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Galt, CA

Last weekend we had a hot hot weekend.. 103-106... I have 4 different pumpkin vines growing at my Renke patch one of which is the 2032 Mathison... The plant had been thriving and growing as planned. Last weekend I noticed the leaves started to die and shrivel and the whole plant more so the outer vines and leaves turned a light green yellow. My first thought was it was sun burned. I covered the plant with a pop up tent and prayed for the best... The leaves continued to die with the coverage and a little extra water so I searched online and thought maybe if was squash borers. Went and bought nematodes and injected the plant plus my others that are doing very well... No change. I've cut off almost all the vines and I am left with a sickening small gangly plant with mostly green leaves (still lighter than my other plants and few yellow). Additionally all new flowers (pumpkins) that grow die before they get bigger than a pea, they dry and seem to turn grey/black. I've placed nematodes in the soil, liquid and powdered everything with Sevens Dust and treated with neem oil. If anyone has experienced this and can guide me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it. This plant is very important to me and my family and especially my 3 year old daughter. We are heart broken.

7/10/2014 11:51:33 AM

Westmoreland, KS

I wish i could give you good news but i've had the same issue with my plants in past years...Vine Borers was the issue and there was nothing i could do but pull the plant and spray the ground try to kill the little buggers and hope for better results in the years to follow. This year i planted Trap crops (Squash and zucchinis) around my areas and sprayed them twice a week with a merit mix. I've noticed that the vine borers and squash bugs seem to attack these plants first. Then i pick all the flowers off of these plants as to not kill the bees. So far this method has been working great this year.

I know this doesn't help for this years plant but maybe it will help you in the years to follow.

7/10/2014 12:59:48 PM

Deer Park, WI

Without a picture or other evidence, what you describe also loosely correlates with fungal pathogen onset. Get a picture in your diary, as that will be the best way for us to help you diagnose the issue.

If its vine borer as suggested above, you may be able to identify a point of entry. Google "vine borer frass", study the images, and see if you can find the "sawdust pile" these bugs leave as evidence.

The hard to swallow truth is that if your plant has succumbed this far to a bug of some sort, whether it be insect, fungus, bacteria, or virus, there is likely little chance of recovering the plant. Best you can do is good detective work to identify the cause and use the information to preserve what you may have existing in other plants or as a defense for next year's success.

7/10/2014 1:26:34 PM

Lodi, California

Wait, I thought there were no squash vine borers in California?

7/10/2014 1:59:32 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Correct, they aren't west of the Rockies from what I remember.

7/10/2014 2:18:56 PM

Galt, CA

There are vine borers here.... However... After further research there is no evidence of them in the patch. No holes or saw dust at the base of the vines or on any vines at that. I will post a picture of the plant in my diary. Thank you all for your input

7/10/2014 4:30:25 PM

Germany

From the pic in your diary I would guess it has something to do with the "Yellow Vine" disease.

7/10/2014 4:55:09 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Add a shot of the entire plant.....so to help us out.....have you noticed any squash bugs around? The span between leaves on the new growth closer and closer? Could be Yellow Vine....

7/10/2014 4:55:48 PM

Colorado

Looks like yellow vine. If its doing that on many secondaries-where the tips cluster and the vines don't put on any length. Also some of the leaves will yellow more on some vines than others. ana be a bronze yellow hue.

7/10/2014 5:23:00 PM

Galt, CA

The first photo is almost all of the plant- as much as I can get into the camera.. Will go out and try again. No holes or "saw dust" in any of the vines or base. There are random holes in the ground dug by some sort of bug. Yes on the growth.

Is there anyway of curing "yellow vine?"

7/10/2014 5:23:11 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Unfortunetly Yellow Vine is fatal....Look for squash bugZ under the leafs...around the stalks...They fly like a apache helicopter...kinda sporadic, they will hide from you it they see you...moving to the opposite side of the stalk. If your plant is infected then itZ best to pull the plant as more bugZ will come down with the virus and spread it... Here they like to overwinter.... I combat with Warrior II contact spray, Bifethrin can also kind of repel them but is also a contact spray.....Talstar another.. Then we also use Imicliproid. I like Merit as a foliar.....as it doesnt take as long to translocate to the leaves as a drench does.... I hate Squash bugZ...

