One of the fruit varieties with the highest nutritional value is pumpkin. Yes, pumpkins are considered fruits! However, it is also used as a decoration for festivities. You can see it from Jack-O-Lanterns for Halloween to stacking them near your garden for a warm autumn scene. Taking care of the plant is a hassle for sure. But can a pumpkin plant survive without leaves?
Unfortunately, no. The pumpkin plant cannot survive without its leaves. Like any other plant, the pumpkin plant needs its leaves to produce food. Thus, the leaves are essential for plants to continue growing. Without the leaves, your pumpkin plant will not grow, and you will not be able to harvest it properly.
There is a lot to know if you want to grow pumpkins in the summer. Although looking after the plant may seem difficult initially, it will only get easier with more knowledge. You can go through this article to learn about pumpkins and how to take care of them.
Why are the Leaves are Important?
Plants need to produce food to survive. It produces food via its leaves.
Plants use a technique called Photosynthesis. This process is when plants take in sunlight through their leaves and produce oxygen and energy. The energy is mostly sugar. It also takes in water from the roots and carbon dioxide.
You can argue that since the plant will still have its roots, it should be able to survive. But that is a common misconception.
Thanks to the roots, the plant can continue to take in water from the ground. Water might keep most animals alive, but it is not the same for plants. The water is used to help with creating energy. You can use this energy to produce electricity!
The water and the sunlight go hand in hand. The leaves are significant since plants cannot properly use the water taken from the roots without them. The leaves are what take in the sunlight and carbon dioxide in the first place.
In this way, plants make their food. If they cannot produce food, then it cannot grow. As a result, it will slowly start to wilt.
It might survive for a few days but eventually, die without any harvest. No amount of water or sunlight can save it at that point. But there are ways to take care of your pumpkin plants and stop them from wilting.
Quick Guide to Growing and Harvesting Pumpkins:
Make it a point before starting to grow pumpkins. Pumpkins are seasonal fruits, and they cannot survive in the winter.
Thus, plant them in the summer, and you can harvest them in the fall. Here is a quick explanation to set you up!
1. Growing Pumpkins
First, plant your pumpkins in early summer. Make sure to plant them at the very edge of your garden. This small detail might not seem like much initially, but it will slowly make sense.
Second, plant each pumpkin seed 2 to 5 feet apart. The distance will vary depending on the variety of pumpkins.
Third, you have to mix aged compost to improve the soil quality. Pumpkins are big fruits. Hence, they require a lot of water.
Always provide one and a half inches of water per week. Try to use a soaker or drip irrigation. It will help to avoid wetting the leaves. You should also give the pumpkin plant food for proper nourishment.
When you see the first pumpkin form, slowly elevate it. It will prevent it from rotting.
2. Planting and Caring
Pumpkins need a soil pH of around 6.0 to 6.8. pH stands for the potential of hydrogen. It is a method of measuring how acidic or basic a substance is.
Different plants require different levels of pH. Pumpkins will have vines when they start to grow. It would be best if you planned on giving each vine at least a 3-foot mound of enriched soil.
Make sure to test your soil every year to measure its pH level. You are going in blind without doing a soil test.If soil testing seems like a hassle, add aged compost to enrich the soil. If you live in a colder climate, warm the soil in a black plastic bag for a week before use.
Pumpkin vines cover lots of ground and proliferate. It would be perfect if you planted it at the edge of your garden. It will ensure that the vines do not damage other plants. Try to direct the vines outside of the garden.
After a few weeks, you will see the flowers forming. These flowers will grow into pumpkins.
Provide ample water every day using the drip irrigator. It is always preferred to be the best method to water the pumpkin plants in the early morning because they can use the water for the entire day.
3. Tackling Known Issues
The first few flowers will be male blooms. Male bloom pollen attracts bees while female bloom blossoms. It is the time when the bees will try to get on the vines.
You will have to clear them out daily so there will be no damage.
Male blooms only last for one day. After that, they fall. If your vines are stressed, you will see that male blooms are predominant.
Other insects, such as cucumber beetles, will attack with time. These are spotted and striped and easy to identify. They carry bacterial diseases which cause vines to collapse.
Try not to kill adult bees; swat them away or neutralize them with neem. Bees are essential for the environment.
4. Harvest and Storage
When the pumpkins begin to form, elevate them and place paper or cardboard beneath. It will help them from touching the soil.
When the pumpkins are grown, you can remove some of the leaves that shade them. After they are fully grown, you can cut the leaves.
You will know the fruit is ripe when the skin is complex and has a beautiful color. You can harvest pumpkin fruits by cutting the stems with a sharp knife.
You should be aware that you must always leave at least an inch of stem on the pumpkin.
When storing the pumpkin, let it cure in sunlight for about two weeks to harden the skin. It will also improve the taste.
Causes of Wilting Pumpkin Plants
There are many reasons for pumpkins to wilt. We have already touched upon the insect issues. Bacterial infections spread by cucumber beetles are a common problem many people face. However, some basic human errors can make your pumpkin wilt and die.
The first problem is irrigation issues. Never provide more than one to one and a half inches of water per week. An obscene amount of water can cause your pumpkin plant to wilt. Too much water can cause mold to form. It will cause your pumpkin plant to start to rot.
Your pumpkin plant vines might contract the yellow vine disease. It is the reason why pumpkin plants turn yellow and wilt. Initially, it is not easy to notice, but eventually, it will start to brown. It is slowly spreading towards the fruits and other vines.
Take preventive measures to prevent infections or infestations from happening. Nature has its way, and you cannot always stop damage at the first sign of exposure.
Always check your plants and clean around the roots and vines to make sure your plants do not wilt.
Conclusion
So, now you know if a pumpkin plant can survive without leaves. You have also learned how to grow them and when to harvest them. Now you also know how to take care of them. You are now ready to get started on your new adventure!
Good luck with your first harvest! I’m sure you will have fun with your new hobby! Thank you for reading through this article!