Courgette and squash prob

[Victoria]

Hello! this is my first post here. I have an allotment in mid Suffolk which I have worked for the last five years.

I have cucumber leaf mosaic disease (?) on the leaves of all my courgette and squash plants, One of the older chaps on my allotment says that it is in the soil around the plants and if I keep moving it around with the hoe it will go. Does this sound right? Any suggestions welcome.

[Marken]

I think the virus is transmitted by aphids? Once a plant has it, I dont think it will go. I could be wrong?

[FelixLeiter]

Once you've got Cucumber Mosaic Virus, you've got it, I'm afraid, and no amount of cultivating, nor indeed chemical control, will rid you of it. It is transmitted by aphids.

Are you absolutely sure you have it, though? Sometimes a slight deficiency or mineral imbalance can cause similar discolouration of the foliage, and yellow-fruited courgette varieties naturally have a yellow mottling to their leaves. I've noticed this season that a lot of squash plants on local allotments are showing some yellowing, but they often grow out of this when they get properly established.

Is there any chance you can post a photo of your plants?

[alan refail]

Victoria

Do the leaves look like this?



If so, it might well be CMV.

I am inclined to agree with Felix that it may just be the natural tendency of some varieties to have yellow tingeing (yellow varieties in particular) - or white veining in other varieties.

Leaves like the courgette below are quite normal.

[Victoria]

Thanks everyone for taking the trouble to answer. Yes it is a yellow courgette that is the worst affected, perhaps I will sit it out and see what happens. Will post a photo later if I can. Thanks again.

[Victoria]

Ok have posted (I hope) a couple of pics of worst offenders. Let me know what you all think. Many thanks!

allotment 002.jpg (598.41 KiB) Viewed 9661 times

[Victoria]

Sorry not the worst photo, will try again, am hopeless with computers!

[alan refail]

Victoria

They look OK to me.

Tip: Old timers on allotments are not always right.

[Victoria]

Haha! Thanks for that - I will leave them alone. My small allotment site of 30 plots is very strictly regulated and mainly 'farmed' (as they will call it) by old timers who enjoy dispensing advice and wisdom!!

[FelixLeiter]

Nothing wrong with either of those, Victoria. In fact, they both look to be in the rudest of health. Yours seem to be succeeding where others are failing with courgettes this season.

The first photo is showing the courgette's natural silvery mottling. It is present in all varieties, to a greater or lesser degree. The second is a typical yellow-fruited courgette leaf. They go yellow like this; it's what they do.

So yes, I second what alan says: beware old boys spouting uncorroborated drivel. What do his courgettes look like, I'd like to know. I bet they're not as good as yours. Keep up the good work.

[Catherine]

Mine also look like this I thought they had some deficiency (Magnesium)! so tomorrow we were going to water with Epsom salts, will this help or harm? I have lost two cucumbers to the mosaic virus, never grown these before and they just never got going. I got them out of the p/t as soon as I realised what they had and I still have an, at the moment, healthy cucumber with a flower on it. I also have a yellow courgette, Aurelia F1, which I grew last year and which gave me loads of fruit. That also has yellowing leaves but it is still producing fruit so I am not going to worry.

[Victoria]

Thanks Felix - I shall go and examine old timers courgettes immediately and see what they look like!!! On a serious note, I really appreciate the support and its nice to know everything is fine - so thanks to all of you.