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Squash Vine Borers
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Date Posted: Tue, Aug 24 - 1:57 am
- Hi there! Thank you so much for doing this! I have a couple questions on squash vine borers, which have been a HUGE issue in my garden this year. I have been surgically removing the larvae from my curcurbit vines every few days for over two months now (along the way losing both of my zucchini plants and one patty pan squash plant; now I have one patty pan and 4 pumpkin plants remaining). My questions are: How much longer should I expect new larvae to bore into my plants? And is there anything I can do next season to organically prevent these pests (or perhaps control them in a less laborious fashion!)?
- Hello! Thank you for your question. It sounds like you have had a challenging season with this difficult pest. Your surgical removal of the larvae is one part of the solution, and it sounds like you have mastered that particular process. There are other things you can do as well. To answer your first question, it is important to understand the lifecycle of the squash vine borer. Eggs will first appear in our area in May, will hatch in early summer, and then the larvae will bore into the squash stem to feed for up to 4 weeks. When the larvae are mature at 4-6 weeks, they will leave the vine and the dig 1-2 inches in the soil to pupate. In our climate, we can sometimes have 2 generations of larvae in a season. So unfortunately, once infested, this pest can present a problem for most of the growing season. In addition to the surgical removal process of the larvae in the stems, you can also use an organically approved insecticide such as Spinosad or Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Apply the product on the leaf stems and the main stem of the plant - do not spray the flowers. Apply one of these insecticides once per week during the growing season. It will kill the borer's eggs and larvae quickly. Again, these are organically approved products, and we recommend staying away from any synthetic, non-organic insecticides. Another method for prevention early in the season is to cover the young plants with a floating row cover until flowering occurs. The row cover will keep out the insect in the critical early part of the season, and will still allow sun, water, and air to get to the plant. Once flowering begins, remove the cover to ensure pollination is not disrupted. If or when you do have an infected vine(s), seal them in a plastic bag before the larvae pupate. This will break the lifecycle of the squash vine borer. And finally, the other important practice is to till under all crop debris after harvest, which also disrupts larvae in the soil, and prevents buildup of the squash borer population. Implementation of these practices should minimize the need for constant surgical removal of the larvae, and yield healthier plants and better crop. Good luck, and please reach out with any other questions!
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Yellowing Aster
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Date Posted: Wed, Aug 18 - 1:46 pm
- Hi we have a row of fall aster and notice that this year and last as the rest of the plant grows large and bushy the base starts to get yellow and then dries. the plant seems to be getting enough water. Is this normal?
- Good morning, and thank you for your question! My first thought is that you may have a watering issue. I’m assuming your aster plants otherwise have normal growth, are not stunted, and bloom well. Asters do prefer well-draining soil and like to keep well watered. However, they do not like overhead watering or sprinkling. Doing so can result in development of a fungal disease. Watering should be done at the base of the plant where fungus would first develop. It also helps to use a good organic mulch around your aster plants to help retain moisture and prevent splash to the lower leaves which can cause the yellowing. As a side note, be on the lookout for leafhoppers on your aster. They can spread bacterial disease (phytoplasma), which is a more serious problem to deal with, but with this you would likely notice other symptoms such as stunted growth and deformed flowers as well. If those symptoms develop, the plants would need to be removed as there is no cure. It does not sound like you are experiencing these specific problems with your aster, and proper watering and mulching would be the best first steps to implement. Good luck with this, and let us know if further symptoms develop.