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cranialgirl

does this pumpkin look normal?

cranialgirl
14 years ago

This is my first try at pumpkins and they are growing but this is what their leaves look like. Is this normal.



Comments (12)

  • weirdtrev
    14 years ago

    Oh wow those are beautiful leaves. Yes the leaves are completely healthy, though that pattern is uncommon on vining plants. You normally see leaves like that on most zucchini varieties. Do you know what variety of pumpkin you planted?

  • cranialgirl
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Actually I bought seeds from Park(which I won't do again, long story) that was Howden, round Halloween style pumpkins, and my Mom also sent me some "neck pumpkin" seeds from PA that she harvested from last year's crop, and I got them mixed up and have 2 of each, but no idea which is which.

    Thanks for the reply. My pumpkins have a problem that is the same as my watermelon, squash and cucumbers, that I posted in the vegetable forum, and I was afraid when I saw the stippling in these leaves also that they may have something else going on too.

  • cranialgirl
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    We put in a raised beds this year, ph good in dirt, fertility tested good. I grew plants from seeds. Cucumbers have whatever this is,the worst, then the squash, the watermelons and the pumpkins. I have been to neighboring gardens and to the local worm's way. I have also tried lookoing at other people's problem pics.
    First I tried cutting off all infected leaves and spraying with Garden Safe fungicide 3. It was back in 2 days. It is on the leaves, stems and fruit.It will not rub off the leaves like a fungus, but you can scrape it off the stem and it seems like it is thick and yellow.

    The leaves are being shredded by something, it looks like caterpillar damage but I am out there a lot and not one caterpillar. I have treated for slugs repeatedly.

    We have had a huge amount of rain almost every day for about 2 1/2 weeks. We used pine needles for mulch. the pumpkins and watermelon has some compost around them since planting. Everything was fertilized once with fish and seaweed.

    When I showeed it to the worm's way guy, he said it looked like leaf damage from something and he said aphids because there were a couple by chance on that leaf. there are a few aphids in the garden but not on most of the affected leaves. Tonight I sprayed an organic insecticide, but there aren't hardly any insects.

    I am really stumped, and am getting very worried that there isn't going to be any harvest from this garden. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    {{gwi:72801}}

  • weirdtrev
    14 years ago

    The original picture is of your neck pumpkins not the Howden. So now you know. I was thinking it was some sort of C. moschata and it was.

    And other than that one leave your cucumber plant looks really healthy. Cucumbers are almost always a very ugly plant for me but they produce and that is all I care about. If you are getting fruit I wouldn't be too concerned. It doesn't really look diseased to me, more like wind burn or sun scald.

  • cranialgirl
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    The problem is that it is spreading rapidly throughout the plant, on to all the other vining plants, and it is covering the stems and the fruits. The leaves get worse and worse, then die. this particular picture is of one leaf when it first started, now it is all over the plant. if you rub it hard enough, you will start to see a tiny bit of green underneath and a little white will come off on your finger.it isn't something I can ignore even though I would like to.

  • quillsd
    14 years ago

    I'll try to post a pic. I'm growing Howdens in a raised bed and they are looking amazing lots of growth the last 2 weeks. I'll take a picture tommorow night when i water them.

  • iam3killerbs
    14 years ago

    The leaves of my Giant Argonaut squash look just like the original poster's picture. They're getting set to be one of the handsomest plants in my garden.

    Here's a link for looking at photos of different problems affecting various veggies. Its the place I discovered that my beans were suffering potassium deficiency after every other resource came up blank.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Plant problem photos

  • quillsd
    14 years ago

    sorry I haven't posted the pics I'll get them tommorrow night.

  • iam3killerbs
    14 years ago

    Look at my Old Seed Resurrected thread for additional photos of varieties that have silver-mottled leaves.

    The Giant Argonauts are so stunningly beautiful that I might convince DH to let me plant some in the mailbox bed next summer.

  • cyrus_gardner
    14 years ago

    If you are worried spray them with one of the following:

    1- Neem oil spray

    2- 3 parts water, 1 part milk, a tsp of baking soda, to make a half gallon.

    Thes are both organic and are supposed to prevent fungus infestation and deter bugs/insects. The white shade of the first photo is questionable, if not due to lighing while taking picture. Unless that is a characteristic of that particular pumpkin.

    But your cucumber leaves look healthy except for the curl. Also , it seems that they are getting more nitrogen.
    look closely underneath the leaves with a magnifying glass, to see if there are tiny insects or mildew. If there are just a few of leaves like that , just cut them off and burn them or dispose off at far away place from your garden.

  • quillsd
    14 years ago

    Here's a pic of my pumpkin patch, these are howden pumpkins, planted on may 24th in a raised bed.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • mudmanfinisher
    14 years ago

    Crainialgirl, the question should be do the leaves look normal? They didn't start growing like that so they don't look normal. I think it's powdery mildew fungus. I have that on my pumpkin leaves. I use Serenade Garden Disease Control and spray the leaves in the morning or night. My experience says the appearance doesn't change but any further damage is curtailed. If left unattended the leaves will turn brown and decompose.