Pictured is complete cessation of soft /wrinkled tip using a 'nutrient bath solution' developed by gvgo members. We ask only for the same consideration given to most other other giant fruits and vegetables. The request in short,.... Can a 'healed' gourd be accepted for competition, regardless of where the 'soft spot' was previously?
And you did a great job in explaining and clarifying Todd. Your replies and insight are much appreciated. Looking forward to seeing you all in Port Elgin😊.
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Just to clarify your clarification on the question of whether a healed tip or healed soft spots can be entered as an official entry, the answer to that is it would be up to the judges discretion to determine it being a healthy specimen. If you have a gourd that is in this condition, by all means take it to the contest and ask the judge there to inspect it and give you his or her reasoning for their decision. As far as cut off tips go, then the answer is no, it should be dmg whether it is healed or not. One word in rule 7 pretty much sums it up "whole". I do not take your comments to be complaints Joel and I am trying to explain the GPC's rules as clearly as I can. I look forward to seeing as usual in the upcoming events.
For clarity..i was not "complaining" about the current rule. The question was 'can a soft/wrinkled tip gourd that has firmed and dried be entered for competition?'...the answer was basically "No" from GPC... and that decision is accepted. The dried up tip is in fact cut off rendering it dmg by todays rules.
No complaining here, just thought it was a dicussion worth having. For reference, this gourd previosly had a 4" soft/wrinkled /rotting tip 2 weeks ago.
Agree with you John...thus this discussion. So lets not forget the principal behind the rule and a huge objective as giant vegetable growers...Larger/longer/heavier healthy fruit.
Do we want the 165" long gourd staying home on weighoff day and have a 120" gourd win because its 'flawless'...or do we want those 165" seeds in circulation to get to that next level in years to come?
For the record, i dont know of any 165" fruit out there but it would be my first choice for seed, scabbed, wounded or wrinkled if someone does ;)
Like Mike says, if you are judging by the rules the way they are written you would have to DQ this fruit. Now seeing lots of proof that this is a reverable nutrient issue and nothing else, I think this rule needs to change To read something like as long as there isn't active rot or open wounds it should be allowed. But again the way the rules are written this is clearly a DQ it clearly has a shriveled tip.
I am leaning more toward is it leaking, is there a hole , is there visible rot.
If there is none of this evident in a pumpkin it will be weighed as sound. even if the bottom falls out of it a few mins. after its been weighed, even if it has been off the vine and kept in a cooler for 2 weeks. I think the therory of it being a genetic defect was wrong and am leaning more towards it being a nutrient deficency
What does the very bottom of the tip look like? I would cut off the dead stuff & see what it looks like. If it's healed over completely, then it would be up to the judges. If there is a small soft spot at the very tip or an open area on the gourd's tip that you can see into the fruit, then it would/should be DQ'd.
I agree with Joel on this. Check the pic of Dan Clements 1803 kin on his growers diary.
If the pumpkin is sound and none of the cracks enter the cavity is it OK to weigh not
DMG. According to the rules yes. (we would at our weigh off)
yet we have to turn this gourd away