Pumpkin question
 

Hi,

I have a pumpkin plant that is pretty big that has been through a lot.
First it started growing near our front door and I had to transplant
it when it was already pretty big. We didn't even plant the seeds.
They came from our Haloween pumpkin I'm sure. That and the help of
some squirels. Suprisingly it survived the transplant after all the
original leaves wilted off and is now doing quite well. We had
several female flowers that didn't fertilize but finally we got one
that flowered and is growing a small pumpkin now.

I know its very late in the season, but we have a little pumpkin
growing now on a vine that is growing up around a weeping pine tree.
I'm worried that when the pumpkin gets a little bigger the stress will
make it fall off or hurt it so it can't grow. Do you think it would
shock the plant if I cut some of the tentacles that are holding it to
the pine tree or should I just leave it alone?

Thanks for any feedback. Next year I'm starting our pumpkins in
April!

Steve

njsteve wrote:
...we have a little pumpkin
growing now on a vine that is growing up around a weeping pine tree.
I'm worried that when the pumpkin gets a little bigger the stress will
make it fall off or hurt it so it can't grow. Do you think it would
shock the plant if I cut some of the tentacles that are holding it to
the pine tree or should I just leave it alone?



Leave the plant alone. It sounds like the pumpkin is hanging from the
tree. If it gets too large, it could indeed break off. You can try to
support it to avoid that. Put something under the pumpkin to hold it up.

I wouldn't count on having a halloween pumpkin, however. A late start
means that the pumpkin might not ripen in time. Also, growing on a tree
is not the best place for the pumpkin, since it won't get full sun.

A couple of weeks before halloween, cut off the pumpkin and put it in
the sun, but protected from really cold weather. If it's far enough
along in its development, it could turn orange. If the vines die, cut
the pumpkin off immediately, since any problem in the vine can be
transmitted to the pumpkin stem. Most pumpkins have been cut by now to
allow the stems time to harden.

njsteve said:

Hi,

I know its very late in the season, but we have a little pumpkin
growing now on a vine that is growing up around a weeping pine tree.
I'm worried that when the pumpkin gets a little bigger the stress will
make it fall off or hurt it so it can't grow. Do you think it would
shock the plant if I cut some of the tentacles that are holding it to
the pine tree or should I just leave it alone?

If you can't figure some way to support the pumpkin while it's in the tree,
go ahead and cut the tendrils. Have an assistant hold the pumpkin while
you cut the vine free. Untangle the vine (if neccessary) and lay it out on
the ground. The tendrils aren't vital equipment. I've pulled vines down
off fences and such when needed. Does no harm.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)