User avatar
sheeshshe
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1254
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 8:17 pm
Location: maine

Squash stem splitting? and a SVB question

One of my summer squash's stem has split on the underside of the stem near the ground, what causes this? and is it a bad thing?

Also, my plants are very far behind this year because of weather... they are rather small, and I already found squash vine borer eggs on anything of size. Found a few on all my squash, some of the pumpkins, and some of the cucumbers even. I never got them on the cucumbers before, but apparently since the plants are so small, they didn't have enough places to put the eggs haha. The question is, how often do they lay eggs? Do they do it all summer long? do I need to look at each stem/leaf daily for the rest of the summer? The plants are SOOO small, if they hatch and get in, I won't get a single thing from these plants :(

User avatar
gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

To answer both parts it sounds like SVB has gotten a hold of your split stems. Are they somewhat shredded with frass laying around them. Normally this is SVB damage.

Good luck.

I didn't plant anything like that this year, well untill just recently. I have had such bad problems with SVB and the other pest that go along with these types of plants I thought I would give it a break for a while.

User avatar
sheeshshe
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1254
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 8:17 pm
Location: maine

It doesn't look like SVB damage. there is no frass either... should I take a picture?

User avatar
gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

A pic wouldn't hurt, but per your description it' just sounded like SVB to me.

User avatar
sheeshshe
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1254
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 8:17 pm
Location: maine

[img]https://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd229/sheeshshe/002.jpg[/img]

User avatar
gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

I see, defenitely not SVB.

I have seen this before it could be from stress: wind, over-under watering, extreme temp changes.

IT's not the best thing to happen to your plants but it should make it thorugh this barring the fact that you have already seen the SVB. You may want to collar them up to keep them at bay. I was always too lazy and guess what, my plant went to the compost quickly

User avatar
sheeshshe
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1254
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 8:17 pm
Location: maine

I already put foil around the stems hehehe.

do you think the moth will come back around and lay more eggs?

PhillyGardener
Full Member
Posts: 53
Joined: Wed May 02, 2012 5:28 pm
Location: Philadelphia, PA

Could this be SVB damage, or is it something else? I've never seen it before, but it looks similar to photos out there:

[img]https://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo9/abnormalsanon2/IMAG0006.jpg[/img]

User avatar
sheeshshe
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1254
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 8:17 pm
Location: maine

:( that looks like SVB damage to me. I think I see the frass.. frass meaning, the stuff that looks like crumbs coming out of the holes.



Return to “Vegetable Gardening Forum”