Squash plants are dying. How to save them?

Sort of off topic here, but what would cut the large stem of a Amaryllis. About two inches above the ground, the stem was probably two inches at least in diameter. Not smooth like with a sharp knife, but almost that smooth, just a little ragged. I have had this happen on two plants in separate areas of the garden. Are there such things as chainsaw cutworms?
Right now my cucumbers and squash are under attack by an armadillo.

Rabbit?

LOL! seedfork, I just had a great image of a thuggish bug with a chainsaw at the base of your poor amaryllis yelling "TIIIIMBERRR!" and then running away with the cord dragging behind it.

Now, for real, armadillos can be very destructive. They are cute with those little round ears, but boy oh boy, I have heard some stories and seen a couple of TV show episodes about the mayhem they can cause. I had some(only 2 or 3) hungry bunnies 2 years ago,before i got the cats I have now, and am too lazy and cheap to engage in fencing, etc. I planted lettuce in a few spots on their route, but away from my garden. I didnt have any more rabbit trouble. Now the cats keep them away. (but the cats think I built them 3 very large litterboxes also known as raised beds! If its not 1 thing, its another.)

Well, I guess we will see what happens. Without hills and with transplants last year, I had plenty of squash,cukes and melons. I want more and better this year. I guess i am an impatient and greedy gardener Ha.

Does anyone know if it's a bad sign to have squash flowers this early in the plant stage?

My mother tells me that my plants will not produce any crop because they're still small and already have flowers. Her remark gave me a scare. However I did my own research and found that flowers this early in the stage are usually the male flowers that will wilt and fall off since I am ultimately waiting for a female flower.

Scarlet- I doubt if the browning leaves were caused by the fertilizer in the potting mix. I would expect a problem with the fertilizer burning the leaves if it was put directly on the leaves, not in the soil mix.

My squash have male flowers when they are that size.

I named my first raised bed "The Catbox" becuase it was the first soil in the neighborhood that was soft enough to dig, that wasn 't fenced or dense-packed with plants.

So many "presents!

I tried crushed chili peppers, cayenne powder and bought a Super Soaker. Forget about it!

Chicken wire over the section of the bed that you just planted.
Draped it over cut soda bottles pushed into the soil as support columns.
Hold it down around the edges with bricks, or pegs
Remove when the plan ts are tall enoguh to get tnaqgled

Or save every blackberry viner and rose branch that you cut. Drape thorny branches around the edges.

i think the net option will work for me. Its only a "gift" once in a while, not a huge problem. But, it may escalate, especially since I am spay/neutering the neighborhood cats as I can afford it, and 1 female just had a litter of 5.
The thorn bush canes will just end up tearing ME to shreds. (i am not too graceful)

>> The thorn bush canes will just end up tearing ME to shreds. (i am not too graceful)

I know exactly what you mean!

Whn I was trying the "hot pepper deterrent", I bought a big bag of dried "pizza peppers" - probably Thai or Japanese chilis. Then I ground them up in small batches in my little coffee-bean grinder.

Blinking, tearing up, sneezing and coughing from the dust! But I knew to wear gloves and wipe up aftewards.

Well, NOW I know that when I( wipe up hot chili p;owder with a paper napkin, I should throw the napkin away right away afterwards. Silly me, I dropped it som ewhere and forgot about it.

Later, I unthuin kingly wiped my hands and counter and silverware wuith it like I usually do ... until I brushed something out of the corner of my eye and went WAAAUGH!!

For the next week, my kitchen was like a Biohazard zone or minefield, invisible patches of chili dust that would transfer to my hands, then lips or eyes.

I started treating it like a lab I had worked with radioisotopes in, or the chemical plant where we manufactured tons of a carcinogen: think before you touch anything. If you wear gloves to touch something "dirty", then you can't touch anything "clean" until you change gloves ... wash wash wash your hands without ghetting c hemic als on the faucet handles.

It deterred the cats and squirrels a little, until the next rain, but I know it deterred the heck out of me.

Probably the main effect it had was to entertain the squirrels as they watched through my kitchen window as I flinched and winced, or forgot and went wailing to the sink with burning lips or eyes.

If you try this at home, consider finding a grinder that doesn't leak!
And after you wipe up the chili powder, THROW the napkin AWAY!

OH ! ROTFL!!!!! My husband loves hot hot hot peppers. I am more wimpy, jalapenos are my hot limit. Every sunday I make chorizo and eggs for his breakfast. This includes chopping a variety of peppers on hand, from jalapenos or cayennes to habaneros or a few tiny tepin peppers. No matter what I do, everyprecaution, gloves,separate cutting board, wiping everything with soapy water, I ALWAYS some how get a bit on me some how somewhere. While he is enjoying breakfast, I am enduring yet another burning spot, sometimes a finger or under the nail, the corner of a eye, just any random spot. I got to hating Sunday breakfast. Finally a few weeks ago, the tortilla wrapped around the chorizo peppers and eggs split apart onto his plate. This forced him to shove the escaped bits back into the tortilla with his fingers. After eating, he visited the restroom, and 10 minutes later the squirming began. Then the long string of four letter words.

