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How To Keep Pumpkins From Rotting On The Vine

How to prevent pumpkins from rotting on the vine is one of the most crucial issues to deal with when it comes to your fall harvest. Unfortunately, this is among the most prevalent issues with growing pumpkins. The addition of pumpkins to your garden is fantastic. These vibrant, meaty fruits are excellent for roasting for a delicious side dish or using in a wide range of sweet treats.

As part of their fall celebrations and activities, kids also enjoy carving and painting pumpkins. Unfortunately, pumpkins rot on the vine before they are generally ready for harvest. However, there are serious reasons why pumpkins rot on the vine and simple fixes.

In our guide, you can learn more about how to stop pumpkins rotting after you attract bees during the flowering stage, and fruits begin to grow. By the end, you’ll have enough tips on how to prevent blossom end rot and keep your pumpkins health to eat or carve for Halloween. (Read Will Hostas Grow Under Pine Trees)

How To Keep Pumpkins From Rotting On The Vine

What to Put Under Growing Pumpkins?

How long do uncarved pumpkins last will depend on how well you care for them. There are several methods to stop pumpkins from rotting.

Hanging:

Hanging your decorative pumpkins from tomato cages or trellises to keep them off the ground is one way to prevent pumpkin rot. Additionally, this will safeguard your pumpkins.

You can tie a pair of pantyhose around your pumpkins and give them to the plant to help them stand up. The ability to increase space in your garden and prevent rotting on the vine from exposure to moisture is a breeding ground for mold are two reasons vertical gardening is becoming more and more popular.

Boxes or Pallets

If you have wood boxes or pallets lying around the house, they make a brilliant solution to preserve pumpkins. After you show them how to get rid of items you no longer need while on vacation, these wooden containers will help keep your pumpkins off the ground.

To achieve the same effect, flip rhythm over, use the underside or use a piece of wood in your pumpkin patch.

wood boxes pallets

Why Pumpkins Rot on the Vine

Pumpkins produce an abundance of fruit and increase. But first, rotting must be avoided, or all your hard work will be for naught. Pumpkins rot on the vine for various d below, along with remedies.

Excess Moisture

Excess soil moisture is the primary offender when pumpkins rot on the vine. This is because pumpkins are very susceptible to fungal diseases. These diseases flourish in moist environments. For this reason, you should follow the appropriate watering instructions for the type of pumpkins you are growing.

  • Excess soil moisture causes fungal disease, which rots pumpkins.
  • Follow pumpkin watering instructions to prevent disease and rot.
  • Never allow the soil to become soggy since this can encourage fungal diseases.
  • Grow small pumpkin varieties using a trellis or in tomato cages.
  • The soil where your pumpkin plants should be moderately moist but never soggy.
  • Cut back on watering if you suspect this is the problem. By reducing your watering volume, pumpkin rot should clear up.

If growing small pumpkin varieties, consider growing them in a tomato cage or on a trellis. The vines will grow upward, avoiding the ground and excess moisture.

Underwatering

Without enough water, pumpkins may rot as a lack of nutrients causes pumpkin rot. Pumpkin vines use water to move soil nutrients to the plants while they are in flower, and a lack of water prevents this movement, which results in rotten pumpkins.

Underwatering pumpkins also hinder flowering, and where you can find rotten pumpkins where there is active fruit development. Check soil conditions to water your pumpkin plant to prevent under-watering. Once the top inch of soil feels dry, water your pumpkins. Hot, sunny, or windy conditions can dry out the soil, so ensure you check daily. (Read Can Pigs Eat Watermelon)

Nutrition

If the soil your pumpkins are planted in isn’t nutrient-rich, you may have a rotting problem. Without nutrients, pumpkin vines can’t grow healthy fruit. Insufficient nutrients cause soft, rotten pumpkins.

Poor soil can be remedied by adding aged manure, decomposed leaves, or compost. In addition, young pumpkin plants need high-nitrogen fertilizer to grow leaves.

Once baby pumpkins appear, switch to high-phosphorus fertilizer. Your pumpkins’ rot resistance improves because of this.

Pests

Pumpkins rot because of pests. Beetles are the most common pests, so you’ll need to spray vines using a mild pesticide or organic formula.

pumpkin rotting on vines

Why are Your Pumpkins Rotting on the Vine?

Pumpkins have rapid growth and abundant fruit production. They might, however, be prone to rot. The most frequent causes include the following:

  • First, your pumpkin patch could quickly rot if the soil has too much moisture.
  • Lack of water can prevent your pumpkins from absorbing the proper nutrients, resulting in rotting.
  • Rotting pumpkins can result from soil that lacks nutrients.
  • Finally, pumpkins may rot due to pest attacks.
  • If the right actions are taken, most rotting problems can be fixed.

You can safeguard your pumpkins by checking the soil’s moisture level, adhering to a watering schedule, giving them regular fertilizer, and being watchful for pest insects. You can practically grow any variety of pumpkin in your garden with some care.

How Long Do Pumpkins Last?

The lifespan of pumpkins varies and is influenced by whether you cut into them, so you should know that immediately. Uncarved pumpkins should last two to three months if kept out of the sun and away from extreme temperatures.

If you want to display your carved masterpiece on Halloween night, remember that carved pumpkins are just like fresh vegetables and will only last a few days.

How To Prevent Rotting Pumpkins On Vine

Use just enough water for the fruit to appear. For optimal fruit development, pumpkins benefit from slightly more irrigation during the flowering stage. Once the fruit has been set, maintain a consistent irrigation schedule. When the fruit turns color, turn off the water completely to lessen the risk of rotting.

Pumpkins produce many flowers before dropping the fruit that the plant can’t support until it ripens. The healthy pumpkins should be gently lifted and placed on a small wooden box, straw nest, or small pallet to prevent them from becoming overly wet while it will increase air circulation underneath.

Small hammocks made of bean or pea netting can support the heavy fruit when growing pumpkins vertically on a trellis or fence in smaller gardens.

How to Prevent Carved Pumpkins Rotting

When you need to know how long do pumpkins last outside for Halloween etc., using a few tricks can ensure your carved pumpkins will be happy spending time in your garden.

  • Bleach: Wipe the outside of your carved pumpkin with a diluted bleach solution before carving.
  • Petroleum jelly: Many say applying petroleum jelly to carved pumpkin edges helps retain moisture and prevent the start of the rotting process. This eliminates decay-causing microbes. Remove all pulp to avoid attracting bugs, then clean all surfaces, inside and out.
  • Keep Cool: Keep your carved pumpkin out of direct sunlight and refrigerate it for up to 10 days when not on display to help prevent rot.

How to Prevent Uncarved Pumpkins from Rotting

If you want to know how to keep a pumpkin from rotting, you can use these tips:

Eliminate mold. Use a bleach and water wash or dunk to prevent microbes from turning your pumpkin into mush. Keep warm and away from freezing temperatures to prevent decay. They store best at 50 to 60°F and 50% humidity, yet suffer from frost. (Read Best Grass To Mix With Centipede)

Stop pumpkin-eaters. Pumpkins are delicious, so that nothing can keep rodents away. Both carved and uncarved pumpkins are favorites. One solution is to spray with hot sauce and water. If it rains, repeat every few days, or you can use a commercial repellant, but this stinks like rotten eggs until it dries.

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