Types of cuts and dates
With the beginning of the flowering period, the pumpkin plant confronts the gardener for the first time with the question: cut or not? Another reason to pick up scissors is in summer, when the long tendrils bear numerous fruit attachments. For a few weeks, the exotic plant has its rest while growing, until the time window for harvest opens in autumn. That Season finale marks an expert cut for the preparation of the delicious pulp or the artistic transformation into a creepy Halloween face. An overview of all Types of cuts and dates this table offers:
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| Cut type | Goal / occasion | best date |
|---|---|---|
| Remove flowers | Improve harvest quality | after the start of flowering |
| Cut back, maxed out | Optimize fruit size | June and July |
| Crop cut | harvest ripe fruits | Autumn (after knock test) |
| Cropping | Cut for consumption and decoration | after harvest |
Break out excess flowers
the Number of flowers largely determines the Fruit size and Harvest volume. Voluminous Pumpkin varietiessuch as garden pumpkin, Hokkaido or Atlantic Giant deliver the desired fruit sizes if you only leave one flower per vine. Break out excess flowers. Choose a time for the measure at which the first fruit sets are already forming. It would be a shame if the only flower wilted unpolluted and there were no reserve flowers.
The measure is not required for pumpkin varieties with small fruits, such as 'Baby Bear' or 'Small Wonder'. The same applies to popular decorative pumpkins, which naturally thrive with small fruits. The breaking out of flowers does not make a significant contribution to the fruit size, but only reduces the harvest yield.
Cut off male flowers
The only duty of male flowers is to provide sufficient material for the pollination of female flowers. You can then cut off the flowers from the pumpkin plant. Male pumpkin blossoms can be recognized by the fact that they wither, without a fruit set to build. Since these flowers have no significant energy requirement, you can take your time with the cut until you are absolutely sure about the floral gender.
Tips
There is uncertainty about the correct number of women blossomsthat are supposed to turn into fruits, an empirical value helps. In gardening practice it has been proven that 6 to 8 fruity flowers with 2 to 4 leaves each are just right for a rich pumpkin harvest.
Cutting back optimizes fruit size
A pruning of pumpkin tendrils is not absolutely necessary. It depends on your assessment and the individual growth of the plant whether and how much you cut off. The most common reason for the cut is the desire for larger berries. Pumpkin gardeners use scissors just as often because the meter-long shoots spread cheekily all over the garden. So that a fruit set is not damaged by the pruning, please observe this procedure:
- The best time is in June and July
- Place scissors 2 to 4 leaves behind the last fruit set
- Only cut when clearly visible, tennis ball-sized berries have formed
If a pumpkin plant is growing all over the garden, pruning is not the only solution. Instead of shortening long tendrils, arrange the flexible shoots in a circle around the heart of the plant or parallel to the border.
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Stingy shoots reduce fruit size
Harvest pumpkin - instructions for harvest pruning
After a warm, dry summer it opens end of August the time window for the Harvest time and stays open until the first frost. Every pumpkin with a solid colored, smooth skin and woody fruit stem is a candidate for harvest pruning. A knock test dispels any doubts about the harvest maturity. If there is a hollow and dull sound from inside the fruit, you can harvest the pumpkin.
The correct crop pruning is done with a sharp, disinfected knife. Leave a piece of the woody fruit stalk at least four inches long.
Is Godfather Frost knocking on the garden gate even though your pumpkins still indicate with green spots that they are immature? Then you will reap the benefits anyway. In a warm, bright location tires the hard-skinned giant berries within a few weeks.
Cutting for kitchen and Halloween
The gourmet's mouth is watering at the sight of ripe, juicy pumpkin fruits. Creative minds immediately philosophize about imaginative carvings for Halloween. With the harvest, the cutting of pumpkins is by no means over. How to cut the fruit correctly for consumption or as a furious decorative sculpture, the following brief instructions bring to the point:
Consumption cut
- First halve the fruit with a large knife, then quarter
- Cut off the fruit stalk
- Remove the pumpkin seeds with a spoon
- Peel the pumpkin quarters with a kitchen knife or vegetable peeler
- Prepare the pulp according to your own taste
Halloween cut
- Pumpkin ideally beforehand dry
- With saw or knife cut off the lid (leave the stalk)
- Scrape out the pulp with an ice cream scoop or spoon
- Sketch creepy face on the shell
- Cut out the pre-drawn shape with a utility knife
Only when candlelight flickers mysteriously in the pumpkin, the Halloween grimace is perfect. To ensure that the candles are adequately supplied with oxygen, drill or cut a few small holes in the lid.
Digression
Oven time reduces effort
frequently asked Questions
Are there any poisonous types of pumpkin?
Most types and varieties of pumpkin are suitable for consumption and are rich in healthy vitamins. Only a few ornamental gourds are used for decorative purposes only, because they contain poisonous cucurbitacin. These concerns apply primarily to crown and claw pumpkins with well-known varieties such as 'Shenot Crowns' or 'Autumn Wings'. If in doubt, leave pumpkins with bizarre shapes lying around or ask a specialist for specific questions.
A premature onset of winter forced us to harvest unripe pumpkins. Can the fruits ripen?
Pumpkin is one of the climacteric plants. Specifically, this means that the fruits ripen, comparable to apples, pears and bananas. In any case, it is advisable to store all freshly harvested pumpkins for 8 to 14 days in a warm, bright location, regardless of whether they are ready to be harvested or not. The only difference is a slightly longer waiting time until an unripe pumpkin is ready for consumption.
Is pumpkin pulp poisonous to dogs?
Dogs love a little variety in their diet. About a third of them are allowed to add fruit and vegetables to meat meals. Most dogs do not disdain the aromatic pulp of pumpkin, especially as a mashed side dish. Ground pumpkin seeds can also be fed, because they strengthen the body's defenses and act as worm prophylaxis. An exception applies to ornamental pumpkins of all kinds, which are not good for their four-legged friend due to a high content of cucurbitacin and cause symptoms of poisoning.
Is pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable?
This is a question that moves all home gardeners who are concerned with a balanced nutrition plan for themselves and their families. In fact, the topic has long been controversial among scientists, because pumpkin meets the criteria for fruit and vegetables alike. A Solomonic solution ended the heated discussions. Pumpkin is defined as a fruit vegetable and thus plays in a league with tomatoes, eggplants and melons.
The 3 most common mistakes
Without pruning in summer, you will struggle with lots of tiny little fruits. Let stingy shoots sprout unhindered, and countless leaves and a few pumpkins will flourish. If you cut off the fruit stalk at the base when pruning, you run the risk of rot. This overview highlights three common mistakes when cutting pumpkin and provides tips on how to do it correctly:
| Cutting errors | Damage image | prevention |
|---|---|---|
| not cut back | many small fruits, poor harvest quality | cut back long tendrils in June and July |
| Stingy instincts not removed | bushy growth, lots of leaves, few pumpkins | Break out stinging instincts regularly |
| Fruit stalk cut off during harvest | Spread of rot | Leave at least 10 cm of the fruit stalk |
Tips
Balcony gardeners do not have to forego harvesting juicy, home-grown pumpkins. Numerous delicious varieties thrive splendidly on the sun-drenched one South balcony. A voluminous bucket with a volume of 60 to 90 liters and a bottom opening as a water drain offers the best conditions. Nutrient-rich Vegetable soil has everything a pumpkin could wish for in magnificent flowers and delicious fruits.
