Re: [gourds] Gourds collapsing/rotting while developing
david (gourds@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 19 Jan 1998 09:28:50 -0600
As Owen says, watch the moisture levels to keep the botrytis rot to a
minimum.
I see this all the time in cucurbits in the heat of the summer. They throw
off fruit under heat stress. Here is a secret. When trying to set fruit,
don't water when the blossoms are open. Those female blossoms that get wet
inside won't set fruit.
I wouldn't worry too much. When the heat breaks, the plants will start
setting fruit again and you should have plenty of time to get mature fruit
before your growing season ends. If it ever does.
david
daviddd@ipa.net
www.garden-fresh.com
http://users.ipa.net/~daviddd
-----Original Message-----
From: Owen Kibel <omskibel@inow.com>
To: gourds@globalgarden.com <gourds@globalgarden.com>
Date: Monday, January 19, 1998 1:20 AM
Subject: Re: [gourds] Gourds collapsing/rotting while developing
>MOORE John wrote:
>
>> Hi everyone,
>>
>> We are in the middle of summer, and I thought my gourds were going
>> well,
>> until I noticed that all the gourds that appeared to have set recently
>>
>> (generally through my own manual efforts) are not developing beyond 2
>> or
>> 3 inches in diameter, when they just seem to give up. They go soft,
>> collapse and mostly start to rot, on otherwise healthy looking vines,
>> and these are the same vines that have already got large healthy
>> looking
>> gourds on them that set one or two months ago, including a large
>> bottle
>> gourd the size of a basketball. What might be causing this?
>
>John,
>
>There may be several explanations, but first consider that this might be
>a normal phase of gourd growth. The plants can only nourish a limited
>number of large fruit and tend to abort smaller fruit when there are
>large ones already on the vine. Developing gourds of virtually any size
>begin to collapse. The plants tend to go through phases of development,
>with fruit growth not always in sync with foliage.
>
>> fertilized them recently with a complete fertilizer, but believe I
>> followed the directions properly. It has been quite hot recently (41
>> deg C last Saturday), but I keep them watered and they rarely wilt
>> during the day.
>
>The combination of chemical fertilizers and hot weather can cause severe
>dehydration if the fertilizers burn the root system and draw water away
>from the the plant osmotically. Over-watering can also paradoxically
>cause dehydration if the roots die from lack of oxygen. This would
>especially apply if gourds are grown in containers without enough
>drainage.
>
>It is also possible that the plants have a bacterial disease, which your
>local nurseries might offer products for. However you could wait for the
>plants to hopefully recover. The weather should become less extreme as
>the Southern summer begins to wane. Water a wide area around the plants
>as they have shallow widespread root systems and allow them plenty of
>space. Do not cultivate too much this late in the season near the plants
>- it disturbs their roots - they seem to withstand weeds fairly well by
>growing over them and shading them. Interesting to hear how they will
>do.
>
>Owen
>