I don't know what the problem is for sure, and the only thing my gardening books mention is Mosaic virus. The leaves were big and beautiful and the plant was beginning to fruit when we had some odd weather, rainy, cold, dark for a few days and the next time I checked the squash leaves had large irregular shaped black stains on them. A few days later the blackened leaves are fading to mottled black, brown, and yellow, they are brittle on the stained areas, and they are curling at the edges. It is only a handful of leaves on each plant. It has also affected one pole bean that was growing near a squash. Flowers are still present and fruit is still developing on the affected plants. Is this Mosaic or something else? Would it help to cut the damaged leaves off or is the plant just done for? *I should add that the unstained leaves are not wilting and the fruit appears normal and normal colored. There are no holes in the leaves, even the stained ones and the stains are not in spots, but rather like a large black splatter that covers 70% or so of the leaf affected. TIA!
Really sounds more like mildew. Here is a site with mosaic virus pix: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3109.html here is mildew: http://plantpath.ifas.ufl.edu/takextpub/FactSheets/pp0014.pdf
Thank you. I'm not sure what it is, its more a large solid splotch than those pictures looked like? It has seemed to heal off a few of the leaves but is still present on some of them. I guess time will tell. I didn't pick off the affected leaves and since I don't use chemicals the only option was to pull up the plants (which I didn't because I wanted some darn squash!) so I will wait and see what the fruits turn out like.
They'll prob be ok. I never bother to pull em out for mildew. If you can, maybe cut off the worst leaves, just mainly to let more sunshine in, since they really aren't doing much for the plant. When you water, try to not get any on the leaves. I've had it hit during weather like you had, then the plants went on to produce just fine.
Thank you for your replies I keep wishing I had a neighbor who grew veggies so I could chat over the fence in person, yk?? Now I'm just hoping that the frost holds off for another week or two!!!!
If you have to cover them from frost it would be worthwhile. I discovered tho, cover if possible with cloth, not plastic and try to have something holding it off the plants to keep the top leaves from freezing. Lots of times I've been able to keep stuff producing because we would get a frost and then wonderful weather for a few more weeks.
