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Re: squash

It sounds like you have squash borers... have seen apparently healthy,
vigorous plants wilt overnite and die just as they were reaching
productive state.... if you find a real positive cure let me know.  If
you look closely at the stem at the ground level you may see a small
hole, slit the stem  vertically with a sharp tool and you will find a
white grub, this is the culprit. It is the pupa , or larva stage of the
insect that laid its eggs there previously. It would seem that the
ground becomes infested with these critters so one of the defenses is to
avoid planting squash type plants in the same area, have tried dousing
young plants with malathion to no avail , good drainaige seems to help,
try planting seed over a period of time in different locations and hope
for the best. We live in the North end of the Shenandoah Valley in Va.
Last year all my earlier squash wilted and died, this year none have
died so far and we have more than can be used. One of the differences is
that last year the plants were started in pots and then set out, this
year the seed was sown directly in the beds where grown, the excess
plants that came up were transplanted and though a bit behind those
undisturbed have done very well, Good Luck & keep planting
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