23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
It is called BER (Blossom End Rot). You can read all about it over on the Growing Tomatoes forum here. I linked the FAQ on it for you below. If you type blossom end rot in the search here you'll find all kinds of discussions about it to read through.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: BER FAQ
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
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.
I have the same type of leaves. I'm in zone 9 and we've had a lot of 100+ days.
I think it's due to the hot dry weather that wilts the leaves in the day. The leaves bounce back but I can tell the wilting leaves the mottled effect.
My cuke still has new growth and has put out a bunch of blooms and 2 cucumbers developed.
Sounds like you may have flea beetles.