Larry,

I suppose you can do it if you want to. I don't know of any reason why you shouldn't. It can only help the plants.

Sometimes the newer growth is lighter merely because it is new, and then it turns darker as it ages.That could be all you're seeing.

I'm all in favor of doing the watering and feeding because anything that makes the plants stronger also will make them more productive.

If you don't want to have to worry about the grass going crazy, you could put down cardboard with mulch on top to smother most of that grass near the runners and just leave the soil bare right where the runners touch the ground so they can root into the ground as they grow.

Dawn

Dawn, thinks. I think I will water and feed the runner area. I don't have enough mulch to mulch the area. There may be a few spots where I will sit the cornfield pumpkin on some mulch to try to reduce insect damage. I have some oak shavings that I think will work well in that application.

The weeds and grass will be no problem if they don't harm the pumpkins, I will just mow the area after harvest.

Larry