From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Midway, UT

This question was prompted from a question that was asked on the RMGVG website in regards to terminating the main vine. I'd love to hear everyone's take on this as well and why they feel it is best to terminate or not terminate. I know many growers terminate due to space. I have enough room that I can go about 15 feet past my pumpkin.

I've seen different opinions on this board but I'm looking for a good scientific answer or at least a partial answer that can be backed up. I would think a lot of salad would just eventually take energy from the pumpkin, but I can't seem to find anywhere a conclusion as to where the energy of the pumpkin really comes from (below the fruit or above and below). I've also wondered what sources or types of energy comes from the leaves verses the roots. Water obviously comes from roots, but what role do the leaves technically play in the pumpkin growth? Is vine energy flow bi-directional? I would think it would have to be in order for water to flow up the vine to the leaves, but how does energy return from the leaves back to the pumpkin?

7/14/2008 12:28:40 PM

Preston CT

I have not termninated mine yet. It has only grown 6 inches in the last 2 weeks due to a pumpkin being set on my 1130 plant. My plant is basically shutting down and all the juice is going to the fruit. I set it at 10 ft out so my plant is small but it is growing good....

7/14/2008 2:01:38 PM

Rhode Island

we like the idea of having growth after the fruit whenever possible .

several years back we lost a plant before the fruit and had it not been for growth after the pumpkin we would have been done.( base and main was removed up to the fruit )

by the way the fruit grew from 400 to over 950 after growing on 125 square ft of plant after the pumpkin

7/14/2008 2:25:02 PM

Midway, UT

That is interesting Pap. I guess that shows that the plant after the pumpkin has the potential to feed the pumpkin.

7/14/2008 2:45:28 PM

Ontario, Canada.

how does energy return from the leaves back to the pumpkin?

There are basically two rivers within a pumpkin plant.

The one way river is known as the Xylem and allows for the movement of watery fluids to the evaporative portions of the plants.

The Phloem isthe second river and works either up or down depending on the need. It can direct carbohydrate products from the leaves back down into the sinks or actively growing areas of the plant such as roots or storage organs like fruit.

7/14/2008 2:54:18 PM

Colorado Springs.Co

encouraging, if your secondaries don't get long enough to terminate will there still be plenty of backfeeding to fruit?

7/14/2008 3:11:58 PM

Rhode Island

we have come to the conclusion that the pumpkin is a giant sink, and will draw from all areas of the plant.

like russ has stated. thats why growth after the fruit is good for two reasons

1. backup plant insurance should the main go down with disease or rot.
or
2. backup plant for later in the season when older growth is also not as useful.

7/14/2008 9:21:49 PM

Pennsylvania

As an answer to the question about leaves and roots, it isn't really so much of a difference in energy as it is adifference in function. Roots are required by the plant to absorb water and nutrients and also stores extra nutrients as sugar or starch. However, the leaves turn nutrients and water etc, collected by the roots into usable energy for growth via photosynthesis, basically functioning as the pumpkin's powerplant. I could go into a lot more detail on this topic, but I think you get my point.

7/14/2008 9:40:51 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

We are burying tertiary vines off the first two secondary vines for exactly the same reason pap described: newer growth later in the season. Also, the tertiaries from the last secondaries on each side of the main would be allowed to grow forward. I guess it would be called "the McKie pattern". I listened very intently to Dan and Jason at last year's OVGPG seminar and decided to give their method a shot with one plant.

We are also using Don Young's pattern of allowing the last three secondaries before the fruit(on both sides of the main to grow further out to the 30 foot mark of the patch.

In both cases, however, we are terminating the main at the fruit. It's a gamble.

7/14/2008 9:46:18 PM

Midway, UT

Thanks for everyone's comments. I find this string fascinating and it prompts a lot more questions but the answers got me down a path of additional discovery. I found a great post that some of you will recognize from 2004 that touches on a lot of the same questions(http://www.bigpumpkins.com/MsgBoard/ViewThread.asp?b=3&p=101275). To me this gets at the heart of the whole giant pumpkin growing question but obviously sparks a lot of controversy. What we need to do is find a core group of growers that are willing to do some scientific research together to dig into this a little deeper. It is clear an answer won't come easy. Pumpkins are a lot like people and pills. Some medications work for some people and not for others. There are a lot of variables that come into play. Would there be a group of growers that would be willing to do some controlled studies to try to get at some answers? I don't think any one grower can do this in ten years of growing, but maybe 30 growers trying to do some carefully prepared, controlled studies can start to get at some answers.

7/14/2008 11:31:09 PM