Pumpkin Problem Resolved

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I had some irrigation problems where it looked like the under the canopy irrigation didn't run or only partially ran for at least four days.  However, since then, I wasn't getting the growth on the pumpkins that I was expecting.  Today I think I figure out what has been going on this season.  The under the canopy watering runs off of well water.  My good neighbor, whose property I grow on, allows me to use his well for watering, which is great.  However, I discovered this morning, is that the pump seems to be having issues and at times the water pressure is very low and as a result the plants may have been getting only 1/2 to 1/3 of the water that they should have been getting.  I'm guessing that when I go out in the mornings there is enough water down that the ground looks wet but not the optima amount of water.  I've been monitoring the soil moisture for the last few weeks and have been adding additional water at times.  But today was the first morning that I went to add additional water and the water pressure was obviously low.  So low that when I went to water the kids plants there wasn't enough pressure to get any spray.  As a result the plants have been partially dehydrated for weeks.  Not enough that there has been obvious flagging, but enough that it has effected growth.  I haven't had this issue with the well in the past.  Kind of discouraging to lose a season because of it, but at least I know what is going on now.

Watching the Details

I'm hating myself right now.  There wasn't any obvious signs, but this entire week I just knew in my gut that some thing was wrong.  In terms of growing weather, the weather has been very good all week, but both of my plants just haven't looked right.  Leaves were flagging more than usual on the 282 plant (this plant wilts much easier than the 1985 plant), my kids plants had some burnt leaves near the vine tips and the 1985 plant's leaves just looked a little off to me and growth seemed to be slowing down.  I was starting to wonder if all of the plants had some kind of disease, but there wasn't any real obvious indications as such.  Today I figured it out, but it had to hit me in the face.

Went out to the patch and plants looked like the picture to the left.  That is the 282 plant.  1985 wasn't quite as bad, but both of the kids plants leaves looked like folded umbrellas.  I immediately I turned the water on.  I knew it was either lack of water or the plants were going down from a disease.   It couldn't be anything else.  Within a few minutes I had the answer.  Lack of water.

I have two different irrigation systems.  The first comes on around 5:30 am and waters the plants under the canopy using a Dan Micro water system.  This gives the plants the majority of their water.  The other is an over the head sprinkler system that doesn't really water the plants much, but it mists the plants every 15 minutes to cool the leaves during the heat of the day and keep the humidity up a little.  I'm not sure what is going on, but the under the canopy watering system hasn't been working.  I'm not sure why, but I think this has been happening all week.  I've manually water under the canopy, off the timer this week when I've seen the plants wilt a little but I've assumed that it was going off each morning.  I don't have to do much vine burying these days so I haven't been in the dirt much.  I'm really upset with myself for not watching the water more closely, but I've never had problems with it in the past.

The damage from this probably won't just be lost pounds, but I would guess that deformaties will have formed in the 1985 plant from the lack of water and there will be some damage to the leaves.  I'm lucky the pollination on the 282 hadn't aborted.

The 1985 pumpkin had a circumference measurement that was four inches behind that of my 1421 pumpkin last week on the same number of days after pollination, but it was staying 4 inches behind.  That meant that although it started out a little slower than the 1985 it was keeping pace with it, which was impressive.  Then this week the growth started falling behind.  I wasn't sure if something like a disease that was causing problems or if the 1421 just really took off at this same point.   The answer was neither.  I was dehydrating the plant.

I'm on day 28 for the 1985 pumpkin.  Usually between days 26-30 a pumpkin really takes off in growth.  35-45 pounds a day is not unheard off.  I'm hoping I can get back to if I haven't screwed things up too much.  I've done a very good job this year with my fertilizer program, but you have to keep your eye on the balls for everything and not just one thing for pumpkin growing.


Gave both plants a foliar application of seaweed, humic acid, B-vitamins and yucca this evening.  B-vitamins and seaweed are good for stressed plants and help build resistance.  Plants are looking back to normal now after a good application of water this afternoon.

