ROCKY MOUNTA IN GIA NT
M I C R O S O F T
VEGETA BLE GROWER S
V O L U M E
SPECIAL
POINTS OF
INTEREST:

It’Z not as
easy as one
thinks—Pap
Wallace

Club Events

2011 Club
Roster

List of new
sponsors on
last page.
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE:
Phosphites
1
Foliar Feeding
2
Mark Your
Calendar
6
Know your
BUG
7
Candy Bar
Cookies
4
Message
from the
CEO
5
V
I S S U E
I
J U N E
0 1 ,
2 0 1 1
New World Record
1810.5 Pounds!
says, we all have secrets.
I’d even go so far to say
that nearly every grower
has a secret that gives him
or her an advantage they
don’t even know about! Do
I have any secrets? Read
on…...
The secrets of growing the
big one
“Do I have any secrets?”
I’ve been asked this question countless times the
past few months. Those
of you that saw me on
“Live with Regis and Kelly”
may think so! What is a
secret? A secret could be
something as a specific
little item or technique I use
that nobody else has. This
could be something other
growers assume gives me
an advantage that they
would in turn hope I’d
By Chris Stevens
share for their benefit. A
secret could also be larger
scale: consistency and persistence for example. I feel
no matter what a grower
Let’s start off with the small
things. Do I disclose every
little item / technique I use
and when to use it? In
nearly all cases, yes. The
real secret lies in the way
we apply these hints or in
the way we modify a technique in ways exclusive to
Continued on page 3
Phosphites
During the last few
years we have witnessed the use of many
new products called
phosphites. These products are now being widely applied to Atlantic Giant Pumpkin (AGP)
plants. They are offering
by Greg Landry
an ever increasing potential for growers holding promise for healthier,
disease free plants.
Phosphites have been
demonstrated to control
disease while eliciting or
enhancing systemic
growth properties. They
are also thought to be
raising plant vigour and
vitality while hiking
pumpkin weights to loftier levels.
You may recognize
them as Aliette, TKO
Phosphite, pHortress
PHP and recently QuadContinued on page 2
PAGE
2
Phosphites
Continued from page 1
9 with N, K and Ca.
They are but a few of
the many branded and
several differing types
of phosphite formulations. Often referred to
as, phosphonates and
or phosphoric acids,
they are truly marvellous products in the
patch. However in
name, they do not tell
the whole story of
nursing larger fruit in
an optimistic, growers
patch. Phosphites are
proving to be very beneficial controlling Powdery Mildew (PM).
Rapidly they have be-
continued
come the weapon of
choice in combating
many common injurious plant afflictions.
Not to be confused
with phosphates (P)
which contain an extra
cation of oxygen.
Phosphites differ from
common P forms, being highly soluble and
generally unstable in
the rhizosphere. They
are easily up taken by
plant roots and leaves;
moving up through the
xylem and into the
phloem. Phosphites
distribute macro mineral elements to all parts
of plants vascular system we often call the
“Calcium High-Way”.
Phosphites are
known to be relatively
benign to fungi, bacteria and other soil fauna. Molecules of phosphites are eventually
transformed by microbes into phosphates
within the soil and
plants by accumulating
an extra oxygen atom.
In doing so they are
slowly transformed into
traditional P over a
longer term, similar to
a slow release fertilizer. The result is often
higher concentrations
of root building, highly
soluble available P and
Continued on page 4
Foliar Feeding
Foliar feeding
stimulates an increase
in chlorophyll
ROCKY
Foliar feeding is an effective method for correcting
deficiencies and overcoming the soil’s inability
to transfer nutrients to
the plant. Availability of
essential nutrients and
trace minerals from the
soil may be limited at
times by root distribution,
soil temperature, soil
moisture, nutrient imbalances
and other factors. Foliar
feeding can help main-
MOUNTAIN
GIANT
tain a nutrient balance
within the plant, which
may not occur strictly
with soil uptake.
A project conducted at
Michigan State University, using radio-active
tagged nutrients, proved
that foliar feeding can be
8 to 10 times more effective
than soil feeding. Foliar
feeding stimulates an
increase in chlorophyll
production, cellular activi-
VEGETABLE
GROWERS
ty and respiration. It also
triggers a plant response
that
increases water and nutrient uptake from the
soil.
