This is definitely a good idea. My wife did not want netting in our front yard garden because it is so visible, so I have just let the two zucchini’s up there be. They definitely both have been attacked now. One of them was showing clear signs of struggling (the leaves drooping, especially in warmer weather). I decided to try out a tip that I learned from another RU-vidr which was to immediately bury as much of the main stem as you reasonably can and keep it well watered. Interesting, the plant seems to have recovered (new rooting along the stem) and is still putting out new flowers and ripening new zucchini. Just thought I would share. It could also be worth trying. It’s tough to lose such a productive and large vegetable plant in the garden, even if you have back ups growing.
Good info Zach! I've tried many many methods for this. One problem with keeping the plants is allowing the larva to finish their life cycle (and getting more SVB next year). If you look at our older video on the topic I definitely spent more effort in the past to save the plants, this method is much more hands off (but requires more space and the tough decision of taking your big beautiful squash plants out!)
Thanks so much… I’ve been fighting for years and loosing mine are producing female now zone 6A vandalia,oh. I’m sowing more seeds and hope for a later harvest as I inspect my current plants. Great tips glad I found your channel!!
@@michelleclanin6251 of course! They really are the worst but this strategy is the least labor intensive we have found to still get squash with no chemicals. Best of luck to you!
I've also had good luck with injecting BT into the stems. This season, I may spray BT on to the outside of the stems preemptively every few days and injecting only when/if I see the dreaded fras.
Really like the information and presentation. I’m in Central Florida. Growing butternut squash at the moment. Pumpkins in the seed trays that have not come up yet. 🙏🏽
It's problem here too in Eastern Ontario Canada, zone 4b and too short for a second crop. I look for damage at the bottom of plant and stab with a small sharp thin parring knife half way through all around vertically to kill the larvae, I'll hit it again if the damage gets any bigger over the coming days and weeks plus I'll bury another section of vine as it grows longer with soil to have another set of roots on the plant form.
Ugh, they are the worst! With the shorter season you likely can still do a lot of good keeping them covered until fruit production. It usually takes 6-8 weeks for the borer to become big enough to cause problems in an established plant so if you plant June 1st, keep covered until about July 15 you should get squash until early September. I’ve done squash surgery as well with so-so results and burying the stem helps a little but I’ve never seen my plants get a robust enough root system to replace the original. Best of luck!
@@TheGardenFamily Do you not worry about pollination keeping them covered? I'm forever putting on and taking off netting during flower growth on a variety of plants. I screwed up my eggplant this year by not taking it off during the flowering and sadly I had none.....cheers.
Do you also have problems with worms (larvae?) boring into the zucchini or squash fruit? That has been worse for me here in Atlanta than the borers killing the plant (which they also do here).
Sure is! We grew Long Island cheese pumpkins this year instead. They are more closely related to butternut squash and are relatively resistant to squash vine borer. Give them a try if your traditional pumpkins are getting killed!
@@TheGardenFamily yes, there is such a thing as trying to time it just right, but we have a short growing season. I guess until there is a simple way we will keep doing what we have done as we tried everything. Glad it works for you.
Lost 5 plants so far on my spaghetti squash. Quickly, I was able to harvest 3 healthy fruits. I have 3 more and they'll probably not get as big or to full ripen on the vine but I was able to harvest something. Now my zucchini.....only two I was able to harvest, the rest no good.😒 (5 plants). Will reseed and I love this cover process! Definitely trying!! Thank you!!
First, thanks for posting such an informative video. I liked the data posted about timing of the infestations and control efforts. Very helpful. Second, your garden is SUPER NICE, particularly you raised beds. I would like to ask if you have a video showing how you constructed them. What type of wood did you use? Third, the t-posts and wire supports are really great ideas. I like the fact that they are all mounted on the exterior of the beds. Thanks for sharing such a great video!
They get in the dirt too :( pupate. But I’m in zone 8b. I have not grown yellow squash or zucchini in 4 years. I grow trombocino now. It is what it is. I don’t have room to do your method- maybe some day. I cover the bottom 8inches with the straw and that seems to help and encourage rooting in the trailing legs of the plant by providing to node naked soil.
Ugh, these are the worst for sure! With our method we actually take the plants out before the larva can mature since we have a backup plant. So far we have not seen them emerge from the ground underneath the net…best of luck this year!
Hi there, Thank you for sharing your 2.0 method. Have you tried trap cropping? I saw a video where amaranth was planted in close proximity to cucumber to trap the cucumber beetle, and my oh my, the amaranth was decimated (but still alive at the end of the season) and there were few or no bites on the cucumbers. The difference could not be starker. This amaranth trap crop method worked with the use of any pesticides. Apparently, according to this video, the Blue Hubbard Squash is a good trap crop. I personally wouldn't want to use the pesticides mentioned in the video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5Afzdu7OZMo.htmlfeature=shared
We actually did try that this year! We grew blue Hubbard in a corner. It didn't seem to do a whole lot to be honest but we have some nice blue Hubbard squash to harvest at least! =)
This method is the most hands off and allows me to extract time to tend to the rest of my large vegetable garden and orchard. If hand pollinating works for you then definitely keep doing it!
Good point, I should have said east of the Rocky Mountains. I’m originally from California and we did not have. Luckily for those who live there they are not along the West coast states
