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Joliet, IL

noticed a small female at about 9.5' on one plant that has already fried from either the heat or it aborted itself for other reasons. it never even got to pea size before shuttiing down. the one before it that was pruned was fine and the next one is already bigger than a pea and still looks good. that one at 9.5' was gonna get pinched anyways. it's a little toasty here today so i put some white plastic lawn chairs over the tips for some shading on the 2 plants beyond 10' so the next one or 2 females stay fresh. cooler temps are predicted for the next week here starting tomorrow. but i have had small females abort in the heat at the strong high sun this time of the year on days over 88 degrees and higher. its just preventative insurance and i am not sure if the heat was the reason for the abort, especially the night time temps staying high a couple nights, or the excessive rains, or the plant just knowing which females are sound or not. but it can't hurt to shade the tips on hot days for those in the hot spots of the country, especially with the strong sun nearing the solstice. a couple years back many had troubles with small early aborts and fans can also be used to help keep them cool. there is research on line from commercial pumpkin growers who get this problem when night time temps remain very high. just a heads up for those who will be hitting their target marks in the next 3-4 weeks to come.

6/12/2008 3:58:42 PM

Joliet, IL

forgot to mention that a 9-18-9 and vcp that is 0-13-0 are agro k products good in aiding females and flowering as well. gave them a dose tonight of vcp tonight foliar. when placing chairs to protect vine tips from hot sun or possible hail, use a couple bars of rebar to secure them within the handles for extra support against high winds.

6/12/2008 10:10:28 PM

No Place Special

I to use lawn chairs and my favorite is the plastic lawn end table. I can stick its 4 legs into the ground about 6" and put a big brick on it. Works good for me. I think shading is a great idea, cant hurt.

6/12/2008 10:31:41 PM

Sort of Sunny Sometimes, WA

I'm using those tables too Mike. I'm worried about them flipping over in the wind though, even with a brick on top. Have you had much wind to test the brick?

6/16/2008 11:10:27 AM

Berlin,mi.([email protected])

last year i just drove 4 post in a rectangle shape and put a blue tarp over the front of the main. this worked pretty well for me. we had pretty warm temps last year during pollination time.

6/16/2008 11:50:03 AM