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Rhode Island

do - err on the side of caution when leaving for work each day.excessive heat can and will kill your plants.
do not - believe the weather reports either.if no one is around to ventilate your plant greenhouses should the temp rises, be sure to open enough to allow air flow and excessive heat build up to escape.

do - keep the young plants as warm as possible at night. expecially the soil and air immediately around the plant.plants grow at night and wont if the soil and air are to cold.
do not - water young plants at night either. wait for warmth of day.

do - help the plants young main vine get to the ground as soon as possible.mounding soil under the main as it starts to drop ( then removing a little each day as it drops ) works well. we also use small stakes to support lowering of the new main . gently forcing the main down while also supporting the sides of the main so that no wind or sudden breeze can snap the stem.
do not - try adjusting the main when the air temp is cold in the a.m. it will snap.if you leave for work early? do it in the afternoon when you get home.

do - cut the first sets of sides off and also the back main if you are planning on growing a traditional tree or box pattern.( although id suggest the new growers leave the back main on the plant until such time as you have successfully got the main on the ground and running)---- a backup main if disaster strikes.
do not - worry about the seed leaves ( that set of rabbit ear looking leaves that were the first to appear when the seed sprouted)if they get in the way while training the main to the ground? cut um off.they are of no use anymore anyway.

do - keep the greenhouses on over the young plants as long as possible (our houses are 5 ft wide x 7ft long)also be sure to always stake and hold.
do not - pull greenhouses on a windy day.be sure wind protection is up first.

3/29/2011 9:20:01 AM

Upa Creek, Mo

I have been meaning to ask, but what is a back main?

3/29/2011 10:33:09 AM

Spanish Ontario

great advice pap your,e the man ken

3/29/2011 5:03:46 PM

New Zealand

the back main comes out of the stump and may appear to be the first secondary vine i trained mine as the first secondary this year and seemed ok but i aint no pap my question is why cut of the first sides?

3/30/2011 6:29:44 AM

Rhode Island

whisky i believe that if the first set of sides are cut off? the main should grow faster and could be trained to the soil that much earlier.just my thoughts.

3/30/2011 7:34:40 AM

Martinsburg, Pa

Pap, I grow in a christmas tree shape, and that was my question to you also, they seem to grow like a main vine, is that another reason to get rid of them, because they will take power away from the main? Also at what time should they be taken off? Thanks Jeremy

3/30/2011 12:07:51 PM

West Chazy,N.Y.

I always trained the first 2 side vines to go around toward the back of the stump. Not sure if it helps or not, I just hait to cut off any vines unless they are damaged or diseased.
Thanks for part II pap.
On to part III.

3/30/2011 1:04:17 PM

Rhode Island

at the end of the day guys it is just a matter of choice as to how you train your plant.
last year i trained the first three sets of sides to loop around toward the back end of the base and had even more problems with foaming stumps. who knows if this hurt.i think it may although keeping the stump area somewhat drier than the rest of the plant during the season is a bigger key to eliminating the foamers i believe.

in reality though? if the soil is right, you picked a good seed, and you keep the plant healthy? you will grow a big pumpkin no matter what the pruning method.

3/31/2011 8:47:19 AM

Rhode Island

mossy
i prune unwanted growth as soon as it is visible. same for unwanted sides, third stage growth,pumpkins in the tip of vines,etc. also prune male flowers once i know they are no longer needed.
why let something take away from the plants progress if you dont intend on keeping it anyway?
for this reason and for the most part we prune away unwanted growth while we are vine burying.
pap

3/31/2011 8:57:32 AM

Madera, CA

Thanks for all the advice pap.

3/31/2011 9:30:03 AM

Nottingham, UK

Thanks for the info Pap. This is my first year and I only have one plant and the main stem is growing vertically. Your comments are most helpful and I will start to mound underneath. I dont want to use sticks as I have some carpet down all around the plant and when I checked underneath it there were tons of pretty white roots and I do not want to damage whatever lies beneath

6/3/2011 5:45:17 AM