The three varieties of squash that I chose for this year’s garden started out as robust plants. The Canada Crookneck has been a real trooper, never bothered by sun, rain, or pests. It is producing huge, bottle-shaped squash that should keep well.
It’s my first year growing pattypans, and boy! Are they pretty! They are also delicious, cooked or raw. This type of squash has been affected by nothing but the infamous squash vine borer.
Normally, I plant sugar pumpkins. Because pumpkins seem to be especially attractive to vine borers, I’m happy if a few make it until they ripen. I didn’t even learn what had been killing all of my pumpkin vines until last year, when it was too late to even try to protect the plants from the devil beasts’ eggs.
This year, I planted Connecticut Field Pumpkins, hoping to get some that are good for carving.
As the plants sprouted, I hit the ground running, keeping them covered until they got too big, and then picking off as many eggs as I could find. It gave me great satisfaction whenever I could manage to squash such a squash pest, which wasn’t often enough. Once vine borer season ended, I could see the damage starting on the two susceptible types of squash. Holes in the vines, with telltale frass next to them. Wilting already starting. And the beautiful pumpkins that had started to grow would probably not make it to ripening.
Bacillus thuringiensis, Bt, for short, kept popping up during my research on potential rescues. The kurstaki strain. That’s important, as the different strains of Bt target specific pests. It was too late in the season to use this on any stems or foliage. I would have to inject it into the vines.
Thankfully, the porch pirate who stole my bamboo toothbrushes did not show up to steal the needles that would be used to do this strange deed. Judging from his history, he might have found the latter to be more useful.
For two weeks, once each week, I have injected Bt-k into the vines of the affected plants, close to where I can see frass or openings. I didn’t have much hope at first. Now, I sure do. Not one of the squash plants has been lost so far. They seem to be thriving, and are starting to produce more fruit.
The nice thing about pumpkins is that they will produce fresh roots along the vine. Because of vine borer damage, I had pulled one of the plants from a raised bed, and lopped off its base. It grew new roots farther along the vine, and has been growing fine outside the raised bed. That’s the one in the distance, in the photo above.
Next year, I’ll start early with the Bt. It will be nice not to have to worry so much about losing pumpkins and summer squash varieties to vine borers.