According to Iowa State
University research;
“Because plants can absorb nutrients through
their leaves, spraying
fertilizer nutrients on the
plants can
prevent nutrient depleContinued on page 4
VOLUME
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PAGE
1810.5 New World Record
our own patches. There are
techniques (read: secrets)
that cannot be explained in
writing or by word of mouth.
I could go on and on for pages about pruning and burying
techniques, but at the end of
the day if you haven’t been
there when I’m doing it, you
are likely to put your own
twist on it and end up with
your own version of a
“secret”. My thinking is all
these little secrets the top
growers possess add up to
an advantage that others
may not consider, simply
because its not a clearly defined “magic bullet”.
From a more general perspective, I have a secret. It’s
consistency. That may not
sound very exciting or revealing, but it is, in my mind, a
key to my success. Unless
I’m on vacation, I never miss
a day in the patch. Ever.
Most days I spend at least a
short time in the morning,
noon and night. That doesn’t
mean I spend countless
hours in the patch. Consistency and efficiency need
to go hand in hand. I don’t
try to work hard just to work
hard. I try to work smart.
Balance is as important as
consistency. There are
many growers out there that
will forget more about growing pumpkins than I will ever
know. That said, I feel I
have been able to gather
useful information on the important aspects of the hobby
(soil, climate, nutrients, etc.)
and strike a balance that allows me to maximize each
variable. I’ve often wondered
if frustrated growers who
haven’t achieved their goals
are focusing too much on
one aspect and by doing so,
neglect another important
aspect. They could be overlooking anything from time, to
work ethic, to proper climate
in favor of a less important
factor. I believe proper balance applies to more than
just soil tests.
So let’s get on with it you
say? Tell us a real secret!
Soil microbiology is an exciting area in our hobby. Supporting a healthy root environment with beneficial microbes provides multiple benefits, from disease protection
to enhanced nutrient absorption.
Scientific research shows us
that mycorrhizal fungi do not
operate alone, they depend
on thousands of other organisms in the root zone. Balancing these organisms, the
way nature intends to, creates synergy that ultimately
benefits the plant. Thus, if
there’s a tactic I employ that
possibly gives me an edge
(secret?), its application of
this principle. For more details, see my April 28th, 2010
diary post on bigpump-
kins.com.
Supporting soil microbes is
only a small piece of a much
larger puzzle. I feel the #1
most important secret a
grower can have is finely
tuned soil combined with
persistence to maximizing
it. Think about it like a race
car. The most powerful engine always wins right? Not
always. In principle, this may
be true. However, I could
have the biggest most powerful engine on the planet
and if the guy designing my
car builds it like a cardboard
box it probably won’t win
many races. Likewise, give
me the best soil on the planet
and if I never set foot in my
patch I probably
won’t grow the biggest pumpkin.
That said, give that
car the best pit crew
and tuning and it will
be unbeatable. Give
your soil the time,
energy, and consistency required to
make it work and
you’ve got a winning
combination to grow a big
pumpkin. My thinking is the
soil, like the engine, is what
gives us potential. What we
do with that potential is up to
us. As I stated earlier, this
may go back to many growers not even realizing how
Continued on page 14
“I have a
secret. It’s
consistency”.
3
PAGE
4
Inside Story Headline
Phosphites
Foliar feeding
can be 8 to 10
times more
effective than
soil feeding.
the accompanying piggy backed cations.
When combined with
positive cation formulations of N, K, Ca or
Mg, phosphites unstability and solubility
help to release extra
cations of these very
important elements
into the soil solution.
While the delivery
mechanism and uptake
are two valid property’s
phosphites are also
known to control soil
borne disease such as
phytophthora through a
systemic acquired response (SAR) within
continued
the plant.
Grower attention is
building as the current
trend to use products
that elicit growth and
promote disease
fighting capabilities
continues. Phosphites
key power maybe in
reducing and or eliminating PM entirely.
This demands a closer
investigation in the
pumpkin patch. Periodic foliar sprays of pHortress on AGP have
boasted exceptional
reductions of PM on
plants during a documented trail the past
two seasons in Ontario. Infection is controlled by inhibiting
spore germination.
This may hold the
greatest promise for
growers as pesticide
and fungicide bans
have growers in search
of many new environmentally safe products.
