First year-- Bought zucchini seedlings from garden center. Planted in mound the
way you're supposed to. Enjoyed more zucchini than we could eat.

Second year-- Proceeded as first. Got 2 zucchini. Whole big beautiful plant
died. Heartbroken. Did minimum research. Concluded squash vine borer was
culprit.

3rd year-- Proceeded as first. Didn't even get 2 zucchini. All dead before
fruit.

4th, 5th year. Gave up. Turned attention to basil and tomatoes.

6th year-- I'm ready to give it another go.

Instead of making a mound in the vegetable garden in back, we thought we'd plant
in a half whiskey barrel in the front yard. Maybe the borers will have trouble
finding the plant if we hide. I'd like to avoid chemicals if I could though I'm
willing to use them if the zucchini bread warrants. I've read in The New
Victory Garden an idea for foiling the borers-- literally. One puts a mat of
aluminum foil around the base of the squash vines. The idea is either to
confuse the moth by reflecting a bright light in its eyes or to cook the eggs to
an uncomfortable temperature. In any case, has anyone tried this? Does it
work? It sounds too good to be true, a simple non-chemical solution to the
problem.

Then today there's a new development. I ran into a neighbor today, another
hobbyist gardener but one with lots more experience than I have. He said that
zucchini was a sure thing crop, one that nothing could go wrong with. He said
that whatever my troubles were in the past, they weren't squash vine borers
because zucchini don't vine. Maybe another sort of borer? In which case, would
the foil idea be any good?

Help! I'm in New England, zone 5.

--Lia

In article ,
says...
Then today there's a new development. I ran into a neighbor today, another
hobbyist gardener but one with lots more experience than I have. He said that
zucchini was a sure thing crop, one that nothing could go wrong with. He said
that whatever my troubles were in the past, they weren't squash vine borers
because zucchini don't vine. Maybe another sort of borer? In which case, would
the foil idea be any good?


They will get zucchini. You can also place strips of
nylon stockings around the stem. Not sure how well this
will work on a zucchini plant, but as the plant grows,
keep more of the stem covered by soil to promote
secondary root growth to help the plant still get
nutrition after the damage has been done.
--
Good judgment comes from experience,
and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.


Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

On Thu, 29 May 2003 18:13:32 GMT, Lar wrote:

In article ,
says...
Then today there's a new development. I ran into a neighbor today, another
hobbyist gardener but one with lots more experience than I have. He said that
zucchini was a sure thing crop, one that nothing could go wrong with. He said
that whatever my troubles were in the past, they weren't squash vine borers
because zucchini don't vine. Maybe another sort of borer? In which case, would
the foil idea be any good?


They will get zucchini. You can also place strips of
nylon stockings around the stem. Not sure how well this
will work on a zucchini plant, but as the plant grows,
keep more of the stem covered by soil to promote
secondary root growth to help the plant still get
nutrition after the damage has been done.


The borers wiped out all my zucchini plants two years ago, so I
planted none last year and I'm giving it another try this year. There
are "good" years and "bad" years.

Phisherman wrote in message . ..
On Thu, 29 May 2003 18:13:32 GMT, Lar wrote:

In article ,
says...
Then today there's a new development. I ran into a neighbor today, another
hobbyist gardener but one with lots more experience than I have. He said that
zucchini was a sure thing crop, one that nothing could go wrong with. He said
that whatever my troubles were in the past, they weren't squash vine borers
because zucchini don't vine. Maybe another sort of borer? In which case, would
the foil idea be any good?


They will get zucchini. You can also place strips of
nylon stockings around the stem. Not sure how well this
will work on a zucchini plant, but as the plant grows,
keep more of the stem covered by soil to promote
secondary root growth to help the plant still get
nutrition after the damage has been done.


The borers wiped out all my zucchini plants two years ago, so I
planted none last year and I'm giving it another try this year. There
are "good" years and "bad" years.

Borers are bad every year, at least here. I lost the zucchini two
years running. This year I will simply keep the plants under a plastic
tunnel (open at both ends), at least until mid-june, while pushing the
vine into the ground to force rooting. Later I will try covering the
stems with aluminum foil. I suppose that mosquito netting, covering
the plants, would stop the moths from finding the base of the plants.
I sympathize with the other posters in this thread.

