From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Enumclaw, Washington

Doing a site search I found lots of pictures but not lots of why. In the past week I have lost three nice fruits to blossom splits. Small visible cracks and then right into the cavity the next day. A 1074 Calai looking real orange, a 1445.1 Marsh and now a 1566 Rodonis that was over 500 #'s. The Calai amd Rodonis were doing great, nice shapes and great orange color. The Marsh was flatter and more of a wheel. Weights were not much by some standards but twice where I was at this time last year. July and August haven't been as bad as May/June in Washington but night time temps were below 50 for most of July. Fertilizer, water, temp, all of the above!!! What should I be doing different or is this just the luck of the draw. All three pumpkins were doing well and would have gone to one of the weigh-offs out here. I want to salvage whats leftfor this year and plan ahead for next year. But three of the bigger ones in three days; well that sucks. Thanks for advice.

8/24/2008 12:15:56 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Blossom End Split is common in plenty of vegetable/fruit growing settings. The most common cause is a lack of available calcium. All to often tomato growers reap the tomatoes year after year when BES sets in...Check your soil samples and be sure that your available calcium is there....Nothing can stop these monsters from blowing out there noses when they are putting on weight faster then the fruit can take it...good luck! GrowEmBig! Chuck

8/24/2008 4:40:32 PM

Long Island,New York

I think its just a matter of thats the weakest point on a healthy fruit....dill ring/rib intersections can be just as bad also. Tremendous growth combined with a somewhat natural lobe division/interface can spell disaster. Blossom end issues with most other calcium deficient situations seem to result in rot, not splits. Open a healthy fruit with no issues and you'll see the blossom end is usually much thinner and weaker. Thats where she will blow.

8/24/2008 7:22:24 PM

Going Green

Beast Master...I feel for you! Do not beat yourself up saying woulda coulda shoulda! It happens!Although Alexsdad is most likely right about the calcium sometimes it just is!

I wanted so much for my 1445 Marsh to be the king of the hill in my field and it drowned! I am hoping Kevin will be gracious enough to let me try another seed in 2009!

8/24/2008 7:39:36 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

I thought that blossom end splits were just thin spots, until 2 years ago. I had one split with a nearly 10" thick end. That one was just growing way too fast, on a 1400# pace. Too much fertilizer, I guess.

8/24/2008 10:57:05 PM

Ontario, Canada.

BES is a topic of which I am highly familiar with. I have come to learn over the past few years that Ammonium Nitrate is a completing cation and displaces calcium from the soil solution. Even though you may have adequate available Ca in your soil the annual bloom and decay of bacteria often releases a flush of nitrogen in the form of ammonium into the soil. The best way to control BES is to ensure you have good ppm of ca 3000 or better then good consistent watering and moderate amounts of Organic matter to control the release of Nitrogen from the OM. We used to think with OM that more was better. In some cases it was. But you will improve your chances by aiming your soil to normal background levels of OM plus 2 to 4 percentage points. IMHO

8/26/2008 4:42:48 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Gentics factors are rumored to play a roll but I'm not entirely sure about that issue. Blossom formation is often a key factor too. Blossom's that lack ca at emergence are subject to deficiencies right off the bat. They tend to be reduced in xylem flow pathways and as a result as the fruit gets older the Ca problem tends to increase with age due to the reduced xylem flow on dry hot days. I tend to reject blossoms that have large round discolored areas and prefer ones that are nice tight buttons that protrude slightly outward and later form a snout.

Although I have not studied blossom formation there is plenty of research journal information that document what is called Peduncle Resistance. Basically it is reduced Xylem flow into the fruit through the stem of the pumpkin.

I hope this helps.

8/26/2008 4:52:30 PM

Enumclaw, Washington

Thanks everyone: Alexsdad, LIpumpkin, m3f2, Iowegian, Big Kahuna 7. All three pumpkns were in the 7 to 8 inch thickness. I will work the calcium issue for next year. I have almost 100% horse manure; plenty of organic matter as well as plenty of ammonia that comes with it.

8/27/2008 2:53:17 PM

Enumclaw, Washington

Thanks everyone: Alexsdad, LIpumpkin, m3f2, Iowegian, Big Kahuna 7. All three pumpkns were in the 7 to 8 inch thickness. I will work the calcium issue for next year. I have almost 100% horse manure; plenty of organic matter as well as plenty of ammonia that comes with it.

8/27/2008 5:27:25 PM