pumkin problems

[toby1a]

i need some help from people who know what there on about its my first year of growing veg and everything is going great but my pumkin plants are worrying me im scared that there a bit behind. what should my plant look like around now?

[chris]

Hello, welcome to the forum!

Ones I started on the 17th of April aren't looking too good (got leggy/long and drawn due to lack of light whilst I was away), they're probably on their 4th set of true leaves now, but are yellowing due to being potbound, and hardening them off has been a bit of an issue due to the hard rain, sun and wind.

Ones I started after that.. I think the 29th of April are now just showing their first set of true leaves, still in 3" pots.

I'll take a photo when I get home to show you.

It depends where abouts you are, if you're right up north you're growing season will be a few weeks behind those down south.

How big are they now? Are they in pots or outdoors? They're tender plants, so the cool weather may have set them back if they're outside.

I found come June time last year, mine TOOK OVER the garden - I had two Crown Prince pumpkins, that both ended up as 18m length vines, before I stopped them growing. As soon as the weather warms up you'll find they really do take off.

They are very hungry/thirsty plants mind.

[toby1a]

im on the isle of lewis so very very very north
im worrying because im only just staring to get the first set of true leaves
i sowed them on the 15th april and ive been watering them every day
will post a pic in a bit
cheers

[Florence Fennel]

I'm sure they'll be fine when it warms up a bit Toby. You don't say where they are growing, inside/outside/under glass? It will also help if you pop your location into your profile so we don't forget where you are.

[chris]

You don't want the compost too wet, if they're in pots. If they are, do they need potting on yet? The roots do establish quite quickly once they've got their seedleaves out generating more energy!

[rustylady]

What size pots are they in? As Chris says, don't overwater them.

[toby1a]

here are some pictures of where i am so far with them they are in peat and are in a 2 litre pot they are in a greenhouse and have been watered with the occasional bit of phostrogene thanks to you all for being so willing to help toby

[LittleShamrock]

My squash seeds only just germinated, so your little pumpkin plants should be fine, they'll speed up soon!

[chris]

The ones I sowed at the end of April are at the same stage as yours..

Are there drainage holes in the bottom of those buckets/pots?

In all honesty, the compost does look a bit wet.. I'd leave them a few days, before watering again (pickup the pots to see if they're heavy, if they're extremely light then the compost is dry and you need to water again).

Check the video, in this thread for info on how to water your plants - it's invaluable: http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...deo_57098.html

The issue with having no drainage holes at the bottom, is water will sit there, and the roots will eventually drown/rot - which will kill the plants.

I'd check your last frost dates ([url="http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/main/weather1.asp"]here[/url) - not sure what city is nearest to you).. then set them outside.

You may need to protect them if the night gets cold mind, with either some fleece, or cover with newspaper (some scrunched up underneath, and around the plant, then a few layers on top will help insulate it.

You'll soon find though, once planted out and they can gain access to more compost/soil they'll romp away and will become large vines.

Do you know the variety?

But to re-cap, they're the same as my later sown ones, which are looking healthy (as are yours). Watch the watering, on sunny days you may need to water twice (assuming the water can drain away) if they're in the greenhouse, butI 'd probably start hardening them off for a week or two then plant out.

[toby1a]

there are drainage holes in the bottom i attacked it with a drill before i started ill take your advice and not water them for a few days i was under the impression there was no such thing as too much water with a pumpkin, oops!

as for the variety the packet said they were 100 weight

im planning on just keeping them in the greenhouse moving them onto a growbag and fertilising them with a paintbrush because lewis is anything but plant friendly outside the greenhouse

i dont know how you harden them off if you could explain that would be a huge help

thank you for taking the time to talk to a noob as big as me

Toby

[jacob]

They all look fine at the mo, but (from experience and some questioning on here) pumpkins aren't the easiest things to grow in Scotland...

[chris]

There's bags of guides on hardening plants off in google, but what I'm doing is this:

Each morning I take them out of the greenhouse, and put them in a sunny, but sheltered spot (though a lot of them got battered as above). It shouldn't be too windy, etc - but as yours are still quite small they'll be more sturdy. My lot the same as yours are coping fine with the wind, the long leggy ones aren't.

When I got home from work on day 1, I put them back in the g/h with doors/vents open. I close them around 9pm when I make sure the chickens are shut away safely.

Day 2, I left them out an hour longer, Day 3, more - now I put them away at around 9pm when I shut the greenhouse + chickens up. By the time this weekend comes, if the weather isn't going to be too cold, I'll leave them out overnight, perhaps with a single layer of fleece draped over them (against a south facing wall too). Day after, if they've been on, I may remove the fleece, once they've stood a couple of days out at night, I'm going to plant them out on the plot.

The idea is you gradually get them used to being outdoors, and the difference in temperatures, etc.. basically so they can toughen up, produce more waxy leaves if needed to deal with the added transpiration that happens (water loss/absorbtion due to wind, etc). the more gradual that you do it, the better change they'll have.. I'm trying to get mine done in just over a week as I'm going away for a weekend, and don't want to leave them.

Hundredweight are gonna be big beasties (hopefully! ). I'd be useful if when you plant them out, either to stick a cane in the ground where you have planted them (with a ball, or cane topper one so you don't poke your eye out when watering!), or an upturned squash/2l pop bottle next to them. This is so that you can water straight into the bottle, with the funnel end being buried next to the plant all the water goes straight to where the roots are, and isn't wasted on ground that's just covered by the vines (they'll sprawl all over the place unless you train them, by guiding the vines in a circle, pegging them down, etc). Once they're fully grown, finding the place where you planted them would be difficult without the marker (cane), and then obviosuly with the pop bottle watering is much more efficent. When they're said to be thirsty, it's when they're growing actively, and fruiting. You can then also do a liquid feed straight to the roots as well!

[chris]

-> imagine trying to find the roots on a plant like this!

http://image.shutterstock.com/displa...s-47336290.jpg (linked as its a stock photo, rather than posted in the tread).

[King Carrot]

When I plant outside I put some glass around mine to stop the wind and keep them a bit warmer, the glass goes when they outgrow it.

[Two_Sheds]

i was under the impression there was no such thing as too much water with a pumpkin,

That's when they're fully grown, or almost.

You have too much soil for your plant at the moment, and if you continue to overwater you will rot the plant.
Ease off

Mine have only just been sown, and not broken the soil yet. They're in 3" pots, when they outgrow those they'll go into 6" pots, then get harden off for a week before being planted on the lotty




Hardening off means acclimatising a plant to the outside: putting it outside on nice days, bringing it in every night, for at least a week. This toughens the plant's fibres & makes it stronger and more resilient.