From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia

I’m not quite ready to give up on my three plants that have shut down. All three have ok fruit but due to small plant size, all the energy is going to the fruit. Good if you have a big a$$ plant, not so good if the plants are sub 500 sq. Feet.
Is there a way to revitalize the plant leading to new growth?

8/4/2022 10:29:31 PM

Syracuse, NY

I don't feel that plants devote energy - they delegate it.
That's just MHO, but the sun, soil and water are all a plant
needs and they can be considered to be unlimited.
Andyway, err, anyway (the guy on TV just said 'anywhere'
as I typed 'anyway' - what a trip!)
SO---My own situation is that my plants are nowhere near their full sizes (of about like 800-1000?) and (guy just said '3,000') lol - 3 polls are open and I just poll'd the 777 Young by self this morning; Although high nitrogen is reputed to cause aborts, my intent is to hit them VERY hard with Miracle-Gro 24-8-16 since I just yesterday got my new pump working and it is terrific! My plants also need to get MUCH bigger, so I'll be doing my 1 TBSP./gallon H2O several times a week equaling about 1/3 of a 55-gallon barrel the first time and perhaps a half a barrel the second, etc. My own 412.5 from last year (1317 Clementz X 1985 Miller), the 1385 Howell/Jolivette and my own 940.6 (2003 Haist X 1200 Adams) all have open pollinations on the mains and the 777 Young is now selfed. That all now said, each are doing very well FRUIT-wise and I don't wanna mess them up, (grapefruits, lol) but at this late date I'll have to see where this takes me and if it happens TO abort my mini fruits, well, at least I may have plants that are big enough to devote all that sun, soil and water of which I spoke to later ones, lol---
I may leave the 1385 and 777 alone due to their wondrous track records already -
I gotta have SOME nice fruits!
PS---I'd like to think that a plant that has all of its vines buried with Mycorrhizae and use of a fertilizer of a high-potassium nature (Urea Mate 5-10-27?) would equal or start to equate to a full-sized plant, although I've yet to SERIOUSLY bury any vines as I know I'm supposed to!!! Good Luck, in any event - eric g

8/5/2022 3:49:36 AM

Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia

Sorry about the triple post. Getting older + one too many

8/5/2022 9:50:37 AM

Grittyville, WA

All the energy going into the pumpkins sounds like a good thing to me. But if there is a fertilizer you trust won't cause aborts, then bump the up the nutrients. (Standard miracle grow certainly isnt a one I trust to do anything beyond growing leaves and vines... and they keep changing their formula on the bloom booster version, so I dont really trust that one either!)

8/5/2022 7:40:52 PM

Syracuse, NY

Not your fault, Mister, and I triple-replied
just to be silly - I'm good at that! eg

8/6/2022 4:12:17 AM

Bethlehem CT

I agree it is good that you have an efficient plant that wants to grow pumpkins. Nitrogen is the key for vegetative growth. If you want growth get it some nitrogen.

8/6/2022 8:09:54 AM

Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia

Thanks for the replies, I’ll ease some N into the mix and see what happens.

8/6/2022 10:58:52 AM

Grittyville, WA

I'd try to feed the pumpkin really well and consider any extra plant health resulting from that a welcome side benefit. The only fertilizers I trust (sort of...) is a balanced high potassium fertilizer with micronutrients, calcium, magnesium and slow release nitrogen, so its got pretty much everything, its called k-special. That, and bloom booster... sort of. Slow release fertilizers do kinda mimic organic fertilizers, which is a real convenience and doesnt send the plants into an (energy, ultimately?) imbalance the way the more soluble ones seem to. I could write a whole page (on what I dont know) I'll try to sum it up in one sentence, which is that nitrogen can cause a sink for sugars within the entire plant, which then reduces the sugars going to the roots, which then reduces calcium and phosphorus uptake, (and depletes the reserves in the plant at the same time) which in total temporarily reduces everything that the pumpkin wants. This is me being speculative. But its backed up by what Ive learned about brix and nitrogen.

I would be surprised if nitrogen alone has ever boosted fruit growth, unless it was a combo like calcium nitrate for example and thus supplying something else the plant needed.

