Pumpkin Emergency! (Squash Vine Borers)

12 years ago

This is an Iowan gardener who desperately needs your help.
I week ago, I noticed a few leaves on one of my vines turning yellow. I didn't think much of it, until I checked on them again today and noticed some cuts in the stems. I cut off a leaf- BAM! To my horror, I discovered an inch long squash borer larvae. (I found two others later on)

Is there anything I can do? My garden has four pumpkin vines. Two of them are Connecticut Field Pumpkins, the other two are Jack-O-Lanterns. The vines are about 7-8 feet long, but the longest may be 9-10 feet or more.

Do my pumpkins stand a chance? I've heard there's not much you can do once they get into your plant, other than digging them out by hand by cutting open the vine. Is this effective at all, or are there too many to take out by hand?

I've been trying to grow pumpkins for the past three years. My first year, one started growing from an old Halloween Jack-O-Lantern that had been left to rot. I actually got a small pumpkin. My luck hasn't been good since I actually tried growing them on purpose. The next year I lost all of my pumpkins to a drought, and the year after all of them died from Powdery Mildew.

This is my last chance. Do they have a shot?

I can provide pictures if needed. (I am attempting to upload them at the moment.)

Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,

A gardener in need.

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Comments (3)

StephanieHS
12 years ago
I'm so sorry - I hate borers!!

I would check some of the other posts/conversations in this forum where vine borers are discussed. According to what others have said, all hope is not lost!

I've also been told to cut them out but somewhere on here I was advised before to crush the stem where borer located and bury that part. Another poster assured me that an established vine, which it sounds like yours are, can survive. I would encourage rerooting wherever possible. I also saw a YouTube video where someone injected BT into affected vine, it apparently stops grub from eating.

Good luck!
Christian
12 years ago
greenturtles,
I hope you haven't pulled them out. I've learned through experience that well established pumpkin vines can withstand much borer damage. Just the other day I was pruning big sections of an overgrown volunteer vine, and I saw various big holes in the vine where bores had fully grown up, and exited the vine. But the vine was still alive. I think when the vines are big enough, the borers seldom eat through the entire area, but often leave a portion of the vine where water/nutrients can continue to go through. The other thing I notice is all the secondary roots. I've had vines that have been totally severed from the main plant keep living and even producing, due to the secondary roots doing their job.
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greenturtles6
Original Author
12 years ago
I have gone through all my plants once now, pulling them out- to date I've found around 12-13, with another one or two on the surface I pulled up before they could drill in.
I'm still worried, though... the vine borers have a habit of drilling into leaves, which weakens or sometimes completely kills the leaves. My biggest vine has lost almost half of its leaves so far.
Also, even though the eggs are still hatching, I can't use anything to spray them because I grow Romaine lettuce for my tortoise right by the pumpkins, and I would never risk something getting into his food.
I heard someone say that wiping down the vine every day with a wet wash rag would stop at least some of them from getting in. Does this work?
Thank you both for posting!!!
By the way, does anyone know when the eggs should stop hatching in Iowa?
(P.S.- Sorry that the image is sideways!)