LOLOL! ROTFL!!! TMI!!!! TMI!!!! TMI!!!

Scarlet- when my oldest son was 15 yrs old he did the same thing at his girlfriend's house. He sat with ice on his lap for an hour. Being my son he should have known better....he was so embarrassed.

>> I ALWAYS some how get a bit on me some how somewhere. While he is enjoying breakfast, I am enduring yet another burning spot, sometimes a finger or under the nail, the corner of a eye, just any random spot.

Yeah! Exactly what you said. Watch where you put your hands afterward ...

And you do this knowing ahead of time how they'll bite you??
Greater love hath no wife than to chop habaneros into a breakfast tortilla!

This message was edited May 9, 2013 1:13 PM

"SOMEbody wept!"

Aaaawwwww! I may just have to get that quote made into a plaque.

I tried doing the pepper chopping all at once, and putting it in the freezer for use when needed. Still, I guess I am just a martyr to the scoville scale, because It gets on me. **sigh**

Pic is last years final pepper harvest. This year I am trying "fooled you" jalapenos...for me!

I flinch just LOOKING at that!

I don't know why I do, but I collect hot pepper seeds out of curiousity.

Would you like just a few of any of these?
Some might be all gon e.

'7-Pot Jonah' - alleged 1 M SHU
'Trinidad Scorpion Red' Pepper
'Bhut Jolokia' - 'Naga Ghost' Chili Pepper - 850 K SHU
7 Pot Red Mix
7 Pot Yellow
7 Pot Chocolate
Aji Red
Aji Umba
'Thai Bird' Pepper > 30 K SHU
'Arbol de Chili' Pepper HOT 15K-30K
'Peter Pepper' - "Penis Pepper" - Late
"Red Peter" HOT 5K-30K - twisted oblong
'Guam Boonie' - light green to orange to red
'Piquin' "bird pepper" points up < 2cm long
'Fish' Pepper - HOT 5K-30K - late
'Cherry Bomb' Pepper 5K-30K - HYBRID
Japones




This message was edited May 14, 2013 5:55 PM

Well golly, Rick..... I would LOVE some! I enjoy growing them, as they ripen they are jewels, pendulous and shining on their stems, every color and hue. They are just so #@*! dangerous! I guess they are the wasps of fruit. Not sure if that is a great analogy, but you get it. Anyhoo, i couldn't begin to choose, so I will leave the choice to you. If you will Dmail me with info, I can send you a SASE. I am soooo lazy and have not even begun to work on my DG member info, tradelists etc. I will check yours and maybe I can return the favor of some seeds you might enjoy.

hiya
- forgot to say that the jolokias/ghosts are actually too hot ....i finally found his breaking point!

You'll have mail in a few minutes!

P.S. Here is a link to the address exchange:

http://davesgarden.com/address_exchange/

You have to enter your own address before you can see other members, and you have to be a subscriber.


This message was edited May 14, 2013 6:03 PM

I'm on the exchange. I am glad you reminded me, I have to renew my subscription. I swear, DG is the best $ i spent last year.

UPDATE!!!

I want to thank everyone who has helped me on my journey & inform all of you that I've been having great success in bringing those dying squash plants back to life. They are growing like crazy now & my first harvest was very rewarding.

DON'T GIVE UP ON THOSE SQUASH PLANTS! I sowed my seeds indoors, moved them into bigger pots (which shocked them, yes), and transplanted with success. I learned that if you don't give up, they won't either.

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

Yay Silvermist! Looks like ya done good! Congrats!!! It feels great to bring a harvest from seed. Very gratifying.

I am envious ... great job !

Simply Beautiful harvest! Congrats!

I'm glad your squash are doing good. Nothing like fresh veggies. Mine are producing but pulling a lot of unpollenated ones off. No bees.

We had a disease hit the honey bees a couple of years ago and just about wiped them out. I noticed I had some male blooms open higher on the plant and I've been getting a good many squash lower down. I think the wind shaking the plants in the cages is getting the pollen down to the lower blooms.

I've actual found bees stuck in the closed male flowers sometimes two. I've opened the flowers and let them out.

Jim I don't mean any disrespect but I don't think squash can pollinate like that but other insects can be pollinating them.

Hey, I'm just guessing. I'm just glad to get the squash for any reason. Thanks for the comment.