All squash are susceptible to the borer, vining or not. Foil produces
limited results in my experience. The best 100% sure method I've used is
vigilence. Inspect your vines every day or 2 for frass, or that
sawdust-looking stuff coming from a small hole in the stem. This shouldn't
be hard to do since that's how frequently you have to harvest the fruit
anyway. With a very sharp knife, slice the vine lengthwise about 1/2 way
through from the hole toward the tip. I try to may the cut along the side of
the stem so it's not a water trap. Within an inch or so you should come
across the culprit which can be removed and disposed of. Usually the vine
closes right back up and seals over as if nothing happened especially if
caught early and if your cuts aren't too excessively messy.

"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
...
First year-- Bought zucchini seedlings from garden center. Planted in
mound the
way you're supposed to. Enjoyed more zucchini than we could eat.

Second year-- Proceeded as first. Got 2 zucchini. Whole big beautiful
plant
died. Heartbroken. Did minimum research. Concluded squash vine borer
was
culprit.

3rd year-- Proceeded as first. Didn't even get 2 zucchini. All dead
before
fruit.

4th, 5th year. Gave up. Turned attention to basil and tomatoes.

6th year-- I'm ready to give it another go.

Instead of making a mound in the vegetable garden in back, we thought we'd
plant
in a half whiskey barrel in the front yard. Maybe the borers will have
trouble
finding the plant if we hide. I'd like to avoid chemicals if I could
though I'm
willing to use them if the zucchini bread warrants. I've read in The New
Victory Garden an idea for foiling the borers-- literally. One puts a mat
of
aluminum foil around the base of the squash vines. The idea is either to
confuse the moth by reflecting a bright light in its eyes or to cook the
eggs to
an uncomfortable temperature. In any case, has anyone tried this? Does
it
work? It sounds too good to be true, a simple non-chemical solution to
the
problem.

Then today there's a new development. I ran into a neighbor today,
another
hobbyist gardener but one with lots more experience than I have. He said
that
zucchini was a sure thing crop, one that nothing could go wrong with. He
said
that whatever my troubles were in the past, they weren't squash vine
borers
because zucchini don't vine. Maybe another sort of borer? In which case,
would
the foil idea be any good?

Help! I'm in New England, zone 5.

--Lia

I've had trouble in the past and have heard that once infested, the only
solution is to pull out the infected plants. I once thought that the borer
was a wasp, but as the following article illustrates, it is not. It is a
moth. Anyway, here is the article:

http://web.ask.com/redir?bpg=http%3a...3dsqu ash%2bv
ine%2bborer%2b%26o%3d0&q=squash+vine+borer+&u=http %3a%2f%2ftm.wc.ask.com%2fr
%3ft%3dan%26s%3da%26uid%3d21888fba71888fba7%26sid% 3d161CF36C7AE8B6DE3%26qid%
3dBD90A360A1988747A2A5604F0FA3C23C%26io%3d0%26sv%3 dza5cb0dc7%26ask%3dsquash%
2bvine%2bborer%2b%26uip%3d1888fba7%26en%3dte%26eo% 3d-100%26pt%3dSquash%2bVin
e%2bBorer%2band%2bSquash%2bBug%26ac%3d24%26qs%3d0% 26pg%3d1%26u%3dhttp%3a%2f%
2fwww.uky.edu%2fAgriculture%2fEntomology%2fentfact s%2fveg%2fef314.htm&s=a&bu
=http%3a%2f%2fwww.uky.edu%2fAgriculture%2fEntomolo gy%2fentfacts%2fveg%2fef31
4.htm


"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
...
First year-- Bought zucchini seedlings from garden center. Planted in
mound the
way you're supposed to. Enjoyed more zucchini than we could eat.

Second year-- Proceeded as first. Got 2 zucchini. Whole big beautiful
plant
died. Heartbroken. Did minimum research. Concluded squash vine borer
was
culprit.

3rd year-- Proceeded as first. Didn't even get 2 zucchini. All dead
before
fruit.

