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Nova Scotia

Great addition and hopefully keep things organized and not wonder where you left this or that at?

11/5/2024 3:24:37 PM

valtierra/spain

Howard,I've been very disorganised for 50 years.. But I have promised Anabel, that in 2025 I will have a greenhouse and a super mega organised warehouse. I hope to get it, make a list of fertilisers, and I will put labels on each shelf, to see what I need and what I should buy. It's a challenge for me. The container and the shelves have cost me $2000, I want to do it well, I think there is a great % of growth if you have everything perfectly organised, with a good work table, with the notes, and the fertilisation plans for each stage of the crop, and the same for the pesticides. I can't fail in that I have several months to leave everything perfect.

11/5/2024 4:17:29 PM

valtierra/spain

Will we meet in GreenBay Howard? would be nice

11/5/2024 4:18:03 PM

Nova Scotia

Great to hear makes a huge difference knowing exactly what you have in inventory or will need because generally when you require something that day/need can not find it or able to get it. Not sure about Green Bay yet it's been a long time since at a growers' convention? It would be awesome to meet so many growers.

11/5/2024 5:11:12 PM

Anchorage Alaska

Very Nice ! , Ruben I have always admired your thought process and passion for pumpkins, your one of the best..

11/6/2024 12:45:08 AM

Syracuse, NY

It was fun to see Anabel do some pumpkin-surfing, I must say, politely. I mean no one else under any other circumstance could do that and I remember that another grower imitated it and it was a 'hoot', lol. Let me be the first to say, Rmen, that you and others should look into the seemingly-expected slowdown of fruit growth that 'plagues' all growers in that I see, many times, that growers say 'It was still gaining 20 pounds a day when picked'...Why a slowdown for most others? What is it that causes this and how can 'we' do something about it? Pumpkin...food...for thought. It is good to mention. 3000.1 Mendi. She go, Girl, lol---eric g

11/6/2024 4:35:55 AM

valtierra/spain

Thank you, Dale!! The winter is very long, today I have put dozens of plugs and lights in the new greenhouse. Yes, Calabazapal2, Pete didn't come out very graceful in the photo surfing lol... I think the slowdown is due to the bad condition of the roots and leaves. But I also firmly believe that it is stress of the plant, it has a lot of guilt too. When a plant gets stressed and the growth goes down, then it does not recover the previous growth, I have not seen this in the watermelons, but in the pumpkins yes, I explain better, a pumpkin that is growing 60 pounds a day, and you have a day with 110F, with a lot of heat, the pumpkin grows less, if it is stress it is very strong it may be possible that it grows only 35 or 40 pounds that day, but the problem is that the growth rate has already slowed down, maybe you get the next day with good temperatures 50 or 55 pounds, but already 60 is Impossible. The same happens with the cold, or with other causes that create stress to the plant. If you manage to have a good rhythm and have a controlled temperature, for example with the Paton Brothers, the sudden decrease in profits may be due to other causes, it can be the ageing of the leaves, or roots, some disease, or maybe little light .. who knows, but I think that if someone manages to keep a pumpkin 110 days, without stress, with perfect roots and leaves, he will get a great pumpkin. When I nebulise at 110F, the plant maintains the temperature better and the pumpkin grows well, the problem is that with that heat, and that humidity, on Day 60 the disgusting plant, the diseases multiply. That's why growers who grow in mild climates find it much easier to get bigger pumpkins.

11/6/2024 3:16:15 PM

Syracuse, NY

Lol at my possible new name, lol.
Appreciating the advice - 'Kinsistency is key!
Thanks! eg

11/6/2024 4:03:55 PM

Indiana

I had a 2365 growing pretty well and ended up having temps at night in the upper 40's and completely shut the pumpkin down at dap 45-50 at 1280's estimated. Nothing you can control if your growing outside. Agree with Ruben on maintaining the temperature etc. just my 2 cents.

11/6/2024 4:12:01 PM

Rmen, I just read aquote from a world record holder of several types and he pretty much agrees with the stress thing so it appears that your thinking is probably on the right track

11/6/2024 8:31:42 PM

valtierra/spain

Spudder, stress is caused in many ways, many, there are many factors.

Even touching the pumpkin when it is very small can cause stress. Walking over the roots, a leaf that the plant does not like, an excess of nutrients, little oxygen in the soil, or high ec in the soil, little light, a lot of light, humidity, temperature, wind, diseases, pesticides, there are many factors. When a grower manages to grow a 100% stress-free pumpkin, until the end of the crop, who knows, maybe we are at 3500 or 4000 pounds. We'll see it in 20 years, I think. But the factors that give stress to plants are many, many.. controlling everything is not easy my friend.

[Last edit: 11/07/24 6:56:25 AM]

11/7/2024 6:50:03 AM

valtierra/spain

And the problem is that only 1 stress factor you have, limits the rest. and for example your soil has excess of Sodium, or some other nutrient, the plant will never work at 100% or 90%.. the plant will be limited to working with that excess of Sodium, and the rest of the conditions even if you have them perfect, if with the excess of sodium the plant works at 30%, you will never get even if the rest is perfect, to improve. I'll give you another example, with a perfect soil, with perfect nutrients, with CO2, with good humidity, without wind, with a perfect seed, a perfect plant... If the days come out very cloudy and rainy, and the plant does not do photosynthesis, only with that factor, the plant will work at 30 or 40%, never at 100%. The same would happen with the rest of the factors, if one fails, you would never reach 100% of a plant's potential. I firmly believe that now we are getting a potential, for example Travis, Paton Brothers of the 50 or 60% of the pumpkin plants, maybe the Paton brothers with the 2907 got a 65-70% potential, but there is still a long way to reach that 100%, which I think is impossible. Sorry, but my head does not stop thinking... lol

11/7/2024 6:55:57 AM

Nova Scotia

Very good points here concerning potential and growth. Way back in the day before there were any 1,000 lb. pumpkins, greenhouse grown, etc. my father had always said he noticed the best results with his giants when they grew in contentment and with the least stress factors, in rhythm with a nice long quiet growing period. Keep the steady momentum going as long as possible. Also he said nothing compared to a nice soft warm rain during the evenings! Todd hit it right on regarding an interruption with a few cold nights, almost a trigger mechanism that the plant senses to slow/shut down.

11/7/2024 9:03:39 AM

Richmond, BC, Canada

I think if you go easy on the "cold drinks" you will be able to concentrate better on the growing conditions....just saying!!!! Lol. Don't get me wrong. Cold drinks are very necessary.

11/7/2024 11:28:49 AM

Thinking is what moves the weights forward.
Cold liquid can cause shrinkage, just saying!

11/7/2024 12:16:53 PM

Grittyville, WA

Oh boy, what to do with this can of worms... it might be a good time to add worms to the garden... if you let them do some of the work... then you get to take a break :) ?

11/7/2024 6:13:30 PM