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How Often Do You Water a Pumpkin?
How Often Do You Water a Pumpkin?. Pumpkins are a popular fruit to grow at Halloween, while some enthusiasts of this squash simply enjoy trying to produce the largest pumpkin they can. Pumpkins need a few essentials to grow, including warmth, soil and water. Water is vital for a pumpkin to grow successfully from seed to fruit ready to be picked,...
Pumpkins are a popular fruit to grow at Halloween, while some enthusiasts of this squash simply enjoy trying to produce the largest pumpkin they can. Pumpkins need a few essentials to grow, including warmth, soil and water. Water is vital for a pumpkin to grow successfully from seed to fruit ready to be picked, but getting the amount of water wrong can lead to disease and disaster.
Pumpkin Plant Natural Features
When it comes to finding and utilizing water, pumpkin plants help themselves to an extent. Pumpkin plants use their big leaves to block out the sun and prevent the soil around them from drying up, while they naturally push water from the surface to the roots of the plant where it's needed.
How Often
Just how often a pumpkin plant needs to be watered depends on the state of the soil. The owner of the plant should judge the soil before watering; if it seems already very moist, watering should be kept to a minimum. In general, however, pumpkin plants should be watered every two days. Watering every day can over-soak the soil, leading to disease.
Factors in Watering
A pumpkin owner should aim for moist soil that's not too dry but also not overly wet to avoid depriving the nearby soil of oxygen. The type of soil present can affect how much a pumpkin plant should be watered, too. If the soil is sandy, the plant will need more water compared to soil containing plenty of clay. Owners should hold off further watering until the top layer of soil around the plant is dry, as the Pumpkin Circle website suggests.
How to Water
When watering, pumpkin plant owners should aim for the roots and not the leaves of the plant. A number of methods are available for distributing water to the plant. These include underground soaker hoses which can provide water and even fertilizer directly to the plant's roots, and sprinkling cans, which are more time-consuming but allow gardeners to direct water on only the pumpkin plant and not nearby weeds.
Damping Off Disease
Damping off disease refers to a white-colored mold that is caused by damp and cold conditions, and appears along the top layer of the soil. The disease affects nearby seedlings and wilts them. Individuals growing pumpkin plants can avoid this problem by placing their plant in as much sunlight as possible. Taking care when watering by not showering the plant in too much moisture also helps prevent the disease. If the mold does appear, scraping it off the soil can help stop it spreading.
