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Western PA

I have a good sized pumpkin that split in 3 places along a sag line perpendicular to the ribs.I first noticed it last Sunday morning. The small splits were about 3/4 of a inch long and they had sap filling them. So I left them alone and the next day the splits were a little wider and into the cavity.I quickly put silicon over them.

My question is; I know that air got into the cavity before I got the silicon over the splits.If it is growing at all still, it is growing extremely slow.

How long until it starts to show signs of rot?

Is it possible for this pumpkin to not grow and not rot for 4 more weeks ?
It still seems as solid as it was before the splits, but I am concerned because of no growth the past 5 days.Before the splits it was averaging 40#'s /day the previous 5 days.

8/6/2010 9:03:17 PM

Breslau, Ontario, Canada

Zappa,
I put Silicon over a BES last season. The Split Happened around the 20th of August. From then Until mid October, it gained 200+lbs and only started to rot In October.

8/6/2010 9:55:06 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

ZAPPA, Fast Fred's diary, looks like he has siliconed a BES, and has held together for 5 days or so!!! Doubtful, about long term, but Fred, says...short term it is still growin!!! I would guess, the time from split into cavity, and the sealing...would make a difference!!! Catch it quickly will prbly be best!!! Good luck, and never give up!!! Peace, Wayne

8/7/2010 1:53:29 AM

Litchfield N. H. 03052

If air got into the cavity it will rot.The amount of time it was left open and the tempeture are the factors that determine when. It would not be allowed in any weigh off in NE

8/7/2010 8:26:08 PM

Pemberton, BC

Below is the link to my '07 diary, if you scroll down through it you'll see I had a BES that went right into the cavity on the 4th of September and after sealing it it continued to grow until harvesting on October 11th. It put on about 320 pounds by the tape after the split but weighed 18% heavy so it was more like 380 so it can be done succesfully. I think the key is to get it sealed ASAP

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryView.asp?season=2007&grower=28600&action=L

8/8/2010 10:05:24 PM

Western PA

chadgilmore, are you currently putting the silicon on as a precautionary measure as you stated in your 07 diary ? That is not a bad idea. If you are, does the patch peel off easy ?
Lee

8/11/2010 9:38:16 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Lee, last year I had a BES that I treated with Lexel sealant on the advice of Chad. Not only did I catch it early and get the tiny hole filled, but the pumpkin continued to grow and actually re-sealed the BES on the inside. Before the weighoff, we took the silicone off and cleaned the area up and scraped away any softness. So, yes the silicone comes off easily and it passed the probe test that it failed 7 weeks previously.

When carving the pumpkin for display, we could see the spot inside the cavity where it initially split and then grew over itself and re-sealed.

Lexel sealant has an elastomeric property that allows it to stretch but the best part is you can keep adding new layers to it and it adheres to itself and keeps an air-tight seal.

http://www.northlandconstruction.com/product.php?pid=4743

8/11/2010 12:18:18 PM

Pemberton, BC

Lee I haven't this year but I did the last 2 years. It comes off really easy and you could hardly tell it was there.

Chad

8/11/2010 1:58:35 PM