous posts summed it up regarding genetics back in the day. We had a tough time holding together nice big orange pumpkins, terrific size but no weight due to thin thickness of shell thus the splits. Our experience with splits has been usually after heavy downpours. Plant is overwhelmed and too much for the pumpkin absorb? I always compare it to eating a big turkey dinner and it was way too much for your body to digest. LOL. Something has to give!

8/8/2021 4:13:16 PM

Sharon, MA

I started growing 27 years ago. And you are right..DAily weight gains were considered huge if you could put on 18-20 lbs per day. And we were splitting more blossom ends I think. We would pollinate our pumpkins 10ft out on the main and take whatever flower was available. Very few growers were checking lobes for symmetry, or consistently /evenly watering like today. A surge in rain on a dry patch would blow up the pumpkins all over the GPC back in the 1990's. Jim Kuhn actually helped us understand the importance of Calcium to strengthen and thicken the rind, to prevent blossom end splits and splits in general. We have come a long way...

8/12/2021 9:25:46 AM

Upa Creek, Mo

Thank you all for the input!

8/12/2021 11:00:24 AM

Torrance, Ca.

What pumpconn said. Now that we balance everything and calcium has been added early in the fruits growth we see less and less of this.
There are many growers doing 40 and 50 pounds a day for weeks without blowing out their fruit. These same growers pay close attention to whats in their soil and tissue and add what's needed and only what's needed to keep a solid fruit growing many days past when we use to see them drop off the big numbers and slowly come down.

We don't get heavy downpours here so this is one thing we don't have to worry about.

8/14/2021 8:58:04 PM