Hi All

I am a very newbie gardener from Cheshire. I decided to try & grow some courgette and pumpkin for the first time this year. I grew them from seeds in a propagator, but very soon after I planted them out, they all started to wilt & die.

I pulled one of the stems up today & found a small hole in it, at about soil level.

When I looked in the whole, I found lots of tiny grubs. I have no idea what they are or how to stop them.

I have a few more seedlings on my window sill waiting to be planted out, but I'm afraid they''ll be munched too!

Does anyone know what these are or how to stop them?

I've taken a picture of them too - ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting

I've done a search on the forum & I've seen mention of squash bugs & borers, but they all sound like they are endemic to the states?

"RayneGirl" wrote...

I am a very newbie gardener from Cheshire. I decided to try & grow some
courgette and pumpkin for the first time this year. I grew them from
seeds in a propagator, but very soon after I planted them out, they all
started to wilt & die.

I pulled one of the stems up today & found a small hole in it, at about
soil level.

When I looked in the whole, I found lots of tiny grubs. I have no idea
what they are or how to stop them.

I have a few more seedlings on my window sill waiting to be planted out,
but I'm afraid they''ll be munched too!

Does anyone know what these are or how to stop them?

I've taken a picture of them too - 'ImageShack® - Online Photo and
Video Hosting' (http://tinyurl.com/3cchbtz)

I've done a search on the forum & I've seen mention of squash bugs &
borers, but they all sound like they are endemic to the states?



It certainly looks like the Squash Vine Borer..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_vine_borer

Personally I would contact the RHS at Wisley and send them your photos etc
so they can identify the problem and deal with the consequences. It may be
we now have an outbreak of the Squash Vine Borer in the UK.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

Possibly the grubs of fungus gnats - if so, you should already or very soon be seeing little black flies which tend to crawl on the soil or on the pot sides.

The gnats lay their eggs in damp compost, the grubs hatch out and eat mainly detritus. They don't usually cause problems for plants but they do like fat fleshy roots and can kill cactus seedlings and fleshy-rooted bulbs for example.

The flies can be killed by any fly killer, which at least stops them going off to lay eggs elsewhere. You might not want to use insecticide on a food plant

It's possible to deter them by keeping the surface of the compost dry, most easily by putting a layer of sand or fine grit on it. I've also found that the flies are attracted to the sticky leaves of Nicotiana sylvestris, and can't get themselves unstuck, so I've started scattering nicotiana plants through the greenhouse.

As to your remaining seedlings, I would take them out of the pots and have a very good look at the soil. If you see any sign of young grubs (they can be quite thin and transparent looking), then shake off all the soil, and re-pot. You might have less problem with a soil based compost rather than a coir based one. In any case, keep the tops of your compost sacks tightly rolled so flies can't get in.

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply. I will have a good look at the soil tomorrow & I will try out your suggestions!