My pumpkin vines got pruned - was that the wrong thing to do? Now, what can I do to help them survive?

Question

I had a great little garden of zuchini and pumpkin plants, but they grew past the garden fence and out onto the lawn.

My husband just cut them right back to the fence. He says that there werent' any pumpkins or zuchini on the vines cut, so no big deal.

I'm afraid that cutting them back like that will affect the pumpkins that were growing inside the garden fence. One patch has started to turn yellow. Are the plants dying because they were so heavily pruned?

A friend has said that you are supposed to prune back pumpkins to make the ones growing get bigger... is that true? What should I do now to help the remaining plants?

Here is a picture of the garden - post pruning....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10335153@N05/2790297056/

You can see the yellow patch at the lower right side.

Answer 1

I don't think you are going to get much production with that little of foliage. You need much more room for pumpkins. The plants will survive though.

Answer 2

Good news, next year plant a much bigger garden and your husband won't have to mow over the vines!  Each of those leaves is a solar collector supplying energy to the developing fruit.  You want max leaves and minimal fruit for more energy!  Without knowing how much your husband cut off, it's hard to say this yellowing is the reason.  It could very well be, the plant has now been pushed into senescence.....closing down for winter.  It's a chemcial balance inside the plant and the mowing may have thrown it over to the "dead side."  Try more water and maybe even some fertilizer, but I'm not hold ing out much hope.  Also check for critters that may be lurking but you'd seem them on the squash above too.  

As said above, pumpkins need ROOM to roam....six feet between hills isn't far for some real galloping vines.  

Answer 3

Your yellow patch looks more like a lack of water and/or nourishment.  If the vines have set fruit, then they needs LOTS OF H20!

Pruning should not hurt, if not done too drastically and quickly.

Many growers who want to show LARGE pumpkins pick the excess fruit off, so that only one gets large.

I hate to have to tell you, but judging from your picture, you are planting them MUCH TOO CLOSE!  One plant can get really large, and needs a lot of root space.  There are thousands of miles of roots and root hairs on ONE pumpkin plant.

Try more space between the "Hills" next time, and I am sure you will get a surprising crop.