Hi agngg, how are those plants doing now? It is a beautiful squash plant? It looks just like the Magda I am trying to grow. Right about the time of your first post I had some baby plants in the ground which showed splits in the main stem just like yours. I was relieved to hear it would not be a problem. My plants did not die but they have not done well either. The ones with the bigger splits wilt pathetically within minutes of strong sunshine suggesting that the stems cannot deliver enough water to the leaves from the roots. And all the plants seem quite small for the type from the descriptions in the catalogs again suggesting not enogh nutrition is reaching the upper parts. I don't think the soil is a problem because the two or three plants that did not split are doing substantially better. An update would be nice. Hi weirdtev, we meet again here. Are you saying that it is possible to transplant squash seedlings and plant them deeper than the soil line in the pots, up to their seed leaves? Wouldn't this rot the stem? I would be glad to have some reassurance on this as my new seedlings are somewhat leggy. Thanks, K.

Hello, Operaghost. A small/limited amount of wilting has happened to me before and I never found an obvious cause. I first looked for borer insects but found no evidence so I finally assumed it was caused by a windy day. The problem "went away" on its own after a few days or so. Wilting/drooping of leaves indicates that the leaves are loosing moisture faster than the roots can absorb them. So lack of moisture, a windy day or placing the shrub in a windy location will cause this wilted look. It is very common during summer time on many hydrangeas. But most wilting episodes involve almost the whole shrub, not just 2-3 leaves. If the wilting episode looks extreme, water � gallon of water immediately and ask questions later. Otherwise, insert a finger into the soil to a depth of 4" and if it feels almost dry or dry then water 1/2 gallon. If the soil feels moist or wet, do not water ..... instead, check the hydrangea again in the morning. If still wilted in the morning, water 1/2 gallon. You can use the finger method in order to determine when to water. Check the moisture daily for two weeks. For a "new" hydrangea, water 1 gallon of water if it feels dry or almost dry. Each time that you water, make an entry in a wall calendar. After two weeks, review your calendar notes and determine how often you are watering (once every two/three/four/etc days for example). Then set your sprinkler to water 1 gallon of water on the same frequency. If temperatures change 10-15 degrees and stay there, re-check using the finger method for another two weeks. Wilting can also be a sign that the roots are rotting. When the roots rot, the part of the shrub above ground does not get enough moisture and you get wilting of the leaves. It is hard to differentiate by wilting from lack of moisture or wilting due to root rot. That is why it is important not to water too much. Root rot normally affects the whole shrub or almost the whole thing. Since your problem appears to be limited to just a few leaves, I would monitor the hydrangea and its soil moisture closely. For now, assume it is either too windy or that it needs more moisture; water according to the finger method. Regarding your other questions/observations, when hydrangeas get insufficient moisture, the leaves brown out starting at the edges of the leaves so again, keep an eye on soil moisture. Too much sun shows up as complete yellowing of the leaves. They turn all yellow or white-ish. To prevent this, I plant hydrangeas here such that they get shade starting at 11am-12pm. Hydrangeas are not bothered by too many pests but there will be some that take a bite and move on. As long as the issue is small and limited as you see, I would take no action. But you could release some beneficial organisms like Lady Beetles, etc Does that help you, Operaghost? Luis

Actually...Those appear to be small parasitoid wasps. Don't worry, they don't sting or parasitize people or pets, just other insects. They may have hatched out from somewhere else in the house or from a parasitized insect that was on the plant or in the soil. They may be attracted to the light or to something on the plant (did you look closer for aphids or other small plant feeding insects?). There are also small wasps that form galls on other plants (but not peppers), it is possible they hatched out of a gall and are attracted to the light. There appears to be some residue on the top of the leaves, if there is indeed a residue it may be from aphid or whitefly excretions from below the upper leaves or from another plant that may have been above the pepper while outside (a tree?). The wasps may be attracted to the residue (if there is some). Hope this helps.

Caterpillar of one kind or another. To find the culprits), look above the droppings. Probably blends in with the stems, so look closely.