Gardening threads (merged)

[luckytxn 2,263]

With raised beds, you can isolate and observe. Container growing doesn't help in this case since the moth lays eggs and they can fly but it makes isolation that much easier. Organic solutions are labour intensive but they do work. Biological warfare is the answer. Go to your local garden centre and get some BTK (just like the serial killer), the little nemtodes kill the borer larvae. Insecticidal soap works well, too. Spray the entire vine, especially near the base once a week with some high-quality stuff, that'll learn 'em! Also dig around the area where you had the problems and look for the white grubs and/or cocoons and then go psycho on them. Aluminum foil wrapped around the base is supposed to help keep them at bay and look for the entry point (the frass or exudate will give it away) cut it open with a pen knife and remove them, the vine usually seals itself.

Sorry. Now if none of these work, I do have plans for a homemade flamethrower.

Insecticide it is then. The reason a pic is needed is to see if a borer or if it is a soil problem. Does the squash have cracks? This means a soil problem. Also I noticed that you grow the squash in the bed so I assume that you let the vine grow along the ground. I am used to using a trellis and letting the vine grown up and along that. It keeps the squash off the ground and the host of problems it can cause.

My Grandma used to get ladybugs to handle most insects. Also having raised beds is an excellent idea but can cause problems if the soil is drained too easily. Besides not having the proper amount of moisture it can drain away nutrients. If the soil in the raised beds is too sandy then add more of a garden soil mix. If you do see white grubs then that is bad. Only an insecticide can get rid of a bad infestation.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

I still like the weed burner idea.

[luckytxn 2,263]

I still like the weed burner idea.

You would.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

You would.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

I still like the weed burner idea.

I have a better way to get rid of the borer.

Insecticide it is then. The reason a pic is needed is to see if a borer or if it is a soil problem. Does the squash have cracks? This means a soil problem. Also I noticed that you grow the squash in the bed so I assume that you let the vine grow along the ground. I am used to using a trellis and letting the vine grown up and along that. It keeps the squash off the ground and the host of problems it can cause.

My Grandma used to get ladybugs to handle most insects. Also having raised beds is an excellent idea but can cause problems if the soil is drained too easily. Besides not having the proper amount of moisture it can drain away nutrients. If the soil in the raised beds is too sandy then add more of a garden soil mix. If you do see white grubs then that is bad. Only an insecticide can get rid of a bad infestation.

I thought that you were going to say a nice fuel-air.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Last year was a really bad year for squash borer. We lost our zucchini and summer squash just after they started to fruit. You can solarize the soil which is supposed to kill off the insects (covering it with black plastic and leaving it to bake in the summer sun), but it means letting that part of the garden go fallow for a year, not something most of us plan to do. You can try setting up a totally different location for the squash as well - on the other side of the house even. You definitely need to rotate crops as well as the insects infest the same soil each year. I'm not sure if we will be planting any squash varieties this year hoping that a year off might reduce them enough for us to get a good crop again. I try to do as much organic gardening as I can but do use Dipel Dust and sometimes Seven Dust if it gets bad.

This year I've got asparagus (although the harvest is now over),broccoli, eggplant, sweetpeas, two different types of lettuce, mustard, three different peppers (although it may be a bit early for the peppers - tonight's temperature is going into the 30s and I hope we don't have frost), cabbage, onions and garlic growing right now. I'll add the warmer crops when the weather is safer. I also have a lot of herbs that survive the winter and come back - oregano, summer savory (new last year), marjoram, sage, wooly thyme, rosemary,chervil, horse radish, lavender, stevia, chives, several types of mint ( no catnip or catmint - it never survives the local cats' interest!), hyssop and artemesia. We also have rhubarb, two bradford pear trees, a fig tree and two prickly pears that produce fruit as well.

We have a huge clay hill as most of our back yard so have been terracing it and reclaiming it for gardens over the past number of years. This year we are tearing out the old timber frames that we used originally and replacing them with brick, so that is how we are spending most of our weekends. It will look good when it's done but we're getting our exercise in the meantime.

Our roses are also in bloom, although once the summer heat hits they will become pretty sickly looking until fall. Right now they are glorious. The amaryllis are also in bloom along with the Jacaranda . My iris, red hot pokers and day lilies are also coming out now. I have added cosmos and vinca to the rose and herb gardens (they are mixed in together) for some lower colour. I really love this time of year when I can still keep up with the weeding. Another two months and I won't stand a chance any more.

Shortly after I moved here I seeded the yard with milky spore and it has definitely helped keep down grubs and Japanese beetles - don't see those at all anymore. I also use beneficial nematodes - just waiting for a new order to arrive so I can put those down in the reclaimed soil, as well as beneficial insects - lacewings, lady bugs, parasitic wasps and such. They definitely help.

Edited April 12, 2012 by Kathryn41

[*Snowdrop* 603]

I think it's definitely the borer - I was digging over one of the beds yesterday and found one of the red cocoons with the grub inside. Obviously that one is dead, dead, dead now but where there's one....