Today a grower’s
tool shed might include
various forms of phosphites used either as
soil applied or foliar
sprays. A preseason
Continued on Page 10
Foliar Feeding
Neptune Harvest
Fish Emulsion is
excellent for foliar
feeding!
ROCKY
tion, keep leaves more
active in carrying on photosynthesis, and increase
seed yields. But, excess
amounts of fertilizer can
injure or “burn” the
leaves. So it is essential
that the proper kinds and
amounts of fertilizer solutions be sprayed on the
plants at the proper
times.”
The effectiveness of foliar applied nutrients is
determined by the type of
formulation and yield increases of 5-10% or
more can be achieved
when
MOUNTAIN
GIANT
using the right product at
the right time.
U.S. Ag, LLC has a variety of excellent foliar feed
fertilizers; as well as several O.M.R.I. approved
fertilizers. Our foliar feed
products have been used
as foliar applications on a
wide variety of crops including corn, soybeans,
wheat, alfalfa, sunflowers, dry edible beans,
peanuts, cotton and more
with good results.
When properly applied
our products have
VEGETABLE
GROWERS
continued
shown a good yield
response and will not
burn or injure the growing crop.
The best time to foliar
feed is late evening to
early morning, when
the stomata (the small
opening on the leaves)
are open. Avoid spraying when the
temperature is above 80º
or when the weather is
hot & dry and water vapor is leaving the cells.
(Note: Added surfactants,
Continued on Page 10
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It’s Not as easy as one thinks
by Dick “Pap” Wallace
This is not as easy a
hobby as one might think.
its not as simple as putting
seed to soil then water @
watch it grow.
I am sure most of you
know his but in case you
need a reminder here are
a few of abby pappy’s,
Do’s and Don'ts.
DO - Practice germinating
before the season actually
arrives. Build a nice heated chamber (maintain a
steady 85-90 degrees).
sand seed edges lightly,
soak for 4-6 hours. then
plant tip down 1/4 inch below pre-moistened seed
starter mix. (Before filling
peat pots add a pinch of
mycho, kelp meal and humic acid to moist seed
starter mix if available).
DO NOT - Try germinating
seeds in a sunny window
or on top of an appliance
that generates a moderate
amount of heat. Do not
over water peat pots either, the seed will rot.
DO - After germination put
new seedling under florescent grow light ( one
inch above seed leaves )
for 12 hr. on 12 hr. off
lighting for at least 5 days.
after that supply sun or
light in the day time and
harden off in cool garage
at night. Water only as
needed to keep moist. Do
not over water.
DO NOT - Put young
plants or seedlings out
into the garden unless
properly hardened off as
noted above, the shock
could kill the plant and if
not definitely will set it way
behind.
5
DO NOT - Take a
lazy attitude
plant in the direction the
main will fall. It helps the
main grow more in a
downward direction then
if planted straight up.
DO NOT - Damage plants
roots when transplanting
into ground.
DO - When setting plants Handle pot removal with
into garden use some sort care. If it is a peat pot
of greenhouse type clothen moisten the pot so it
sure around new transtears off easily. No body
plant. In-ground soil heat- slams please.
ing cables recommended
DO - Plan ahead,
if you have electricity
available. A small hoop
error on the side of
shape made of wire fenc- caution when leaving
ing laid over the plant and for work each day.
covered with a heavy tow- Excessive heat can
el, or blankets for really
and will kill your
cold nights is also recom- plants.
mended.
DO NOT - Believe the
DO NOT - Take a lazy at- weather reports. If no one
titude toward protecting
is around to ventilate your
your plants. if you do, your plant greenhouses should
season will end sooner
the temp rises, be sure to
rather than later. This
open enough to allow air
message could relate to
flow and excessive heat
just about everything you build up to escape.
may need to do thru out
DO - Keep the young
the season as well.
plants as warm as possiDO - Place a plastic ring
ble at night. especially the
around seedlings stem
just after planting so as to Continued on Page 9
protect from cut worms.
Old plastic pot tops cut
1@1/2 inches high and
buried even with the
ground works well. soil
line and cut worm ring
should be almost touching
the seed leaves. Tilt the
toward
protecting your
plants. if you do,
your season will
end sooner
rather than later.
Dreams do come
true…….. The
1810.5 Stevens
“WrinkleZ” growing
in Colorado…..
