Gunner wrote:
On Feb 17, 9:48 pm, "David Hare-Scott" wrote:
FarmI wrote:
"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...
DavidofWales wrote:
I have Hundred Weight pumpkin seeds and intend to try and grow
some whoppers with the kids this year. Does anyone have any tips
on growing giant pumpkins they'd like to share?

Good deep soil with lots of manure, full sun, plenty of water
especially when it is hot, mulch well, long hot growing season and
keep the fungi at bay. Thin out the set fruit to only a small
number.

And take off the last foot of the vine when it reached 5 ft long as
that encourages the vine to set fruit.

Don't we want a big vine feeding only a few fruit? I would let the
vine run and keep thinning as they set.

D

It is not the vine that feeds the plant, its the roots and manure is
not going to supply the needed N for this growth.

Both of these statements are rather misleading.

The roots absorb water and minerals which is necessary but not sufficient
for strong growth. The vine (stems, leaves) feed the fruit in the sense
that for growth the leaves are required to do photosynthesis and the stems
are required to carry the carbohydrates produced by the leaves to the fruit
for them to grow. It actually makes more sense to speak of the
manufactured carbohydates as food rather than fertiliser as food but both
are common usage. With cucurbits you can also get nodal roots which are an
asset as they supply water to a big vine along its length which helps to
reduce wilting in full sun, thus allowing photosynthesis to continue longer
on hot days before the stomata start to shut down.

Manure will supply sufficient nitrogen if you use the right sort. Bird
manure and rabbit manure are high in N. I would use an appropriate mixture.

One could also use foliar sprays of chemferts if you wanted to go all out.
I didn't mention this before as it is not my usual practice when growing
pumpkins and it may be a little trickier to do for the novice. It's up to
the OP.

David