Thanks for all your suggestions. I'm going to stay away from any insecticides at all this year as we have a too curious 2-year-old to worry about getting down and dirty among all the plants. Last year she was crawling over all the beds - at least this year she's walking but still too young to really retain the info that she's not to touch something.

So I think my plan of action will be something like...

1. Plant just a couple of summer squashes rather than a whole row. Just one or two cukes and maybe some butternut squash (which last year stood up to the pests)

2. Wipe the stems to try to catch the eggs - maybe wrap the stems at the bottom.

3. Worst case scenario - pull all the plants and not grow squash for a couple of years.

Now the downside for me of fewer squash plants is that my husband is going to try to grow even more okra than he did last year - and to be honest my English palate has now probably eaten more of the slimy stuff than I ever want to in the rest of my lifetime. I might try to get in their first with the green beans before he has the chance to okra-up the whole garden.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I think it's definitely the borer - I was digging over one of the beds yesterday and found one of the red cocoons with the grub inside. Obviously that one is dead, dead, dead now but where there's one....

Thanks for all your suggestions. I'm going to stay away from any insecticides at all this year as we have a too curious 2-year-old to worry about getting down and dirty among all the plants. Last year she was crawling over all the beds - at least this year she's walking but still too young to really retain the info that she's not to touch something.

So I think my plan of action will be something like...

1. Plant just a couple of summer squashes rather than a whole row. Just one or two cukes and maybe some butternut squash (which last year stood up to the pests)

2. Wipe the stems to try to catch the eggs - maybe wrap the stems at the bottom.

3. Worst case scenario - pull all the plants and not grow squash for a couple of years.

Now the downside for me of fewer squash plants is that my husband is going to try to grow even more okra than he did last year - and to be honest my English palate has now probably eaten more of the slimy stuff than I ever want to in the rest of my lifetime. I might try to get in their first with the green beans before he has the chance to okra-up the whole garden.

Aww - what a cute picture:-).

Lynn, Check out this link - there are organic solutions available that you can use on your remaining plants. This supplier is a great resource - I have used them for many years. This is where I get my beneficial nematodes from. You can order in their catalogue or go on line and search. Everything they offer is good and they often have some very useful specials as well. Hope this helps - I'm going to be trying these suggestions with the few squash and zucchini I do plant this year as well. It looks like prevention, while labour intensive, is the best solution.

http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=804

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

I think it's definitely the borer - I was digging over one of the beds yesterday and found one of the red cocoons with the grub inside. Obviously that one is dead, dead, dead now but where there's one....

Thanks for all your suggestions. I'm going to stay away from any insecticides at all this year as we have a too curious 2-year-old to worry about getting down and dirty among all the plants. Last year she was crawling over all the beds - at least this year she's walking but still too young to really retain the info that she's not to touch something.

So I think my plan of action will be something like...

1. Plant just a couple of summer squashes rather than a whole row. Just one or two cukes and maybe some butternut squash (which last year stood up to the pests)

2. Wipe the stems to try to catch the eggs - maybe wrap the stems at the bottom.

3. Worst case scenario - pull all the plants and not grow squash for a couple of years.

Now the downside for me of fewer squash plants is that my husband is going to try to grow even more okra than he did last year - and to be honest my English palate has now probably eaten more of the slimy stuff than I ever want to in the rest of my lifetime. I might try to get in their first with the green beans before he has the chance to okra-up the whole garden.

That's a rather interesting crop that you're growing, where did you get the seeds for the toddler? Borers will not attack solid stemmed squash, try butternut sqaush (the stem is solid so the borer has no place to live) or any of the cucurbits, melons and watermelons. The other method is to use the old "hit it where they ain't" mentality. Ask around and observe when the eggs are laid. The old codling moth trick works great: get yellow pans, bowls, basins, whatever and fill them with water. The adults will fly in and drown, when you see no more adults in the water, plant your squash. That works better than giving up on squash. Just because you live in the Colonies is no excuse to live like a Colonial.

BTW, are you familiar with Square Foot Gardening? Mel Bartholomew's book is a fascinating work on space saving gardening, lots of great ideas.

Edited April 12, 2012 by IR5FORMUMSIE

[luckytxn 2,263]

Last year was a really bad year for squash borer. We lost our zucchini and summer squash just after they started to fruit. You can solarize the soil which is supposed to kill off the insects (covering it with black plastic and leaving it to bake in the summer sun), but it means letting that part of the garden go fallow for a year, not something most of us plan to do. You can try setting up a totally different location for the squash as well - on the other side of the house even. You definitely need to rotate crops as well as the insects infest the same soil each year. I'm not sure if we will be planting any squash varieties this year hoping that a year off might reduce them enough for us to get a good crop again. I try to do as much organic gardening as I can but do use Dipel Dust and sometimes Seven Dust if it gets bad.

