My pumpkins look gorgeous until I flip them over. Why did this happen and how can I stop it?
My pumpkins look gorgeous until I flip them over. Why did this happen and how can I stop it?
by GilgameshWulfenbach
16 Comments
Icedcoffeeee
That seriously gave me the heebie-jeebies. Rollie-pollies need moisture. If you put something under the pumpkins next time to keep them off the soil surface (and dry,) this shouldn’t happen again.
Raspy_Meow
Could be a bonus for a creepy jack o lantern!
rhinoballet
I think anything other than dirt works. I put mulch under most of mine. I see a lot of people use sand. If you’re only growing a handful, pavers work.
I also sprayed mine down periodically with a heavy coat of what I use for powdery mildew: soapy water with baking soda and vegetable oil added. In addition to powdery mildew, it discourages bugs.
HotPotato3740
I just slid a piece of cardboard under all of mine and it’s worked pretty well!
pangolin_of_fortune
I’ve seen carpet offcuts used.
Big_Concentrate2514
Mulch, the big pieces
Naphillz
Aparently, there are things called squash or melon cradles that you can buy for just this purpose… they look pretty cheap on amazon too. Personally, I have a lot of flagstone around so I just slide a stone under my squash when they grow on the ground.
kaatie80
One of the giant pumpkin accounts I follow on IG does cardboard and then sand under the pumpkin. Looked like it worked pretty well!
TheDoobyRanger
You have cheater mites
Moderatelysure
I have little plastic cradles that look a lot like the kind of baskets you get fries in at the fair. They have a “foot” which pushes them above soil level, and the melon stays dry on all sides. Works so well, I have extras to stick under my strawberries. I think they’d work beautifully for pumpkins. Ah, I found them! Melon and Squash cradles from Gardener’s Supply Company. (GSC is a great small, employee owned business and has always been super responsive for me.)
nine_clovers
New primordial fear unlocked.
PYeahboy
Do cardboard or lids from old ice cream containers or something like that. Works for me. Dust the bottom of the pumpkins with diatomaceous earth.
steelbound8128
Ouch! You have my sympathy and I’m sending hateful thoughts through the internet towards those bugs.
I place plastic lids underneath my pumpkins and gourds. My go-to lid is the ones on top of the large canisters of Utz Potato Sticks but any large plastic lid would work (large coffee canisters would probably be even better). I put the lip of the lid facing down so I don’t create little shallow ponds for my pumpkins to sit in.
I like using plastic lids because they don’t degrade over time. I wouldn’t use something like straw or cardboard or mulch because they would decompose underneath the pumpkin and/or create an environment that bugs would like to live in.
Pumpkins can heal themselves surprisingly well. If you have other pumpkins damaged like that and they are still on the vine, and the vine isn’t dead, and the pumpkins are still growing then you might be able save them. I would spray bug killer on the underside of those pumpkins to kill the bugs and then put a plastic lid down for it to rest on. Give it time and the pumpkin should scab over. Even if they don’t scab over, I leave my bug damaged pumpkins and gourds outside for decoration and they can normally last until after Halloween.
kawaiian
Straw
Vakua_Lupo
I just balance mine on a brick or ceramic tile, does the job.
Maximus_2593
Im ftom india and here we cover the surface with plastic sheet and creat high ground for pumkin for water drainage… So its always dry and no bugs
16 Comments
That seriously gave me the heebie-jeebies. Rollie-pollies need moisture. If you put something under the pumpkins next time to keep them off the soil surface (and dry,) this shouldn’t happen again.
Could be a bonus for a creepy jack o lantern!
I think anything other than dirt works. I put mulch under most of mine. I see a lot of people use sand. If you’re only growing a handful, pavers work.
I also sprayed mine down periodically with a heavy coat of what I use for powdery mildew: soapy water with baking soda and vegetable oil added. In addition to powdery mildew, it discourages bugs.
I just slid a piece of cardboard under all of mine and it’s worked pretty well!
I’ve seen carpet offcuts used.
Mulch, the big pieces
Aparently, there are things called squash or melon cradles that you can buy for just this purpose… they look pretty cheap on amazon too. Personally, I have a lot of flagstone around so I just slide a stone under my squash when they grow on the ground.
One of the giant pumpkin accounts I follow on IG does cardboard and then sand under the pumpkin. Looked like it worked pretty well!
You have cheater mites
I have little plastic cradles that look a lot like the kind of baskets you get fries in at the fair. They have a “foot” which pushes them above soil level, and the melon stays dry on all sides. Works so well, I have extras to stick under my strawberries. I think they’d work beautifully for pumpkins. Ah, I found them! Melon and Squash cradles from Gardener’s Supply Company. (GSC is a great small, employee owned business and has always been super responsive for me.)
New primordial fear unlocked.
Do cardboard or lids from old ice cream containers or something like that. Works for me. Dust the bottom of the pumpkins with diatomaceous earth.
Ouch! You have my sympathy and I’m sending hateful thoughts through the internet towards those bugs.
I place plastic lids underneath my pumpkins and gourds. My go-to lid is the ones on top of the large canisters of Utz Potato Sticks but any large plastic lid would work (large coffee canisters would probably be even better). I put the lip of the lid facing down so I don’t create little shallow ponds for my pumpkins to sit in.
I like using plastic lids because they don’t degrade over time. I wouldn’t use something like straw or cardboard or mulch because they would decompose underneath the pumpkin and/or create an environment that bugs would like to live in.
Pumpkins can heal themselves surprisingly well. If you have other pumpkins damaged like that and they are still on the vine, and the vine isn’t dead, and the pumpkins are still growing then you might be able save them. I would spray bug killer on the underside of those pumpkins to kill the bugs and then put a plastic lid down for it to rest on. Give it time and the pumpkin should scab over. Even if they don’t scab over, I leave my bug damaged pumpkins and gourds outside for decoration and they can normally last until after Halloween.
Straw
I just balance mine on a brick or ceramic tile, does the job.
Im ftom india and here we cover the surface with plastic sheet and creat high ground for pumkin for water drainage… So its always dry and no bugs