4th, 5th year. Gave up. Turned attention to basil and tomatoes.

6th year-- I'm ready to give it another go.

Instead of making a mound in the vegetable garden in back, we thought we'd
plant
in a half whiskey barrel in the front yard. Maybe the borers will have
trouble
finding the plant if we hide. I'd like to avoid chemicals if I could
though I'm
willing to use them if the zucchini bread warrants. I've read in The New
Victory Garden an idea for foiling the borers-- literally. One puts a mat
of
aluminum foil around the base of the squash vines. The idea is either to
confuse the moth by reflecting a bright light in its eyes or to cook the
eggs to
an uncomfortable temperature. In any case, has anyone tried this? Does
it
work? It sounds too good to be true, a simple non-chemical solution to
the
problem.

Then today there's a new development. I ran into a neighbor today,
another
hobbyist gardener but one with lots more experience than I have. He said
that
zucchini was a sure thing crop, one that nothing could go wrong with. He
said
that whatever my troubles were in the past, they weren't squash vine
borers
because zucchini don't vine. Maybe another sort of borer? In which case,
would
the foil idea be any good?

Help! I'm in New England, zone 5.

--Lia

V_coerulea wrote:

All squash are susceptible to the borer, vining or not. Foil produces
limited results in my experience. The best 100% sure method I've used is
vigilence. Inspect your vines every day or 2 for frass, or that
sawdust-looking stuff coming from a small hole in the stem. This shouldn't
be hard to do since that's how frequently you have to harvest the fruit
anyway. With a very sharp knife, slice the vine lengthwise about 1/2 way
through from the hole toward the tip. I try to may the cut along the side of
the stem so it's not a water trap. Within an inch or so you should come
across the culprit which can be removed and disposed of. Usually the vine
closes right back up and seals over as if nothing happened especially if
caught early and if your cuts aren't too excessively messy.

Thanks. Normally I shy away from anything that involves surgery, but I think I
could do that.

--Lia

Julia Altshuler said:

Instead of making a mound in the vegetable garden in back, we thought we'd plant
in a half whiskey barrel in the front yard. Maybe the borers will have trouble
finding the plant if we hide.

They live to find squash plants. They can run, but they can't hide.

I'd like to avoid chemicals if I could though I'm
willing to use them if the zucchini bread warrants. I've read in The New
Victory Garden an idea for foiling the borers-- literally. One puts a mat of
aluminum foil around the base of the squash vines. The idea is either to
confuse the moth by reflecting a bright light in its eyes or to cook the eggs to
an uncomfortable temperature. In any case, has anyone tried this? Does it
work? It sounds too good to be true, a simple non-chemical solution to the
problem.

"If it sounds too good to be true..."

Normally, I hand-pick the eggs and fish out and freshly-hatched borers that
escape my egg search.

This year, I may not be able to do that (I have surgery scheduled for mid-June and
after that I won't be able to put my head down for a while). I may try the aluminum
foil trick because I have to do *something* (or else we have to used canned
squash for the 'pumpkin' waffles and bought zucchini for zucchini bread).

Then today there's a new development. I ran into a neighbor today, another
hobbyist gardener but one with lots more experience than I have. He said that
zucchini was a sure thing crop, one that nothing could go wrong with. He said
that whatever my troubles were in the past, they weren't squash vine borers
because zucchini don't vine.

Oh, that's a good one. He have any more tall tales you can pass on? 8^)

Zucchini are MORE vulnerable to squash vine borers than vining
squash are because they have only one main stem. When that goes,
the whole plant dies. Vining squash will root at many places as they
run along the ground, so loosing the main stem won't always kill them.

My eye-witness testimony from my own many years experience:

Squash vine borer moths DO lay eggs on zucchini plants, the eggs DO
hatch, the borers DO enter the zucchini stem, and the plants WILL die
if you don't interrupt this process.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

Pat Kiewicz wrote:

They live to find squash plants. They can run, but they can't hide.

Yeah, I kinda figured that anything called a squash vine borer would be good at
finding squash.

Normally, I hand-pick the eggs and fish out and freshly-hatched borers that
escape my egg search.