Cartoon by Dick “Pap” Wallace
PAGE
6
RMGVG Patch Tour and Picnic
August 13th Time 10:30 AM
The Wiz’s Crib…[email protected] RSVP
Jared’s Giant Pumpkin Festival
September 24th 10:00 AM
Jared’s Nursery & Garden Center
10500 West Bowles Ave. Littleton, CO. 80127
303-979-2757
Nick’s Garden Center Weigh Off
October 9th Time TBA
Ricks Garden Center & Farm Market
2001 So. Chambers Road Aurora , CO 80014
ROCKY
MOUNTAIN
GIANT
VEGETABLE
GROWERS
303-696-6657
VOLUME
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“The BiZ SAYS” … Know
PAGE
your BUG
GOOD BUG
Common Name Scientific Name
Carolina Mantid Stagmomantis
carolina (Johannson)
Life Cycle and Habits
One generation develops each season. In the autumn, females lay eggs in a large mass or cluster (an
inch or so long), in a frothy, gummy substance glued to tree twigs, plant stems and other objects.
Overwintering occurs in the egg stage in this case. Tiny nymphs emerge from the egg mass in the spring
or early summer.
Rearing Mantids
The space involved and the time required in rearing food material are the most difficult aspects of mantid
rearing. Mantids are among the more difficult of insects to rear. They are carnivorous, feeding in nature
on smaller insects and other small animals. Rearing mantis requires rearing of other insects - such as
vinegar flies or aphids - as food material (in large quantities)!
Small developing nymphs tend to become cannibalistic and require separation or isolation in the later
stages. Adults will mate readily in captivity.
After mantids have completed their early stages, they may be fed insects larger than aphids and vinegar
flies such as mosquitoes, flies, and roaches. Mature Chinese mantids readily attack, kill, and devour
large crickets and grasshoppers. Some people like to watch the capture of this prey. Others like to
collect adult mantids (especially females full of eggs), then place them in a large glass container (empty
fish aquarium) and watch egg masses being glued to an inserted tree branch. After egg laying, mantid
death usually occurs a few weeks later.
Egg masses, collected in September or October and brought into the warm classroom, have been
known to hatch in early December of the same year. Then, large numbers of very tiny mantids will
suddenly appear and, if not furnished fresh, live food, they will eat each other until only one or a few
mantids are left. In the laboratory, the egg mass may be refrigerated for a few weeks, and then
incubated at room temperature. Often, no refrigeration appears necessary.
Pest Control
While the praying mantis plays a very important part in nature's insect control plan, one should not
expect to achieve total pest control with the use of praying mantids alone. Nevertheless, the mantid is
the only predator which feeds at night on moths (most moths are active only after darkness) and the only
predator fast enough to catch mosquitoes and flies. Since mantids are quite large and more visible than
most beneficial insects, they are "fun" to watch, and children are fascinated to see a Praying Mantis
grasp its prey.
by
William F. Lyon
Professor of Entomology
Extension Specialist, Household & Structural Pests
7
PAGE
8
Lithovit®™
USA LITHOVIT NO. America
George Ingledew
3rd Gen Farmer & COO
PO BOX 85
MCMINNVILLE, OR 97128
888.776.1669
[email protected]
"The Foliar of
Champions"
SOS AG Grp.
Ced Morrison
NorthWest Organic's Distribution
503.434.3588
[email protected]
ROCKY
MOUNTAIN
GIANT
VEGETABLE
GROWERS
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It’Z Not as easy as one thinks continued
By Pap Wallace
can snap the stem.
Continued from page 3
soil and air immediately
around the plant. Plants
grow at night and wont if
the soil and air is too cold.
DO NOT - Water young
plants at night, wait for
warmth of day.
DO - Help the plants
young main vine get to the
ground as soon as possible. mounding soil under
the main as it starts to
drop ( then removing a
little each day as it drops )
works well. Use small
stakes to support lowering
of the new main. Gently
forcing the main down
while also supporting the
sides of the main so that
no wind or sudden breeze
DO NOT - Try adjusting
the main when the air
temp is cold in the morning, it will snap. If you
leave for work early? Do it
in the afternoon when you
get home.
DO - Cut the first sets of
sides off and also the
back main if you are planning on growing a traditional tree or box pattern.
( I suggest the new growers leave the back main
on the plant until such
time as you have successfully got the main on
the ground and running)--- a backup main if disaster
strikes.