How to Blow Up a Giant Pumpkin Part 2

Last year, at the end of the season, I gave my pumpkin an extra dose of potassium and water just before the weigh-off.  That is a risky move because it is a good way to make your pumpkin split, but it was calculated.  Today, after an inch of rain I gave Stanley 3 ounces of fish & seaweed sprayed mostly on the ground.  There is more rain in the forecast for tomorrow.  The pumpkin grew slow during the three previous hot days and and since the pumpkin is split I figured I have little to lose with a number of cool days in the forecast ahead.  I might learn a thing or two from this for future growing seasons of what to do or what not to do.

Figuring Out the Correct Amount of Water for the Pumpkins

Yesterday it got to about 91 degrees in Denver.  I noticed in the late afternoon that the ground was looking a bit dry.  Right now I have the Dan Micros set to run for 11 minutes each morning.  And then I mist the plants from 10:30 to 5:30.   I was a bit surprised to see it lightly dry.  Growth on the 1421 pumpkin (Stanely) was down 2 pounds yesterday which can easily be cause by a mis-measurement but it was against the daily upward trend that I've been seeing for the past week so today I decided to try an experiment.  Today it hit about 84 degrees in Denver.  A fair amount cooler than yesterday but I watered the patch an additional 4 minutes today to see if it made in difference in growth.  I'll check the pumpkin again tomorrow and find the results.  I can't say I've ever felt like I've got the watering thing down perfectly.

This evening I did a foliar application of Multimineral with yucca and a small amount of Big Bloom in it.

Hot One in Denver Today

We are going to be in the 90s today and when you have plants inside of hoop houses it can easily get over 100 degrees really fast.  I've given the plants a lot of water this morning, fully opened the hoop houses and have put an extra piece of plastic on top of each hoop house which will block out some of the sun to help keep the plants cooler.

Giant Pumpkin Irrigation

For the last four seasons I've used over the top irrigation for my pumpkin plants. Different combinations of sprinkler heads would spray over the pumpkin patch from different angles to water the plant. The problem with over the top irrigation is that giant pumpkin leaves act like umbrellas and in the 2nd half of the growing season you start seeing a lot of dry spots under the leaves. Even to the point that the ground would crack from dryness.

This next season my plan is to us an under the canopy irrigation system using Dan Micro sprinkler heads. I'll be using a system very similar to giant pumpkin grower Thad Starr's. I"ve seen his setup while visiting him a couple of years ago in Oregon. It makes the watering nice in even with great coverage.

Gary "The Wiz" Grande also uses a similar watering system and says it is the best he has tried.

Misting the Pumpkin Plants on the Hot Days

Must have reached 100 degrees in the pumpkin patch today. I ran the water like crazy and it seemed to have paid off. The 1204 ("Ricky") put on 6 inches today in circumference growth. Lovein that!

Gave the plants some calcium, fish & seaweed this evening.

Watching the Pumpkins Grow

The next three weeks can be some of the most fun of the entire pumpkin growing season. Competition giant pumpkin growing is all about hope. You hope for a good seed, good weather and good luck. After working with salad for four months now is finally the time of the pumpkins. Vine growth slows down a lot right now (after crazy vine growth for two weeks very little growth on the vines today) as the plant's energy gets focused on the fruit. At about 21 days after pollination the pumpkins typically take off putting on 20 to 40 pounds a day. At about day 30 you find out if your pumpkin has a chance of being a player or not. At about day 60 your hope is gone unless you have a really big one going, but the last 30 days of growth is comparatively small to the previous 45 days.

Both of my plants this year have hope. They are healthy, they've shown the ability to grow vigorously, they have good size, the vines are buried better then I've ever buried the vines before, the soil was prepared relatively well going into the season (I've never seen so many worms in my patch--started out with zero) and the pumpkins have very good genetic backgrounds. Depending on the day I can't decide which pumpkin is going to be bigger.

