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Rhode Island

a lot of us around the world are experiencing a mini heat wave these past couple days (90-100 degrees)
likewise many of us have a misting system that delivers as needed to keep the plants somewhat cooler on these type days.

there is a flip side to this misting however.the more you mist (or water overhead)the greater chance those vine tips will look like johnny holmes in a porn video.
best advise? handle those vines with care (no pun intended)

when the tips are this bonered they are very-very brittle and will snap at the slighest downward pressure.

id advise gentle handeling,burying only a small amount of vine at a time each day.keep the tips staked,even use a couple extra stakes until the weather and need for so much water changes, they will lay back down again.

needless to say lay off any nitrogen rich sprays during this period as well.

pap

6/22/2012 9:56:31 AM

President - GPC

Great adviZe PapZ... I saw this AM in the WiZanator patch....tipZ on the sideZ closest to the house (WARMER), just like you say....BIG TIME almost 18 inchers...off the ground, while all the tipZ on the opposite side...only 6 " off the ground... I found that interesting.... I waZ wanting to hit them with F & SW... but now will wait.

Thanks PapZster!

6/22/2012 10:04:11 AM

Rhode Island

LUKE "I AM YOUR FATHER" OR AS AUSTIN POWERS WOULD SAY "FACHA"
GLAD I COULD HELP AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK PROMOTING THE HOBBY IN THE WEST AS WELL AS A EXECUTIVE ON THE GPC COMMITTEE.
PAP

6/22/2012 10:21:20 AM

President - GPC

Darth PapZster... Your the best.... Hey I heard you can spray MILK on your bonerZ to give them flexibility.....

6/22/2012 1:05:09 PM

President - GPC

and your welcome PapZ...ItZ my pleasure to help promote this sport and growerZ as best I can.... and every now and then....put a smile on a face thru me diary...and a laugh in your heart.....

6/22/2012 1:19:03 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

The heat has been a real killer here, as I've all but lost two plants to frying of all secondary vine growth tips. The 1554 Rose, while very puny but healthy, as well as the 1167.5 Gerchy, have shown little serious effects. Something to consider when considering future plants to grow.

The 1167.5 has that magical 1258 Wallace in it, so really high hopes for it here, as the cross went 20% heavy last year with the 1258 as a pollinator. The cross was pollinated with the 1495 Stelts, so should be interesting if the fruit survives. Today is pollination day.

Growing here in "the wild" in full sunshine and full exposure to whatever Mother Nature throws at us is a challenge to say the least and I count on losing half my plants as a result. If you can't handle disappointment on a year-to-year basis, don't even bother.

6/23/2012 6:39:57 AM

Mission Viejo, CA

I'm struggling with how much to run the misting system in this heat. Started with a couple hours a day during the heat of the day and then cranked it up this week when it got even hotter (4 hours).
When I went out to the patch this morning, I found a small amount of mold starting on a few leaves and some burn damage. Seems like water + heat is a recipe for steamed pumpkin leaves. I gave it a heavy drench watering and turned off the misters for the day and sprayed the leaves with Draconil. We will see how it fares.

Rookie grower and advice is welcome!

7/11/2012 4:10:05 PM

Winston Salem, NC

Kevin, I've also been struggling with this as it was over 100 for a week and a half here so I was misting pretty hard during that time. However, I think I overdid it a bit as I noticed a several days ago that the patch moisture was too high and a few days after a little bit of green mold on the soil in spots. This is bad right? Is there anything I can spray directly on the green mold to get rid of it or just let it dry out? Oh yeah, and we've had three straight days of rain now. Anybody have any thoughts? Just keep up with the fungicides?

7/11/2012 10:42:49 PM

Rhode Island

i dont use constant watering on those very hot days. what you dont want is to drench the plant in constant water.
as i mentioned before what i do is run the overhead sprinklers for approximately 10 minutes every hour to hour and a half from around 10 am up to 4-530 pm.
when it rains it spores so dont be afraid to up the fungicide and disease program a bit if your doing a lot of watering.

7/12/2012 8:00:53 AM

East Jordan, MI

sparcmat

peroxide might kill the green mold and it wont hurt the soil. I have never sprayed stronger thatn 6% on the leaves, so I don't know what the effect is. 6% has always been strong enough to kill whatever I need to on the actual plant, but I have used 10% in the dirt. 10% peroxide will burn your skin a little so use caution and wear gloves.

It might even be moss or algae. If you reduce the water and get things to a more normal moisture level, you might find that it will die offon its own -- depending on what it is.

7/12/2012 10:06:14 AM