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Chicago Burbs, IL

I'm a first-time giant pumpkin grower. I have a Wallace 1232 plant with a main vine that's about 14 feet but has gaps on both sides with secondaries not growing. Two secondaries on the left, and one on the right are short. They're there, but not keeping up. I feed and fertilize generously.

Here's the pic: http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=317213

Is this normal? Anything I should be doing?

Thanks in advance!

7/14/2020 9:47:26 AM

Central NY

What a great garden!!!....what has been your feeding program these last few weeks including spring amendments?

7/14/2020 11:07:52 AM

Chicago Burbs, IL

Thanks Porkchop. I am using pretty much all the stuff detailed on Holland's fertilizer program AND most of what's written on Wallace, and some more!

Spring amendment was kelp meal in that 1,000 foot patch.

About 3x per week, I rotate the following -- not all every time, but each product gets used a minimum of every 10 days to 2 weeks:

Pumpkin Pro fertilizer (Holland), flower booster and finisher (Holland) - -this one I started doing about two weeks ago, Wallace Wonder Brew, seaweed (Wallace), fish fertilizer, Biomin Calcium, Essential, Companion. On vine burying I add Axios, Mykos, and blood meal for the rooting. I do a foliar feeding every 10 days or so as well, usually with seaweed and fish fertilizer.

I have three other plants growing in the same 1,000 ft patch, and this is the only one growing this way. Wonder if it's just something in the seed / plant / genetics? It's also the biggest plant...

7/14/2020 11:44:51 AM

Westmoreland, KS

Few things from your picture. Your garden looks real nice! Real clean maybe a little too clean. Have you been tilling if so did you till close to your plant? The roots on these things grow big time. When you till it will chop up the roots which will then cause the plants secondary vines to not grow as well.

7/14/2020 12:52:52 PM

Chicago Burbs, IL

Interesting, I DID till, but only a week or two after the pumpkins went in the ground and didn't come close to the plant. In fact, I left a solid three foot radius around the plant. Also, the other secondaries are all growing, on this plant and the others. Just the three near the base that are not. Would be fascinating if the tilling did it!

7/14/2020 2:03:12 PM

Bethlehem CT

Alex it looks like you have a lot of bark or undecomposed wood chips in your soil? Is that right? If it is, that stuff will eat up your nitrogen and leave very little for your plant. It could need some more Nitrogen. AND something stronger than just organic.

7/14/2020 7:26:45 PM

Chicago Burbs, IL

That’s very interesting big moon, thank you. It’s mushroom compost with some wood in it, but I wouldn’t say it’s a particularly large amount. Interesting and insightful observation. I’ve never done a soil test, but perhaps I ought to.

7/14/2020 9:05:06 PM

Central Illinois

Sometimes they just won't grow for whatever reason, I would save them they may start growing at a later time

7/15/2020 6:18:43 AM

Westmoreland, KS

I’ve had some of that same issue this year with the back secondaries not growing in the beginning I left them and eventually they took off you can see my progress here https://youtu.be/S6x7iHRlKXo

7/15/2020 8:36:30 AM

Chicago Burbs, IL

Thanks, Jake, that's exactly what mine looks like...

7/15/2020 1:50:52 PM

South Dakota

I just got done pruning out two secondary vines that self terminated at about a foot long. I never cut them out and just trained the next closest secondaries to fill in the space. After fruit set and main vine termination, they all of a sudden come to life as suckers. Of course they are way into the middle of the plant and hard as hell to get to without causing damage. Just cut out the stunted secondaries and fill in the space with the closest good secondaries.

7/16/2020 3:04:22 PM

Whidbey Island

I have found that if you are burying vines and the tip ends up bumping into the end of the trench that it seems to stunt the growth. Make sure the tip has plenty of room to grow. Cold weather will also stunt secondary growth. But sometimes it just happens and there doesn't seem to be a reason.

7/17/2020 9:35:40 PM

Syracuse, NY

my nickel's worth is that for me, it'd be a good spot to put a walking board in as a point from which to gather males and to do any pruning from, lol---lot of other answers, though, that i'd never have had any idea about.
yeah, nice patchwork, lol---eg

7/18/2020 10:25:27 PM