When and How to Trim Pumpkin Vines

06.06.2023 - 17:19 / gardenerspath.com / Laura Ojeda Melchor / Winter Squash

Back when I first started gardening, I thought leaving a pumpkin vine to grow every which way was the only way to keep it alive and well.

Turns out, this isn’t necessarily true.

While it’s not absolutely necessary to trim the vines, doing so can encourage a more abundant harvest, and larger pumpkins.

The main reasons why gardeners trim their pumpkin plants are to prevent them from choking out other plants in the garden, for ease of maintenance, and to increase airflow between the leaves, which can help to prevent disease.

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Additionally, by sacrificing some of the younger fruit, it allows the plant to put all its energy into developing the remaining pumpkins.

If you’re growing pumpkins – which you can learn more about in our growing guide – you’ll need to know how to manage them.

Here’s what you’ll discover:

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of when and how to trim your pumpkin plant, here are a few things to know about their growth habits.

First, there’s the main vine, which is the one directly attached to the roots that grows out of the ground. It’s the thickest one you’ll see when you inspect your plant.

Growing from the main vine are secondary vine called “runners,” which produce secondary roots if left to grow uninterrupted.

You can also encourage growth of secondary roots by burying the stem, as you’ll see below. These runners can, in turn, produce additional runners known as tertiaries.

Leaves and blooms – and therefore fruits – can grow from any of these vines. However, it is best to remove any tertiary runners as soon as you notice them, to avoid diverting