Pumpkin Help - Possible Leaf Miners

[Fishman2014]

Hello, I need some help real quick with what I think are leaf miners. It's my first time growing pumpkins and I really want them to be successful, I'm trying to do everything I can right. I attached an image of one of the leaves with the problem.

It's on almost every plant now, hoping I didn't catch whatever it is too late. Should I be removing all the leaves that have it, even though the plants are still pretty young and don't have many leaves to begin with? Will Neem Oil work?

They are all growing still and overall really strong and healthy (I think?), hoping that's a good sign. Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

[applestar]

I agree with leafminers.
I think. I would start out trying to squish the miner at the end of each squiggle, but it depends on how obsessive you can be. I wouldn't remove the entire leaf. Cut them out with scissors.

[rainbowgardener]

Definitely leaf miners. To start with, don't stress too much. Leaf miners are pretty harmless as garden pests go and unless they turn in to a major infestation, won't slow the plant down very much. You can help keep it from turning in to a major infestation, by mulching well. When the leaf miner larva is mature, it drops out of the leaf down to the soil, where it pupates and turns in to an adult fly. If it can't reach the soil easily, it interrupts that part of the cycle, helps keep you from having another generation of them.

Nothing you spray on the outside of the leaves makes a difference because the miners are very protected in between the inner layers of the leaf. Just keep squishing and cutting pieces of leaves out as applestar said.

Won't help for right now, but for the future... I got velvetleaf in a packet of mixed wildflower seed, but you can also find it growing like a weed in vacant lots and such. It is named that because its leaves are very soft and the leaf miners love them. It makes a great trap crop for them. They choose the velvetleaf preferentially and don't much bother anything else. You can just keep pulling off the velvetleaf leaves that have squiggles on them.


https://www.fnanaturesearch.org/images/s ... M/4781.jpg


https://www.msuweeds.com/assets/image-ga ... Flower.jpg

velvetleaf - roundish heart-shaped leaves with yellow flowers.

[Fishman2014]

I agree with leafminers.
I think. I would start out trying to squish the miner at the end of each squiggle, but it depends on how obsessive you can be. I wouldn't remove the entire leaf. Cut them out with scissors.

Definitely leaf miners. To start with, don't stress too much. Leaf miners are pretty harmless as garden pests go and unless they turn in to a major infestation, won't slow the plant down very much. You can help keep it from turning in to a major infestation, by mulching well. When the leaf miner larva is mature, it drops out of the leaf down to the soil, where it pupates and turns in to an adult fly. If it can't reach the soil easily, it interrupts that part of the cycle, helps keep you from having another generation of them.

Nothing you spray on the outside of the leaves makes a difference because the miners are very protected in between the inner layers of the leaf. Just keep squishing and cutting pieces of leaves out as applestar said.

Won't help for right now, but for the future... I got velvetleaf in a packet of mixed wildflower seed, but you can also find it growing like a weed in vacant lots and such. It is named that because its leaves are very soft and the leaf miners love them. It makes a great trap crop for them. They choose the velvetleaf preferentially and don't much bother anything else. You can just keep pulling off the velvetleaf leaves that have squiggles on them.

velvetleaf - roundish heart-shaped leaves with yellow flowers.

The replies are much appreciated. I was out there today squishing and cutting what I could. I was definitely stressing .

Does it matter what mulch I use? Could I also use weed cloth/row covers instead? I'm also going to look into getting some of that velvetleaf, really like the idea of using that as a "bait" plant.

I did order some Neem Oil earlier, I saw some of the Leaf Miner Flies out on the leaves and figured it couldn't hurt to spray some of it on there. From what I read as long as I do it in the evening when the good insects are usually gone, and there is no sun to burn the plant it's pretty harmless. Correct me please if that info is wrong.

You said they are pretty harmless as far as garden pests go...so do you think I can continue my plan to plant a few more plants in the garden or should I wait until I get these Leaf Miners under control? Was planning on some basil, tomatoes, watermelon, sunflowers, and maybe a few others.

Once again, I really appreciate the help.

[rainbowgardener]

Spraying Neem in the evening should be harmless to the beneficials, but as I said not necessarily effective against the leafminers.

I think you could go ahead and plant. Where are you located that you can plant summer crops in August?


Anything that creates a barrier between the larvae dropping down and the soil will interrupt their life cycle.

[Fishman2014]

Spraying Neem in the evening should be harmless to the beneficials, but as I said not necessarily effective against the leafminers.

I think you could go ahead and plant. Where are you located that you can plant summer crops in August?


Anything that creates a barrier between the larvae dropping down and the soil will interrupt their life cycle.

Well, I got the Neem ordered. Figured it would be nice to have on hand for other things at the very least. I might still spray it just as a preventative to anything else. Looks like I'll be squishing and blocking for the leaf miners.

Also I'm in Southern California.

[rainbowgardener]

Neem works against a whole range of leaf eaters, like various caterpillars and beetles. Sprayed on the leaves, the critters ingest it with the leaves and then it works on them from the inside. It is not a poison and does not kill on contact. It is something like a hormone disrupter that eventually blocks their ability to eat and mate. So it can take a week or so to see results.

But it is on the surface. The leaf eater fly lays her eggs inside the layers of leaves. So the larvae are already inside when they hatch out. So they don't ingest the Neem. The adult fly is not a leaf eater, so the Neem won't hurt her any either, unless you manage to spray it directly on her, in which case like any other oil, it clogs up her spiracles and she can't breathe. Anything that clogs them up will suffocate them. I have been known to suffocate bathroom creepy crawlies with shaving foam when there wasn't anything else handy.

This is why you spray it in the evening, so you won't accidentally get it directly on some honeybee or something else you don't want to harm.

[Fishman2014]

I've been monitoring them really close, numerous times a day and checking leaves to make sure no more squiggles pop up and if they do I deal with them right away. I've seen a few of those flies on the leaves, and I will give them a quick spray of water from the water bottle and I've actually killed a few this way. Also seen a few of the larvae (little maggot things smaller than a grain of rice) on the tops of the leaves and I kill them too.

I'm past the worrying now, I think everything is going to be fine and I'm going to beat this. Like you said they don't seem to be too bad, as far as pest go. The pumpkins don't really seem to be bothered by them, and are growing pretty well. I need to start setting up my raised bed now and transplant them there. I'm also going to put a layer of mulch on the bed to create a barrier (probably about 2 inches?) or a weed cloth. Maybe both....

Thanks for the replies btw .

[rainbowgardener]

what is the point of the barrier between the soil and your raised bed? Not something we generally recommend. It is better for the plants to be able to send their roots down into the native soil. Many plants have much more extensive root systems than we realize. How deep will your raised bed be? Anything less than one foot, I definitely would not put a barrier in and 18" would be better if you aren't going to let them root down in to the soil.

[Fishman2014]

I think there was a misunderstanding. I'm not putting the barrier at the bottom. I'm going to till the soil there now, and leave the bottom open. I'm putting the barrier at the top for the Leaf Miners and what not.

I'm going to be making it 8"-12" deep. Probably 12" as I'm not too sure how good my native soil is, so a little extra room might be good. Also if I add a layer of mulch to it, 12" might be a better.

[rainbowgardener]

Oh right, sorry, we did talk about that. That is fine. Yes, 12" definitely better.