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Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

With all of the heat here on the East Coast, we have been watering progressively more.
With the extra moisture in the soil we open ourselves to disease, keep up on your applications of Companion, Actinovate and Rootshield to protect against soil borne diseases.
High humidity raises the threat of airborne diseases such as Powdery Mildew and Downey mildew, be proactive, don't wait until you see a problem, there are organic and traditional products available.
Keep up on your insecticide programs, SVB's are out there, If you are using Merit, it needs to be reapplied every 30 days, try to find a systemic as well as a contact insecticide, we have been using the SVB traps with alot of success along with other preventive methods.
Keep your watering even and consistant, no big surges of water followed by periods of letting the soil dry out like dust, you will blow the fruit up.
This is the time where we like to make sure that our plants have enough resources to sustain the gains, we are applying a few foliar sprays weekly that include, Calcium, Nutrients in the form of Kelp, 3-18-18, or 10-10-10, and TKO, we will start adding 0-0-25 within a week or so, nice light applications.
Our CO2 applications have proved to help the plants deal with the high heat a bit better.
These are just a few suggestions that work for us, we've had alot of email from growers who are doing well, plants look good, pollinations are looking good, but now have questions on what to do next.
I hope that this helps.
Tom

7/6/2010 8:22:53 AM

Indiana

Good advice.

here in the midwest I suggest using merit or a generic every week until the plant is filled out.

7/6/2010 8:56:47 AM

Fresno, CA

What form is the 0-0-25 in?

7/6/2010 5:22:03 PM

Montgomery, IL

THANKS for the great advise !!!!

7/6/2010 6:22:22 PM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

The 0-0-25 is a liquid applied at one ounce per gallon of water.

7/6/2010 8:47:12 PM