8/6/2022 1:28:16 PM

Grittyville, WA

The top grower's plants are high in both energy (aka phloem/photosynthates, brix) AND the full balance if nutrients (xylem and transpiration). Its a big hill to climb but thats basically where they are at... and where a grower like myself is not, yet- lol.

8/6/2022 1:37:47 PM

Colorado

Yep, all you can do is fertilize perfect and see what the plant does.

8/6/2022 3:15:24 PM

Roseville CA

Maybe try foliar feeding calcium nitrate directly to the leaves? Additionally, a balanced fertilizer that is on the higher side on the nitrogen like the miracle grow that eric suggested?

I know that Josiah Brandt Had to foliar feed all of his kind Calcium Nitrate when there was too much rain, and as far as I know none of his pumpkins aborted.

If I am wrong pls feel free to correct me.

8/7/2022 1:23:17 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Hey Andy, Once a plant either shuts down on its own, or you’ve terminated all secondaries, the likelihood of addition second or third stage growth is unlikely. Ive never had tertiary vines pop up on me, but I’m also fastidious about nipping tertiary vines and unneeded flowers once I’ve got fruit set.

I posted a couple pictures in my dairy to show you the difference in 2 plants, from the same seed, planted back to back. Once of them still growing like crazy, and the other one volunteering to cut back on foliage growth in favour of fruit growth.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=333658

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=333659

8/7/2022 4:54:09 PM

Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia

Wish I had the option of cutting tertiary vines back. Of the three plants, no third stage growth at all. Should have waited for a later pollination. My biggest fear is the condition of the leaves as things progress, by the end of August I think they will all be in rough shape.
On a positive note, I’ve been keeping pretty good notes- pollinations, ferts, foliar spraying etc. as well as the when the plants shut down. May be useful for next year.

8/8/2022 10:32:52 AM

Syracuse, NY

So, are you gonna do anything differently now or just do it next year? I am debating which plants to 'walk the walk' for, in that I just pollinated two more that had NO polls on them yet; I figure that if a plant has no polls on it (or even was JUST-pollinated), it is still technically in a/the vegetative state and I can still 'hammer it' if I'd like.
This afternoon, once below about 85 F out = 'Why, I aughtta...'
Hellwithit and I'll choose one of the GF ones to hammer-time and make use of all the weed-killing I did last Sunday, creating a cushy bed of 'I didn't plant THIS!' ryegrass debris, lol;
Concerning ones with 'grapefruits', (and growing quickly, thank you) those ones may get anything other than 24-8-16, such as 10-52-10 and a week or 2 later perhaps 5-10-27 or similar on all of them - I have some left over (and thusly, will order whatever is cheapest, at this point)---eg

8/8/2022 12:36:23 PM

Syracuse, NY

Oh, and post all that, once my vines are again out of control, vine burying to the max - I'll be sore from all that 'walkin' -
Take care---eg

8/8/2022 12:40:54 PM

Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia

To your question- both. In a more than likely futile effort, I mixed equal amounts of 15-15-30 and 30-10-10 and applied it half strength. ( it’s what I had on hand ) I did a full strength 15-15-30 about 10 days ago and the plants seemed to have liked it. Starting in about a week I’ll do weekly 0-0-60, also what’s on hand.

8/8/2022 12:49:57 PM

50 Acres

Hi Andy, I wonder if Orchid Clone Paste dissolved in your fertilizer or by itself in a warm water and sugar solution would activate your new growth. (A possible cytokinin activation) Always trying Jim

8/8/2022 2:48:33 PM

Syracuse, NY

Fill 'er up! I've never had a solely-singular '-60' fert before (woo-hoo!) and I'll try to shut up on here for a few days to a week until I have any results of my own; 1/2 hour after my applying the 24-8-16 I felt Nature's fury with blustery, (40-50 mph) winds and heavy rain and will be lucky if no serious vine-toppling occurred. Oddly, three plants are in sequence as to my regimen = 1385 grapefruit, 1374 Engel pollination tomorrow and a cluster of (3) of my 178s that are simply up and coming - all great for experimentation! later---eric g

8/8/2022 5:44:43 PM