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Location

Message

Date Posted

Michigan

So... This year all my pumpkins succumbed to mold. About a month ago. So, how do I keep this from happening next year? I had towels over my pumpkins, and I think they got wet and I didn't notice. So on the others I made elaborate little awnings and they still ended up molding. What do you guys do?

Also side question... when to start burying vines? As soon as plant is established?

10/3/2010 3:14:10 PM

Upa Creek, Mo

Are they down in a low area with poor drainage? Also after a rain, the pumpkins need to dry off as do the sheets or towells that you use. What did you have your pumpkins on? They have a higher prob of getting mold if you don't have them up on something that drains well like sand.

10/3/2010 3:51:31 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Without knowing anything about your patch or techniques my reaction is that the pumpkins probably didn't die from mold; rather they died and then got moldy. Get yourself a good systemic fungicide for next year. My preference is Eagle and Alliette. Protect from bugs and bacterial wilt- I use Bifen and Merit. If you think the towels really were the problem, go the estra distance and build raised tarp sunblocks like I have in my diary. I used tarps this year but didn't protect from sun at all last year, and I still got a 1200 est in addition to a 923 official last year. Good luck!

10/3/2010 10:30:35 PM

Minnesota

Join a michigan giant growing club, find a mentor, visit the mentors patch and see how its done.

10/3/2010 11:26:57 PM

Murphys, CA

Question for Orangeneck, I had trouble with mold as well this year being my first and naively trying to go organic. My question, how does the systemic fungicide work with the mycorrhizae we are supposed to use at the nodes as the plant grows.

10/5/2010 9:55:10 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

cld92000 sorry I didn't return to see your question. In the words of Tremor (whom we all pretty much agree is the authority on applications for this site):

All systemics are toxic to mycorrhizae to various degrees but not as bad as most people think.

"If you need to make a soil drench for fusarium, the damage to mycorrhizae will be significant. If all you're targeting is powdery mildew with Eagle, the damage is fairly insignificant."

Or from my point of view, what is the purpose of innoculating the root system of an already or soon to be doomed plant with Myco? Better to damage the colony of fungi than lose the pumpkin, in my opinion.

10/12/2010 1:22:31 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

I only bracketed the second sentence by accident, but both middle statements were from Tremor (Steve Jepson). Good luck -Jim

10/12/2010 1:24:03 PM