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Gays Mills, Wisconsin

What techniques do you suppose help us increase the pumpkin's possibility to go over the charts?

2/28/2010 5:47:00 PM

Western NY

Selective breeding

2/28/2010 5:57:19 PM

DeWitt, Iowa

So with the increased trend of over the chart eventually that 10% heavy with be riught on tape shoudn't it? When they make a new chart based on measurements?

2/28/2010 6:00:39 PM

Las Cruces NM

Its physics, pumpkins have to start geting heavy or they'll crush under their own weight. In truth it does make me wonder...

2/28/2010 6:15:56 PM

Gays Mills, Wisconsin

Genetic vs environment? I see pumpkins with the same genetics vary quite a lot in their % of chart weights. Why?
Of course the genetics have to have the ability but how do you get a fruit/plant to "turn on" this ability and make the most of it?
A lot of us tried the calcium towel technique, we were trying to get the fruit to get "denser". What have we unequivocally learned and what do we believe works now?

2/28/2010 6:33:32 PM

Rhode Island

cornhusk

this is what i feel is most important when getting the most weight out of each pumpkin we plant.

we have always planted for weight not beauty. a pretty pumpkin is great but its considered a bonus when it comes outta our patch.we look into seed history, ask for seeds grown by growers we know to be on the top of there game.
in other words, if you wanna be the best? ya gotta plant what you feel is the best.you dont do all that work just to show up.
2. your soil needs to ne jacked but not over jacked. every level in your soil needs to be in as perfect a balance as possible so as not to tie anything up from being available for the growth of plant and /or pumpkin.
3. we treat with drenches and sprays as needed in our area of the country for soil, airborn diseases and insects. look to prevent trouble before it finds you. and if you dont? sooner or later ?it will.

2/28/2010 8:04:41 PM

Western NY

environment?

2 things:

1. keeping a healthier plant - longer growing fruit. If you can keep the weight packing on well into lat september or october, it will be heavier to the chart by a few percent than if it shuts down sooner.

2. soil - back when i was running numbers, i noticed that soil had a small effect. a lower micronutrient availability could help with a percent or two to chart.

2/28/2010 9:16:17 PM

Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia

You make a good point Andy. I know several growers who grew very nice pumpkins to have them go under by quite a bit. Many of them discovered afterword that the stump was rotted out and the fruit probably shut down or slowed to a halt late Summer.

2/28/2010 9:39:37 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

Maybe it is weather? I know that a cool summer makes for light test weight corn. Maybe there are certain weather conditions that make for light or heavy pumpkins.

2/28/2010 11:09:26 PM

Anacortes, WA

With my little experience, I believe there might be something to cooler weather. This year I read about cooler and wetter weather in Canada and the Northeast where some very over the chart pumpkins were grown. With our cooler weather here and across the water in Sequim, we seem to grow consistently heavy. Summer temps 70 day and 55 night.

2/28/2010 11:53:01 PM

Gays Mills, Wisconsin

Thanks for the inputs.

It is great to share some of our thoughts on the various growing topics, and it is quite common to see that it comes down to growing a healthy plant with good soil and genetics. Very seldom do I see a grower claim that they know a secret to getting their fruits heavier.

This is a community to be proud of : )
John

3/1/2010 9:20:32 AM

Cameron,ontario Team Lunatic

This is a tough question. Pap & Andy are right on the button. Dick also makes a good point. We had the coolest weather ever, since we've been growing & there was a lot of pumpkins that went over the chart. These pumpkins can take the cooler weather better than I thought. One other thing is the OTT Chart. I know of 2 pumpkins that were under 60" on day 20 & both grew monster pumpkins by year end. In the future, we won't be so quick to cull a slower growing fruit.

Phil

3/2/2010 11:37:20 AM