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central Nc

Hey, I noticed you mentioned agrifos and neem in your rotation. Could you elaborate on your program for disease management (and feeding for that matter)? Feel free to email armyengineer@gmail.com if you'd prefer. Plants are pretty healthy but I've got what I think is downy mildew on bottom leaves. Agrifos has halted I think, but not eliminated.

6/10/2018 9:52:43 AM

Ct

Saw a post from Iowegian about Anthracnose on LGs. What do use to target that on the LGs? I've had it for several years. It starts on the leaves as brown spots on the lower leaves and works its way up the trellis. The leaves then yellow and bascially fall off if I don't cut them first. Really reduces the foliage of the plant. I did read about a copper based fungicide to combat it but that was a general solution.Thoughts anyone?

7/12/2018 6:10:25 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I try to make regular applications of Daconil and neem oil as contact fungicides. I foliar spray Agri Fos about 5 times a year, as well as one drench on the roots. I trim off the diseased leaves as they start getting bad. I also reduced plant density and widened out my trellis to get better air circulation.

Looking back on past years, I had my best gourds the year we had a wet spring and my patch flooded on June 30. It leached out a lot of nitrogen, so vine growth was less. I think less growth going to vines means more going to the gourd.

I fertilize the same as pumpkins to start. Another Anamosa grower told me that he got better late growth by foliar feeding high phosphorus, and it works. Once the gourds get about 3' long I spray on Schultz or Miracle Gro tomato food every other evening. I mix in a little molasses, the sugar on the leaves is supposed to signal the plant to send more to the fruit. I also increase watering and drench the tomato food as gourds grow, too.

I bought some mancozeb but misplaced it. As soon as I find it I will start spraying that too. My biggest problem is that my garden is at the bottom of a tree lined valley that turns into a winding limestone canyon downstream. Cool damp air settles in the evening and can't flow through. And I get less breeze. The humid still air is perfect for anthracnose. Trees and grasses get it all the time.

7/12/2018 10:57:21 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I haven't had a good year since 2013 and 20014. I went through a couple years when the vines got too thick and the anthracnose got bad. This year it got ahead of me after losing about 2 weeks from vacation and my father's passing. I'm going to give them much needed attention tomorrow and again next week when the heat wave passes. August is usually the worst month for diseases in Iowa. The winds are at the lowest average speed of any month of the year. And the corn crop is pumping huge amounts of humidity into the air.

7/12/2018 11:04:32 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Sorry I made a big mistake on the fertilizer recinnendation Its high potassium, (potash) they want, not phosphorus, They get phosphorus from Agri Fos. The tomato food is high K , potassium. Sorry again,

7/13/2018 10:11:44 AM

central Nc

Good info Iowegian. My condolences.

7/13/2018 10:58:57 AM

Ct

Thanks very much. I sprayed the LGs with Agrifos this evening. Will put that and daconil into a rotation.

7/13/2018 10:32:21 PM

Bethlehem CT

I get anthracnose on my BG's too. I have never bothered to treat it.

9/15/2018 8:49:01 AM