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Western PA

My 763 plant has a bacterial infection of some kind. The vines are rotting from the inside and then turning to mush. Last week I decided to cut the main behind the fruit because the rot was getting close to the stem. Now I am seeing some rot start on the other side of the main that is still attached to the fruit.

If I decide that I have to cut the other side of the main off, can I leave the fruit just sit under the tarp for 3 more weeks until the weigh off ? (keeping it nice and dry of coarse).
I know that you can keep pumpkins on boards in your garage or basement for several months, but can I leave it in my garden for 3 more weeks, or will I have to put it in my garage ?
I have never read of anyone cutting one off and leaving it in their garden for any amount of time.

8/16/2010 12:05:10 PM

Nova Scotia

It would likely be all right but you have a better chance in a cooler area such as a garage and it will lose less weight that way. Be sure to cut away all rot. if vine is rotten on both sides I'd cut a little out of the stock to be sure rot is not there. if it is you have to cut away untill no more rot is visble.

Good Luck

8/16/2010 1:52:47 PM

Ohio

Zappa, if you have a small portion of vine left after the pumpkin past the stem, even if its 6 inch piece of main or even a piece of secondary coming off that main with roots you will still be in good shape for the pumpkin to last you, as long as you have some part of the vine that isn't rotting with only a handful of roots, even if it with only one healthy node still attached and if the pumpkin is not growing, Id leave it hooked up. Id leave it hooked up to the vine as long as I passably could even if it wasnt gaining a ounce.

but if you have rot all the way up to your pumpkins stem like I think your saying with no more healthy vine left, well, you have no choice but to cut it off so it doesnt start into the stem of your pumpkin.

But hopefully you at least have 1 node left after the pumpkin that is still healthy with a clump of roots that feed the pumpkin.

8/17/2010 5:16:20 AM

Western PA

I will take a good look at the main that is left beyond the pumpkin. I was hoping to leave it hooked up because I have around 150 sq ft of plant beyond the fruit , but yesterday I thought it was starting to show signs like the stump side of the main was ,when problems started. I will make a final decision today when I look it over.

8/17/2010 6:34:24 AM

Western PA

I think I will be fine to leave it hooked onto the remaining plant that is out in front of it. What I saw yesterday was a soft area where I had cut a leaf off around 2 weeks ago. I scraped it off and applied captan. I guess I was panicing. The remaining vines seem to be solid, but will closely monitor. I looked the stem over where last week I cut the main off, and it is pretty solid. I scraped a very light coat of brown off and applied more captan. At the moment I am confident that it will be fine. I still think the remaining plant is slowly feeding the pumpkin because I saw some new sap balls on the skin when I looked under the sheet.
There is a nasty smell from the main that I cut from the fruit last week. I hope that is where the smell is coming from, LOL.

8/17/2010 9:02:32 AM

East Jordan, MI

I don't think bad smell is good. I'd try to figure out the source of the smell.

8/17/2010 12:28:54 PM

Canada

I believe you have gummy stem blight. I have included a url explaining what is. It looks like the only real cure is to leave the patch fallow for 3 years. Animals can bring it in and transfer it from patch to patch so it is nast.

http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/pub/php/diagnosticguide/pumpkin/

8/17/2010 4:19:24 PM

Western PA

The smell is comming from all of the snotty looking ooze that is coming out of the vine junctions and all the bad leaves that I cut off and tossed on the ground around the garden. I have been smelling it for over a week now so if the pumpkin were going bad ,I think it would have collapsed by now.
Aliant, thank you for the info, but not the same symtoms at all.

Thank you all for the great replies !!!
Lee

8/17/2010 6:05:05 PM

Circleville ,OH.

I've dealt with that before and once the vine has it before and after the pumpkin the growth is done.

Now the year I had that I cut the vine off and kept the pumpkin covered from the rain and sun. The rot did work on the stem and I kept cleaning it and drying it. I think I kept it for about a month like this and took it to a weigh-off stemless,it was my 501from like 2002.It was setting in the patch the whole time but if you can get it somewhere out of the sun and rain that would be better.

So the pumpkin should last for a few weeks as long as you keep it cool and dry as possible. Good luck.

Darryl

8/17/2010 10:53:41 PM

East Jordan, MI

Just my opinion, but I remove all trimmings good or bad from patch. Bad goes in apile to be burned when it dries, good goes in the compost pile.

8/18/2010 10:25:41 PM

Western PA

cntryboy, the trimmings are on the outside of the patch. I carry the leaves with pm far away. Even though the main behind the fruit is cut, it is still in the garden with a lot of secondaries (400 sq ft). A lot of the juctions are seeping nasty, smelly juices. I let it go, as I decided to set a few pumpkins to see how big they will get. Maybe if the infectin slows, I will get 1 or 2 for my porch. That is where most of the oder is coming from.

As of this morning the fruit is still hooked on and looking ok.
Thanks for all the replies !

8/19/2010 6:07:56 AM

Canada

It takes a long time before it affects the fruit but if you think it will last good for you. Hard to grow a pumpkin without a plant though. Not all symptons are the same. Your pumpkin is likely to go down as well. Can you post some pictures of the insides of the vine. Agriculture Canada suggest at the first sign you remove all the plant including fruit and the seeds. Next year when it happens again you'll know for sure. Good luck and I hope I am wrong for your sake.

8/20/2010 11:08:07 AM

Western PA

What ever it is , it is still mainly on the main and slowely working into the secondaries. My plant is still sending out new growth like crazy in the interior. I actually have several fruits that were pollinated last week !

8/20/2010 8:17:35 PM