How to grow Giant Pumpkins

1
How to grow Giant Pumpkins
2
Pumpkin Facts

• Pumpkins are a fruit, not a vegetable
• Largest fruit in the world
• Ideal daytime temperature is 80 to 85 F
• Ideal daytime temperature is 60 to 65 F
• Take 90-120 days to develop a mature fruit
• Full loving plant, but partial sun is ok

3
History of Giant Pumpkins

• 1893 William Warnock grew a 365 lb pumpkin
• 1903 He topped his own record by growing a 403
  lb pumpkin
• The Rennie Seed Company bought a the Warnock
  seeds
• Howard Dill from Nova Scotia acquired some of
  these seeds and, through selective breeding,
  developed the Dills Atlantic Giant. This
  variety that continues to break modern day
  records.

4
Giant Pumpkin Records

• Warnocks record in 1903 stood until 1976
• 1979 Howard Dill began the new era with a
• 438 pound pumpkin
• Howard Dill broke that record for the next 2
  years
• Since 1984 the World Record has been broken 15
  times. (6 times in a row since 1998)

5
Requirements to grow a Giant

• Good Seeds
• Good Growing Practices
• Good Soil
• Good Luck

6
1998
940 Mombert
830 Wells Family Tree
922.5 Emmons
1999
705 Stelts
2001
803.4 Davies
865 Mettler
1998
2002 (Male)
845 Bobier
1997
935 Lloyd
2000
830 Wells
2003
780 Eaton
1998
712 Kuhn
935 Lloyd
1997
2000
1337 Houghton
865 Mettler
1998
2002 (Female)
845 Bobier
1997
935 Lloyd
2000
7
1998
940 Mombert
830 Wells Family Tree
922.5 Emmons
1999
705 Stelts
2001
803.4 Davies
865 Mettler
1998
2002
845 Bobier
1997
935 Lloyd
2000
Producer of many pumpkins that are heavy over
charts with 1,000 lb. pumpkins
830 Wells
2003
780 Eaton
1998
712 Kuhn
Has produced multiple 1,000 lb. pumpkins
including the World Record
935 Lloyd
1997
2000
1337 Houghton
865 Mettler
1998
2002
845 Bobier
Female The plant that the pumpkin was grown off
of. (World record seed)
1997
935 Lloyd
2000
8
1998
940 Mombert
830 Wells Family Tree
922.5 Emmons
Extremely aggressive plant. Huge vines leaves.
Produces huge fruit, but grows too quick splits
1999
705 Stelts
2001
803.4 Davies
865 Mettler
1998
2002 (Male)
845 Bobier
1997
935 Lloyd
Has produced multiple 1,000 lb. pumpkins
including the World Record
2000
830 Wells
2003
780 Eaton
1998
712 Kuhn
935 Lloyd
1997
2000
1337 Houghton
865 Mettler
1998
2002
845 Bobier
1997
935 Lloyd
2000
9
1998
940 Mombert
830 Wells Family Tree
922.5 Emmons
1999
705 Stelts
2001
803.4 Davies
Very Aggressive
865 Mettler
1998
2002
845 Bobier
1997
935 Lloyd
2000
830 Wells
Very Heavy
2003
780 Eaton
Both Females are the famous 845 Bobier
1998
712 Kuhn
935 Lloyd
1997
2000
1337 Houghton
865 Mettler
1998
2002
845 Bobier
1997
935 Lloyd
2000
10
Good Soil

• Our soil in the New Bremen area are have a high
  clay contain with a low organic matter contain.
• Our soils have mostly a neutral PH rating.

11
Good Soil - PH

• PH is the test by which you determine if
  your soil is optimum for the intake of plant
  nutrient by your plant. PH is the measure of
  hydrogen ions in the soil, and is reported on a
  scale from 1 14.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14
Alkaline (or Sweet)
Acid (or Sour)
Pumpkins grow best at a PH between 6.5 to 6.8
(slightly acid). Overall very neutral PH loving
plant. Getting your soil PH into the ideal range
will insure maximum uptake of major minor plant
nutrients.
12
Improving your Soil
Manure - supplies all major plant nutrients,
and when applied at the rates giant pumpkin
growers apply them, supply abundant sources of
Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium.
13
Improving your Soil
Compost referred to as black or born gold,
compost is the substance that results from the
partial decomposition of organic material.
Compost provides the perfect amendment for any
type of soil, improving aeration, drainage in
heavy clay.
14
Good Soil - Soil Amendments
Calcium is essential for cell division and
cell health, and is therefore very important in
all phases of plant growth, but especially during
fruit formation. - Gypsum helps breaks
up heavy, wet soils and reduces the risk fruit
rot splitting. Doesnt effect the PH.

