Squash borers will come. I always take part of the vine further down the plant and root it. Giving it more rooting points along the vine seems to keep production away from die back. I sometimes just cut the infected part away once I know the plant has additional roots. Literally, just mound up a little dirt over any part of the vine and it will take care of itself. It wants to live, too. I've got borers--but more squash than we can eat, so I just get over the appearance of the vines. (We also perpetually have white mildew from our humidity). Last year I had considerable cucumber die back, but not until I canned three batches of cucumbers. For me---the earlier you get the squash in the ground, the better off you are to beat the bug attack. Then, when it comes, it is too hot, I've gotten all the harvest I can handle and my friends are sick of my food, too, and I'm ready for the break the die back gives me.

I tried to post here earlier but the danged timeouts hit and I lost it all. I thought we had solved that problem. I am trying to figure out why my lotus seedling are not doing the same things yours are doing. I soaked about 30 of them for weeks at 76oF and nothing happened so I got out the Dremel and cut through the seed case down to the cream colored cotyledon. After about a week and a half they finally started to grow but it was not the root I expected. Now the first stems are 6 to 10 inches long and no longer stand upright. Their own weight has caused the seed body to turn on it's side and the stems float under the surface and they are starting to get tangled. I finally removed the seed casing because it was still very hard. Second and even third stems are beginning to grow and I am wondering if a root is ever going to show up. The leave are still tightly rolled. Should I put these in separate containers? I was going to use plain kitty clay litter in clear plastic glasses until the weather gets warmer. The bowl is under an Ott light 18 hours a day and I change the water daily by running tepid water in until the color from the liquid fertilizer disappears. Then I add a little fresh fertilizer. I think I see the slime you are talking about. It seems to be some sloughed off matter from the cotyledon. As long as it doesn't start turning bad or stinky I don't think it is going to be a problem. What am I doing wrong? Sandy

Hey there, I have been doing some research on what diseases can show up on lotus and I am sorry to say there are several that can present problems. The most common are Black Spot and Brown Spot which are unattractive but not really harmful. More of a problem are Blight, Anthracnose, Fusarium wilt and rust. Botrytis, grey mold is common on seeds and seedlings. Some of these diseases are opportunistic and attack when plant vigor is lacking. Sometimes this is genetic and sometimes it is due to poor culture of seeds or seedlings. Weak plants should be destroyed to avoid continuation of poor plant stock. Seeds should be soaked in Hydrogen peroxide and water at a ratio of 1:10. Fresh solution should be added every day until the seed has swollen and is ready to split it's skin and extend stems and roots. This is a time for extreme patience. Scarification or cutting the shell of the seed hurries things along. Just don't cut too deep. It can still take 20 days. The Anthracnose and Fusarium wilt are the most troublesome. The fungi that cause these are not treatable and the plants should be destroyed. The soil should not be used for 3 years or should be sterilized by solarization or chemical sterilization. Any plant debris should be bagged and not used in compost. I could not find good photos of the various disease process in lotus, only in beans and tomatoes. The lotus is related to the beans, so the photos of the fungus should be similar. The Fusarium will result in root rot after killing the leaves. The Anthacnose shows up as spots that can overlap and penetrate the leaf. Blight will kill the plant quickly. Leave turn yellow and curl and crinkle, then the root or tuber dies. Blight is a bacterium. I'm sorry I can't correctly identify which problem your plants have. What I have above is really skimming the surface. Your best bet is to use a fungicide after removing the affected leaves. A fertilizer that contains micronutrients (iron in particular) should help, too. In the future pay close attention to the soil and don't let the seeds be exposed to cool temperatures once you have started soaking them. The leaves with the small irregular spots are possibly Brown Spot or it could be an insect. The black edges are probably a fungus. Sandy

corkball, I have clay soil.......and there are veins so heavy and white it could be used in a horse shoe pit. I avoid those, lol. For the most part, I plant trees in it without issue and never with ammendment. I am careful, however, to consider the tree because some are less tolerant of water issues for the most part and I get around it by planting those on hillsides, of which I have many. That's why raised bed planting comes up. I dunno......the chestnut I suspect you may find be futile and may want to consider waiting until dormancy and if it's small enough to try and move it. If you do.....look at roots carefully. It may have been a dead man walking when it was planted. Why I am saying this is I'd hope that the newest growth would show signs of "pulling out if it". And that doesn't seem to be the case. In fact it looks almost as if the newest growth has some leaf curl and distortion compared to the other picture of the healthy oak. Sometimes that's a symptom of calcium deficiency and that can be exacerbated by magnesium applications, foliar or root. How large are these young trees?