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Minnesota([email protected])

Are you planning on trying any unconventional vine patterns this season? By unconventional, I mean different than the basic Christmas tree or Flag pattern.
Have any of you had good success with one of these unconventional patterns?
I'm thinking of trying the following:
Modified Christmas tree I'll call it.....Prune off every other secondary before the pumpkin, letting the early secondaries grow to 12', and letting the 2-3 secondaries on each side of the main, right before the fruit, grow longer(maybe 20' or more).

3/8/2009 8:10:39 PM

Columbus,ohio

I don't know if this counts but I am trying something because of limited space...Lets call it the reject christas tree...I will grow like normal but let secondaries grow up tomato stakes at the end of the patch...just a idea

3/8/2009 8:19:33 PM

Sparta, NC

Here is the vine pattern I used last year and will also use this year

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiarySubmitFinished.asp?eid=100968

3/8/2009 8:39:19 PM

Picton,ON ([email protected])

We switched to a spyder patern last year from a christmas tree. I like it much better. It is simila to what Sam posted, excetp I turn the secondaries before the pumpkin to grow paralell to the main, making more ft2 of plant behind the fruit. We will have around 500ft2 of plant behind the fruit.
This has become a firly popular pattern in the last few years

3/8/2009 9:49:03 PM

Simi valley, ca

Doug I have tried that pattern a few times, once i did not realize just how long the secondaries got & realized they have gotten 26 ft ea side , I noticed a drawback was the pumpkin did not grow a fast out of gate ! But i still believe they would have gone farther in long run (It's just to bad a lot of my theories get cut short by my patch disease, But once i realized they were not moving fast enough i cut last 5 ft or so & BAM Good growth again ,My plants always start going down at 30- 35 days

3/9/2009 1:23:01 AM

Adams County

Sambo, are those pitutary vine coming off the secondary vines ? in the first and last row

3/9/2009 9:14:39 AM

Gays Mills, Wisconsin

I thought up a pinwheel flag spider pattern. :) I'll be using it on at least 4 plants this year to test. In diary.
John

3/9/2009 9:31:31 AM

Colorado

I'm sold on that tractor trim pattern.I'm going to use a john deer tractor on one half of the patch and my ford on the other.This is the first year,I'll let you know how I do.

3/9/2009 10:44:42 AM

Iowa

John wife tossed out your number that day, sorry I did not get back to ya, would love to talk more about your ideas!!

3/9/2009 4:41:36 PM

Sparta, NC

Yes Bill those are tertiary vines.

3/9/2009 5:34:44 PM

Rhode Island

I have several new patterns to try this year

1. THE REACH AROUND -----GROW A BOX PLANT BEFORE THE FRUIT THEM JUST THE MAIN AFTER THE FRUIT WILL "REACH AROUND" TO SIDES AND BACK TO BASE OF PLANT

2. THE FORK YOU PLANT ------ SAME BOX PLANT BEFORE THE FRUIT, MAIN DEAD HEADED (AT THE STEM) AFTER THE FRUIT, LET THE THIRD STAGE GROWTH GROW OUT FROM THE LAST SET OF VINES (BEFORE THE FRUIT) STRAIGHT OUT TO EDGE OF PLANT AKA "THE FORK YOU"

3.THE QUILL ----- CUT OFF THE FIRT THREE SETS OF SIDES BEFORE THEY DEVELOPE. STARTING WITH THE FOURTH SET TRAIN THE SIDES TO DRAW BACK ON AN ANGLE TO THE BASE AREA OF THE FRUIT (LIKE THE QUILL ON ARROW) THIS WILL ELIMINATE A TIGHT VINE SIDE AGAINST THE FRUIT LATER ON, NO MATTER HOW FAR OUT YOU POLLINATE.
LIKEWISE TRAIN YOUR SIDES AFTER YOUR POLLINATED FRUIT TO QUILL OUT IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION

4.THE BACK DOOR MAIN ---- (FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE TWIN SISTERS) PUT YOUR PLANT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PATCH. GROW A TRUE CHRISTMAS TREE PATTERN OFF THE MAIN AND ALSO OFF THE BACK MAIN, HENCE TWIN PLANTS FEEDING OFF ONE BASE.
WHEN YOU GROW A TRUE XMAS TREE YOU SHOULD NOT LET THE PLANT FILL OUT LIKE A BOX BUT RATHER STAGGER THE SIDE VINE LENGTH LIKE AN ARROW HEAD. WIDEST AT THE BASE OF THE PLANT AND TAPERED DOWN TO A POINT AT THE FRUIT.

