I want to keep my pumpkins from taking over. How should I go about pruning them so that I don't affect fruit production. Last year I had many more fruits started than what I ended up with.
Extension
Message
From:
Sandra Mason
State Master Gardener Coordinator
Champaign/Ford/Iroquois/Vermilion Unit slmason@illinois.edu
Hi Kirstin, since the first flowers on pumpkins are male it really isnt a good idea to do a lot of pruning. you can prune to just one or two vines but they need to grow to produce female flowers. better option is to plant bush or semi bush varieites. they still need space but not as much. please use this website to select varieties. Sandy http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/pumpkin.cfm