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San Luis Obispo, CA, USA

I have two pumpkin plants with lots of vigor, color, and good sized leaves... however, the primary vine is super thick, flat and ribbon-like. I was told this is called "fasciation" and that the plants will never give me a giant pumpkin. Shall I pull these two plants tomorrow? I have replacements in pots but...not the same genetics.

7/4/2008 1:51:03 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

look through the posts here..pretty sure someone just overwatered for three days and the vine started to straighten out...I'd try that first...if you can get it to just a double and go from there.

7/4/2008 12:33:02 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

The deep watering tricked may have worked for us last year. The flat vine ran for two nodes than split on it's own. We chose the one that was best positioned & never looked back.

7/4/2008 1:21:25 PM

Rhode Island

if all else fails you would save a lot of time if you just terminated the main and take a good looking side (off that main )and turn that into your main
much faster than putting in another plant

7/4/2008 4:49:06 PM

San Luis Obispo, CA, USA

Thank you! All tree suggestions are good. I have several "good looking" secondaries that will probably work if I try Pap's great idea!!

7/4/2008 6:16:43 PM

Cduross1@rochester.rr.com

If it's a massive fascination vine that splits as it grows and stays huge, and the new main that is growing is still fascination vine, should you keep it, pull the plant, or trim the two vines and go for another main, and if so where?

7/7/2008 8:35:12 PM

San Luis Obispo, CA, USA

Thanks for the note Diamondlady. The fasciation is not that bad. Not massive... but the vine is growing fast and strong. I will follow the advice of Pap above, selecting a nice secondary that does not have the thick fasciation, prune the primary and make the selected secondary into my new "primary" vine, and hope for a nice female flower on this line.

7/8/2008 12:41:08 AM