Treating Pumpkin Splits, Rot & Sapping

One thing you have to watch for on your pumpkin this time of year are splits in the skin, stem and blossom end.   Season ending splits typically start inside the pumpkin and work their way to the surface and there isn't much of anything you can do about those.  However, scrapes on the skin and growth splits on the surface typically aren't season ending.  Particularly if they are taken care of early.

A 10% solution of bleach on the damaged area or some sulfur powder is what I typically use to take care of these and it almost always works.  If the damaged area is left too long however without treatment it sometimes will begin to rot.  If that rot gets past the surface, your season typically is done at that point.  Sometimes you can scrape the rotted area away and then heavily treat the damaged area (50% solution of bleach + sulfur + keep the area dry), but often times it can be very difficult to stop it once it starts rotting.

Sometimes some pumpkins will sap as they grow.   Basically as the pumpkin grows "sap" from the pumpkin gets pushed out of the skin.  The sap looks like sap from a tree and is light yellow to reddish in color.  Typically I'll give those areas a spray of bleach, but usually they aren't a problem.  If anything it indicates the pumpkin is growing, because I've never seen a pumpkin sap that isn't still growing.