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Laura, Oh

I'm a first timer. I have my most successful pumpkin to date however, it's laying on the leaf next to it...not good I'm sure.. Should I cut the leaf at the stem? And from what I read I should try to put sand or plywood under it...Help PLEASE Anyone.. The pumpkin is almost the size of a basketball..All the ones before it rotted off at small melon size.. The vine is 25ft & I'm spraying for PM.

8/10/2007 10:38:12 PM

In The Patch (Cambridge, Ohio)

Crazy Grandma, there is nothing wrong with removing leaf stalks that are in your way and should not hurt anything. There are many things that folks put under their pumpkins but the easiest to get ahold that works the best (next to pulp mill fabric) of is probably sand. The sand allows water to drain out from under the pumpkin so that the pumpkin is not sitting in moisture which can cause it to rot. Good luck and grow a big one.

8/11/2007 1:00:23 PM

Laura, Oh

AW, thanks for the info...I will remove it tomorrow...Bought some sand today but was scared to move the pumpkin & put the sand under it...Seems I can't get one to set...Thanks again for the info & good luck to you...If I don't get the big one this year theres always next year.

8/12/2007 12:17:39 AM

western PA

I can relate, crazy grandma, all my pumpkins have been lost, even after getting to basketball size. They should have plenty of nutrients and water, so I am at a loss. I have more setting, but all the new ones are open-pollinated due to lack of time to keep after them now.

Good luck!

8/12/2007 3:08:28 PM

Laura, Oh

Jang, Sorry that you are feeling my pain. My largest so far is soccer ball size. The only other one I have is half that size. All the others I thought may make it rotted off at cantelope size. Now I have a $50,000.00 question, is there ever a point when you know that it is going to mature to first frost? Best of luck to you.

8/13/2007 12:22:07 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Once they make about 40" in circumference you can be pretty confident it won't abort. Of course there are other hideous maladies that can befall us but the simple abort phase passes.

8/13/2007 12:26:58 AM

Laura, Oh

Now I have a specific number to pray for. Tremor, Thanks for the info.

8/13/2007 10:10:18 PM