I have no idea why they would say that or recommend such high levels of P and K. I can only relate what has worked for me for years based on all the reading I have done on the question. And I'm sure soil type and basic soil fertility is also a factor and my beds have been very well amended over the years so a lot less supplemental feeding is required for me than it may be for others. But why not post this on the Pumpkins & Gourds forum and see what the experts there recommend as several of them grow pumpkins commercially. Dave

Normal silvering of the leaves.

I'm sorry to see that in your patch :( It is definitely a virus, looks like one of the mosaic viruses. Unfortunately that plant is a loss, any fruit will be deformed. You can try cutting out the tip and throwing it out. Hopefully the lateral branches will be ok.

We grow a couple different varieties of white pumpkins each season and have grown Lumina....they can be a little touchy some seasons and we stopped growing them and moved onto better. Some of my favorite...Cotton Candy...they are nice round basketball sized pumpkins that grow on semi bush vines. We have grown these each year for past 6 yrs and always get good production. Also last year we began growing a white pumpkin called Valenciano...they are nice creamy white pumpkin that will get to be about 10 -12 pounds. They have quickly become my favorite and are pretty easy to grow and you get quite a few pumpkins off each vine. So don't give up on the white pumpkins...there are some better varieties out there. One thing also we have found that growing them next to corn or tall grass gives them the protection they need from the sun scorching them. Can find seeds thru Johnny's Seeds, Rupps Seeds or Reimer Seeds...