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St Matthews, SC

Well in looking through some seed catalogs i noticed that there is a such thing as a Phytophthora resistant pumpkin plant. It seems to be on if little pumpkins such as lil ironsides , and similar rock hard small painting size pumpkins. So i was wondering if there is anyone who has noticed a particular giant strain be more resistant to Phytophthora (that is you have dealt with it)than other strains. What im getting at is that if the little pumpkin varities can be resistant to it then why cant a Giant. I mean that is unless its giant vines and stems allow an easier target.

11/24/2008 12:41:43 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

Brandon, I could be wrong...but as far as I know, there is only one strain of real giants!!! Dill's Atlantic Giants!! I have been wrong before!!! Peace, Wayne

11/24/2008 4:48:37 PM

Western NY

I don't think that phyto is a big enough problem with our plants to worry about. Bacterial wilt, fusarium, rhizoctonia, powdery & downey mildew are much higher on the priority list.

11/24/2008 5:47:01 PM

St Matthews, SC

Yea well that is true. technically the strain is Dills atlantic . I was just mentioning how the strain has grown so much larger then ever, and the variation that comes with it. lol i dont really know where im going with this but figured that somehow the plant overtime should adapt to the problem that hits it everyyear... well maybe not though.

Early in the spring as well as over the winter last year i thought about what lead to all my plants dropping so early. I thought that it was the squash vine borer for instance that had did my plants in the season before. As now i noticed how the signs for the borer and this phyto seem very similar, except the fact of how rapid phyto spreads. So i kept on my spraying schedule. But what i had noticed is that mostly all the pumpkins stopped growing, this randomized wilt patterns that i was constantly removing infected plants. Before you knew it in about 2 weeks the patch was clear. This was mid july when it started hitting. Im familiar with bacterial wilt and the others you mentioned but i have noticed that in my situation phyto poses such a higher threat for me that is. Maybe because of how contaminated the site may be. I have dealt with bacterial wilt as well, but for the most part, this phyto sets in for me and then you can call it a year at that point, as it wont be long before they all go down, doesnt even leave time for powdery mildew to possibly hit.

11/28/2008 7:11:08 PM

St Matthews, SC

Next year im going to spray aliette which is supposed to prevent it, spray early and on a regular basis, many fungicides arent strong enought to stop or prevent phyto according to research on it. What doesnt help is the fact that i grow at a community garden site, the bad thing is that alot of the diseased material may get tilled back under and spread about the whole site. So to try and plant on a new location wouldnt solve anything as mostly everyone there grows zucchini and peppers and some pumpkins. they are high targeted of phyto.I watch as garden neighbors peppers randomly die on them overnight when they have looked so good yesturday and could be loaded of fruit.

Brandon

11/28/2008 7:11:13 PM