Quote:
Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha
In prior years, the borer and the squash bug were so bad we didn't get a single squash, and that was with crop rotation. This year, we rotated again and grew on woven weed block to try and defeat the squash bug from overwintering. About a month ago my partner sprinkled the squash plants with Sevin. I cringed but kept quiet as I didn't want to feel guilty if either yucky bug came. Well, with tons and tons of rain, and as far as I know only one dusting, the plants are chugging along. Squash overload though I love it. I haven't spoken with any other local growers to see if the bugs were killed off my our cold winter or if it is just a fluke that the one time Sevin application worked. Not a chemical fan but this is great if it worked.
- Lisa
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If too much of it gets washed off by rain then the SVBs will hit the plants quickly. I never have to worry about whether or not they are around down here. From spring til I quit growing squash I see the moths that lay the eggs every morning around the plants and on the plants. Once you learn to spot them it isn't hard to see them but they do move rather like a fast bee but once they light you can readily spot them.
I don't dust the whole plant just the stems up to the blooms. Once the fruit borers hit I will dust some of the young fruits but never the blossoms because squash plants really attract honey bees in my garden. This year I had more honey bees than I have seen in 20 years so I guess the way I use the Sevin isn't hurting them.
Squash overload is what I have had for the past few years since perfecting this technique of stopping the SVBs and I eventually just give up and pull them but by the time I do they are gigantic plants sometimes so big I can't even drag them to the street without cutting them into manageable size. For many years I tried the tinfoil on the stems and other methods and usually lost most of my plants byabout a month after they started making fruit unless I foolishly tried growing some in the fall and then I would usually lose all of them before getting a single fruit.
Another thing that has greatly increased the life span of my squash plants is using the diluted bleach spray every time I spray my tomatoes I spray the undersides of all my squash leaves and the tops. This keeps all those mildews from getting started good. I also spray them with either Daconil or Copper sprays when I spray my tomatoes.
Bill