From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Pocatello ([email protected])

OK, so you just came through pollination season unscathed, or so we hope...

All that work just to get here, and now what??

I'm thinking, gotta go get some sand. Gotta try using some Daconil this year. Tomorrow is going to be hot, I need to try shading some of my vine tips.

Basically, it's developing a habit of thinking of things before the problems start happening!

So, what are your top items to be ready for this time of year?

7/8/2008 3:48:39 PM

[email protected]

Tap roots, get those tap roots so you won't have stem splits, and s curves wide enough to be beneficial.

7/8/2008 4:07:58 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

Getting up the nerve to make the circuit with the SVB spray again...

Making sure I have tarps on hand. Hanging the expense and buying enough sprayers to dedicate one to each thing and clearly marking it! (thinking up a good enough threat to hubby about touch my sprayers and he will regret it-NO 24d contamination thank you)

You can never have enough plastic hangers to make vine staples... enough wire ones to make ground staples. Those cleaty shoes are great when the patch is muddy, mucky, and greased snot-like.

Take good pictures. They can help especially if you annotate them somehow. Add that date.

More little organza bags. And enough ferts to do half the county. :)

7/8/2008 6:44:02 PM

Roselle, IL [email protected]

Peel the blossom flower off the pumpkin after it is set.
I had them on too long before and the blossom end starts to rot

7/8/2008 7:18:20 PM

San Jose [email protected]

THANKS for the vine tip (tip) i burnt a few today, luckily not the mains, now have chairs over them

7/8/2008 7:34:21 PM

Williamsburg,KY

Lots of rain here, cant keep up with fungicides but trying. Boards in the patch for walking, the longer the better.

7/9/2008 8:33:24 AM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

Boards don't work here, we have termites. Stepping bricks and pavers or patch cleat shoes, or both. But yeah, stay off that turf!

7/9/2008 8:51:59 AM

Newmarket, NH USA

A little weeding every day keeps things from becoming a disaster down the road I think I have learned this after about 6 years LOL.

7/10/2008 10:43:13 AM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

Heh Matt, I swear I live to weed here. The tumbleweeds are too glad to share! But yeah, if you're there and the weed is, pull it.

Oh, if you mess with tarps, get a grommet setter and a big supply of grommets. Add some before you think you need them, and if you rip one out you can repair stuff.

7/10/2008 2:03:57 PM

Salem, OR

Great post, Cliff. I've been trying to address this a bit in my diary. Here's my short list:
1. Milk and or baking soda every three weeks starting now to prevent powdery mildew.
2. Merit or other bug zapper.
3. Sand or mill fabric under all competition fruit (these are pretty obvious--sorry)
4. Prop up vine so there is no stem stress. This might have caused my 1020 EST off the 998.6 to go down last year.
5. Perfectly balance tall fruit early on so it grows upright.
6. Water heavily every other day to prevent disease (I have to admit that I'm watering every day right now, though)
7. Cover fruit with white sheet only for duration of season. Cover small fruit, too
8. Move vine instead of pumpkin when positioning
9. Consider pollinating farther out on the main vine before July 12 to see if that fruit grows faster.
10. Calendar in, in advance, all plans for fertilizing, watering, bug and fungus control (if you're spacey like I am)

7/10/2008 7:57:20 PM