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DAMN NO GOOD MUSH!

How's things in pumpkinland everyone?
Well, things have been rough here in VA.
As some of you might remember, back in July
I wrote a note telling everyone how my vines were wilting from the base of
the vine, one leaf at a time to the front.Well, to my suprise none of my
vines actually died ater the initial wilt.The vines were weeping from the
base a white goo.I stopped watering for a bit, and treated them with some
fungicide and they seemed to recover, tho' some of them still wilted at the
drop of a hat.Anyway,I struggled on into August and even started some
pumpkins on the sick vines.To my suprise, one of my sicker vines managed to
produce a 350 pound pumpkin.It was growing great until this past Saturday
when I noticed the wilt had returend with a vengeance! This time, the leaves
were not only wilting from the back,but are wilting on the end of the vine,
and the side vines as well.I looked closer and found that the vines had
turned to mush in three different places.I had the vines buried and that
seemed to be where the rot was it's worst.It's NOT vine borers!
I have no idea what this crap is.Some of you have given me a few ideas, but
it really dosen't act that much like any of them.The best one so far was
from I think George Brooks who said it was something called "Khune's
Disease" or something like that.I sent a test to our local County Agent in
July when it hit, but they bungled my test,and
I gave up on them.I'm going to send another one in and hope this time they
can help me.I can only hope my dying vine can hang on another week or two
till my pumpkin cures some. It's still yellow and I can't see it surviving
til October.I have also been very interested in the the letters on this list
talking about a "Strange Wilting Disease".I'm inclined to believe this is
the same disease that has struck my patch this year.
I really had a fast grower on that vine, and looking at my plant now, I'm
amazed it grew to the size it has.I still have a few other 100 and 200
pounders, and maybe one other vine that had a late start that may do
something for me, but I'm really in a mess if I can't find out what this
junk is before next year.I had one vine do this last year, and it must be in
the soil, tho' I'm not even sure of that.What really ticks me off is that I
think I was on my way to a real prizewinner,and now I'll be lucky if my 350
pounder can limp along till Halloween.Any help you guys can give me on this
"mystery disease", or of some way to save my pumpkin til Halloween would be
appreciated very much.
Thanks
Tim Aker
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