Cucumber and squash seedlings both have elongated foliage for the first set of leaves after they emerge from the soil. The second set of leaves on a seedling varies. Cucumber leaves are in the shape of a triangle and are flat in the center and rough to the touch. Squash plants vary in shape as to the particular variety, but have three to five lobes and are larger than cucumber leaves.
Zucchini squash has elongated serrated leaves. Much larger leaves with more defined shapes, usually has three or five lobes. Squash seedlings more closely resemble cucumbers than courgettes.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Email Print Tweet. Like this: Like Loading No Comments. Comments: Cancel reply. Looking for more? Squash need one inch of water per week. Drip spikes attached to a drip irrigation system are an excellent way to ensure your squash plants get adequate water. Another method involves burying a perforated tin can beside your seedling at planting time, and filling this can daily to a few times per week.
Squash vine borers tunnel through the stems of squash plants, depriving the leaves and fruit of moisture. They are common in home gardens in the mid to eastern US and may appear in southern Ontario. Wilting leaves along with holes at the base of your plants that exude a green, sawdust-like substance signals that squash vine borers are present.
Signs of the squash vine borer include wilting leaves. Another common garden pest that can feast on squash plants is the lowly aphid. Watch for a discoloration on plant stems—green, purple, and black are some common aphid hues. In many cases, aphids will damage a handful of plants before becoming a meal for beneficial insects including ladybugs and wasps.
That means you may not need to do anything at all if you see these helpful predators present on your plants and the infestation is not too extensive.
Gardens containing a healthy variety of plants and healthy soil can often fend off too much damage from aphids because they attract these natural predators. If the infestation is getting out of hand, start by spraying affected plant stems with a jet of water. Often this is enough to wipe them out and no more work is necessary. If the situation persists, consider introducing beneficial insects such as the Aphidoletes midge and Aphidius wasp—excellent choices to buy for controlling aphids.
Neem oil is also effective at controlling aphids when applied according to product instructions. Squash bugs attack the leaves of your plants, causing them to wither, blacken, become brittle, and eventually die. The most common squash bug is the Anasa tristis , a harmful pest that ranges throughout Central America, the United States and southern Canada, feeding on squash, cucumber, and melon plants. Adult bottom and nymph top squash bug. Photograph by John L. Capinera, University of Florida.
The first sign of squash bug trouble is usually brown marks on the leaves. If you spot clusters of oval-shaped brown eggs, remove them. Squash bugs are known to favour larger, more mature squash plants, and earlier plantings are particularly susceptible.
Damage to plant leaves after feeding by squash bugs. If squash bugs are already affecting your crop, trap them by placing cardboard or large cabbage leaves on the ground around your plants. The bugs will hide there during the day, and you can gather them up and destroy them.
Introducing beneficial insects such as the Trichopoda pennipes may also help reduce squash bug numbers if available in your area.
When the ends of your squash plants shrivel and turn brown, this is usually a sign of blossom end rot. To prevent blossom end rot, perform a soil test before you plant to check calcium and acidity levels.
Low pH under 5. Drought, wet soils, and unusually cool or hot weather can tax plants and prevent them from absorbing minerals effectively. Do your best to ensure plants receive even watering from drip irrigation or soaker hoses and protect them from weather extremes. When mature leaves have powdery spots on upper and lower surfaces, this is the first sign of powdery mildew.
Eventually these spots may grow to form large patches, covering leaves and stems. This fungus can weaken plants, reduce fruit set, and cause premature ripening. Since powdery mildew infections thrive in warm, dry conditions and closely planted crops, be sure to give your squash plants adequate room to increase airflow.
If powdery mildew appears, spray leaves with a solution of neem oil and water 2 tablespoons of neem oil concentrate to 1 gallon of water. This will help reduce or eliminate powdery mildew in as little as 24 hours. Squash mosaic virus causes leaves and fruit to become mottled and misshapen. Squash mosaic virus appears as dark green and blistering patches on the leaves. Leaves and fruits become mottled, bumpy, and misshapen. Beetles—including the leaf beetle and spotted cucumber beetle—transmit the virus after feeding on other infected plants.
It can also be spread by infected seed. Remove and destroy any infected plants and clean bed of spent plants at end of season. Choose disease free certified seed. Leaf blight on squash begins with small brown spots that may turn black. This fungus first appears as brown spots on the leaves that later turn black. Fruits become spongy with tough, dry rinds. Since this blight is spread by overwintering plant debris, clean all spent plants from the previous year and practice crop rotation.
Avoid overhead watering to keep leaves dry, opting for drip irrigation or soaker hoses instead. To protect growing fruit from wet grass and soil, slide a waterproof material like a board, cedar shake, firm plastic piece, or even tar paper squares under each one.
This is best done when squash are small and lightweight. Squash plants need pollen from the male flowers to make it to the female flowers before they can grow and ripen. If you often lack pollinators in your garden, consider interplanting flowers and squash to attract more varieties. You can also let bee-friendly crops like cilantro, herbs, and kale go to seed before pulling spent plants. The easiest way to hand pollinate squash plants is to use a paintbrush, toothbrush, or cotton swab and gently transfer the pollen from the male flower which has a long, thing stalk to the female flower which has a swollen, budding fruit at its base.
Hand pollinating can help increase your yield, even when pollinators are present. To help your squash plants ripen the most fruit possible, begin removing fruits smaller than a baseball in early August. This will help your plants put their energy into ripening fewer, larger fruit and give you the most ripened weight per plant. You can eat those unripened fruit as if they were summer squash.
Lastly, around the same time of year, clip the ends off those squash vines two leaf notes past the last ripening fruit. Use only clean, sharp shears. To cure squash, leave outside in the sun after harvest for days. Perfect curing weather will be warm and dry. The best part! Harvesting squash is the grand finale of all your hard work. Now you can enjoy many months of squash soup and other goodness.
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