When & how do you do it best?

What does 'skimming' actually mean?

Every pumpkin plant strives to branch out further and further. For this purpose, it regularly forms new shoots in its leaf axils. Since only a limited amount of energy is available, the plant distributes its power evenly over the constantly growing number of shoots. The result is lots of little pumpkins.

It may well be in the interests of the hobby gardener to add a large number of small pumpkins breed. In this case, do nothing. If your intention is to grow a few heavyweights, achieve this by eliminating or shortening excess shoots. Experts call the process 'pricking out'.

Two runs per season are sufficient

Now pruning in pumpkin cultivation is nowhere near as labor-intensive as, for example, with tomatoes. Who is in front of his spiritual eye already daily in the bed or on the balcony sees marching, can sit back and relax. The procedure is limited to two dates:

• in June on pumpkin plants with 3 to 5 leaves, shorten each shoot to 2 leaves
• in July again maxed out above the fifth or sixth leaf
• only leave as many female flowers on the plant as pumpkins are desired

In addition, after successful pollination, all male flowers should be cut off so that they do not consume any plant energy. Male flowers can be recognized by the fact that they have no fruit set.

For a giant pumpkin, maxed out the first female flower

If you are aiming for a record pumpkin, every move turns in the care to strengthen the plant. Targeted skimming plays an important role in this context. Skilled pumpkin gardeners swear by removing the first female flower on each shoot. The second or third specimen at the earliest is considered to be 'the one flower'.

Tips & Tricks

Depending on the cultivated pumpkin variety, a more or less large cut is created as part of the stripping process. Ideally, treat the interface immediately with charcoal ash. In this way you effectively prevent an infestation by fungal spores, viruses or pests.