DO NOT - Worry about
the seed leaves ( that set
4955 Austin Bluffs Parkway
Colorado Springs, CO 80918-5043
(719) 574-8058
of rabbit ear looking
leaves that were the first
to appear when the seed
sprouted) if they get in
the way while training the
main to the ground? cut
um off, they are of no use
anymore.
DO - Keep the greenhouses on over the young
plants as long as possible
(our houses are 5 ft. wide
x 7ft long) also be sure to
always stake and hold.
DO NOT - Pull greenhouses on a windy day.
Make sure wind protection is up first.
Have fun…..and remember….GrowZ’em BIG.
Pap
9
PAGE
10
Phosphites
Continued from page 4
soil applied mix would
provide traditional P
during the course of
the active growing period lowering concerns
of mycorhisal toxicity
caused by traditional
P. Then seasonal foliar
sprays perhaps beginning with an early N
by Greg Landry
component to promote
healthy vigorous canopy’s just ahead of blossom development. Following this are sprays
of Ca and K supplemented with Mg to foster fruit development,
finishing maturity and
weight gain.
such as Sur-Tec can reduce water tension and
improve the absorption
rate of foliar sprays).
1. Foliar feeding with
the correct nutrients
can be the most efficient method of feeding a plant since 95%
of a fertilizer solution
can be found in the
smallest root within
60 minutes if conditions are right!
Cartoon By Pap Wallace
ROCKY
GIANT
continued
very profitable way to
apply fertilizer solutions and other select
materials.
ity both equals 135 or
less.
2. When air temperature
is cooler than soil surface
temperature.
3. Plants under
stress need help.
Foliar feeding of select materials has
proven to be very
beneficial to plants
under unfavorable
growing conditions.
4. No special equipment required. Use
your existing spray
equipment. Hi Boy or
fan sprayers.
IMPORTANT TIPS FOR
FOLIAR FEEDING
2. Foliar sprays of the
best selected materials, at the proper
stage of growth of a
crop, at the proper
Two Simple Rules:
time and with good
application practices 1. Foliar spray when air
has proven to be a
temperatures and humid-
MOUNTAIN
“Helping you to grow
bigger Pumpkins”.
The many valua-
Foliar Feeding
Villafane Studios,
sculpture by Ray
Villafane
ble properties of Phosphites are indeed leading the charge to Y2K.
Promoting health and
vigour are two certain
factors.
VEGETABLE
GROWERS
The value of foliar feeding was proven many
years ago by Michigan
State University.
A project partially funded
by the Atomic Energy
Commission used radioactive tagged nutrients to
prove that a plant can
feed through the leaves.
In fact they proved that it
is 8-10 times more effective to feed a plant that
way as far as the amount
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Foliar Feeding
of nutrients necessary to do
the same job as if they were
put in the soil.
However, it is our opinion
that although
foliar feeding can be useful
and effective in correcting
deficiencies, it is a much better approach to use foliar
feeding for increasing yields
and quality
by overcoming the limitations
of the soil and its ability to
transfer nutrients into the
plant.
The best time to foliar feed is
between 3:00 A.M. and 8:00
A.M. or after 5:00 P.M. Optimum time is normally late
evening to early night. These
are
the times that the stomata
(the small opening on the
leaves) are open. However. if
the temperature is 80F or
above, do not bother to spray
as you will get little effect.
The best temperature is
around 72F or below. If the
weather is very hot and dry,
then you may have to spray
between 2 and 4
A. M. when the cells of the
leaf are full of water and dew
collects on the foliage. Any
soluble material applied to
the foliage has a good
chance of
continued
diffusing into the leaf with considerable speed. However, if
the foliage is dry and water
vapor is leaving the cells rapidly. there is little chance of
foliage-applied materials being
absorbed. The moisture evaporates quickly and the dry salts
are easily removed by air
movement. For this reason,
the application of foliage
sprays should be made at
times when the humidity is
high - between 5 P.M. and 8
A.M., or on cloudy. drizzly
days. This
may interfere somewhat with
airplane applications. because
of visibility, but applications
made during a hot, dry day
with air moving may be less
beneficial. Wetting agents tend
to improve the response to
foliage sprays.
Most foliar sprays should contain small amounts of nitrogen
to act as an electrolyte to carry
nutrients into the plant. They
may also need to have
phosphorus for internal circulation.
