Can my squash plant be saved?

[lilcee]

I walked out to my garden and found this this morning. UGH! It was doing so good. Can it be saved? What about the squash that hasn't ripened yet? Can they be saved?
What is it?

[gumbo2176]

Could be a combination of powdery mildew and squash vine borers. Those are typical problems with squash in hot, humid climates like ours. I see you are in Fla. and I'm in La. All my squash plants have been removed from my garden already due to SVB's.

Check the undersides of the stems, probably the main stems to see if there are any slits or holes in them. There will also be some material that looks a bit like sawdust by the slits and that is a good sign you have Squash Vine Borers in the stems. Vine Borers are the bane to squash growers. Some in here recommend growing a resistant type winter squash since they have full stems as opposed to hollow stems of summer squash.

Powdery Mildew is a fungus that hits when things are damp and there isn't good air circulation around the plants. It is a PITA to get rid of too. If only a few leaves are affected, cut the off and toss them in the garbage, not in a compost pile.

[johnny123]

Any plant or part of a plant that you think is diseased should be burned and never thrown away.
This will help control the disease from being spread to a new area.
Alot of diseases can spread from airborne spores.

[gumbo2176]

Any plant or part of a plant that you think is diseased should be burned and never thrown away.
This will help control the disease from being spread to a new area.
Alot of diseases can spread from airborne spores.

That's all good if you live rural and there are no laws or enforcement for burning trash or other things on your property. However, if you live in the middle of a city, such as I, there are no burn laws and you don't want them fining you for burning trash.

[johnny123]

I knew that relpy was only a matter of time.
Burn it in your BBQ.

[johnny123]

Never heard of anyone ever getting fined for cooking vegetables. LOL

[cynthia_h]

If, like I, you don't own a grill, and the plant is (or is very nearly) dead, put the pulled-up parts into a plastic bag and tie it off. Then throw the plastic bag into the trash.

If the only thing ailing the squash (fingers crossed for you) is Powdery Mildew, it's possible that you could fight back either with the milk solution (I've recently posted detailed instrux on making it) or the baking-soda solution (someone else--I can't remember who; sorry!--recently posted instrux for making that one). A Search will find the instructions for you.

In either case, place the solution into a spray bottle and get the plant's leaves wet on top and bottom. If you're in a humid location--Florida qualifies!--it's best to do this spraying early in the morning so that the leaves aren't wet for hours and hours, which compounds the problem. The milk and baking soda solutions change the fungal colonies on the leaves so that they're hostile to PM.

But, like gumbo says, if the enemy is Squash Vine Borers, the plants are very likely done. So sorry. Plastic-bag time.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[gumbo2176]

I knew that relpy was only a matter of time.
Burn it in your BBQ.

The only fungi that go on my pit are mushrooms, preferably Portabello's.

[johnny123]

What time is supper?