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Ohio

In a thread posted on 7/13, it was suggested that culling a fruit over 10 days old might cause a keeper to abort further down the main.

Cutting the stem over a few days might help, but has any other grower had this problem?

7/14/2009 11:15:20 AM

Sequim, WA

I've observed this in the past, but haven't reached that point yet this year. I don't think it's a hard and fast rule that this will happen, but it can. I'm not sure why this occurs, but I will be making my culls sooner than I have in the past rather than wait and take a chance of losing the one I had hoped to keep. I still try to pollinate the first ones available even if I don't expect to keep them because I want like to know if the plant will set fruit OK, and observe that plants particular growth and fruit shape, color, stem, and other tendancies. I like a bigger plant behind my fruit, so usually I plan to keep a fruit set later. I have also obseved early set fruit aborting that are beyond 10 days old when later set fruit start to take off. I have attemtped to "slow cull" in the past and it worked out OK. I don't think there rules when it comes to this, other than be observant and trust your gut instincts.

7/14/2009 12:16:43 PM

Pataskala,OH

I think the earlier the better takes less weight away from the keeper.

7/14/2009 12:49:07 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

I have experienced this once,,,but if someone like Tom B says in his experience that iZ the case...Then there you have it....No use to chance it. Earlier the better....

7/14/2009 2:05:34 PM

Minnesota([email protected])

This is news to me....something to take into consideration. Any other thoughts on this?

7/14/2009 7:01:24 PM

Farmville, Virginia ([email protected])

3 years ago I had a nice one going and culled one behind it. The keeper was around 100 pounds. After I culled the one the keeper stopped growing a couple days later. Ever since then if I am going to cull I do it over a 3 day period. Just cutting part way through the stem each day. I've been told that if you cull all at once it can throw a shock into the keeper.

7/15/2009 11:08:09 AM