tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261494849047025161.post8429293904007360533..comments2024-03-16T05:00:31.114-04:00Comments on Budding and Blooming: Archenemy #1: Squash Vine BorerJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00193278804750154921noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261494849047025161.post-36201273600024892652012-08-17T14:15:38.143-04:002012-08-17T14:15:38.143-04:00I've been battling them this year, on my pumpk...I've been battling them this year, on my pumpkins, acorn squash, and yellow squash.<br />Here's what I have done, and so far so good:<br />1. check for eggs... they can be everywhere! Small reddish brown disk shaped eggs laid singly, mostly on the vine, or leaf stems, or where the stem meets the leaf. I've picked off hundreds so far this season. If I hadn't noticed them my plants would be toast by now. (my earlier crop of Yellow squash suffered this fate, before I educated myself).<br />2. Undoubtedly I have missed some eggs. So what I do is check the vines and leaf stems for frass (mushy yellow stuff coming out), or a yellowing instead of green color. Then I have injected with BT, where I have seen this. If I find a lot of frass, I have also washed out the area, stuck an electrical wire, and harpooned the bugger! Has worked well. Then I inject with more BT just in case I missed one. So far I have done this about 5 times, and the vine have been recovering.<br />3. Covering the base of the plant with lots of dirt (once I make sure no eggs are there). Covering the vines with dirt also. I've tried to make sure my vines are on the ground, and covered them when possible because it helps the plant send more root down from the vine, and that makes the plant stronger and more resistant to attacks. On my Acorn squash, which suffered earlier damage, this has helped them a lot.<br />4. Next year I plan to cover my plants with Tulle netting, until the female flowers appear. Then afterwards hopefully, vigilance and vine covering can help the plant survive until I get a good harvest.ccabalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06012763886707018853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261494849047025161.post-61291204929132207332012-06-13T14:48:31.650-04:002012-06-13T14:48:31.650-04:00I feel your pain! All of winter squash fell to th...I feel your pain! All of winter squash fell to the pest, I was hoping the summer crop would fare better. No luck :(Gillishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03695969781086921988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261494849047025161.post-78007706613231350172012-06-09T22:02:05.428-04:002012-06-09T22:02:05.428-04:00I just planted some butternut seeds to replace the...I just planted some butternut seeds to replace the supposedly resistant squash. I hope they'll have enough time to grow! I've contemplated row covers before, another battle plan option. I need to pay more attention to when the adults are around laying eggs, so I know when to cover them. I didn't know that about degree days that could be really useful. I've even thought about covering them all season long, but that would require hand pollination and I'm too lazy for that!Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00193278804750154921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261494849047025161.post-65390995127610139972012-06-09T21:46:11.165-04:002012-06-09T21:46:11.165-04:00Thanks for all the suggestions! I tried wrapping ...Thanks for all the suggestions! I tried wrapping the vines with pantyhose last year and they still got in there. I probably didn't secure them on there tight enough. I haven't tried sprays.. yet. I need to be more diligent about looking for eggs, but I've never noticed them. BTK sounds like a good option.. battle plan for next year!Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00193278804750154921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261494849047025161.post-32776926635298337592012-06-09T21:33:39.923-04:002012-06-09T21:33:39.923-04:00I tried wrapping the vines last year and it didn&#...I tried wrapping the vines last year and it didn't work for me. I haven't tried spraying or nematodes yet.. good to know there's other battle plan options.Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00193278804750154921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261494849047025161.post-72612660344777111092012-06-09T21:32:10.583-04:002012-06-09T21:32:10.583-04:00Hmm.. perhaps I should relocate!Hmm.. perhaps I should relocate!Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00193278804750154921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261494849047025161.post-49486489293982046642012-06-09T08:20:53.982-04:002012-06-09T08:20:53.982-04:00I am very very glad we don't get this particul...I am very very glad we don't get this particular brand of evil here.Liz - Suburban Tomatohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15967077073783256161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261494849047025161.post-13066833287025774592012-06-09T07:19:58.422-04:002012-06-09T07:19:58.422-04:00Ugh! I hate those little buggers! I have a battle ...Ugh! I hate those little buggers! I have a battle plan this year too which includes wrapping the vines and spraying the vines like ignorant gardener mentioned. I also was told that once the borer is in the vine you can inject the vine with beneficial nematodes. This supposed to kill the borer without harming the plant.Suburban Gardenesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17555985514462862226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261494849047025161.post-65335857825019092342012-06-08T21:14:34.965-04:002012-06-08T21:14:34.965-04:00Here are a couple ideas. You may have already trie...Here are a couple ideas. You may have already tried them, but if not, they may help in the future. <br /><br />Cut little pieces of row cover and use them to just wrap the vine. Do this before you plant, so that the covered section of the vine extends below the soil line; and add more wrapping as the vine grows larger. <br />The most reliable cure may be to grow your squash out in the open and use vigilance to get the eggs. You may not be able to see them, but a weekly spray of the vine with insecticidal soap will smother them nonetheless (use a commercial product, not home-made; there is a fine line between beneficial soap and plant-killing herbicide). <br />Or use BTK. It is organic and non-toxic; one of the oldest organic pest controls. It’s sold under brand names like Dipel, Thuricide and greenstep, It kills caterpillars that munch on the sprayed plant part; it affects nothing else. So spray the vines once a week and there will be BTK on the stem when that hungry, hungry caterpillar comes out and starts munching. <br /><br />One last tip is that they egg clusters can hibernate over the winter, so either move the plants to a new spot every year or else turn the soil well dealing death and destruction to all that you find. Nematodes are supposed to help, but I’ve no experience. I bet a local nursery or master gardener would be able to advise you best, but these are my ideas. Hope they help!ignorant gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09666406543531437194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261494849047025161.post-38067997326245991222012-06-08T20:13:10.479-04:002012-06-08T20:13:10.479-04:00For winter squash I only grow the C. moschata, tho...For winter squash I only grow the C. moschata, though I do have a hybrid one that is supposed to be resistant. I'll find out this year if it works or not. Because here I've had every single plant taken down if it isn't a C. moschata. But I do love my butternuts. Though for the zucchini I'm going to try to row cover them for the first time. The borers here only have one hatching and it lasts a few weeks. So those weeks the squash will be covered. At least that is my hope. I just have to time it right. Supposedly they come out at around 1000 degree days. So I'll probably cover them before that.Daphne Gouldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305049560953735881noreply@blogger.com