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Watlington, UK

I think I will give it a go this year. I guess you do it after pollination, not before? If so, how long after?

6/12/2022 5:25:03 PM

Lebanon

Not an expert here, but I wouldn't dead head the main until I had a pollination I was sure had taken, so probably 20 dap is when I'd be comfortable cutting the main.

6/12/2022 10:39:35 PM

Grittyville, WA

Great question. Possibly the auxins in the tip of the main can suppress the lateral growth including the fruit (pumpkin). I dont know the exact answer but have you ever noticed noticed that if you let a vine grow out, say 20 ft, then cut the last ten feet off, the already-developed leaf at ten feet will never grow larger than the others. But if you dead end the vine at eight feet when leaves are still small & developing, the leaves on that vine will get bigger and bigger, especially the very last leaf, will be much larger than average. Once the vine reaches ten feet and the leaves at the point of vine termination develop, these will be oversized leaves. I would think what creates oversized leaves would also create oversized pumpkins. In other words, the auxins or conflicting sink need to be removed. How soon exactly I dont know. Ive tipped the vine well before pollination, and at pollination. I think just after pollination is really good. Its a risk, but I think it might be slightly better than waiting until 10 DAP. To a small extent its a case of "no pain, no gain." And it might be nearly as good to cut it at 10 DAP. I know the anectdote about the leaves is as clear as mud. Maybe someone will understand.

6/13/2022 12:00:31 AM

British Columbia, Canada

Definitely do it after you've pollinated and you feel comfortable that the pollination has took. Personally I'd wait until at least dap 15 but it's really up to you.

If you want you can trim secondaries off the main after the fruit while you wait to see if the pollination took. That way you won't have to remove as much plant later on.

6/13/2022 12:41:31 AM

Watlington, UK

Thanks the plan seems to be coming together. Hopefully @MobyMike can chime in, his videos last year were full of amazing detail but I'm pretty sure he left this bit out.

6/13/2022 5:36:59 AM

Grittyville, WA

I could be wrong but I think he was in the DAP 10-15 range. Not sure he left it out, but hopefully he can confirm. It was in one of his videos where he was positioning his pumpkin on the scale.

6/13/2022 10:35:19 AM

Colorado

If you measure the circumference of the pumpkin starting around day seven you can get a dependable read on whether its set.If your getting three or more inches daily gain and the gains arent dropping off as the pumpkin gets 10,11,12 days old its set.

6/13/2022 11:29:58 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Gerald, when I terminate at the main I’ll do it past day 15 to 20 (or earlier like cohoe said) and have sometimes done it earlier. I’ll always pollinate an extra on a secondary as insurance to get the main one past the pretty safe 30 day range.

As long as we have 8 or more secondaries on each side!!

6/13/2022 3:24:23 PM

When you deadhead the main, do you pack the wound with anything?

6/13/2022 4:53:33 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Sulphur powder or powdered captan.

6/13/2022 5:06:06 PM

Kutztown, PA

Do secondary vines grown off the main after the pumpkin add or subtract from the pumpkins growth. In other words is it better to have the entire plant behind the pumpkin?

6/15/2022 2:56:37 PM

Watlington, UK

@Garwolf sugars go back and forth through the phloem so it makes no difference if the leaves or vines are in front or behind the fruit.

What does make a difference is their age, condition and proximity.

For example, an old leaf that's been battered about by wind, has been battling disease and is 30ft away from the fruit, will be less helpful to pumpkin gains than a healthy young leaf perched on the vine right next to it.

Some extra reading for ya

https://organismalbio.biosci.gatech.edu/nutrition-transport-and-homeostasis/plant-transport-processes-ii/

6/15/2022 6:17:52 PM

Kutztown, PA

Thanks Gerald - I'll give it a read.

6/16/2022 8:22:09 AM

Kutztown, PA

Gerald - read it/watched it. Very well explained.

6/16/2022 8:39:29 AM

Grittyville, WA

I think Gerald is pribably correct. And since under good conditions a young plant will have plenty of phloem, so the the point of deadheading probably has to do with removing Auxins more than removing an alternate sink.

6/16/2022 10:04:18 AM

Watlington, UK

@Gridiot yes I'm with you on the removal of auxin by deadheading.

The process simply kicks the rest of the plant into gear. It's a message that says 'Hey plant, your main vine has gone, you're gonna have to put your efforts somewhere else instead'. The only place all the energy can go is the side vines, the roots and the sink.

6/16/2022 10:30:53 AM

Wisconsin

I deadheaded the 2261 at dap 9, 2520 was around that as well, part of this was for the pumpkin to be small enough to get on the scale. The pumpkin im growing this year for my yard I cut the day after pollination, I'm lucky I've never really had pumpkins not take that have been hand pollinated, but I know it happens.

6/24/2022 2:11:43 PM