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Grants Pass, Oregon

My 919 Richards is nice and round, but the pumpkin is growing back on its stem, how can I fix this now while its basketball size and not bigger? Can I support the vine on either side of the pumpkin? Will it help support it as the pumpkin gets larger?

7/14/2009 2:07:54 AM

Jericho Vermont

Get the vine up in the air and use some sand to get her tipped in the right direction. If the pumpkin is a wheel it can be tough to impossible to stop the bird bath. But if it is just going to be round it should take care of it. Remember this will also put more stress on the main as it gets larger, so make sure to have plenty of slack in the main.
John

7/14/2009 6:26:49 AM

Ham Lake, Minnesota

C'mon everyone needs to grow a birdbath once n awhile! Kidding, good luck fixing that one!

7/14/2009 8:57:06 AM

Cary, if it is a wheel, you're better off growing it on the stem. Probably a little difficult to tell at this point, but I'd try John's suggestion before doing anything else.

7/14/2009 11:12:42 AM

Grants Pass, Oregon

John, thank you, I will try using sand under to tip it right.

7/14/2009 12:12:29 PM

Pataskala,OH

My biggest pumpkin as of now is a wheel.

7/14/2009 1:13:25 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Cary, same thing happened to me last year and we ended up clearing soil from under the mill fabric at around the butt end of the fruit so that we could raise the stem off the ground.

We had lots of slack in the main so going up was not a problem. Here is the link;

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=96007

7/14/2009 1:28:26 PM

[email protected]

Also make sure that stem is raised, and it's not growing with its "bellybutton" in the air. It will keep it growing, see my diary of last year with my 938. It had a very short stem and somehow managed to stay together. I had a wheel and a bird bath last year, 938 for the wheel and 802 for the birdbath.

John gave excellent advice, we dug underneath the pumpkin some patch dirt, make sure you get all the rocks out of the way too. Then placed mill fabric unerneath, and hope for the best! Good luck!

7/14/2009 1:34:56 PM

[email protected]

Cary, here is a late season shot of my wheel. Survived til weigh off-good luck!

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=96297

7/14/2009 1:37:45 PM

Grants Pass, Oregon

Wow Christine, that was a big wheel, I wonder if mine will turn out the same way. Glenn I will try what you suggested too. Has anyone grown the 919 Richards and got a cream colored pumpkin from it? Mine is cream right now, not a nice deep yellow.

7/14/2009 8:18:04 PM