Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Zucchini Plant Pests: Vine Borers

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This year was my first year with enough room to grow zucchini.  I was excited to be able to plant 7 plants.  However, thanks to a pest unknown to me at the time, I'm now down to 4 plants with one in the Garden Emergency Room as well.  Thanks to the quick and extensive reach of google search, I was able to diagnose my zucchini problems as a pest called Vine Borers.  They hatch and eat the plant, and later become a type of moth.  Here's the Garden Doctor's findings:

Symptoms:
zucchini leaves suddenly yellow or the plant suddenly dies....CHECK
upon inspection, the base of the plant has been chewed away....CHECK
you can see the nasty little white borers right there in your plant stem or eggs under the leaves.....CHECK

Treatment:
Several Bug insecticides are available in powder or liquid spray.  Look for one that lists vine borers on the label.  Apply every 7-10 days for two or three treatments.  You can also bury the stem under soil after killing the borer and the plant may be saved.

Recovery & Prognosis:
Caught soon enough, it's possible to save the plants.

Prevention:
Next year I'll be on the lookout for these little buggers much sooner!

2 comments:

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