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Glen Allen, VA

Several of my leaf stalks are rotting at the base where they meet the soil. My vines are buried. This past week when I go out to the patch several leaves have fallen over and died due to this. The base of the stalk turns to mush. The vines are fine, no SVB's. Here's a picture:
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=92188

8/4/2008 8:05:23 PM

Long Island,New York

Looks like fusarium to me.

8/4/2008 8:56:42 PM

Woodstock Va

Im having the same trouble did find some svb looks like they hatched under the leaf and worked their way down to the vine. Used Warrior all season, its tough here in Va.
I didnt cut vine to get them out, used syringe with warrior injected to areas in vine near damaged leaf stalk last week, fruit still gaining 15 to 20 lb per day.

8/4/2008 9:26:59 PM

Cottage Grove, MN

SVB? Pull a stalk off and go looking. They aren't always apparent from a bore hole, but if you have many leaves yellowing on a vine that would be my guess. Could also be fusarium as LI said, has it been wet alot where you are at?

8/4/2008 9:31:35 PM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Look inside the stalk...does it look stringy and slimy inside? Like this:

http://bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=52487

This kind of thing can happen when you bring in a lot of compost from questionable sources like your municipal yard waste center.

8/4/2008 11:16:09 PM

Rhode Island

fusarium is one of the biggest problems we growers face.

it usually starts showing up just after a large amount of rain and can take seperate leaves, an intire vine, or the whole plant can go down.( its most effective once the plant is under stress to produce fruit)

either way eventually it will get to the fruit and it will go down.

if your lucky and you trim out the bad you can slow it down and sometimes the pumpkin will make it.
there are many sprays that you can alternate with ( search out on your computer) but the bottom line is you need to rotate out of that patch for a few years if at all possible

8/5/2008 7:29:04 AM

Decatur, IL

I've battled Fusarium for years. There was a span of probably 10 years that I didn't grow anything in my patch. When I went back to growing, my plants exhibited the exact same symptoms that I had in the past (rotting leaf stalks, vines and fruit).
I've tried solarizing, fumigating, assortment of fungicides, different cultural practices....all with little effect. I think if you have it above a certain level in your soil, you might as well give up and try to find a new place to grow. If someone has a fool-proof method to control it, I'm all ears.

8/5/2008 3:06:43 PM

Glen Allen, VA

Thanks for everyone's help. I read some threads and looked at diarys and I definately have fusarium. My problem now is that I don't have any other place in my small yard to move my patch next year. What, if anything, can I do to kill it?

8/5/2008 4:03:27 PM

Northern Cambria, Pa.

It is probably just rot. If the leaf stalks get damaged from wind or whatever and crack, they can leak fluid down the inside which is hollow. The base then fills up with fluid and rotting begins.

8/5/2008 4:17:32 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

I'm with Larry. My older leaves begin to look like that late in the season after enduring a season of wind and the weight of the leaf itself. Every living thing wears out eventually.

8/5/2008 9:54:45 PM

Decatur, IL

It depends on whether the leaves rot after being damaged by the wind or whatever or whether they rot at the base from fusarium and then fall over. Only a tissue test will tell for sure. I think you will see other symptoms now or later on if it's fusarium (rotting vines or fruit, lesions on the leaves, wilting of leaves on badly infected vines, etc.).

8/6/2008 10:14:39 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Rhizoctonia or Fusarium.

If there is a crusty scab where the leaf fell over - what color is it?

8/6/2008 12:02:46 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Looking at the image (I didn't look yesterday) I'm agreeing on Fusarium. Glenn has an eye for it & Pap has been dealing intermittently with Fusarium for years.

It is much more prevalent in a wet year. It's also one of the harder to prevent diseases.

8/7/2008 2:19:59 PM