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Macomb County

I don’t want to give any grower the wrong impression at the same time. My experience with juicing plants comes from a step-father growing seedless grapes in California. I’ve only around fooled with GA3 a couple of times at 50 ppm once a month. And it worked great on concord grapes, but that doesn’t mean 200-300 ppm wouldn't work even better.

I do know the 90% powder is better than the liquid because it breaks down in liquid and doesn’t have a long shelf life. I do know sprayed on fruit blossoms, you won’t experience the aborts you normally do with incomplete or no germination. They juice seedless grapes with GA3 at that point. But that’s about the extent of my working knowledge. Just that 3BA is a cell thickener and is used along with GA3 to off-set the thinning effect GA3 has because it’s a cell elongater.

I wish I could be of more help to growers e-mailing me for a program. But like Arnold in body building, who still hasn’t given-out his exact program of steroids, it’s one of those for someone to know and someone else to find-out deals from everything I’ve seen when it comes to growing.

6/7/2010 10:49:58 AM

Pataskala,OH

I tried GA3 once it did not seem to do anything but it was in late August when I tested it. I know of a grower who uses GA3 and they have not gotten the WR so the effect of GA3 must not be that great. 3BA is more interesting to me since GA3 would only make a longer pumpkin not a heavier one. I might try 3BA in the future.

6/7/2010 12:34:13 PM

San Diego

I'm a rookie pumpkin grower but I do know gapes. I use GA in a not so scientific mixture because my Japanes wife, when she was in grade school hadto go out to a vineyard and help the grower outand he would donate money to the school for gym equipment.The students used a coffee can full of water and GA and would immerse the baby clusters in the mixture. Well now that it's 99years later we ae doing thompson grapes and the process works to the point where I am the MAD SCIENTISTof Lakeside. We had tremendous succes with the TS. This year I soaked the Pumpkin seeds i GA for 24 hours and we will see what happens. I don't believe a spray will have the same effect as a soak. As I remeber GA is a hormone found naturally in rice. It's on the cusp of being a fear of the organic community but if you go to the store and see the size of grapes that are being sold and the size of ones that you grow and are not treated you will start to wonder.

6/7/2010 9:52:07 PM

Rhode Island

i still prefer a good milking over juicing any day. a lot of my friends in the ri gang are milkers too.
stvbe sperry and joe j are milkers from way back.
i came over to joes one time unannounced and caught him milking his 1385 plant.

6/10/2010 5:28:05 PM

Eastern Washington State

Hey pap is that organic milk or that growth hormone milk? Come on now, don't be holding anything back!

Do a replicated experiment Jack. I would try applying BA to the female bud a few times before and once right at pollination time, to (promote cell division). Then later, post-pollination, apply GA periodically (to promote cell expansion). However unless your growing conditions are excellent, you will most likely not see an effect. That's why I've never tried it. It is also likely that AG's are so overbred for size that they won't respond to exogenous growth regulator applications (ie they are already maxed out). Anyway, try it and let us know if it works.

6/10/2010 10:23:00 PM