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Lewistown,IL

How can I PREVENT anthracnose(sp) in my gourds bushel/long/dipper types. I talked to the go to guy at agresil-bio-phos and he said that product was not labeled for gourds but could be used. He said once anthracnose takes hold there is no cure.So therefore How do I prevent it before it starts ? It is kicking my rear this year. I have sprayed them with daconil/sulphur mix with mixed success.

8/19/2017 7:39:52 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I am using a combination of Agri Fos, Daconil, Infuse, and neem oil on my long gourds, with limited success. I also cut back the number of plants on the trellis to improve air circulation. Its better than the last 2 years, but far from perfect. I have used just neem oil on my bushel gourds, and they don't have near the problem. But they are not nearly as thick as the long gourd vines and are part way up the side of the valley. I think the biggest obstacle I have is my deep valley with limited air movement and higher humidity. Night time fog is common. A lot of the trees get anthracnose, and small grains like oats and rye, and also sweet corn get brown rust on them.

Next year I will prune the long gourd vines so they don't get so thick for better air circulation. I'm also thinking of adding Mancozeb to the mix. If anyone has better ideas, I would like to hear them too.

8/20/2017 12:22:09 AM

Lewistown,IL

I have also used daconil/serenade with limited success. I hope there is a product that we can use to prevent not treat after we get it. What is the Mancozeb ?

8/21/2017 11:50:29 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

according to Wikipedia "Mancozeb is a dithiocarbamate non-systemic agricultural fungicide with multi-site, protective action on contact. It is a combination of two other dithiocarbamates: maneb and zineb.[1] The mixture controls many fungal diseases in a wide range of field crops, fruits, nuts, vegetables, and ornamentals. It is marketed as Penncozeb, Trimanoc, Vondozeb, Dithane, Manzeb, Nemispot, and Manzane." I read that it is supposed to control anthracnose and other diseases.

8/21/2017 4:27:00 PM

Lewistown,IL

Thank you for the info. I am going to research these products out and work some of them into my growing next year. It is demoralizing to get great seed and a fast start only to get this stuff and basically ruin the season. I don't know where I got it as years past we never had it and the gourds where awesome. Something has changed for us here in central IL. as now we get anthracnose in the gourds and we used to have a lot of hummingbird moths for pollinators now we have none. I struggle to get me gourds pollinated on time. I have tried hand pollinating over/over/over/over with no luck they all abort. Now that the year is winding down my plants are setting gourds like crazy. It is tuff to grow big when the season is 30 days long by the time they set. Next year will be different as I am going totally proactive and not reactive.

8/23/2017 11:12:56 AM