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Arcola, IL, USA

I have roamed the message board trying to find info on the use of Merit. I have read that this can be used to kill Squash bugs and Vine Borers. The only thing that I have not read is if a person needs to hand pollinate after using Merit. Does it kill the bees? Do the bees pollinate? Also, What is a good systemic fungicide? I have read that Subdue is, but, It costs an arm and a leg on Pumpkinsupply.com. Any suggestions

12/28/2005 11:38:51 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

All I can say is you get what you pay for...

12/28/2005 11:56:29 AM

Ohio

Growier, I dont think you will find it any cheaper then pumpkinsupply.com, with free shipping to boot. Matt isnt init to make a million from what i can see,he does make a point to try and sell his inventory cheaper then anyone eles.

Brooks

12/28/2005 3:42:08 PM

Utah

I have used Merit in a grub-x type product with granular application.
I use it for squash bug control. the bee's are still out and about in my patch ... but I hand pollinate everything.

12/28/2005 4:23:22 PM

Tipp City, Ohio

I have used Admire for the past two years on field pumpkins and I use a higher dosage for my giant pumpkins. Ohio State University had a pumpkin field days a few years back. They had a plot that was devoted to using Admire at a normal dosage,weaker dosage and a control. From what they told me that Admire only stays in the green area of the plant. Does not enter the flower or the fruit. That is why it is registered for many commercial crops.

12/28/2005 5:21:56 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Ton (Bantam) is correct. Imidacloprid (Admire, Merit, etc) never makes it to flower parts when it is soil applied. Roots, stems & leaves are as far as it goes.

But then again, we don't usually let the bees perform pollinations in AGs. Most are hand pollinated to control the cross.

I get concerned for the bees later in the season when we start making broadcast contact insecticide sprays for laying Squash Vine Borer adults. Merit has proven weak on borers unless a recent application has been timed very close to perfectly.

12/28/2005 7:53:15 PM

Arcola, IL, USA

Ok, I thought I would pollinate myself anyhow. Eventhough I really dont know what to expect out of my cross. I ordered premium seeds from Howard Dill this year out of some 900 + lb pumpkins. I have been trying to grow a big pumpkin for approx 10 years now and almost every dang year those dang SVB get my plants. I have sprayed Sevin, Malathion, Bug B Gone, sprayed fungicide's etc. I have grown one that made it to 150 lbs. I know thats not very big, but I planted it really late hoping that i would have less plant to spray and take better care of keeping those critters off. They still got the dang thing, but it survived till harvest. It did stunt it. I planted it in the end of June. LOL.. After reading the info on Merit, I thought I might have better luck planting early this time with a lot better luck. I just wish there was something out that I could purchase that would kill all insects DEAD!! I dont have a license to buy Warrior T. Dag nab it. Any suggestions would be extremely helpful and extremely appreciated!!!!!!!!!.. I am really getting to the point that I am about to give up.

12/28/2005 11:02:42 PM

Norton, MA

License? LOL! AleX Noel.

12/28/2005 11:14:28 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

OK....growler (cool handle) needs a SVB Program.

Admire in a 1 Pint bottle ($89 for up to an acre) soil applied once about 2 weeks before planting out & again 60 days later. get this watered in gently to avoid puddling but keep it even moist.

Scimitar ($79/Pint) or Talstar ($55/Qt) every 2 weeks starting around July 1st for the adult SVB.

Check with other local growers or an extension agent for the normal appearence date of SVB adults. ReaL savvy growers track the growing degree days & adjust their start dates accordingly. I usually lose interest in GDD tracking so I just start a week or two earlier than anticipated arrival to cover my butt.

For less than $200 you'll have the tools to see no more SVBs for several years if you can stay on a schedule like this.

12/29/2005 9:13:07 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

SVB's will stop ya in your tracks...got to stop the larva and then the adults from attacking..since I doubt your growing an acre of GP's proper storage and application the quantity and price will last ya for years...GrowEmBig! chuck

12/29/2005 8:52:12 PM

Arcola, IL, USA

Thanks for the info. No one has commented on systemic fungicide. What is everyone using? I have noticed through more investigation that Pumpkinsupply.com is reasonably priced although subdue still costs alot...LOL Any suggestions and possible application suggestions...

12/30/2005 12:24:55 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Eagle is the best Powdery Mildew fungicide available today. But repeated use of any systemic fungicide is the fast road to future resistence issues. Therefore we need to alternate or tank mix with a contact fungicide like Daconil (powdery mildew) or Mancozeb (Downey Mildew & ALS). Some growers also alternate systemic Eagle with banner, Flint (strobilurin) or Qhadris (also Strobi) but potential resistence issues with Strobis are even higher.

Old schoolers still use a lot of thiophanate-methyl (Topsin, Cleary's 3336. etc) but being a benzomidazol, we are also looking at potential resistence & a whole raft of other potential efficacy issues. TM can only work on active disease & offers no preventive properties at all.

Most of the other above mentioned systemics do offer some preventive control.

12/30/2005 6:38:00 PM

Coventry R.I.

hi tremor, what can i put down on my soil before planting, for fungus prevention, how long before. this is first time planting in patch. frank in r.i.

1/17/2006 7:29:52 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I wouldn't use a soil applied fungicide in a new patch. Inoculate with beneficial bacteria packages instead. Look for Tricoderma & bacillus Subtilus. Treat your seedling transplant to a VAM mycorrhyzal package too.

Spring applied granular Cleary's 3336 is a popular addition. So is granular Subdue. I approve of neither on a new patch. Both will cause colateral damage to beneficial bacteria & do very little to prevent later infections.

The summer root diseases that these growers are trying to control won't be active enough to be controlled until late June or early July. Since they don't last longer than 2-3 weeks, there is little point in applying them 6-8 weeks early.

Build a good soil first. Invite beneficial bacteria to live in the soil hopefully at the exclusioin of the bad guys. Reapply beneficial bacteria every 3 weeks all summer.

This tactic should lengthen the time a new patch stays free of Fusarium & Rhizoctonia. Though unfortunately a new patch could already be infested or you could introduce a seed-borne soil pathogen in your very first year. If this is the case, we'll have to deal with it then.

If we all had room to rotate our patches every year leaving each one fallow for 3 years at a clip, the 1500 pound barrier would have been broken years ago.

1/17/2006 12:42:30 PM

Coventry R.I.

thank you steve.

1/17/2006 3:08:44 PM

Coventry R.I.

HI STEVE, WHERS CAN I BYE THIS , TRICODERMA& BACILLUS SUBTILUS

1/17/2006 3:23:42 PM

Coventry R.I.

steve found it at pumpkins supply.com

1/19/2006 8:14:10 AM