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Frankfort Ohio

if you could get things right where you want them to start the season what would that be i got to get things figured out every year with healthy plants kins just slow to a craw or stop between day 30-35 day 28 this year i was doing 29 lb day 33 14 lb from 33 to 38 she quit plant still looks great

8/10/2012 11:09:30 PM

Ohio

Jed join the club, i sent my soil sample to Ron Wallace and Frank Finders for some pointers ever year and Ron told me I had one of the best soil samples he has seen this year, but to try to compare mine with a heavy hitters soil sample doesnt always work, because there are many growers out there that grow 1600 lbers ,that when you look at their soil samples and it just blows your mind on how some of them grow them to that huge size, cause one heavy hitter could be low on alot of nutrients while the other is so high on nutrients that they are off the charts, and it really makes ya think how the two are able to grow 1600 lbers with soil samples that where not even close to each other. Its really a hard thing to try and get your soil perfect in my opinion,cause really,what would you condsider perfect if you have two heavy hitters growing monster 1600 lbers in soil that have the oposite soil sample readings? I sure wish i had the answers because i know myself its very frustrating espically when you know you have good soil but keep losing pumpkins after 35 days old. I lost all of mine after day 35 this year and every pumpkin had the biggest 30 day numbers CC and OTT numbers I have ever had growing pumpkins.

8/11/2012 1:14:46 PM

Ohio

Heres what i had stop growing on me,
1807 Stelts 137- 94 -87 OTT quit growing on day 32.
1789 Wallace 94 CC quit growing at day 28
1421 Stelts 93 CC quit growing on day 30
1520 sperry 87 CC quit growing after day 35

8/11/2012 1:26:11 PM

Central Minnesota

What did you feed them? Don't think soil is your issue.

8/11/2012 1:58:51 PM

Pataskala,OH

The week of a 100F temps this year probably were the problem, the last two years were really hot right around pollination time to 30 days out. I think if heat hits at the wrong time the plant will get stressed and think it is about to die maybe? So it ripens the fruit up quickly.I also think simply shading the pumpkin will not work, I think high soil temps could be a factor also. Maybe we could monitor soil temperature also. Big leaves probably help keep the soil temperatures constant. The places that get the big pumpkins usually do not get the higher temps and wide swings in temperature. Rhode islands weather is modified by the ocean so it is not to hot for long periods. The years Ohio has the WR seem to be cool and rainy with constant weather conditions.

8/11/2012 2:22:20 PM

Ohio

I dont think soil was a issue ether, really at all, i think along the lines like NP does , extreme heat maybe? , I have heard alot going down this year after days 30 to 40 and thats not just in Ohio ether.

What am i feeding them? Nothing, But good soil,always before i know Im going to pollinate and after I didnt add one thing, i was affraid to because how they was growing s fast espically that 1807 .I added a 'little" cal nitrate when my plants was seedling size but thats it.(very very very little cal nitrate)

8/11/2012 3:20:48 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Ouch, sorry to hear that Brooks...brother that hurts especially since they were day 30 and older.

Jed, like Brooks said, there is no magic bullet or set of perfect numbers that you can try and achieve. Soils are so differant, techniques and growing conditions (weather/climate) are so differant.

Like Brooks, I've seen and been shared soil sample results with a few of the heavys from this site, and am amazed at the differances between them. Also been told by these same heavys that they think my soil sample is optimum and as close to perfect as it can be.

That being said, my soil is heavy on organics and sand and little to no clay (silt only) so cant compare with those who have high clay content.

I'd be glad to send you my most recent results but you'd have to factor in that I live on the West Coast, have 30% sand and 20% OM and we receive more than the average area as far as rain fall goes...

8/11/2012 4:51:04 PM

Lexington, Ky

Ironically, I grew two over a thousand pounds two years ago, in an unamended plot....no soil test either. For what it's worth, it was a new patch, plowed and tilled two weeks before the plants went in......

8/13/2012 9:25:23 AM