The pH of a spray should be
between 6.2 to 7.0 where possible. Usually you want sweeter (alkaline) sprays for young
plant growth and sour (acid)
to make fruit, grain, ears, etc.
The easiest way to adjust pH's
from acid to alkaline materials
or water is to use baking soda
(to raise pH); to make
things acid use Citric acid or
vinegar.
If foliar feeding is effective,
you should be able to see visual results in approximately 48
hours. If you have a refractometer for measuring the
sugar
content (brix) of crop juices,
then you may be able to detect the difference in 1 to 4
hours. If material did not penetrate and simply end up on the
ground, then the reactions
may take as long as two
weeks.
Always mix sprays as well as
possible and apply them in as
fine a mist as possible.
The "law of little bits" always
applies in foliar feeding. It is
better to spray small amounts
of material more frequently
than it is to drench large
amounts of material. Always
be careful as not to burn the
leaf in direct sunlight or allow
droplets to form. That is why it
is important to use a wetting
agent with most sprays to
spread it out, so that you do
not get beads of water as
prisms to burn the leaves.
11
Foliar spray
only when the
air
temperature is
cooler than soil
temperature,
and never
during the heat
of the day!
The "law of
little bits"
always applies
in foliar
feeding. It is
better to spray
small amounts
of material
more frequently
than it is to
drench large
amounts of
material.
PAGE
12
Recipe from Glenna Rea
2011 Niagara favorite
Villafane Studios,
sculpture by Ray
Villafane
ROCKY
Blend together until crumbly, in large bowl, at low speed:
¾ cup softened butter
¾ cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
Press in bottom of ungreased 15x10x1” baking pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until light golden brown.
Cool.
Prepare filling :
Combine in saucepan and melt, stirring frequently, until mixture is smooth:
28 caramels
¼ cup whipping cream
¼ cup butter
Remove from heat and stir in:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
Spread over cookie base.
Prepare glaze:
In small pan, cook over low heat until mixture is smooth.
½ cup chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. butter
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Drizzle over filling.
Top bars with pecan halves.
MOUNTAIN
GIANT
VEGETABLE
GROWERS
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Biota Max™ BENEFITS:
Increases Root Mass - larger roots means stronger plants
Utilize Atmospheric nitrogen - slow, steady nitrogen supply
Produces Plant Hormones - helps pumpkins grow BIGGER
Replaces Beneficial Organisms killed by chemicals,
heat, drought, fire, flood, erosion, cold and frost
Beneficial bacteria and fungi are used around the world on hundreds of crops, both organic and conventional. This technology is
highly effective in both pumpkin farming, home gardening and competitive pumpkin growing. Healthy soil requires a soil probiotic. CustomBio Biota Max™ is a blend of beneficial bacillus bacteria, paenibacillus bacteria, and trichoderma fungi that replicate
the natural soil organisms found in the worlds healthiest, most productive soils.
These organisms increase the root mass of the plant, increasing crop yield. GROW BIGGER PUMPKINSS with beneficial bacteria and
fungi. Additionally, the paenibacillus converts atmospheric nitrogen into a form usable by the plant - this reduces the need for
urea fertilizer by 15% - 30% and stabilizes soil (or water) nitrogen levels.
Application instructions are available at www.biotamax.com.
PAGE
14
1810.5 New World Record
good of a secret they
may have! Get your soil
tuned up and the sky is
the limit. On the flip side,
worry about your soil too
much and other aspects
of your growing might
suffer.
So bottom line what’s my
secret? The list is a long,
integrated mix of general
principles and little tactics
that come together as a
whole. It starts with consistency, persistence,
always being open minded, hard work, good soil,
good seed, good luck,
ROCKY
MOUNTAIN
GIANT
etc. It could be a little
tweak to this product or
that technique here or
there that makes sense,
but might be hard to ever
know if it truly works.
All or none of the above
could be considered secrets, depending on how
you’ve evolved your own
growing practices. At the
end of it all I think growers want there to be secrets, some sort of
“magic bullet” that gives
them an edge. By finding
a secret they think they
can use this secret to
VEGETABLE
GROWERS
their advantage. It would
probably be a disappointment if it was known
there are no secrets. It’s
my honest opinion that
magic bullet secrets didn’t grow the #1 (1810.5)
and #3 (1675) pumpkins
3 miles apart this year.
