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Mount Prospect,illinois

I am trying to get a game plan together for keep my plants as healthy as i can for next year. What is a good list of insecticides and fungicides that i should look at for next year. Namely systemic.
I plan on using Daconil (mildew), and sevin (bugs) and maybe ortho maxx (squash bugs). Thos are easy to get near me. Any ideas would be appreciated.

11/1/2006 1:59:31 PM

President - GPC

I used the OrtoMax on the mites, worked greatm no leaf damage, kills 101 bugs.

11/1/2006 2:38:37 PM

President - GPC

OrthoMax, I got to watch my spellling

11/1/2006 2:39:07 PM

Neem oil for the bugs,works wonders as a fungicide to,,add baking soda to the mix it all but eliminates PM, rotate with teas and the need for chemicals is greatly reduced if not eliminated. IMO

11/1/2006 4:16:38 PM

President - GPC

I used 2% milk this year, 6oz per gallon in my spray and had no PM till the very end, Tremor was right again.

11/2/2006 8:22:37 AM

Mount Prospect,illinois

Thanks guys. Any thoughts on systemic fungicides?

11/2/2006 9:23:31 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Gee wiz (pun intended)...I used the milk at 10% (13 oz per gallon) & it also worked for PM. Go figure. Maybe the rate range is wider than previously thought.

The best Powdery Mildew systemic fungicide is Nova or Eagle (active ingredient: Myclobutanil). Nova/Eagle also control a couple other pumpkin significant diseases. However....

To formulate a good game plan we need to know who or what the offenders are.

What diseases have you seen or are known to be a problem in your area?

11/3/2006 12:10:54 AM

Mount Prospect,illinois

Tremor,
Other than the regulars, Powdery Mildew, cucumber beetles, I am not sure what issues i may encounter being that this past summer was my first time trying pumpkins and next summer i am considering my first "real" attempt. I am trying to be ready and cover as many bases as i can with what i know (very little).

11/3/2006 7:29:46 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Cucumber Beetles: You can use Admire (Merit, etc) as a soil applied systemic right before planting out (late April). The residual is 75+ days so we sometimes have need for a second application in Juky depending on local pest pressure.

Powdery Mildew: I look to my Peonies for guidence here. The always show PM before anything else. Next is Cucumbers & Zuccini. Once PM is seen on these it's time to start spraying the Giants. regardless whetther spraying fungicides, Milk or other biorational control agent you need to start PM sprays as early as late June or as late as late July depending on the weather. - >>Folks using loaded Compost Teas susually start so early that PM is kept in check all year<<

11/3/2006 7:51:34 AM

Mount Prospect,illinois

Tremor,
Thanks again, As usuall you have lots of good info (as well as the other guys) I was looking at Merit and was paning on trying milk next year. I read up on a product called Subdue that seems efffective, but it is very pricey and i have a very small suburban garden. Thanks again.

11/3/2006 9:11:51 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Skip the Subdue. It is mostly used for seedling Pythium & Phytophthora root & vascular disease. This isn't much of a problem for most growers. Subdue will also smoke the beneficial soil micro-organisms. Spend 5% of the cost of Subdue on some nice PHC or Bio Mycorrhyzal & bacterial inoculants instead. It is much better to keep a clean patch healthy than it is to make a diseased patch clean again. The judicial use of beneficial inoculants from the get-go is money well spent.

11/3/2006 9:49:28 AM

Mount Prospect,illinois

I was planning on getting some Bio Mycorrhyzal (bio endo stuff from Holland). If that is a better alternative than i will skip the heavy stuff. Thanks again.

11/3/2006 12:23:03 PM

ordinary,VA

had no luck with mycore last year.
other growers in the state also had no luck with
mycore?
State record holder had his whole patch wiped out by disease.
Angular leaf spot and fusarium around August did me in.
any suggestions what to use agains fusarium?

2/26/2007 10:23:13 AM

Montoursville, PA

Following my first year four years ago during which I reverted to using harsh fertilizers and harsh cides my patch reverted to being sick. That was the end of that baloney in my patch. It was back to basics: manures, compost and compost elements, worm castings and low number organic ferts. Then late in year two I added aerobic compost tea weekly. By the end of year three the major problems were defeated by a ballanced soil condition. Year four saw that ugly ole patch hitting on all healthy patch factors and it grew me a new personal record. Roughly here is evidence of or my proof in the pudding. 710, 490, 500, 763. We will continue the soil building approach.

Along with this program I used almost all Neam Oil or other horticultural oils and nearly all but not total organic foliar management and feeding. I pulled up a healthier plant at the end of the forth season than I even had in any of the previous three years. That was not the seed or the year showing.

2/26/2007 11:51:06 AM

ordinary,VA

Doc my soil is in good shape.worm castings low organic ferts (when I use ferts at all.)
had symbrew which works great have n/p with
this method.neam oil works great on pm.
nematodes work great on grubs. with all this i agree.
but i have found nothing that works as well as merit or warrior for bug control.

2/26/2007 2:48:09 PM