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Sioux Falls, SD [email protected]

My plants are all wilting
Its the first sunny day after rainy week
They're growing fast
I've used Daconil and Acephate (3 days ago)
I've used Grubex
I had trouble with wilting all last season
Bacterial wilt???
Anything to do??

3 photos
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=34777

Gary

6/6/2005 3:29:50 PM

Missoula, Montana

Leaves show still have good color. Are any other leaves changing color? If not it just looks like heat stress.....

6/6/2005 3:58:59 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

What kind of soil do you have underneath your plants? Is it clay or sand? Shallow rooting is often the cause of wilting like this.

Then the next question is are they perky when the sun is not beating down on them.

If it were a bacterial wilt they would be dead in a few days.

6/6/2005 4:10:18 PM

Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

I noticed that the plant is pretty close to what looks like a windbreak made from clear plastic. Is it possible that this plastic is making the plants even hotter than the ambient temperature? I had some similar looking leaves after I put my seedling into its poly house. But, it seems to have outgrown the wilting. Maybe your wilting isn't really so problematic?

6/6/2005 4:11:08 PM

I wouldn't worry about this to much! This does not sound like disease! If your plant does this but returns to normal, you have nothing to worry about. Well sort of. Your plant sounds like it is under stress. Because of a disturbance in the environment around it, the plant naturally goes into stress mode. Right now one of my plants is completely wilted, becuase we are getting a sort of wind storm right now, even though its sunny. Gusts up to 50 km/h. It wilts telling me its under stress. Also in your case, your plant is not used to the sun or maybe its just too hot, and it is naturally going under stress. Advice: Water your plant to provide cooling, or another ways to cool it.
The times you are most likely to see this wilting happen from my observation is:

- heavy wind (me right now)
- very hot or humid day (probably you)
- heavy rain during a storm
- frost or cold temperatures
- something in the soil or a bug.

The plant will normally go back to normal again, but during the time it is wilted, it doesn't grow to much.

6/6/2005 4:36:07 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

Looks like heat stress to me...

6/6/2005 5:12:15 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

PS..."80 degrees, been rainy and cool" don't really go together. Some plants wilt *very* easy. If you're worried it's some type of disease, take a tissue sample of a newer leaf and send it off to a lab for a true confirmation one way or the other.

6/6/2005 5:19:10 PM

Hilpoltstein, Bavaria, Germany

I wouldn't worry about it, to me it looks like normal flagging due to heat stress. I bet the leaves will go back to normal in the evening without any damage...

6/6/2005 5:57:01 PM

Jaffrey NH

I wouldnt worry about it unless the plants really start to die off. The high humidity has done the same thing to my plants. The same effects also were on my plants last year. I cut off 1/2 the plant because of my fear of the plant getting bacterial wilt. The plant had my biggest pumpkin on it at the time. The season continued and I found tons and I mean tons of grubs and cut worms. I hit the patch hard with grub and other soil pest killers this spring and continue to do so every time I rototill. I dont know if this helps but tough it out, it is going to be a long and stressful season. I see many sleepless nights in my future.
DK

6/6/2005 7:35:13 PM

Sioux Falls, SD [email protected]

The plants recover with misting or sundown
But they do it every sunny day
It's only 80 and 2 in rain in last 3 days
There's greater stress to come!
Gary

6/6/2005 7:39:45 PM

derry n.h u.s.a.

the soil looks pretty dry a few feet away from the plant, i imagine the roots are 4 to 6 ft out by now,might want to try watering an 8x8 ft area around the plant,just a guess!John

6/6/2005 7:45:26 PM

Mt.Pleasant,Iowa

Could put up some shade cloth.

6/6/2005 7:45:47 PM

Long Island,New York

First sunny day after a week of rain will do it every time.....

6/6/2005 8:13:43 PM

Joliet, IL

i have had it at different times all spring with the ups and downs in temps and cloudy skies in the hoophouse to clear bright scorchers. i bet your leaves or maybe just one leaf at a time, the newest and smallest ones, flags so bad until you see a dark thin leathery color on the edges, like a wet dark green edge. this leaf will still be fine for most of it later, but the edges where you see the color difference and texture difference will be crispified and brown. all in all one leaf or two is no big deal. but take it as a sign and adjust accordingly to what your plant is telling you, its hot. the uv is so strong right now until the 21st and will remain so until late july. a clear windy day will do it to some leaves. mist or shade cloth or just let em toughen up with good soil soaking watering.

6/6/2005 11:12:20 PM

Phoenix, AZ

Gary,

You answered your own question by the fact you said it has been cool. The plant needs time to adjust to the new climate. I had the same thing down here. Once my plant accilmated after a week, no more wilt, and yes it can be also shallow roots that just need a touch of watering to keep the upper soil moist.

Ben

6/7/2005 12:28:17 AM

Ontario, Canada.

I'm trying to figure out plants that wilt. Is it possible that this characteristic signals a future problem plant? Clearly wilted leaves are a sure sign of a young plants inability to provide for increased transpiration.

I have a plant like this that tends to wilt in the heat instead of thriving. My hope is that this trait may be beneficial in some way by providing or stimulating a more robust root system as a reaction to the demands for water.

This plant had received similar amounts of water prior to its episode of flagging. Yet all my other plants thrive in relatively the same conditions.

6/8/2005 7:52:34 PM