I'll find some pictures of what these guys look like. I don't know why I have
such a lack of confidence in this area. Normally I find picking off bugs to be
oddly satisfying.

I suppose it is possible for my neighbor to be wrong. He's one of these awfully
nice guys, someone I wouldn't mind chatting with longer. He and his wife are
the only neighbors my boyfriend and I run into at the sort of local music and
stage productions we enjoy. I've only seen his flower garden since his
vegetables are in the back hidden from view, but it is lovely, really nice. I
guess I jumped to the conclusion that he was the right person to go to for
advice. I'm glad I've got y'all here on the 'Net for corrections.

Best wishes for a quicker than usual recovery from your surgery.

--Lia

Julia Altshuler wrote in message ...
V_coerulea wrote:

All squash are susceptible to the borer, vining or not. Foil produces
limited results in my experience. The best 100% sure method I've used is
vigilence. Inspect your vines every day or 2 for frass, or that
sawdust-looking stuff coming from a small hole in the stem. This shouldn't
be hard to do since that's how frequently you have to harvest the fruit
anyway. With a very sharp knife, slice the vine lengthwise about 1/2 way
through from the hole toward the tip. I try to may the cut along the side of
the stem so it's not a water trap. Within an inch or so you should come
across the culprit which can be removed and disposed of. Usually the vine
closes right back up and seals over as if nothing happened especially if
caught early and if your cuts aren't too excessively messy.

Thanks. Normally I shy away from anything that involves surgery, but I think I
could do that.

--Lia

On second thought, I would really like to try netting this year -
specially folks here pooh-pooh the aluminum foil method. Anyone has
any idea of where to find something like mosquito netting to drape
over the plants? Do you think it will work?

I addition to patroling the garden and looking for borer holes and
frass and then doing your basic slit and extract surgery you want to
root the vines along their length as they sprawl along the ground.
This makes them less susceptible to being completely wiped out.

I've taken the plunge! This morning I drilled drainage holes the bottom of new
half whiskey barrel, propped it up on big rocks, filled the bottom layer with
little rocks, filled the whole thing with the loveliest mix of peat moss,
composted manure and good soil, then delicately planted my little zucchini
seedlings on the top. I did go with the aluminum foil. It might help and can't
hurt.

I'm so pleased with myself that I'm ready to plunge into more squashes. Is
there a winter variety that's especially resistent to borers? I might try some
of them too.

--Lia

I believe that butternuts are somewhat resistant. It's been years since I
grew them, but as I remember it, they didn't have the problems that the
summer squash did. They taste great when homegrown, and keep all winter in
a cool basement. In a former life, I grew them in a garden that had about a
foot of topsoil deposited on it after the creek flooded. I had dozens of
squash from two or three plants.

Because they are slightly sweet, a lot of people cook them with sugar or
honey. I dislike this as I find it cloying. I slice them in half
lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, then microwave them in a dish with an inch
of water in the bottom until they are soft enough to scoop out the insides.
I sauté onions, garlic, and mushrooms and add it to the squash pulp, along
with toasted slivered almonds and peas (frozen is ok). If you can find it,
Cope's dried corn (rehydrated) works very here also. Season with soy sauce,
herbs of choice, and parmesan, stuff back into the shell, and top with
breadcrumbs and more parmesan. Bake at 350F until warmed through and brown
on top. Add a crisp salad and a bottle of wine and you've got a great,
savory winter meal.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
I'm so pleased with myself that I'm ready to plunge into more squashes.
Is
there a winter variety that's especially resistent to borers? I might try
some
of them too.

--Lia

The borers wiped out all my zucchini plants two years ago, so I
planted none last year and I'm giving it another try this year. There
are "good" years and "bad" years.


Very true. The vine borers winter in the ground, so many times the population
can be diminished by turning under all plant debris in the fall and planting a
cover crop. For those of you in northern climes a hard winter will also reduce
the overwinetring adults.

Thanks. On your advice, I went out and bought Waltham butternut seedlings
today. They'll get planted tomorrow. As for cooking, a good sweet squash needs
nothing more than baking and eating. Recipes are for store bought.

--Lia


SugarChile wrote:

I believe that butternuts are somewhat resistant.