Access to vines and Peste

This season I had significant problems with distortion of leaves and damage
with pieces dying off. I considered a number of causes including virus and
insect attack. I figured the most likely cause was mites.
I just looked at my gourds which are growing up a large tree (among other
places) and the leaves are going black around the edges with holes appearing
in them. I picked one that was just starting to look poorly and placed it in
the sun, then using a powerful magnifying glass examined the underside then
the top. It took some time with the sun on the leaf to find a single two
spotted mite, then I noticed another patch of about a dozen mites which
seems to confirm my suspicions in relation to the pumpkins.
Mites seem to prefer warm dry weather and we have had more than our share of
that this season. Some gardening authorities suggest insecticide is not
effective against mites and release of predatory mites is better. Has anyone
had experience in release of biological control and if so how effective has
it been?

The other issue I have been concerned about is access to all parts of the
patch. This season I constructed a cold frame which I also use to support a
plank above the ground so I can access most of the patch without walking on
the soil. I have also attached some pruning shears to a long pole so I can
prune vines and fruit without getting into the patch. These work reasonably
well because I have a small patch but in larger patches this would not work.
What technique do growers use for larger patches. We heard that the Xmas
tree method allows access to every leaf by the natural spacing between
secondary vines, but do you walk along these "walkways" or put some supports
in the ground to support your weight and avoid compacting the soil?

Stewart
Canberra  Aust
the nation's capital
sdeans@pcug.org.au

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