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Buffalo, New York

When putting a sheet over the pumpkin or shading, why is it important to NOT cover the stem and the blossom?

8/10/2008 2:51:23 AM

Joliet, IL

rot. chances of a wet sheet laying on the blossum or the stem gives rot a better chance of setting up. lost a pumpkin this past week due to a blossum rot for this same reason. it was an outie blossum pointed a little skyward and the wet sheet fell right on top of it during the rain storms last week and before i noticed, it was done. the rot made it too far into the pumpkin to save. i have saved some minor rotting of a blossum by cutting it flush to the pumpkin, using a tooth brush to clean it well with 10 percent bleach, drying with a fan and putting captan on it and leaving the fan on it for several days until hard and dry and fungus free. i have now put a high tarp over each pumpkin and still use the white sheet for morning and evening suns that hit the pumpkins from side angles. a high tarp is easy to do at this stage of the game with 6 long pieces of rebar. 3 on each side. direct the tarp so overhead watering won't hit the stem or blossum. i put the back 2 rebar pieces by the stem end far enoungh away from the pumpkins to bring the tarp on a downward angle. this makes sure the stem stays dry from water run off due to my overhead sprinklers direct water in that direction. the back end can be pitched higher for access to the pumpkin.

8/10/2008 12:02:15 PM