7/10/2014 5:50:01 PM

Germany

In case of yellow vine, unfortunately the only cure is "PDFP" (pull da f...ing plant). Sorry, my condolence.

7/10/2014 5:50:48 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Spray every 7 dayZ...and change it up...

7/10/2014 5:51:04 PM

Germany

Ooops, this time da WiZzzy was first.

7/10/2014 5:51:54 PM

Holton, Michigan

Ugh...... I feel your misery Squash bugs are buy far my worst pest just for yellow find disease they carry I loose plants every year. And it can be in plant weeks before symptoms can show up. wich makes for large plant removal verry disappointing usually happens to me just after I get a pumpkin sat and start to grow or just as the plants began to throw females. Good luck with your others

7/10/2014 6:05:30 PM

Windsor California

Keep it simple, there are no SVB's in California, and that looks a lot like nutrient difeciancy. I would do a soil and tissue test, low nitrogen is more likely than disease.

7/10/2014 8:37:57 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

It looks a little like the root rot I sometimes get. No cure, but it can be prevented with regular applications of Agri-Fos. If the vine roots are rotted off when you pull it, that may be your problem.

7/10/2014 9:11:00 PM

Torrance, Ca.

He says there are Jason :)

7/10/2014 9:46:46 PM

Upa Creek, MO

This guy says east of the Rockies.

http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/3104/3104-1566/3104-1566_pdf.pdf

7/10/2014 9:56:40 PM

Upa Creek, MO

I guess that John Denver was full of shit, man.

7/10/2014 9:56:46 PM

Windsor California

Occam's Razor: the simplest explanation is always the correct one. The hypothesis with the fewest and most probable assumptions is the correct one. I will admit it is possible that SVB's are in california, it's just highly improbable that it caused the yellowing in this mans pumpkins and therefore doesn't solve the problem.

7/10/2014 10:59:25 PM

Torrance, Ca.

I know Pingrey has them nasty little svb's all over his patch;)

7/11/2014 12:20:57 AM

Germany

Your soil looks pretty dry. Nutrient deficiencies can be caused by the sudden absence of water. Not sure if the leaves would still stand upright in absence of water though. Also, if the this plant is the only one which shows those symptoms, but the roots can penetrate into the area of the adjacent plants, then I would exclude a sudden nutrient deficiency as the cause of this problem, because it would mean that the neighboring plants should at least show similar symptoms in a maybe less pronounced manner.

7/11/2014 12:55:20 AM

Galt, CA

Two plants neighboring him are in good Heath and soil test show good results. All get same amount of water and no other plants are showing these symptoms. Thank you all for you input.

7/11/2014 1:19:19 AM

Deer Park, WI

here's a good article on Yellow Vine published by U of KY. The advice in here is solid...the only true way to know is to test. Im not convinced what you have is definitively yellow vine, but its certainly a contender. And as the article wisely points out, once a plant starts succumbing to one pathogen, many more move in to take advantage of its weakness, making definitive diagnosis more challenging. Either way, a concrete answer will help guide effective treatment/control for what remains in the patch and next years efforts. Test...dont guess.

7/11/2014 9:05:56 AM

Deer Park, WI

http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcollege/plantpathology/ext_files/PPFShtml/PPFS-VG-12.pdf

7/11/2014 9:06:03 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Good Article JoZe....Im going home to spray

7/11/2014 9:35:16 AM

Deer Park, WI

amen to that, brother. Mine too will be receiving a pleasant triazicide bath this evening.

As an aside, can you spray for hail defense??? :)

7/11/2014 9:52:30 AM

Corryton, TN

I don't have the answer for you SP as to what it is. 99% sure it is NOT YVD. Few growers have dealt with YVD longer than I. Several pics in my diaries from previous years at various stages. Several pics from confirmed cases. It's squash bugs that are the carrier not SVB's.

7/11/2014 12:42:58 PM