15
Site Preparation

• Attempt to till ground by April 14th. This gives
  a month for soil microbes to breakdown organic
  material into a form that the plant can take in
  nutrients. (Amendments are incorporated.)
• Till right before plants are set-out on May 14th.
• (More amendments are incorporated.)

16
Seed Starting
17
Transplanting
Put the plant in the ground with the 1st true
leaf pointing opposite where you want the vine to
travel.
Position the plant at a 45 degree angle so the
vine drops quickly.
Plant Growth
All secondary vines are buried. A trench is made
and the vine grows in the trench
18
Encouraging Root Growth

• Put boards down to avoid compacting the soil and
  inhibit penetration by new roots.

19
Pruning

• Your giant pumpkin vine will need pruning for two
  reasons

• Controlled vine is easier to manage than a large
  vine and therefore is more likely to get the care
  it needs to remain healthy
• The larger your gonzo pumpkin gets, the more you
  need to divert nutrients from the leaves to the
  fruit.

20
Pruning Christmas Tree
Plant Growth
10 Ft
21
Pruning Practices
10 Ft
Secondary will be trimmed at 10' to 15'
immediately. Prune 1 day, fungicide on the ends,
bury the next day.
22
Pruning Practices
No Weeds in the patch, but especially in the
Red-Zone
Red-Zone
10 Ft
Most important area of your plant. 90 to 95
nutrients of your fruit come from the stem to the
fruit.
23
Pruning Practices
All flowers are pruned after the fruit has been
set.
24
Pruning Practices
All vines coming off of the Secondary is taken off
25
Encouraging Root Growth

• Weed by pulling the weeds. Do not hoe close to
  the plant.

26
Setting your Fruit

• Stigma made up of four or five segments. (The
  more normal the blossom is, the more uniformly
  the fruit will grow.)

27
Female Flower
28
Male Flower Pollination
29
Pollination
30
Setting your Fruit

• Grow on the main vine if possible and try avoid
  growing off of the secondary vine.

31
Setting your Fruit

• Pumpkin stem grows at a 90 degree angle from the
  vine.

32
Setting your Fruit

• Pumpkin stem grows at a 90 degree angle from the
  vine.

Stem stress will cause a split in the stem of
the Pumpkin.
33
Setting your Fruit

• Pumpkin stem grows at a 90 degree angle from the
  vine.
• Need to move only inch per day (evening)

34
Setting your Fruit

• Pumpkin stem grows at a 90 degree angle from the
  vine.
• Need to move only inch per day (evening)

Room between Pumpkin stem
35
Setting your Fruit
As you are positioning your fruit, make sure that
your pumpkin is level from blossom-end to stem.
This helps keeping stem stress down later, as the
pumpkin grows
36
Setting your Fruit
Let back-up pumpkins grow for 2 weeks. After you
know fruit is set, cut off back-ups.
37
Protection under your Pumpkin
38
Fruit Shade
39
Vine support to your Pumpkin
40
Watering your Giants

• Plants can require 40 to 50 gallons of water a
  week
• Water as often as necessary to keep the soil
  evenly moist.
• Normally water twice a week
• Liberally water the soil along the entire vine,
  not just at the stump

41
Feeding your Giants

• Learning the Fertilizer s
• 10 - 10 - 10

Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium
10 Nitrogen, 10 Phosphorus, 10 Potassium
42
Feeding your Giants

• Learning the Fertilizer s
• Nitrogen is found in every plant cell as a part
  of many proteins and of chlorophyll. It
  encourages vegetative growth and contributes to a
  dark green color.
• (XX-xx-xx)

43
Feeding your Giants

• Learning the Fertilizer s
• Phosphorus stimulates root growth and is vital
  to photosynthesis. It plays a key role in
  flowering and fruiting.
• (xx-XX-xx)

44
Feeding your Giants

• Learning the Fertilizer s
• Potassium has a role in metabolism, contributes
  to hardiness and disease resistance, and affects
  respiration and transpiration.
• (xx-xx-XX)

45
Feeding your Giants

• Broadcast
• Dry fertilizers, in powder, pellet, or
  granular form, can be applied by hand or with a
  spreader. When water is added, dry fertilizer
  dissolve slowly, seep into the soil, and begin to
  work.
• Granular form must be kept off the foliage or
  burning can occur.

46
Feeding your Giants

• Drench
• Liquid fertilizer that are applied to the soil
  only. These start working very quickly through
  the plants root system.
• Always water the soil first, never apply
  liquid fertilizer to dry soil.

