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picture 8 (avocado :-(

Hi - you don't say where you are located - might there be deer or rabbits or possums around? Looks like a number of different problems going on; 1 of your plants looks like a larger animal may have grazed on it.

The cucumbers appear to be infested w/ caterpillars - Bt spray might take care of that, but it's not really the best time of year for cukes right now if you are in an area that's brutally hot & humid all day long.

The peppers look like they might be stricken w/ chili thrips or similar - which are almost impossible to see w/ the naked eye & cause the kind of damage shown - aphids might also be responsible.

As far as the wilting dying plants - were those the 1s you put borax & water on? I don't think that is something that could be good for plantsâ¦.?

I garden organically & my remedy for almost every ill is to feed the soil & plants to help overcome pests & disease - along w/ choosing resistant/tolerant varieties suited to my area/climate. If my plants don't out grow the problems, I dispose of them & start over in a different area w/ different varieties.

University of FL is a good resource for all things horticultural & Floridata.com has lots of good info as well

Here is a link that might be useful: UF Veggie Gardening guide

Thanks for the reply! I am in south florida about an hour north of Miami, so it's very hot and humid right now. It is a fenced in back yard so no deer or rabbits, but I do see possums, iguana's (once), my dogs (but i keep them out), and lots of squirrels. I am not super worried about the cucumbers because it is growing very rapidly and healthy, but I do see snails on it occasionally which is what I think the holes in the leaves are.

To clear up, I did not put borax on the plants, I just put it in a cup next to the plant (like an ant 'trap') so I don't think that affected the plants. I didn't notice any difference after putting on the sevin dust either, but it also didn't improve anything.

The confusing part with the wilting avocado is that I never see animals/ants etc on it, and it was very healthy not long ago, but something seems to be stopping all it's new growth, wasn't sure if all of this is normal for south florida heat? Also I did start the plants later than I should have around early to mid June, which is when it's getting hot, I'm guessing not ideal for growing.

On a positive note, my banana plants, mango, star fruit, tomatoes, mint, and basil are doing really really well! Just cant get any peppers good, and dont get me started with strawberries!

Thanks for any input!

You are more than welcome = )
FWIW, the wilting may be from fusarium or similar infection - not much you can do about that except try again in a different spot. There are also beetle grubs & other below-ground pests, including mole crickets & wireworms, which munch on roots.

It does help to check the best time of year to plant things - that can make all the difference between success & failure.

Also FWIW, I've never known snails to eat duke leaves - the damage really does look like caterpillars.

I agree that on the peppers you probably have chili thrips which are horrid things! Conserve will control them. There is a relatively new disease that avocados get. I'm not sure what disease it is but you can check it out. Tom McCubbin advises not to plant avocados...there isn't a cure.