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Simi valley, ca

With the diseases every yr now , I am wondering if i should quit growing pumpkins or Just let cover crop grow for several yrs , then grow again in 2-3 yrs. or try something like soak patch & apply bleach over it & soak it in then water lots & let rain this winter wash it out ,I realze it would probly kill everything!, But would soil grow plants next yr ??

10/20/2008 11:01:15 PM

Simi valley, ca

I just seen a simular post a few down!! But if anyone has anything else to add ??

10/20/2008 11:04:00 PM

South East

why not get a few agressive commerical fungicides, and then let it rest for a year or two.

10/20/2008 11:43:12 PM

Simi valley, ca

Banrot- something like 125$ x 2 lbs & need 20= pounds for 1000 sq ft X 2500 sq ft ,X more than once ! Expencive ,, Yes i need to explore more options!

10/21/2008 9:29:09 PM

Ohio

solorize it. do a site search on solorization, there are some good topics regarding it and how to do it.

joe

10/21/2008 9:53:15 PM

Ohio

fish, sorry i mispelled it. solarize. you might loose only 1 season doing this.

joe

10/21/2008 9:55:38 PM

Boulder County Colorado USA planet Earth

A couple yrs ago I had a virus in my garden and the CSU extension office recommended we put clear plastic over it, burry the ends so it creates a seel and let the ground get cooked in the heat. I tried it and it worked.

10/22/2008 9:19:33 AM

Pataskala,OH

I would not put bleach it souds like it would be more bad than good.

10/22/2008 2:54:14 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

BP crashed last night while I was posting this but I realized what was happening & copied it before timing out. LOL

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10/23/2008 9:36:42 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Heat....I'm thinking a used steam engine since a conventional steam jenny doesn't produce enough volume.

Solarization works because of heat.

Heat is indiscriminant so like bleach or Vapam or methyl bromide gas, all of the beneficial biology would need to be reintroduced.

Basamid is another soil sterilant but is applied as a granule then watered & preferably tarped. Also restricted & potentially dangerous in the wrong hands.


Here's the hardest part:


Every grower I know who has a soil borne root disease problem contemplates a "soil nuke" of one sort or another. They also try to overwhelm the bad guys with good guys (beneficial rhizobacteria) but they usually fail regardless of the strategy they try.


Why?


Chemical or thermal, all counterattacks must be launched on the active enemy. There is no way to be effective when we wait until after the weigh-offs to fight back. Shooting at the enemy doesn't work if the opposing army has left the battle field. Once a soil pathogen is confirmed, the treatment must be immediate & complete. In other words, the plants must be removed during peak season.

Whether Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, etc, the causal pathogen MUST be in active respiration to be controlled. And even then the results will be temporary unless we stop growing cucurbita sp.

10/23/2008 9:40:31 AM