Initially I would have said the 1204 (aka "Ricky") was going to be king of the patch. Now, at the ripe old age of 12 days, the 868 pumpkin (aka "Jerry") has shown me some interesting stuff. Which one is going to be bigger? Well, the scale won't lie in September and it is a long ways to go between here and there. As the saying goes, "The BS stops when the tail gate drops."

I gave the plants some compost tea this evening along with a side dressing of compost next to some of the newer vines. Also added a new sprinkler so I can do a better job of misting the plants during the heat of the day. It was hot today in Colorado and it is going to be hot for the next 5 days at least. Got some rain again this evening. I think that makes it about 12 straight days that we have had rain.

Some Compost Tea and Fish & Sea for the Plants

Hot one in Denver today. For the first half of the day I was just misting the plant that I pollinated today but I noticed the leaves were drooping a little on the second plant and it hadn't even got real hot yet. So I added a mister to the second plant and both seemed very happy throughout the day.

Gave both plants the rest of the aerated compost tea I had brewed with a touch of fish & seaweed mixed in.

Good Times at RMGVG Patch Tour

Yesterday was the Rocky Mountain Giant Vegetable Growers patch tour. Translation: my opportunity to not only talk about pumpkins without someone rolling their eyes, but it is actually encouraged.

Swen Has got a Big One

Once again Joe has got one of the biggest pumpkins in Colorado. His 1421 is a giant by Colorado standards and looks to go heavy. Joe was quiet on the exact measurements for the most part but it looked to be about 681 pounds. Good going Joe. You deserve it after last season's troubles and the tough start this year.

Johnson Patch Diversion
The RMGVG made an unplanned stop at my patch yesterday. I live just a couple of miles from Joe and it was suggested that the group stop by and it was fun having everyone over. Eyeballing it, it looks like my pumpkin is the 2nd or 3rd largest by size but, as I'll talk about shortly, size isn't everything.

I remember my first patch tour. I think I learned about as much that day as I did most of the rest of the season about what it takes to grow a big pumpkin by seeing other grower's patches. I still have lots to learn but it was nice to have the opportunity to share what I have done with some of the other newer growers.

Biz Part II

The Biz's 1019 is a beast again this year. About the exact same size at this point as the state champ pumpkin from last year but this thing looks even gnarlier. I would be surprised if it didn't beat out his 10% heavy pumpkin from last year on going over the chart. This is a pumpkin to be reckoned with.

The Wiz

The Wiz was down playing his pumpkins but I think he has two pumpkins that could potentially get up into the 3rd place position by the end of the season. He has a beautiful pumpkin growing at his house that is looking to be a Howard Dill Award winner and it is putting on size quickly.

I don't see my pumpkins keeping up with Joe's or Biz's. I'm not seeing the gains that I should be getting right now and unless things change I'll be left behind. Pete's got a pumpkin that is coming on strong too and the MadMan Mark will definitely be bringing a big one to the weigh-off as he does every year.

I got some secret sauce from Pete yesterday that could make a minor difference. I actually got it more for the lawn then for the pumpkins but it won't hurt the pumpkins so it is worth a try.

I also got a recommendation from the Biz and Wiz to water more which I'm going to try this week. I've always felt like my gains should have been a bit more then they were so I'm trying to switch things up a little to see what results I get. I'm now going to water 6 days a week rather than 4 and I'm going to increase my overall watering for the week by 40 minutes and see how the pumpkins react. If things don't improve then I'll switch back.

Pollination, Compost Tea & Sprinkler Heads

This morning I pollinated on the main a pumpkin at about 9 feet (pictured right) on the 1236 Harp. Probably won't be my keeper. I've got a female at 11' coming on the main that will be ready for pollination in the next week. The 1161 has a female at 13' as well so I may have my two possible keepers coming on. Timing is just about right too as I anticipate pollinating them on around the 23rd to 27th which is just about the perfect time.

