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Indiana

I see people talking about still growing some side vines once fruit is set. My plants all seem to be acting the same so I sure the soil is lacking something. My plants won't even produce new male flowers (they start to form and then look yellow) and the ends of secondary's are all balled up like they want to grow but have stalled. The pumpkins on all plants seem to be growing well and the plant overall looks healthy.

Here is what I'm using for ferts. I have a pumpkins at 16', 13.5', and 10' out on 3 different plants on the main. Pumpkins are DAP 15 and other two are DAP 14. The fines are probably 7' long. It Looks green and healthy. I know I need more plant but is this normal for older side vines to slow? Seems the ones closer to pumpkin are growing slowly. The end of the vines don't look burnt and still look healthy and some are a little yellow on the ends.

I'm still using seaweed, soluble Humic Acid, Shultz 10-15-10, Companion Biological, and Cal-Mag Max. Been doing bug and disease control as well. Buried a majority of the leaf nodes with Azos, Mycorrhizal Inoculant and worm castings. Doing these weekly. Maybe my not using a high enough rate.

Thanks for reading and any help is much appreciated!

7/26/2021 7:23:52 PM

Syracuse, NY

I have been lucky to have free running water from a spring 1/2 mile up slightly from me at about 20 psi. Dream come true my whole life, so it's easy for me to say water, water, water; Perhaps, only perhaps and IMHO, if you notice the vines slowing but pumpkins growing, perhaps (whoops) the fruits are sucking it up and the vines, which probably take it in slowly, are the first things to be shorted the H2O whilst the fruits do their thing. Hmmmmmmm....sources and sinks - someone's gotta lose, I guess. Mull it over, maybe water once more per week or something. I have a lack of female flowers at the moment, so, I'll be hitting them bad girls with 10-52-10, pronto. For every action, or in this case, no action...eg

PS---great job on the detailed description above! eg

7/27/2021 1:00:32 AM

Grittyville, WA

What's the quantity of fertilizer going on every week? The soil and/or pumpkins might be eating it all up. I dont know how much u are feeding but I can drop 10 lbs of soluble fertilizer onto a plant over the season. My soil is somewhat infertile... other people may use less. Hopefully some of the more successful growers will chime in.

7/27/2021 2:10:15 AM

Allegany, New York, Cattauargus County

Hi to all, Can anyone tell me if it is possible to have all male flowers? I only have about a dozen plants and the flowers that I do have seem to be all male. What am I missing? I have five foot vines and no pumpkins started.
Is it the fertilizer?
I'm kind of new to this!
Thanks, morganquest, Allegany,NY

8/5/2021 11:34:44 AM

Colorado

Unlikely to just have males.The plant will eventually throw females.Its common for a plant to just throw females early and then with age/maturity/ correct weather females will show up on a lot of vines.

8/5/2021 11:53:12 AM

Grittyville, WA

For me females show up around 8 ft on average. If they are sufficiently watered and fertilized I think odds are good you'll see females soon.

8/5/2021 12:24:27 PM

Upa Creek, Mo

Morgan, I agree with Cojoe, lots of times it is just males early especially with AG's. It can be frustrating, but as long as the plant is healthy\growing, males flowers are blooming, it's a waiting game as 5 foot vines are still very small plants.

8/5/2021 1:01:33 PM

Syracuse, NY

IMHO (worthless, I know) the male flowers appear first almost always to attract bees to the plants early-on so that once the feems DO appear, the process is already in place and is more effective than if it were not this way. It's just like a people party and if there's beer, there'll be guys and if there're guys, there'll be girls, etc... eg

8/6/2021 5:12:03 AM