Do your zuchinni squash plants self destruct?

[Gary350]

My squash plants always self destruct but this year they only lasted 2 weeks after making a few squash. We are still having rain almost every day plants are so large and leaves are so heavy they all broke off. I have 2 very large squash plants remaining that are making no squash yet. Yellow straight neck squash were planted late not doing much yet. Soon as corn is gone I will plant acorn squash. My squash plants usually last 4 to 6 weeks. I should have had more squash plants growing from seed already. Usually when the rain stops and it gets very hot & dry squash die from some time root rot problem and I usually have more squash plants growing waiting to replace dead plants.

[Ksk]

The rain looks like it simply rotted your plants. While it is probably too late you may want to build up a higher hill when planting so the plants can drain and not sit in puddles. I am going to try these in a straw bale because they drain very well regardless of how much water is dumped on them.

[gumbo2176]

Could be a case of SVB's (squash vine borers) to be specific. They invade the stems of the plants and proceed to eat the core of the stems thus starving the plants for nutrients and eventually killing them. Find a stem with damage and cut if off the plant and slit it open to see if a maggot looking larva is in there. I've had issues with SVB's for years and don't really count on much of a harvest when they get to doing their damage.

[pepperhead212]

SVBs destroy mine, not suicide.

[imafan26]

This year so far, they have been o.k. They are still young and I only have about 6 fruit so far. They are not mature yet. I just fed them again today.

[rainbowgardener]

I agree. Definitely squash vine borers. When I used to try to grow zucchini, they always did exactly that, grow big beautiful bushes, produce a couple of zukes and then collapse and die from the SVB's.

Murder, not suicide!

I have tried various things against them, but finally I just gave up and grow winter squash instead.

[pepperhead212]

This year I have two squash in an SIP, with a light Agribon cover over them, to keep out the SVBs. They are supposedly parthenocarpic; if fruits don't seem to form, I'll hand pollinate them. I'll keep you posted.

[gumbo2176]

This year I have two squash in an SIP, with a light Agribon cover over them, to keep out the SVBs. They are supposedly parthenocarpic; if fruits don't seem to form, I'll hand pollinate them. I'll keep you posted.

Last year I put some squash seeds in one of my raised beds and when they got to growing I covered them with the lightweight cloth used as row covers and had to hand pollinate them and got a nice haul of squash for my effort.

Then the wife and I went out of town for 4 days and when I came home the cover had blown off and about 1 month after that the plants started showing all the typical signs of an infestation. It is uncanny how fast they can knock down otherwise healthy plants.

[Gary350]

Alice used the last 2 Zucchini to make this. WOW....this is the best Zucchini Chocolate Cake I every had. 3 cups of chopped zucchini, 1 cup chopped walnuts. topped with Chocolate Fudge Frosting and Sprinkles. Scratch make cake recipe is online.

[gumbo2176]

Gary, I don't think my dog ever licked a plate that clean. Must have been real good.

[jal_ut]

"Do your zuchinni squash plants self destruct?"

No! They just keep right on blooming and putting on squash...... as long as you keep it picked. Most years anyway.

This year we had a late frost and had to start over planting everything a month late. At this point I don't know if we will even get any squash.

Oh well, that's gardening, always something to bug us. Insects, critters, weather......

[rainbowgardener]

Fortunately for you, they only occur in the eastern half of the US:

https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg ... r.htm#dist

[jal_ut]

OK, Thank You. Please keep them over there.

[KitchenGardener]

OK, Thank You. Please keep them over there.

I agree with James. Please don't feel obligated to share with our side of the country.

[Taiji]

Sorry to rain on everyone's parade but...

Actually, we do have SVB's here in AZ too. They are not as prevalent as in the East, since this is not their native habitat. I only had a problem one year with my zucchini when they started to wilt; I would water them and they'd come back for a while then finally they died. I replanted and the next batch were fine.

The valley across the way (I can see it from my house) has a much worse problem. People lose their squash to SVB's often.

Actually I found this. I guess they even call it the Southwestern Squash Vine Borer. A lot of things are changing and not necessarily for the better!

https://www.insectidentification.org/ins ... Borer-Moth

[imafan26]

I thought my zucchini was starting to have problems. The tips were turning yellow, but they are still firm. I thought I planted Parthenon which is supposed to be a parthenocarpic zucchini but I have both male and female flowers. I am starting to think the wrong seeds were in that package. Whatever they are, so far, they are doing fine.

[Gary350]

Sorry to rain on everyone's parade but...

Actually, we do have SVB's here in AZ too. They are not as prevalent as in the East, since this is not their native habitat. I only had a problem one year with my zucchini when they started to wilt; I would water them and they'd come back for a while then finally they died. I replanted and the next batch were fine.

The valley across the way (I can see it from my house) has a much worse problem. People lose their squash to SVB's often.

Actually I found this. I guess they even call it the Southwestern Squash Vine Borer. A lot of things are changing and not necessarily for the better!

https://www.insectidentification.org/ins ... Borer-Moth

When I lived in Phoenix AZ everyone believes you should water early in the morning when the sun is coming up before temperature reaches 114 degrees. I was told by several people that it would kill my garden if I water in the evening. All the neighbors had their lawn sprinklers come on at 6 am for 1 hr, I was the only person in the neighborhood with lawn sprinkler that came on at 9 pm for 10 minutes. I planted my garden and watered 1 hour b4 sun down as I have done for 50 years. Neighbors all said, WOW how are you able to grow a garden no one else can get a garden to grow. When do you water your squash? Are you squash in full sun all day? My squash did very well in Phoenix AZ much better than TN I think squash is a hot weather plant.

[Taiji]

Yeah I would say squash is probably the most trouble free, easiest thing to grow here in the Southwest. Except for that one instance where I lost a couple of zucchinis to SVBs they do great. Especially the winter squash. Makes sense that squash is one of the big 3 crops the "prehistoric" indians grew here along with corn and beans.

Mostly I water at night too, simply because that works best with my schedule. I don't water overhead though; my little well wouldn't handle that much and there would be too much waste. I'm thinking a lot of that no watering at night idea came from back east gardening (I always say back east because that's where I'm from) where mildew is more prevalent because of humidity. Except for our 2 1/2 month monsoon season here, which you know about, it's pretty arid with blazing sun most of the time. Mildew can't take hold here easily. (just my theory)