Last night I did some foliar compost tea with fish, seaweed and a touch of blood meal. Figure I would try to give a little push to the plants before the next pollinations take place to try to get as much vine as possible before pollinations. About 14 days after pollination the vines slow down a lot in growth.

Finally finished the patch setup for this season (the wife is very happy). Put in two additional sprinkler heads today to give better water coverage. I was finding in the past that the leaves were blocking the water so that there were big dry spots under the canopy. Now I'm hitting the leaves from three of more directions. Wish I had a dan micro setup but this will do for now.

Solar Powered Pumpkins

Around weigh-off time last year I thought a lot about how to deal with the cool Colorado nights which seem to slow down our pumpkin growth a lot. The best practical (i.e. not a ton of money) method I came up with was reflective tarps so the plants would warm up faster in the morning. The theory is if the air can be warmed up a little faster in the cool of morning by reflecting the suns rays until 10:00am we might gain 15 minutes more growth each day. That may not seem like much, but over 90 days that can add up to nearly 1 more growing day over the course of a season which should mean more pounds on the scale. It might be crazy but I thought I would give it a try.

I've got the mister sprinklers going these days on the timer. Every hour from 11:00 to 4:00 the sprinklers run for one minute which is just enough to cool the leaves off in the heat of the summer days and keeps leaf burn down a lot.

Insects and Giant Pumpkins

Last year I didn't use any insecticides on my pumpkin plant because I didn't have any issues. This week I found a bunch of eggs on the underside of some of the leaves on the 1566 plant. It appears that they are aphid eggs but I can't be 100% sure. To make sure I don't run into any problems I hit the plant with a broad spectrum insecticide. I'll continue to watch the plants to make sure nothing appears and I'll probably use some soap in a week just to be sure.

Joe Scherber pointed something out to me that I was aware of but didn't fully put together. He suggested that my plant may be stressed and that was the reasons the aphids were appering on the plant. He suggested too little light, cold temperatures or water issues may be the source of the stress. He didn't know it but for the first two items my plant has been ideally taken care of. For the last item however there is an issue. A low spot in the soil near the planting spot has been collecting water during our frequent and heavy rains lately. The soil in that spot hasn't been drying out and this is not good for the roots. Constantly wet soil can cause air to be forced out of the root zone and diseases can then start forming. I haven't given the plant any water for over a week and a half but the spot is still wet. Over the next few days I'm working to dry out the spot (although its tough when the forecast is for 70 degrees and possible rain) and then I will level out the soil to hopefully fix the problem.

Pumpkin Patch Drainage

One thing you think about some but can't really test is the drainage of the pumpkin patch during a big rain storm. The ability of the patch to absorb water is one aspect but the other aspect is the ability of the patch to allow excess water to run off the patch once it can't absorb it. My patch has okay drainage. After 5-6 hours of rain you start to get puddles which can be a potential problem for the plant. We have had about 12 hours of none stop rain and I'm grateful for it. The plant is still relatively small and nice and dry in the hoop house but outside of the hoop house a number of puddles formed that I'm going to need to take care of. If it wasn't for some long and heavy rains I wouldn't have recognized these issues and might have had problems later in the year. The picture is from the back window of my house. If you click the image you will see small channels cut in the soil beyond the fence where the hoop houses are to temporarily help with the drainage.

Irrigation in the Pumpkin Patch

I "completed" (except for one broken connection) my patch irrigation system yesterday. It is pretty simple but it will work. I have two sprayers that pretty well cover the patch on each end of the patch. The sprayer is attached to a hose end battery operated timer that will be set to run Monday, Wednesday, Friday morning for 24 minutes. And then every day at 11:00, 1:00 and 3:00 I'll have the timer set to run for 1 minute to cool down the patch in the hot part of summer.