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Date Posted

Reed Point Montana

I was wondering if burieds tap roots on secondary vines or the main vine past the pumpkin would benefit the pumpkins growth at all?

4/1/2008 6:38:17 PM

Kevinstinindians@yahoo.com

The roots will grow either burried or unburried.

4/1/2008 6:46:18 PM

Reed Point Montana

not what i asked

4/1/2008 6:49:17 PM

Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia

Mid, on the GVGO site ( www.gvgo.ca ) there is a good thread on just what you asked. The thread is titled " new pruning method". Good luck.

4/1/2008 6:52:06 PM

Kevinstinindians@yahoo.com

Then what are you asking? I don't understand the question.

4/1/2008 7:58:41 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Mid, the short answer is yes it will help. IMHO when you bury or top dress your vines, it encourages the tap roots to take hold, expand, and increase the root mass in your patch. More root must be better than less.

4/1/2008 9:41:24 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Yes they help. Adventitious roots are encouraged by all the heavy hitters. It's a lot of work but many add a mycorrhizal inoculant to either the regular patch soil or a compost based soil then use it to bury all of the secondary vines. Each one of those nodes will help pump the pumper along.

4/1/2008 11:30:04 PM

Reed Point Montana

thanks

4/2/2008 1:57:28 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Burying the vines also hides them from squash vine borers and helps hold them down to prevent wind damage.

4/2/2008 9:21:24 AM

Farmville, Virginia (mfowler@hsc.edu)

Do the roots that appear under the leaf nodes expand out very far or are they mainly single roots that go straight down?

4/2/2008 10:35:03 AM

southwest MO

Depending on how old they are and how healthy they are they can grow many feet outwards.

4/2/2008 11:59:38 AM

President - GPC

I have had a couple that look like carrots with lots of side roots too, then some with nothing.....or smaller....I bet the key to the big ones is having lots of these roots.....I also noticed the better tilth in the soil, better roots....we grow in clay here....

4/3/2008 9:33:11 AM