I received an email last night from one hundred dollars a month reader Jenny. She is worried about her zucchini plant. Since I am not a zucchini expert, I thought maybe one of you could help.
Here is an excerpt of her email:
Unfortunately this year our zucchini harvest has slowed down. Something has started to kill off the leaves first and than travel to the base of the plant. My boyfriend took out most of the damaged/ dead or dying plant yesterday. Today I noticed that it has possibly spread…. I am totally FREAKED out! I love zucchini and will probably cry if I lose the whole thing.
Here is what I can tell you about our garden.
- This is our first year learning how and we built garden boxes.
- We filled the boxes with a mixture of top soil/ and llama manure from my parent’s house. Everything else in the garden is doing great!!
- We water enough but not too much.
- I cannot find any bug, slug or indicator of either.
- Something is really wrong with this plant……
- This is what I can see….. tiny white spots on the base. On the healthy side of the plant you cannot find a single white dot. But on the unhealthy side you can see where they are on the base of the zucchini (not sure what to call that part). They are not on the leaves.
{Side view of the white spots on the zucchini leaves}
Any ideas!?!?!?!? I would love any advice.
Jenny from Spokane, WA
indio says
To add one more differing opinion to the mix, it looks like vine borer to me. In the 2nd close up photo on far left there looked was brown spot on the primary stem. To find out if it’s vine borer and not kill plant you need to cut it out. I’m sure there are lots of online site that explain how to do it.
jadell says
squash bugs. happened to us a couple of years ago. completely ate our roots away. not sure there is anything that can be done. what a bummer.
Tiffany Mowry says
Spray Sevin on the plants. This helped get rid of our squash bugs!
Beth says
If you’re over head watering or watering beyond where the plant enters the dirt you’ll get fungus or mold all over the plant. Watering needs to be only at the base of the plant. The yellow and brown leaves are rotting out. Cut off the leaves that are rotting even if they are at the base. It will make for a healthier plant in general.
becca says
Maybe powdery mildew – it’s what I’m battling this year.
They say, to prevent/help – when watering, only water the base of the plant and do not get the leaves wet. And water in the early morning to allow the plant to dry out and prevent it from growing.
But if I’m wrong and it’s a different kind of fungus, then you can treat non chemically with early morning sprayings every other day of:
1 tsp dish soap
1tbsp baking soda
1 gallon water
Sarah says
Powdery mildew on the leaves and squash vine borer in the stems. We have been fighting the borers for 2 years. The moths (which don’t look like moths) come in June and lay eggs on the main stem until mid-July or so. Then the eggs hatch a couple of weeks later and the grubs burrow down and eat the stem from the roots up. When they are done eating, the go back down in the dirt and will winter over until the next summer when they become moths and start the cycle over again. It is frustrating and disappointing. If you look them up online, you can find pictures of the moths and some possible ways to deal with them.
Andrea says
Looks like powdery mildew…killed all mine this year. I’d never heard of it before, but man is it brutal. I had to pull all mine (they looked way worse than that), but was able to treat my butternut squash, which were right next to the zucchini. I got an organic antifungal spray from Menards.
jeremany says
http://www.bhg.com/gardening/pests/insects-diseases-weeds/stop-squash-vine-borers-in-your-garden/
they’re probably dead by now…but this post will help.
Melannie says
Either Vine borer or Squash bugs I have had both at the same time.
Squash bugs are always easy to be seen, remove and kill all you find. Then look on the underside of the leaves for eggs.
If it is vine borer look for entry holes and brown crust
http://www.gardeningblog.net/forums/gallery/data/500/medium/vine-borer.jpg
Jenny says
Melanie, that is what it looks like. So now I just have to get in there in find the lil guy?! It looks like I have some research to do when I get home tonight!! So grose.
Thanks for the link and insight!!
HollyG says
I heard about something called Bordeaux Spray from a bbc series “The Edwardian Farm”. It’s a mix of copper sulfate and hydrated lime. They put it on for potato blight and when I read about it I think it might work on tomato blight and powdery mildew on squash. Apparently a frenchman discovered it when he sprayed it on his grapes to make them taste bad so the passer-byers wouldn’t eat them.
By the way – this series is really fun to watch. There’s another one called “The Victorian Farm” also – on YouTube and DailyMotion.
Jenny says
It appears like I might have vine borer. 🙁
Thanks for posting Mavis!!
Cindy says
Oh no… That means I have one too! It’s completely knocked the zucchini over, but it’s still growing monster sized fruits. I’m really not looking forward to digging that out!
Jenny says
Sorry to you!! I might just take out the whole stinken plant for fear of spreading. I have cucumbers and goldbar squash in the same raised bed. 🙁
I will have a better idea after investigation this evening….
Lisa says
Jenny, if it is indeed vine borer you may want to try using beneficial nematodes. They are a microscopic insect that attacks about 200 ground dwelling insects. It won’t affect the borers currently in the vines, but it will control any living in the soil. They are a little expensive, but well worth the effort. We sell them (at our store here in N. Tacoma) for $24,99 a container. A container contains about 6 million nematodes. I mix about 2 T of the stuff in the tub in a 5 gallon bucket of water and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then I use a cup and water the mixture around the base of my plants. The nematodes will live in the soil 2-3 years (5-6 years if you are gardening organically).
Another option for you is a product with the active ingredient of Spinosad. Spinosad is a natural product with limited environmental effect and no mammal effect (safe around humans and pets) that is extremely effective against many garden pests.