Instead it was a combination of the many things
described above, the
foremost being dedication to maximizing the
variables given to us. I
want to emphasize that
this combination in whole
is my secret.
VOLUME
V
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15
CONGRATULATIONS!! TO KEN SWEET
1,725
1,605
1,536
Thank you for using BioGrow Endo Plus,
Soluble Seaweed Powder and Biomin Calcium
NEW PRODUCT’S
PUMPKIN POWER 9-3-4, plus 3% Calcium
“ALL ORGANIC GIANT PUMPKIN FERTILIZER”
PUMPKIN POWER is made from feather meal, steamed bone meal, Langbeinite, gypsum, and is optimized for maximum effectiveness with
Amino Acid Bio-Activator. It is granular for easy dust free application. PUMPKIN POWER supports and improves microbial activity, encourages
robust roots and feeds plants for up to 3 months. Apply 3-5 pounds and till into a 10’ X 10’ area at each planting site. Work in 1/4 –
cup per 3-ft. section of vine when burying vines. Use 5-pounds per 100’ of row for fruits and vegetables.
SPRING WAKE-UP!
“Get your Giant Pumpkins off to a great start!”
SPRING WAKE-UP! is a unique product made with freeze-dried molasses and is optimized for maximum effectiveness with the addition of
Amino Acid Bio-Activator. SPRING WAKE-UP! causes an explosion of beneficial soil organisms to get your cool spring soil ready to start supplying nutrients right out of the gate. Freeze-dried molasses in an easy to apply granular form is many times more concentrated than liquid
molasses. Apply 3-pounds in a 10’ X 10’ area for each giant pumpkin plant, or 5-pounds per 100’ foot of row for other fruits and
vegetables.
BIOMIN CALCIUM SOLUBLE POWDER
5-0-0 PLUS 15% Calcium and Amino Acids
BIOMIN CALCIUM SOLUBLE POWDER has all the advantages of quickly available Calcium as the BIOMIN CALCIUM LIQUID CONENTRATE
has, but at a much lower cost! A little over 3-pounds of powder is equal to 1-gallon of the LIQUID BIOMIN CALCIUM CONCENTRATE. This is an
ideal foliar spray that provides quickly available Calcium for stronger cell walls. It will help pumpkins resist cracking and splitting, while encouraging fruits to weigh heavy for their size. It can be used for direct application to the skin of pumpkins. Use 1-Tablespoon of powder per
gallon for root feeding or foliar application, and 1-teaspoon per gallon for direct application to the skin of the fruit.
Check out all of our new products and lower prices on most of our other growing supplies at:
www.hollandsgiants.com
PAGE
16
Message from the CEO and President
2009 World Record
Champ Christy Harp
showing off her
GrowZ’em BIG tee.
Welcome….to our 2011
Growing year. If our club
growth is any indication
how well our pumpkins
will grow, we will have
one fantastic year. I was
able to attend the 2011
International Growers
Convention in Niagara,
and the best part was
meeting up with all the
growers I have met over
the years. Great friendships have been made
and I really cherish the
camaraderie and sharing
that takes place. The
information exchange
was fantastic and I hope
to bring that information
to the Rocky Mountain
Giant Vegetable Growers
helping them grow Bigger
with the latest techniques
discussed our meetings.
I invite you all to visit the
ExtremePumpkinsStore.com and check out
the new pumpkin growing
products they have to
offer. We have some
new sponsorship this
year adding BiotaMax,
Neptune's Fish and Seaweed, LithoVit, Phelan
Gardens in Colorado
Springs, and Holland’s
Land O Giants. We
thank our sponsors for
supporting our newsletter
and we encourage you
to use their products to
ROCKY
MOUNTAIN
GIANT
augment your growing
experience, they really
do make a difference in
growing big. Please
check out the ads within
our newsletter to help
you grow in 2011.
We want to welcome our
new RMGVG Board
members, Jamie Johnson ( Arvada Boy) nominated as VP to assist the
WiZ run the club. Erik
Holck rookie of the year
last year, was nominated
as Secretary for our club.
Welcome to the board,
we can really use your
help.
Mark your calendars for
August 13th, for Patch
Tour 2011. We hope to
have a new patch to
check out this year, plus
we can miss what growing at the Scherber
patch! This year Gary
Shenfish is the one to
watch out, he is growing
BIG.
