Liquid fertilizer planter pumpkin
Start seeds in pots early to provide for longest growing season for your zone. After pumpkins start growing, limit vines to one or two. Be ready to adjust vine positions as pumpkins grow larger. Is there an organization or club for people interested in growing giant lb pumpkins or a seed exchange for the giant pumpkins? We would like to try growing mini pumpkins this year and train the vines to grow up a tomato plant wire cone. Is this a good idea? Any advice on seed types? What can we do to keep the mold away?
We've grown Jack-Be-Little pumpkins on a wire tunnel so children can crawl under the vines. The vines stay up on the top and the mini-pumpkins hang down through the wires.
It's great if you're a little one! Mini-pumpkins require the same culture as regular-sized pumpkins: If you're having trouble with mildew and mold on the leaves, your plants need more sunshine and better air circulation around them. Try not to get the leaves wet when you water, or try to water earlier in the day so the leaves don't remain wet overnight.
Jack-Be-Little and Baby Boo are both great little pumpkin varieties. Will pruning my pumpkin vines back a little harm the plants and result in less pumpkins? Pumpkin vines always grow bigger than we expect! When they escape from the vegetable garden, my husband mows the tips off when he mows the lawn This reminds me to reroute the vines back where they belong. It does result in fewer pumpkins because there are fewer flowers on the plant to form pumpkins, but apart from that, in my experience nipping the vine tips with the lawn mower has never set them back noticeably.
Cutting them back hard however, would reduce the foliage enough to cut down on photosynthesis and that might make a big difference in the health of the plant and the number of pumpkins it can support. Good luck with your pumpkins! My husband and I grow and sell pumpkins but have had trouble with powdery mildew on the vines. What can be done to prevent and treat this problem?
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease. Warm temperatures and dew favor its development. You can help your plants avoid infection by removing some of the vines to increase air circulation among the plants and by directing water around the base of the plants rather than sprinkling water overhead on the fruits and leaves.
Early in the season you can cut or pinch off a few of the vines without harming the plant. Wait until some fruits form and then pinch off the ends of the vines. This will increase air circulation and direct the plant's energy into developing fewer, but larger, more flavorful fruit. I've noticed some gardeners and a few farmers who have covered garden areas densely with pumpkins and let them rot over the winter. What is the purpose of this? Any danger of them seeding in the spring?
It's never a good idea to leave plant debris in the garden over the winter. The practice seems like a lazy-man's approach to composting. Rotting pumpkins will supply the soil with some nutrients, but will also provide a place for overwintering insects and disease pathogens.
Plus, the seeds from the pumpkins will certainly sprout in the spring. This may not be a problem in a commercial field because the debris will be tilled into the soil before the field is planted again. I expect disease problems and errant sprouting seeds are dealt with chemically. But for the home gardener, the stuff will have to be picked up and thrown in a compost pile before the site can be used again.
I'd rather handle the plants and pumpkins before they turn into a slimy mess! For the healthiest garden site, compost your end-of-season plant debris and add the compost to the soil before planting in the spring. Help, my pumpkins think it's fall. They are turning orange and the vines are dying back.
Is it lack of sun? They grew in the same place last year. They don't seem to have a disease. There are a couple of reasons I can think of for why your pumpkins would slow down and stop growing. Another is lack of nutrients; since they grew in the same place last year they may have depleted the soil in that spot.
Third is that some disease has actually attacked; pumpkins are subject to a number of foliar problems which cause the leaves to shrivel; finally, perhaps you are growing an extra-early-maturing variety.
The normal range is 90 to days with the approximate timing listed on the seed package or label. In any case, leave them on the vine as long as possible and do your best to cure them as well as you can to try to increase their storage time; depending on the variety and curing and storage conditions, some can be held for up to a year. Take it easy early in the fruit development stage, especially if you are a new grower. Now that you have enjoyed today's science class lesson, go out and put it to work in the field.
Remember, to avoid over application, and not to overlook the other essentials Fertilization techniques are not unique to pumpkin growing. Use these same techniques on all of your vegetable and fruit gardens.
There are some exceptions to the proportions. But overall a general fertilization plan will benefit all crops. For exceptions, you should research individual plants.
Other Minerals and Micro-nutrients: There is a wide variety of chemicals, sometimes referred to as "trace" elements that are hopefully in your soil. These minerals and "micro" nutrients each contribute to, and are essential to, plant growth.
This applies to any plant growth whether it be a vegetable, a tree, a flower or weeds. Just read a box of liquid fertilizer, and you will see the chemicals and trace elements. Some of these are likely to be in your soil already. It all depends on what type of soil you have, whether these elements are readily soluble, and whether they have been depleted through years of growing. Look at micro-nutrients as multi-vitamins for your plants ,as that is exactly what they are.
You take regular, daily vitamins for good health. Your plants need them, too. Liquid Fertilizers are favored by almost almost all gardeners, regardless of what they are growing. We praise the glory of liquid fertilizers. It can be applied as a foliar feeding directly to the leaves, hand applied to secondary roots, and included in the water supply of drip or other irrigation systems. Most growers will go through a box or two each season.
When growing giant pumpkins, many growers apply it every time they water. Aside from cost and it is not that much , liquid fertilizers have almost no downside.
In addition, because they are in a water soluble state, they can easily be absorbed by the plant. One limitation is that it is often difficult to find a mixture other than the normal average which is usually something like If you want to stress one chemical over the other, it is hard to find a different mixture.
Secondly, because it is dissolved in water it flows through the soil, and must be frequently applied. Another important point is you should not rely exclusively on liquid fertilizer.
Nothing beats a rich garden soil, supplemented with compost and manure. Gardeners should seek to continually improve their soil. Successful gardeners make this a regular routine.
Fish and Seaweed Fertilizers: Giant pumpkin growers and many other gardeners , will attest to the value of fish and seaweed fertilizers. It comes in liquid form. Both are low in N-P-K, but loaded with organic micro-nutrients.
Giant pumpkin growers use both of these regularly, both for foliar feeding, and applied directly to the roots. Fish and seaweed manufacturers say that regular use helps the plants to ward off plant disease.
Foliar feeding is the simple, but important process of feeding your plant through the leaves. Use a liquid fertilizer, and spray leaves and vines. Make sure to follow the directions on the fertilizer container. Do not use too much fertilizer, and mix thoroughly. Too much fertilizer can burn the leaves. Regular weekly, or more frequent applications will result in healthier, greener leaves. After having been away on an extended trip one year, I began foliar feeding upon my return.
A week later, my neighbor remarked at how green the plants had become since my return. He suggested that the plants had missed me. Practice foliar feeding regularly, beginning early in the season. You will be rewarded with much healthier and stronger plants. And, you will add pounds to the fruit. Now that you are armed with a little knowledge about fertilizers, it is time to plan your strategy.
Here is a basic plan and template for you to use. Adjust it for your area and conditions ,as well as your personal experiences and experimentation ideas. Prior to planting prepare a bed rich in compost, manures and nutrients. Mix general purpose garden fertilizer into the soil before planting. Apply foliar feeding once a week or more. Apply dry fertilizer every two to three weeks. Include liquid fertilizer in the water your feed your roots, as often as you desire.
Use fertilizers high in Nitrogen until flowers appear. Switch to higher Phosphorous during fruit set stage. Use high Potassium fertilizers for fruit growth. We strongly urge you to follow the manufacturers instruction carefully.