H20 and Zucchini

[Chris C]

I put 4 Zucchini plants in my garden. One promptly died. The other three have flourished................until just today when my largest (about 12" high) decided it was time to do a major "droop" of all it's leaves and start "heading South"! It has been terribly hot here in Oklahoma..........and today it was 102. But I got my trusty Hoe out and dug down in my soft black soil about 4 inches and there was the moist soil..........not saturated, but black, cool, and moist. So am I not watering enough, or too much?

[brownsfan62]

I lost two spaghetti squash early this season that faded just like you just described your zucchini. In my case, it was easily too much water. Too anxious to watch things grow, I guess. Our hottest weather was this past week, and the squash are just loving it (we got to 92 degrees).

[rainbowgardener]

It may not be water issue at all. If your zucchini plant just suddenly all wilts, it could be an attack of zucchini root borer. Here's a link to a picture of what it looks like once that happens:
https://www.beloblog.com/KVUE_Blogs/austingardeningadventures/2009/05/when-squash-borers-attack.html

If this is the problem, if you look closely you should be able to spot a hole in the stem with some "frass" that looks sort of like sawdust, right where vine meets soil.

If you type squash borer or zucchini root borer into search box at upper left of most pages, you will find there's been a lot written here already about them. (But I hope this isn't really it, because if it is, it's bad news!)

[Chris C]

Hmmmmm! Being a gardening newbie, this is frustrating. Thanks for the comments..........and for the link. I'll look into it.

[Gary350]

This is a typical problem with squash. Some years it is worse than others. In my experience it appears the hotter and dryer it is the less problem I will have. The past 3 years I had no problem with my squash dying the temperature was 100+ degrees and only 2 tiny rains in month and half. This year I planted late, squash was doing fine then they died. I planted again. We have been having lots of rain, 3 months of rain in the spring and a whole week of rain last week. Lots of rain on/off in June and July. After that whole week of rain last week my squash died again. Nothing scientific just my obsveration.

[Rambo 09]

I feel sorry for whoever had to come home to that one day, it looks bad, you know...not everything makes it.

[St. Louis gardener]

Take heart. If it is squash vine borer, you can still save the plant (but probably will get reduced yield). I tried this on my two zucchini plants, and it appears to have worked: make yourself some soapy insecticide (just a few drops of dish detergent in a squirt bottle of water), set it on "stream" and get as close to the holes in the stem as possible, then blast away. I also cut the affected leaves, and into the remaining "tube" stalks, sprayed the soapy water. Then I covered the affected stem/root area with fresh topsoil from another area of the yard. It was only after I did this procedure that I saw my first larvae outside the plant. Have never seen any adult borers. Maybe I got to them before they turned? Who knows. I agree it is difficult to follow the life cycle of every garden pest. But if your plants are still alive and producing, try this procedure and see if you can't kill what's in the plant now and keep others out, and maybe you can harvest at least some squash this year.

[Rambo 09]

I heard about that, but what I do is a vew drops of detergant, and a few drops of tabasco sauce.

[kgall]

I have found some evidence of squash vine borers...Argh! One of the plants is partially wilted but I found the hole in the other plant which so far looks healthy. So, I tried spraying the soapy water into the holes. and down the shaft of the affected leaves. I have yet to see one of these guys though. I covered the stems in fresh soil. How do I keep them from getting my other 6 squash? Of course the one that is wilting is the only one with baby squash on it right now!

[St. Louis gardener]

If you caught it in time, your baby squash should live a long, happy life (until ready to become your dinner!) My sister, who lives in southern Vermont, has the problem, too. She read the following on a gardening forum called greenthumbs:

"For the borers, dig out just a little bit around the stems and wrap them with aluminum foil. They can't get through it."

Might be worth a try?

[kgall]

I'll try it!
I am just hoping the soap works! I hate to see them die!