Discussion Board

I am just sick. I went out to peek at the squash and I have about six zucchini that have turned half yellow and then brown and shriveled at the end.

So I looked it up and there is a whole host of potential problems. One is lack of calcium, or lack of water, or brusing the roots with weeding.

I have read that lime will provide calcium. Is it ok to just sprinkle it around the plants?

Lime had calcium but will increase the pH of your soil, so you want to make sure you're not raising it too much. If you do use lime, there's an agricultural lime (it's brown pellets, not white powder) that works better on crops.

I use bone meal for calcium when I get blossom end rot. I apply 1/2 cup at the soil at the base of each plant, then water it in. This year I needed two applications (total of 1 cup) for my tomatoes and peppers.

Interesting, I didn't read a thing about bone meal.

I have never added any lime or bone meal to my soil or compost. I did find the pelleted lime for gardens and put it out very lightly to all the plants. I didn't desolve it though, just sprinkled it and then watered.

I prefer the bone meal because it also adds phosphorous and trace minerals and doesn't mess with the soil pH as much as lime will. The pH adjustment may work well for your soil, though.

Here's a good piece on options to introduce calcium to your soil.
http://www.growinggroceries.com/2008/10 ... -nutrient/

Thanks Freida. I like the title because that is exactly what I said to myself when I read about calcium. I never even thought to put it, but it makes sense.

The lime I purchased also had some other minerals. It gave directions for lawns, gardens, flowers etc. I certainly didn't use much.

Now just trying to keep everything alive during this heat wave. Today is suppose to be 102.

I used to keep big gardens in Arizona. I used lots of water in the am before it gots hot to get the poor plants through the day. The same treatment got my garden here through our 100+ (up to 116 one day here in Tennessee!) week. We are finally cooling down, hope you do too.

Well, it appears the calcium worked. The blossom end stopped. But I was away from the garden for two days, and my beautiful spaghetti squash plant, that was thriving, turned yellow and is dying. Ugh. I have probably 14 spaghetti squash unripe. I'm hoping they ripen before the vine gives up. I seem to always get this bacteria.

I've been treating all the squash for powdry mildew as they were all showing signs of it. I use a drip hose to water. I am very careful to not get water on the leaves. I have a feeling it's in the dirt.

Did you check your spaghetti squash for vine borers?

I did, I was out there Saturday cleaning up debris and stuff around the plants trying to keep earwigs away. I looked all over the stalk no holes and no sawdust look. I looked real well at the leaves to see if anything was hiding like the cucumber beetles, as I have seen them around. I pick them off, and haven't seen any recently.

I think I have a bacteria in the ground. All three plants have that powder white look on leaves, and that seems to be what always happens to my squash. I do rotate different ends of the garden, but have kept them in the same garden. So next year they are going else where.

The powder white could be powdery mildew (a fungus, not a bacteria). You can take a leaf to a garden center in a sealed ziplock and ask them if you want to be sure.

A treatment with dusting sulfur should clear that up.

Trying to water only in the mornings and avoiding wetting the foliage so that the water has time to evap off the leaves before evening often helps keep it at bay.

when I researched the dying plant they said that was a bacteria.

I had purchased some powdery mildew spray from my organic seed place. That has kept it from getting as bad as it usually does. I sometimes wonder if it's our high humidity.

Yup, most likely.

It might be worth it to solarize that area of the garden, and a few feet perimeter for extra assurance, to see if you can kill it off.

I probably should. This is the oldest and the end is the best and favorite place of all plants. It must get the best sun.