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Indiana

As we know it’s been hot in Midwest....i have a few plants that are pollinated (we will see if they abort it not), but I have no set pumkin on my biggest plant yet....I have many female blooms on the secondary vines that should bloom in week or so....

I have pics of my big plant up, although i understand it’s hard to tell length (I would have to measure and can later today)....

I guess my question(s) is should I just try to pollinate a few of the secondaries until/if the main vine blooms????

Just to add I have about 4-plants and this is my first year trying for a big pumkin, so I am not trying for record here...I know the first year with a new plant is basically the “learning year”, so just trying to soak this all in and have few hundred pounders for Halloween, lol...

7/14/2020 7:58:55 AM

Syracuse, NY

if there's one thing i've seen this year more than ever, especially on my 2003 Haist, which is gonna be hard to keep up with, believe me, it is that a hard, torrential rain brings with it the most explosive growth rate i've seen yet - last Saturday night we had remnants of some tropical storm and i was out driving in it, and all this week, the plants have been vining, flowering, tendriling and so forth, rampantly; so, if i were you i would look into getting several (# of plants' worth) Whizzer-type sprinklers (yellow with a single, black impeller in the middle) atop each a 4-foot piece of 1/2-inch PVC pipe with a 'spike base' at the bottom for attaching the garden hose to it.
each one will change your life for the better!

use the Search Window and type in whizzer sprinkler and hit 'Go' or enter:

for example:

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=289539

so, alternatively, ANY other means by which to water them alllllll you cannnnnnnn for as long as you can will dramatically boost any and all efforts thus far. if not all the plants, then, just one or two that you have the most faith in, depending on your water supply's capability. you could even just get a couple of 'impact'-type ones like you'd see for a golf course, probably 10 bucks each, couple of adjustable valves for each and go to town! easy for me to say, with all my sprinklers able to be utilized when i want.
PS---i really liked your 'before water' and 'after water' pics, lol ----
i'm jealous - looks like you planted right after a mini nuclear blast, no weeds for hundreds of feet! yeah, more weeds might appear, but that's what Roundup is for.
now, lemme tell you about my backpack sprayer... eg

7/18/2020 10:07:22 PM

Syracuse, NY

in re-reading, yes, i would pollinate one on each farthest corner of each plant as a back up if you are going to have a final one on the main of each plant. if it makes it easier for you, no need to say 'bloom' every time as we only deal with females and males and they are already considered blooms, but, only if it helps you; i prefer to start with three on a plant - one on the main, one on the left and one on the right secondary, so, PERHAPS you might have the ones on the secondaries first and the last on the main. i have read that the side ones MAY grow faster first but the one on the main will surpass the side ones - if anything happens to any, you'll still have two left, lol. feet that is, like me! ahem, the main vine may slow down once the plant realizes its work load with several fruits on it. there'll be others' suggestions about that, but i think about 35-40 feet is plenty long enough and then, it's ended at the last leaf to be forming. eg

7/18/2020 10:17:48 PM

Indiana

Hey thanks for replying....I don’t know why but this site won’t load for me sometimes so I didn’t see your replies...

Anyway, I have pumpkins set now (and damn it’s just awesome watching the growth rate!!!!)

I know this sounds strange, and I haven’t yet figured out why, but the main vine on my huge plant has stopped growing and doesn’t look good, could be 100 things, just don’t know yet....with that said I have 2-pumkins set on secondaries and they are doing just fine, as a matter of fact the whole plant is doing well, just that main vine tip isn’t....

I will post pics (exspecially the main vine tip later today) I know pics help the most....this site is awesome, I just wish people
Could post questions or comments on your dairy....

7/21/2020 9:21:03 AM

Indiana

Speaking of water these plants are pigs, lol....exspecially with fertilizer....most plants I prefer to feed low and slow, it’s incredible how much they eat and drink!!!!

7/21/2020 9:24:44 AM

Syracuse, NY

lol - sounds like ME!

7/27/2020 1:58:18 AM