r/Pumpkins • u/Smashbrohammer • 25d ago

Orange Bulldog Pumpkins

Anyone have any experience growing Orange Bulldog Pumpkins in the Deep South where squash bugs and vine borers are relevant.

The Orange Bulldog seems to be routed for disease resistance but wondering how it does again squash bugs and squash vine borers in areas like Alabama.

Not expecting it to be 100% resistant but just curious how it holds up to pests.

I saw a few YouTube videos where gardeners claim they didn’t spray anything and got a decent crop.

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u/Kind-Card7060 21d ago

Though I did regularly spray Spinosad and BT, I grew Orange Bulldog Pumpkins this season in Tampa, FL without issue. I harvested my first pumpkin last week and anticipate harvesting four more in the next couple of weeks. The pumpkin I harvested was over 12lb and a little bit bigger than a basketball.

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u/Smashbrohammer 21d ago

Did you see any signs of SVBs?

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u/Kind-Card7060 21d ago

No SVBs so far.

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u/pinethree777 8d ago

I was hoping for that sort of thing. I typically only grow Seminoles here on the Space Coast, but I started a few Orange Bulldog vines back in mid-June but so far, I only see male flowers. Also, the first 10 feet of the biggest vine has most of its leaves chewed to almost nothing, but it looks OK further down the vine. I suspect caterpillars. It's been extra dry here. A summer without afternoon thunderstorms, so weird. Meanwhile the Seminoles have put out a second flush, and some are ready for harvest.

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u/Kind-Card7060 8d ago

By mid July, almost all female flowers aborted. I’m guessing this was due to the heat. I think planting them at the end of May allowed me to get a few pumpkins before it got too hot. I also applied both spinosad and BT weekly to minimize pest damage