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Grittyville, WA

We've seen in tomatoes that the runts can sometimes be the best plants, and those with large & aggressive top growth dont always know how to make a big fruit.

I've noticed squash plants will grow a large aggressive looking plant but if its next to a demure looking pumpkin plant my money is on the pumpkin.

Previously I believed the fast growing vine was the best bet, regardless of size. Now, I wonder if the slower plants are 1) investing more in roots and 2) have naturally slower growth and development that is in fact desirable because it is the result of an extended cell division period and overall cellular longevity (a slower growth process leads to a slower aging process). We see this in mice vs elephants, for example. In animals, the faster your cells mature, the smaller your final size.

I dont want to say I have an opinion. But I will say those are my unorthodox observations.

4/28/2026 3:02:26 PM

Grittyville, WA

Has anyone ever made their planting decision solely based on the roots? How did that turn out?

Is there some other observable x- factor besides plant size?

Some people might not appreciate these observations. I really mean no offence to anyone.

[Last edit: 04/28/26 3:14:46 PM]

4/28/2026 3:14:19 PM

C N Y

I've never sworn so loudly nor said such nasty...err, wait, that was at the Dentist'st'st's, lol.
Actually had some fun there. Ummm, not any opinion other than yeah, the track record is the ultimate
end-all concerning IF I had to choose, butt with 24+ plants including from my own seeds, no problem-o.
We've heard many times of 'It was just a backup' and 2000+ ensued. Nerdy boy in high school,
millionaire by 40; Jock in high school, 'Will work for pumpkins'. I don't have either of those, either, lol.
Good points in yer post---eric g

[Last edit: 04/28/26 5:12:15 PM]

4/28/2026 5:11:32 PM

Grittyville, WA

Ok so I sort of regret posting this because it's not helpful to anyone to just ask questions. But I had an idea that might have practical merit. What if, prior to culling, a stress test was done on the plants. Let them get a little too hot (briefly). See which one wilts first. Once they are in the ground it's impossible to see which plant has better roots, but it is possible to see which plant wilts first.

Ok, ok. Maybe it's a terrible idea.

[Last edit: 04/28/26 6:07:44 PM]

4/28/2026 6:04:52 PM

Grittyville, WA

...Not sure if wilting resistance would correlate to pumpkin size.

4/28/2026 6:06:52 PM

Germany

@Little Ketchup, please be patient (rather than writing 'Ok so I sort of regret posting this because it's not helpful to anyone to just ask questions.'), sometimes it takes a couple of days for the right people to visit your post. Anyway, the additional thoughts are definitely helpful for starting discussions or for motivating others to add their five cents. As to backups and culling decisions, I must admit that I never dug into the root zone at culling time, because I prefer to let the two plants grow side by side for many weeks, and a culling decision will be made as soon as I see that one of the plants has a serious problem (horrible side vines, ribbon vine etc.) or I will be patient until the two plants have their first males open (so that I can see if there is any pollen or if any of the plants might be sterile). So, I usually make a culling decision when the main vines are 5 - 6 ft, somewhen in early June. This gives the opportunity to automatically take other factors into consideration...like stress response. By that time, the plants have already been through some hot days, and indeed there might be differences in their response to heat stress. Even though I won´t heat them with a hairdryer, the heat stress response and their sensitivity toward sunscald is one of the things that influences my decision.

4/29/2026 5:41:55 AM

C N Y

So far, the consensus is 'No', lol, butt I do like the prospect of any testing, pre-patch and also your idea about soil zonal fertility, even though that's in your Diary, elsewhere. Probably more than a few have culled or not due to the cost of the seeds, lol. eg

[Last edit: 04/29/26 8:06:59 AM]

4/29/2026 8:02:20 AM