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I have a very young fruit that has 2 hail damage dents in it from a storm that hit when it was only 6 days old. These dents are only about the size of my pinky fingernail (smaller than a dime). I have seen hail damaged fruit before and know that this scar will grow to be very large as the pumpkin grows. Does anyone have experience with this to know if this will likely cause problems for the fruit down the line? I guess im wondering if these fall in a rib or sag later will that doom the pumpkin? Any thoughts, ideas opinions and such are welcome. I have never had to deal with this problem. Should I be concerned or not? THANKS!

PS, I did have a shelter over the pumpkin but I think the severe wind blew it in at an angle and got me!

Mike

6/18/2008 11:57:47 PM

Wi

Mike, I had 2 pumpkins last year in that situation. One was an animal bite that actually exposed a seed. That fruit actually did continue to grow fairly well until we cut it at about D30 as we were too skeered to grow it out. The other with hail dents did very well all the way out. I think there is a very fine line there that you have to consider. I think if the skin was cracked / split you need to see what you can do to get another pumper up and running. IMO if it's just a small bruise you should be more than ok with just battle wounds. I certainly don't have years of experience, but there you have it.

6/19/2008 9:00:23 AM

Pembroke, New Hampshire

If you have a choice, go with a non-damaged fruit. I had a hail damaged fruit last year off the Beauchemin500. It caused complete atrophy of the underlying lobe and probably cost me 100-200 pounds, and I'm sure it contributed to it's eventually splitting. Check out my 2007 diary for pictures of it's initial damage and weekly growth. I had a second fruit beside this one that I culled, but live and learn. I should have gone with the non-damaged fruit.

6/19/2008 9:13:11 AM

Frankfort Oh

Mike ,,you dont have to worry about, the scares much as you do ,,,,other things, such as stem split ,,,or if the scare is close to a rib ,,,,then you might have to worry a littlebit ,,,but guys here get hit ever year it seems like ,,,and they still seem to bring pumpkins in that have been hit by hail ,,,it wont win you a best of show contest ,,but its all about weight anyways ,,,scares dont effect thickness to a pumpkin,,,so if your going for weight ,,go with it,,,would be my advice,,,,good luck Rob

6/19/2008 11:54:55 AM

Cameron,ontario Team Lunatic

Mike, We had a tiny leaf scrap on one of our pumpkins last year. The spot it scrapped was small (dime-sized) & the pumpkin was only the size of a baseball at the time, but it finished the season with a scar about 12" in dia. It also prevented that rib to grow out & form properly & left a big void on the top-left of the fruit. It cost us at least 100#+ by leaving this void. If you can, choose the undamaged fruit.

Phil

6/26/2008 8:50:15 AM