23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
There are small parasitic wasps that lay their eggs on these guys. The young eat their way out and form cocoons on the outside of the hornworm. The weakened hornworm will die before being able to pupate, but the cocoons will hatch and more wasps will go out in the world and attack and feed on more hornworms.
Those white things on hornworms aren't eggs. They are pupal cases.
Here's how it works:
The wasp eggs were inserted into the caterpillar.
The eggs hatched inside a well-provisioned cafeteria.
The wasp larvae ate until their next life stage.
The wasp larvae exited the caterpillar and formed pupae inside those white cases on the exterior of the caterpillar.
The next stage is when the adult wasps -- very tiny things - exit the pupal cases.
TaDa! Bio-control in action.
FWIW: I don't see a pupal case on the OP's image.
I think it's the end of one of the normal white lines on a tobacco hornworm..
Are those only the newer leaves?
If so, has anyone used Roundup (glyphosate) nearby?
Most of the affected leaves are new but I do see some damage at the edge of the older leaf in the center of this photo
Roundup hasn't been out of shed since early spring cleanup. I did spray the cage with Neem oil a week ago when I saw a few spots of mildew.
Thinking about it more, there may have been some overspray of a weak Miracle-Gro/soap mixture that I used to combat spider mites on nearby vines. I forgot to note that in my journal and now I and can't remember whether it was last Thursday or Friday. Could that have caused this?
Please post an image of the entire plant so that we can see what is affected and where.
I hope this will do. I have 9 cucumber plants in a home-made self watering container. They were doing fine on Friday but now 2 plants have this discoloration. Most of the affected leaves are close to the growing tip and some of the unfuled leaves on two plants seem to be discolored in the same way.
As always, thank you for your help.
This post was edited by Athenian on Mon, Jul 22, 13 at 14:55
Direct seeding cukes is always the best option assuming it is done properly and at the right time. Same for most all members of the family.
Consistent studies and reports show that direct seeded cukes will always quickly catch up and surpass transplants, are less susceptible to early disease and pest problems, and often out-produce the transplants because all the early stress factors transplants have to deal with are avoided.
Dave
I always direct sow cukes. They are super easy to start this way and grow quickly. No need to start indoors which is a lot more work. The only issue I have is that the sprouts can be munched on by slugs so I sprinkle a little iron phosphate slug bait around them.
I usually sow them sometime in late June, which is on the late side, but that is because they grow faster than the tomatoes and I like them to mature at about the same time (for cucumber/tomato salads).
I eat grapes all the time and no, I don't buy organic. I wash them of course but I know that commercial growers must be spraying with something. I can't control these things but I can control what I spray in my own garden. I try and stay away from toxic. So far the only two things I have ever used on the veggies are a Neem oil product (for the squash) and a Daconil product (for the tomatoes).
Well, I've never grown a pumpkin before so this should be interesting. Probably a dumb question but when will they turn orange and be ready to pick? Early October I assume? Judging by their current size in mid-July they are going to be massive in Oct.
BTW, it turns out that my neighbor planted them in her garden so it must have been transferred to my flower bed by an animal. These plants are voracious...they took over her whole garden. The leeks she had growing there a few weeks ago are M.I.A.
I wouldn't worry about the very lower leaves turning yellow. When you let the plant to grow on its own(no pruning , no trimming) eventually some leaves have to go. On top of that too much rain, I trim all such leaves, especially if the are less than 10" from the ground.
I think you are doing the right thing by NOT fertilizing. I would 've done the same. Let them start bearing some fruits then give them a light dose.
By the end of the season, my tomato plants have lost about the lower 18 inches of leaves. I am in such a different climate than you, I don't know how this translates, but, I will say if the plants are otherwise vigorous then losing some lower leaves is nothing to worry about and in fact, trying to stop it might be a losing battle.
Impossible to advise you. You need a soil test to determine if you need to fertilize.
I have a soil test done annually, and get fertilizer recommendations. If my soil has adequate N-P-K when I plant, I am advised to not add (side dress) fertilizer during the summer, as watermelon does not need it. (Not a big user of N, and P & K will stay in place in your soil through the growing season.)
Spend the $15 for a soil test from your state Ag. college for a test and fertilizer recommendations and forget asking for opinions from people who have no idea where you even live.
I tell them what I am growing, and I am advised when and how much to fertilize onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, beans, peppers, muskmelons, asparagus, and not to fertilize lettuce, carrots, radishes, and watermelons beyond the beginning of season basic fertilizer added to the whole garden.
The cost of the test will save you money you will otherwise spend on unneeded fertilizer.
Yes you can double the dose to get the 10 10 10. If they look like they are growing well your ok. Mine are really starting to run, but I grow in containers and the fertilizer requiremants are different. Growing in the ground requires less fertilizer.
NEVER prune eggplant!
Zoysia, just ignore those websites that tell you to prune eggplant. It's a load of steaming manure. There is nothing to be confused about - take the advice of eggplant growers on this forum.
Every sucker or shoot you prune away is costing you eggplant fruit. Secondly, there is a perennial misconception about eggplants needing to ripen. Eggplants should never, ever be allowed to ripen. They are not tomatoes. Ripe eggplants are inedible.
Why are indeterminate tomatoes pruned? Well, because if you're an intensive grower with limited space, you'd stake them, train them vertically, and cram as many tomato plants as you can into that space. You're basically converting horizontal space to vertical space, with a significant drop in production per plant, but this is compensated for by increased production per square foot.
When space is not an issue, and fungal problems are minor, pruning is unnecessary at best and deterimental at worst. A healthy, bushy plant, whether that is a tomato, eggplant, or pepper, will yield you the most fruits.
Squash bug eggs!!! I just got done inspecting my butternut plants for them and found five clusters. Inspect all of your leaves and you are sure to find more. Like others said soak the plants and the adults will crawl up to dry out on the leaves. That is how I hunt them. lol.
if cutting back on the water will cause the squash to ripen more rapidly so they can be harvested before we leave.
No sorry. The only thing that may hasten ripening is root pruning, a common practice when fall quickly approaches. Since you don't indicate your location or garden zone we have no way of knowing if it is time to do that or not, I suspect not.
I assume you know that winter squash is normally harvested in the late fall after the vines begin to die and the stems on the squash are dry and brown? That said you can harvest it at any time you wish. It just won't taste the same nor store well.
Dave
Thanks Dave, Thanks for the tip, I guess I'll just leave the drips on a timer while I'm gone and see what happens when I get back. I'm guessing they will probably do OK.