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Pumpkins, Squash & Gourds

Pumpkin and squash vines dying, help!!!

mfran12345 (Zone 6b, northeast PA)

9 years ago

My pumpkins and squash vines and leaves are turning brown at the cetner of the plant where seeds were planted. The vines farther out are still green and are still flowering. What's going on and will this hurt the few pumpkins I got growing? Also one pumpkin is orange already, should I pick it and store it in the basement until fall? Thanks everyone.

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Comments (3)

mfran12345 (Zone 6b, northeast PA)
Original Author
9 years ago
Upon closer investigating this was discovered on the underside if the pumpkin leaves. Looks to be eggs and tiny bugs that look like "X"s.
Sid23
9 years ago
Squash Bugs! Arch nemesis of all pumpkin growers. Could tell from the first picture. They don't eat the leaves but suck the moisture from them. The little bugs are nymphs. They will get much bigger I am afraid. The plants look pretty far gone. The eggs can be removed with duct tape, get every one! To kill the squash bugs I make a simple solution of water and Dawn dish soap. Other soaps do work I hear, this is just what I had and used. Fill a spray bottle with water then add some Dawn. I usually use a 1ÃÂ½ gallon pump sprayer and put about 2T soap in and just stir it around enough to mix. You don't want bubbles like dish water. It should look light/pale blue. Set the prayer somewhere between spray and stream. Now go and spray directly on the bugs. As you found out squash bugs like to hide under the leaves so look under each one. Kill as many as you can find. They like to come out more in the evening. The soap clogs up their exoskeleton so they cannot breathe. They will die with in a minute or two. Come out in the evening, they will come out and hang around your pumpkins. At the end of the season I leave one vine and undesired pumpkin or squash and they will come every evening to the fruit and you can spray them then. Leave it until they quit coming. Squash bugs will over winter in the soil, so get as many as possible. Hate those squash bugs!!!
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oldgardenguy_zone6
9 years ago
Yes the soap mix is affective I use a hose end sprayer 22oz water 2oz soap (what ever is on sale this year "Gain lemon scent" then at mid day I Nuke um you can get under the leaves and really suds it up then wait about 5-10 min. and all the ones fleeing the soap will come to the top and then give a second spray later I come back an get all the dead ones off the leaves because they look like live ones I missed but their just corpses. but the eggs are important have found that you can just scape them off the leaves I use tape If I have it with me but just get them off the leaves they need that to hatch I've put them in a cup and laid it under foliage they don't hatch same with leaves cut off leave and laid it on ground and checked they never hatch they are hard to keep at bay but if your persistent it's worth it. Picture is of a dead one , Sorry to say your plants look beyond saving always check early for them I always keep a hand sprayer the ones that cost a buck or two at wal -mart with adjustable spray mist to stream and have a soap mix in it I leave mine by the squash patch so it's always handy

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