This year I've got asparagus (although the harvest is now over),broccoli, eggplant, sweetpeas, two different types of lettuce, mustard, three different peppers (although it may be a bit early for the peppers - tonight's temperature is going into the 30s and I hope we don't have frost), cabbage, onions and garlic growing right now. I'll add the warmer crops when the weather is safer. I also have a lot of herbs that survive the winter and come back - oregano, summer savory (new last year), marjoram, sage, wooly thyme, rosemary,chervil, horse radish, lavender, stevia, chives, several types of mint ( no catnip or catmint - it never survives the local cats' interest!), hyssop and artemesia. We also have rhubarb, two bradford pear trees, a fig tree and two prickly pears that produce fruit as well.

We have a huge clay hill as most of our back yard so have been terracing it and reclaiming it for gardens over the past number of years. This year we are tearing out the old timber frames that we used originally and replacing them with brick, so that is how we are spending most of our weekends. It will look good when it's done but we're getting our exercise in the meantime.

Our roses are also in bloom, although once the summer heat hits they will become pretty sickly looking until fall. Right now they are glorious. The amaryllis are also in bloom along with the Jacaranda . My iris, red hot pokers and day lilies are also coming out now. I have added cosmos and vinca to the rose and herb gardens (they are mixed in together) for some lower colour. I really love this time of year when I can still keep up with the weeding. Another two months and I won't stand a chance any more.

Shortly after I moved here I seeded the yard with milky spore and it has definitely helped keep down grubs and Japanese beetles - don't see those at all anymore. I also use beneficial nematodes - just waiting for a new order to arrive so I can put those down in the reclaimed soil, as well as beneficial insects - lacewings, lady bugs, parasitic wasps and such. They definitely help.

Awesome garden it sounds like. My Grandma use to use Sevin Dust and I remember she had a spray bottle with half soap and water she would spray on her plants to discourage the slugs and worms. Of course the Ladybugs were well fed.

I am looking forward to buying my next house with my babe and my only requirement is it must have a back yard with plenty of space for a nice garden. I grew up gardening but have fell out of the yearly practice. I do always have the best yard with the best lawn and flower beds. My trees and bushes are always well maintained. It will be nice to start having that proper garden yearly again. I am hoping y'all can help me on the newer procedures.

My roses are also rewarding again this year. I just went and looked at them and am shocked at the flowering. I haven't even fed them yet or trimmed them. I did trim the orange this year a few weeks ago. I looked at it yesterday and see a huge amount of buds. More than I have ever seen. My babe and her babe friends are going to be well supplied.

I know about the weeds. They are a curse but at least it means the soil is being productive.

[luckytxn 2,263]

I think it's definitely the borer - I was digging over one of the beds yesterday and found one of the red cocoons with the grub inside. Obviously that one is dead, dead, dead now but where there's one....

Thanks for all your suggestions. I'm going to stay away from any insecticides at all this year as we have a too curious 2-year-old to worry about getting down and dirty among all the plants. Last year she was crawling over all the beds - at least this year she's walking but still too young to really retain the info that she's not to touch something.

So I think my plan of action will be something like...

1. Plant just a couple of summer squashes rather than a whole row. Just one or two cukes and maybe some butternut squash (which last year stood up to the pests)

2. Wipe the stems to try to catch the eggs - maybe wrap the stems at the bottom.

3. Worst case scenario - pull all the plants and not grow squash for a couple of years.

Now the downside for me of fewer squash plants is that my husband is going to try to grow even more okra than he did last year - and to be honest my English palate has now probably eaten more of the slimy stuff than I ever want to in the rest of my lifetime. I might try to get in their first with the green beans before he has the chance to okra-up the whole garden.

Love the picture and you definitely need to lay off poisons. I like your plan of actions. Please if possible keep us abreast of them. We can all learn together. I will also be trying more of this organic gardening next year and could use any tips.

[luckytxn 2,263]

Aww - what a cute picture:-).

Lynn, Check out this link - there are organic solutions available that you can use on your remaining plants. This supplier is a great resource - I have used them for many years. This is where I get my beneficial nematodes from. You can order in their catalogue or go on line and search. Everything they offer is good and they often have some very useful specials as well. Hope this helps - I'm going to be trying these suggestions with the few squash and zucchini I do plant this year as well. It looks like prevention, while labour intensive, is the best solution.

http://www.gardensal...icle.asp?ai=804

Just a few squash plants are needed. They tend to produce all year. An over supply and the neighbors get sick of taking in the extra supply. If in the south I suggest to try some melons. I always had great luck with them and eating them was a reward.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

It's supposed to warm up a bit in the next few days. The furnace is running right now. Gotta love NE. The plants are dying for some warm sun.

[luckytxn 2,263]

It's supposed to warm up a bit in the next few days. The furnace is running right now. Gotta love NE. The plants are dying for some warm sun.

Furnace?

[spookyturtle 9,465]

Furnace?

For heat. Oil fired.