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Pat Kiewicz[_2_] · 01-03-2009, 12:37 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible

said:

I'm looking at zukes and cukes this summer. Did OK last summer with BT
injections to control squash vine borers, which are endemic here, but
was kind of a pain in the neck even in a very small garden, and I'd
like to expand. I'm looking to do floating covers this summer, which
I've never done before. In anticipation of that, I have a few
questions for people who use them routinely. BTW, I'm in central
Texas.

In my past experiments with summer row covers, I found that
sometimes I was trapping pests under the covers. Unsupported
fabric, even though it was lightweight, wore on the plants. Lack
of air circulation encouraged fungus. And then there is the problem
of nothing getting pollinated under the cover.

I did really well last summer with a combination of hand inspection
and removal of eggs (when the plants were small) and pyrethrin
sprays *carefully directed on the stems* (especially near the base)
once the plants got too bulky to hand-inspect.

Bt injections are best reserved for use if your first line of defense fails
to stop the SBVs before they get into the stem.

(Yesterday I spent much of the day cooking, mashing, packing and
freezing squash from last fall's harvest. Today, pumpkin waffles for
breakfast! With home-made spiced apple jelly!!)

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

"So, it was all a dream."
"No dear, this is the dream, you're still in the cell."

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