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Minnesota

spring plants require phosphorus for root growth, 3-6 weeks more nitrogen to encourage vine & leaf growth,,from 6 week to pollinate your first fruit phosphorus is required again to encourage flowering,,July 1-20 no additional fertilizers needed to avoild fruit aborting,,july 20-oct. potassium becomes main nutrient to encourage fruit growth,,pumpkins require 623 gallons of water a week or more,, I also heard a hour of watering twice a day,,
Questions: water, you obviously would'nt give a seedling 623 gallons of water a day,,when does the watering start? once fruit is how big? 200pds?
Whats a good fertilizer with phosphorus? Blood Meal
" " " " " nitrogen?
" " " " " Potassium?

10/4/2007 7:37:42 PM

Farmville, Virginia (mfowler@hsc.edu)

Wow! 623 gallons of water a week??? I'd be taking a bath in the creek!

10/4/2007 9:25:23 PM

Minnesota

I read it at one of the sites for pumpkins, I don't.

10/4/2007 11:35:57 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

On the lord of the gourd show, Joe P said he watered 1 hour per day during the heat of summer.

From my hose that is 240 gallons per day or 1680 gallons per week....I've never watered that much but heck, I have not grown anything over 600 lbs yet.

All depends on your soil, what is in it (always get a soil test) and weather conditions.

10/5/2007 10:38:31 AM

Wi

623 gals is a HAIR over 1.25" of water a week for a 750 sqft plant. That's about right. Not enough in Burnsville if it's real hot probably and too much if it's too cool.

I found out the hard way this year that you need to monitor soil moisture, not just water an inch a week because that's what everyone else does. If your soil is too wet you are begging for disease that will wipe out your patch.

If your soil is dialed in before the season none of those fertilizers should be required.

Have you done a soil test yet?

10/5/2007 11:08:48 AM

Wi

On a side note soils around here are generally very very high in Phos.

10/5/2007 11:09:21 AM

Minnesota

There is a guy 1 mile from me, his name is wade, he has a 793 pound pumpkin in his front yard. I stopped and talked to him and he said he would help me with a few pointers.

10/5/2007 7:49:39 PM