From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Manchester, TN

I pulled my pumpkin plant yesterday. The heat got it. While pulling plant out through my watermelons, I pulled some of the landscape fabric up. It was unreal the number of squash bugs under the paper. I'm not seeing any on the plants, but I know they are there by the thousands. Is there anything to do, other than keep hitting plants with insecticide to keep them off?

6/27/2012 9:52:50 AM

formerly RGG

Yes, treat your plants with a good systemic insecticide, such as Bayer tree & shrub.

6/27/2012 8:11:07 PM

Sugar Hill , Georgia

Hey TD you're almost as far south as I am , I was wondering how do you feel about keeping the landscaping fabric down even through this 106 degree weather that's coming in , my issue is I have cleared much foliage around my stump so it and the fabric around it is revealed to the heat of the day and it is burning to the touch , could this kill my plants by burning the roots or stump?

6/28/2012 1:33:10 PM

formerly RGG

Zlatic, if I were you, I would put a cover over the stump to keep it dry. This will also shade it and help keep it cool. Where your vines are thick, they will shade the black fabric and keep it from heating up so much. Remove it if you wish, but just know you could get a terrible weed problem unless you have a plan for dealing with the resulting weeds. The further south you grow a CC, the more important stump care becomes because as the heat and humidity increases stump rot problems become more and more likely.

6/28/2012 3:37:21 PM

formerly RGG

I did pull a fair size section of landscaping fabric from around one of my plants to help encourage vine rooting. I am afraid I will lose the plant stump due to it being grafted and extra large in size; so I am attempting to have sufficient vine roots on this plant to keep it growing if and when the stump fails.

6/28/2012 3:42:24 PM

Ut

You might consider sprinkling sevin or cory's insect killer or something like that on the ground next year before you lay down the cloth. I haven't had that problem to my knowledge. Good luck!!!

7/2/2012 6:34:55 PM