A big THANK YOU goes
out to Brian Deevy, who
donated several pairs of
Rockie tickets for door
priZes at our Spring
Meeting. Everyone who
attended the Spring Meet
N Greet received a new
WeighZ’em HEAVY
RMGVG tee, the latest
edition to our growing
closet!. Attend our next
VEGETABLE
club meeting to receive
your new RMGVG
WeighZ’em BIG tee.
Finally I would like to purpose this year we create
a seed packet extravaganza of our BEST genetic crosses and offer a
super seed bubble for a
determined price like the
SNGPG seed promos.
Then I purpose we use
those monies to pay for a
club Christmas dinner in
December for growers to
get together, more info
coming later but be thinking of those great crosses to create a very special promo this year. We
have some of the best
genetics out there this
year to offer.
I want to congratulate
once again our top growers for last year, members of our 1300 pound
club Barry Todd with his
state record 1308 and
Pete Mohr with his 1306.
Outstanding weights to
shoot for this year. Who
will be our top grower this
year? How many state
records will topple? And
who will be our new rookie of the year for 2011?
Hope to see you at our
patch tour in August.
Send me your pictures to
include in our newsletter.
GrowZ’em BIG.
The WIZ
GROWERS
VOLUME
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PAGE
Rocky Mountain Giant
Vegetable Growers 2011
Gary J Grande
Donald Day Jr
Tom Menzies
Luke Puricelli
Adam Menzies
Mike Cooper
Mike Lee
Roger Spencer
Jamie Johnson
Andy Corbin
James E. Anderson
Gretchen Higgins
Doug Heathman
Erroll Wardrop
Ron Hoffman
Jerry Dill
Kevin Marsh
Andrew Pilger
Karen Kay-Timonier Dennis Hohensee
Ron Barker
Mohamed Sadiq
Greg Kurkowski
Debra Rebel
Al Dombrausky
Thomas Duffy
Nathan E. Cranson
Dan Hajdas
Ross Krummel
Robert Risi
Jim Grande
Michael Ackerman
Joe Scherber
Andy Humprey (Jareds)
Barry Todd
Andrew Holland
Gary Shenfish
Arthur Jensen
Peter Mohr
JoLynn Cuseo
Greg Hopson
Mojca Rejar Klancic
Miika Mäntyniemi
Wayne Moore
Brian Deevy
Terry S Dugan
Bill Deevy
Martin Schnicker
Rob Deevy
Philip Wellington
Jim Courson
Pad Kail
Curtis L Saxton
Matthew Westpahl
Iwan Horde EGVGA Derek Sagert
Paul Schweigert
Todd Kline
Caleb Dillion
Jannine Cabossel
Kirk R. Volkel
Clarence Phillips
Eric Bobbitt
Aaron Dew
Beki Adams
Mark Boelman
Glenna Rea
Bryan Mailey
Carlos Reynolds
Don and Geneva
Emmons
Jack Slade
Emmett May
Duke Edwards
Phil Trujillo
McKenna Edwards
Teresa Rodriquez
Collin Edwards
Jerry and Lori Rowley
Candace Grande
John Sylvestre
Erik Holck
Aliva Dockery
William J Price
Deborah Underwood
Betsy Opplet
Marie Rehm
If your name is missing from the list
please contact
The WIZ.
Thank You for supporting the
RMGVG
17
Contact us to
insert your Advertisement
here.
Lithovit®™
Club Representatives
President and CEO
Editor Staff
Northern Ambassador
Gary J. Grande (Founder)
Celeste Grande
Pete Mohr
aka The Wiz
Jamie Johnson
aka LongMont Pete
Senior Advisor to The WiZ
Articles contributed by:
Wyoming Ambassador
Kirk Volkel (Founder)
Mike Lee
Ron Hoffman
aka Long Beard (LB)
Miss Dee
aka RonH
Gary Grande
Vice President
Dick “Pap” Wallace
Marketing & Research
Jamie Johnson
Glenna “Nana” Rea
Jim Grande
Chris Stevens
aka The Biz
Russ Landry
Secretary
Erik
Webmaster, Web Graphics/Design
Treasurer
Patty Volkel
Gary Grande
Chief Editor
Gary Grande
From the editors Any mistakes or omissions are unintentional. Please send
Candace Grande (Founder)
aka BBkins
any corrections, articles or pictures to
[email protected]
Logo
Linda Burwell