5. THE CLUSTER FLUCK ---- PUT THE PLANTS IN, LET UM GROW WHEREVER THEY WANT. FIND YOUR PUMPKIN LATER ON WHEN THE WEIGH OFFS COME AROUND.

HOPE THIS HELPS

PAP

3/9/2009 6:42:23 PM

Annapolis Valley Nova Scotia

I grew one last year I shall call " The Rabbit "
Plan the same as a flag, let a rabbit chew out your main vine's growing tip and then train a secondary to be a new main.
Not one I want to try again though!

3/9/2009 7:25:22 PM

Adams County

thanks Sambo, sure spelled that wrong

3/9/2009 8:22:44 PM

Preston CT

I might try the Cluster fluck this year, seems like less work will be invlolved....more time for drinking....

3/10/2009 8:27:05 AM

Minnesota

Don't waste your time, 5 is the only way to go, Make the hoop house into your own private beer tent.

3/10/2009 9:49:54 AM

Iowa

i have asked many times why only a couple so called heavy hitters do not post or get involved with the people on big pumpkins message board.
they have the most info to share and growers could learn the most from them in return. which i believe was the goal when this site was created.
interestingly enough the answer i get the most from a lot of great growers who could contribute so much ? especially to the new/newer growers?
the feeling is that there is to much snipping and back biting that goes on.they dont take a lot of you seriously i guess?
one comment i have heard on more than one occasion is that one grower will post something and others will just fire away in a negative manner.
there is only one person i can say ever gets under my skin as of late but i have promised myself that i will no longer address his posts.
lets get this site back to pumpkin information and sharing. leave the personalities and bad commentary out.
dont think for one minute that just about every top grower does not read the bp posts. they do.they just dont get involved.
quite possibly if we become more of a informational friendly site and less of a critical one, some of these people who could help the most may start posting.
this site is one of the best things that ever happened to the giant veg growing community. lets not run it into the ground.
thanks for hearing me out
pap

3/10/2009 10:19:17 AM

Minnesota([email protected])

Thanks for the replies so far. Some interesting vine patterns mentioned.
I did grow a plant a few years ago, where I pruned off every other secondary before the fruit. Otherwise it was a Christmas tree pattern, with all the secondaries before the fruit deadheaded at about the 11' mark. The fruit was a fast early grower, but not so impressive after day 20. I wasn't good about watering the plant, so that may have had something to do with the later fruit growth.
I'd like to especially hear from those of you who have pruned off every other secondary before the fruit.

3/10/2009 1:05:29 PM

Iowa

Doug I have in the past cut every other off, but it was because the plant was growing slow and they were to close together. It helped with faster growth and air flow down the road. Some plants seem to grow faster with the sides father apart,maybe one must look at why the plant is growing slow?? Hope this helps?

3/10/2009 10:11:27 PM

Jefferson Me

Doug, my P.B. (1129)last season was grown in the same way you just descibed the only differece being that the first secondaries I trained them like Sambo's pattern.I originaly cut off every other one hopeing to be able to get in around the plant a little easier for misting and whatnot.But it seemed to me the leaves got larger and anywhere there was unused sunlight it just drew them toward those open areas and filled that in space anyway.But I think your issue was the watering.I had a system set to water my patch and had solid #'s each day. The other benefit to to cuting every other secondary is that you don't need as many bamboo stakes or coat hangers to hold them in place. It's amazing at the end of the season when cleaning out the patch to see how many stakes I used.

3/10/2009 11:13:36 PM

Minnesota([email protected])

Thanks Steve and Edwin. Your posts have been quite helpful.

3/11/2009 12:46:19 AM

Rhode Island

s.krug
thank you for reposting my message. unfortunately my earlier message does not take a stand against humor.
humor is something we all need from time to time.
but im glad you got to read it and repost.
pap

3/11/2009 7:50:52 AM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

GPP, others have tried that, including me. Makes spraying harder, the leaves catch the wind, etc.

Lots of troubles. IMO, no worth it, but if you improve on it, let me know, lol.

3/11/2009 1:14:00 PM

Columbus,ohio

Jordan instead of going straght up I was think of using diagnal 2x4s

3/11/2009 4:09:45 PM