1 Jul
2011
1 Jul
'11
12:46 p.m.
Howdy,
This year I tried applying ashes at the base of my plants to deter the SVB & so far no
frass!
This method was used by husband's Cherokee grandfather and my in-laws have never had
squash pest infestation.
In May I spied an adult hovering near the zukes & applied the ash on the crown base or
any part of the stalk that touched the soil, where the adult is most likely to deposit her
eggs. Plus we grill a lot, so I've been re-applying on regular basis too. A second
summer squash crop was planted a few weeks ago, so the ash surrounds those tiny plants
too. The adults are bright red and black with the initial appearance/hover of a wasp.
SVB overwinters in the soil and while working in early spring plantings I've found
their cocoons a couple inches deep in the beds. It measures about the size of a penny, has
a dark reddish brown color and a pointy end, see pic. I know dooms day is near when I find
those cracked shells at the soil surface, despite tilling & grub removal efforts.
Amy Goldman of Seed Savers writes in "The Compleat Squash" that foil wrapped
around the lower stems will prevent infestation. The effort may be worth trying on a few
precious plants…
The squash bugs are annoying, but at least the eggs/bugs are easy to manually remove. They
hate water & good soaking will drive their minions to the top leaves for collection.
One bug I haven't seen so far is the cucumber beetle. Maybe it is too early in the
summer, but they are usually just as annoying as the squash bug.
Moschatas have a hardier vine & it is not too late to plant a bed either. Last year,
seeds were sown in August after the initial pepo bed was devastated & we harvested
several pumpkins before Halloween. If vines are allowed to climb, the squash bugs become
less of a problem too.
Best, Vanessa
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/gourds/msg0719125016036.html
http://www.homestead-acres.com/forum/7-gardening/1248-squash-bug-issue.html
If it is a rose, it will come into bloom sooner or later.
~Goethe
Sent from my iPad
On Jul 1, 2011, at 8:03 AM, Jennifer Woody <jennifer.e.woody(a)gmail.com> wrote:
What a bore the last week has been! I had been on the
look out for these squash bugs that folks had discussed earlier, but didn't see any.
Earlier this week a few of my plants started looking really droopy so I investigated and
found frass near the base of the plants... Two plants are totally dead and gone--removed
from the garden. Two more aren't looking so good.
Anyway, I did some research online and found this great article about organic control of
squash bugs and vine borers (they're different but control methods are similar).
http://bit.ly/ju4fUH It isn't NC-specific, but the one article I found from NC
extension basically said to put some poison on it. It's not promising that this will
lead to some half-dead plans surviving, but I may try cutting into the stem of one to kill
the borer...a last resort.
Thought I'd share some things I learned about squash pests that may be helpful:
1) You probably will have them--either the bugs or the borers so start your system of
control now for next year (see link above). I thought I was immune--big mistake! Also I
learned the bugs can fly up to 1/2 mile so with all us gardeners around here, they'll
be back!
2) They come out sometime in early May to Mid-June, so be on the look out right about
then... And by "look out" I mean not just the bugs on the leaves, but the borers
in the stems too! I found a Minnesota-based website that said late June, but I'd back
that up earlier for us. Anyone have more info on the timing?
3) The bugs and borers usually have one life cycle, but perhaps two in some southern
climates. So, possibly, you can replant your squash in July and they'll be safe for
the season...or maybe not... Any advice?
4) Plant resistant varieties that were listed in a post earlier this year on this forum.
At least I got two giant marrows out of the dead plants before they were taken down by
the bores. This was of much interest to my fiance who is an Agatha Christie fan.
Apparently Agatha writes about a Belgian man who retires to grow marrow and there is much
discussion among her fan base about exactly what a marrow is. We ate one for lunch on
Wednesday. Delicious!
Bored on Penn Rd,
Jennifer
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