47
Feeding your Giants

• Foliar Spray
• A method on which liquid fertilizer is sprayed
  directly onto the leaves, was once considered an
  emergency measures but today is used regularly,
  especially on hungry plants like pumpkins.

48
Feeding your Giants
Early Season The objective for early season is
provide plant-food for
root growth so that plant
roots can became fully established
before the vegetative rush
begins.

• Week 1 xx-XX-xx / Seaweed
  Soil Drench
• Week 2 xx-XX-xx / Seaweed
  Soil Drench
• Week 3 xx-XX-xx / Seaweed
  Soil Drench
• Week 4 xx-XX-xx / Seaweed
  Soil Drench

49
Feeding your Giants
Early / Mid Season With an established root
system, it
is now time to see what your
plant is made of. (Nitrogen time)

• Week 5 XX-xx-xx and Fish / Seaweed Drench /
  Foliar
• Week 6 XX-xx-xx and Fish / Seaweed Drench /
  Foliar
• Week 7 XX-xx-xx and Fish / Seaweed Drench /
  Foliar
• Week 8 XX-xx-xx and Fish / Seaweed Drench /
  Foliar

50
Feeding your Giants
Mid Season When the female blossoms begin to
appear, the push with
nitrogen should be
reduced. A balanced fertilizer should
be used.

• Week 9 xx-xx-xx and Fish / Seaweed Drench
  / Foliar
• Week 10 xx-xx-xx and Fish / Seaweed Drench
  / Foliar
• Week 11 xx-xx-xx and Fish / Seaweed Drench
  / Foliar
• Week 12 xx-xx-xx and Fish / Seaweed Drench
  / Foliar
• Week 13 xx-xx-xx and Fish / Seaweed Drench
  / Foliar
• Week 14 xx-xx-xx and Fish / Seaweed Drench
  / Foliar
• Week 15 xx-xx-xx and Fish / Seaweed Drench
  / Foliar

51
Feeding your Giants
Late / Mid Season Keeping your fruit supplied
with the
plant nutrients it needs to
sustain its growth is emphasized,
and fruit growth
requires potassium.

• Week 16 xx-xx-XX and Fish / Seaweed Drench
  / Foliar
• Week 17 xx-xx-XX and Fish / Seaweed Drench
  / Foliar
• Week 18 xx-xx-XX and Fish / Seaweed Drench
  / Foliar
• Week 19 xx-xx-XX and Fish / Seaweed Drench
  / Foliar

52
Feeding your Giants
Late / Mid Season Almost all growth has slowed
greatly and
the goal is to ensure
your fruits health till the reminder
of the season.

• Weed 20 Seaweed only
  Foliar Spray
• Weed 21 Seaweed only
  Foliar Spray
• Weed 22 Seaweed only
  Foliar Spray

53
Fertilizers

• Miracle-Gro

54
Fertilizers

• Fish Fertilizer
• (Neptunes Harvest)
• Its slow release provides nitrogen and other
  major minor plant nutrients at a rate that
  maximizes uptake without the serious side effects
  associated with chemical fertilizers,

55
Wind Protection

• Wind can be a big problem for the stem of a young
  giant still in the upright stage, before it flops
  over begins sending out runners.
• - Plastic shelter around the plan
• will protect the plant.
• As your giant grows it will develop giant leaves,
  perhaps more then 2 feet across. These leaves act
  as sails that catch wind, ripping out a vine by
  its roots.
• - Bamboo stakes in a cross around the vine
  will assist in keeping the vine in place.

56
Splitting

• Stem Splits

• Blossom end Split

57
Pumpkin Pests
Squash Vine Borer has proven to be the most
destructive insect effecting pumpkin growers.
(Scimitar)
58
Pumpkin Pests
Cucumber Beetle They can appear anytime
after the soil begins to warm. Their control
holds the key in establishing control of
bacterial wilt which they can spread from plant
to plant during their eating frenzy. (Sevin)
59
Pumpkin Fungus
Powdery Mildew appears as light yellow spots
that become white spores and give appearance of
powder on the leaf. Infected plants will develop
yellowing leaves which eventually die. Infection
takes place when high humidity conditions are
present. (Seaweed / Fish, Daconil)
60
Conclusion

• There are no real limitations for mankind,
  if we can put our best effort forth in a formula
  for competitive gardening success (and life for
  that matter) which involves
• Gain experience with the variety and understand
  it.
• Deter any negative influences
• Enhance positive conditions and situations
• Set goals
• And Achieve
• Using this formula, combined with a few
  prayers, you can be a great grower as well.
• 
  Ray Waterman