This week in the DVG:
- We found yellow, wilting leaves on the tomatoes. This is blight. We pruned the stems back to the main branch and then wiped the snippers clean with chlorox between plants to avoid spreading the blight from plant to plant. A good website for common diseases as well as photos is http://extension.msstate.edu/sites/default/files/publications/publications/P3175_web.pdf (Mississippi State University Extension).
- We also found ooze emerging from a yellow squash. It is caused by a Pickleworm (Diaphania nitidalis). The pickleworms create holes in the squash and hollows it, making it feel spongy when squeezed. We also observed the pickleworms on squash leaves, creating a cocoon (later would become a pupae). We won’t observe the moths as they mate & lay eggs at nighttime. Thanks to Connie, Carolyn, David, and Tina on the DVG team for keeping an eye on these squash plants! For more information, visit https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W206.pdf, https://www.jacksonville.com/entertainmentlife/20190907/garden-help-worms-eating-your-fall-squash, https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in321,https://eorganic.org/node/5320