Verticillium Wilt

Hi All

I have noticed one of my cucumbers is showing signs of Verticillium Wilt, I grow in seperate boxes if I remove the infected plant or box will the remainder of the boxes in the greenhouse be infected??
How does this disease spread, I had this last year and it devistated the whole crop I don't think I can have that again this year.
Is it safe to compost the plants at home or shall I take down to the recycling centre.

Next year I am going for grow bags and that is it. Any advice for stopping this problem before it is too late.

Thanks

Dave

 

Growing in seperate boxes will certainly reduce the spread of the fungus' causing the stem and root rot. As you say - verticillium and also fusarium; both resulting in wilt. Spread as far as I know is pimarily across surface moisture and using contaminated soil/compost and containers. Also, stick to mains water rather than standing water ie a water but or tank. I would not compost the plant material and the soil/compost should be sterilized.


http://www.raffia.plus.com

 

Thanks for the info, I have had a bit of a look around the internet and it appears this is a long term problem and not much that can be done. I have removed one box that looked affected. The good news is that the greenhouse has a concrete floor so I will watch carefully and if the symptons start again I will throw out the affected boxes and buy some growbags and start again with the cucumbers.

Surely the verticillium wilt can be reduced to an acceptable level, I just wonder where it has come from and also find it hard to understand what a farmer or horticulturist would do in this situation on the land out side!!

Thanks again Plantsman, I guess this has everyone else stumped

Dave (in depression)

 

Dave, are you 100% it is Verticillium wilt? You`ve cut the stem to check the necrosis?

 

Hi Dave

No Shall I try this with the potatoes, It is just that I noticed in the hot weather one of the cucumbers drooping just like last year so I have removed it and put it outside until I have time to take it down the tip.

One thing that has crossed my mind is the Cherry tree problem I posted the pictures of it is dying back.

DEFRA has some detail in their intranet of Verticillium Wilt and it looks very likely that this is the problem, if I remember correctly I am looking for brown in the stem??

Thanks for the advice and help

Dave

 

I have just cut one of the potatoe stems and that one looks green but most of the stems in the box have gone brown and shrivelled up.

Dave

 

Dave, if you think it`s in the cucumbers, why have you cut the potato stem? You should cut the cucumber you are taking to the tip.

 

Hi DAve

I think it is in both I have taken some pictures.

Is there another disease that causes the cucmbers to droop in hot weather and one looks stunted in growth, that is the smaller one on the right!!


Potatoes
Sorry to be a nuisance I am desperately hoping that the cucumber plants (top picture) will be ok, is it brown in the stem I am looking for??

The tomatoes look fine but then they were ok last year.
Dave

 

David, the cucs look fine, if the next photo are potatoes, then I would say they are suffering from Blackleg, which is the adult equivilent of damping off. Therefore, over watering.

 

Hi All

I am waiting for some sunshine it seems that the cucumbers are fine until the sunshine's then they wilt I had this last year and lost all the cucumbers as they stopped producing early in the season. I am not worried about the wilt if it lessens the crop but to have a falied crop will disapoint the whole family as we all love cucumbers.

I am going to watch with caution and rush to B&Q for grow bags if it gets too bad and looks like affecting the crop seriously.

We have spoken before on this forum about the choice of soild or soil flooring in a greenhouse, I suppose this is one benefit of a concrete floor you can always remove all the soil or boxes and start again if you get a serious disease.

Fingers crossed

Thanks for the info

Dave

 

I have put the box I removed from the greenhouse back in the greenhouse and now we have had some sunshine I have noticed that this box with the plant that was wilting before does not do it now. The plant is harder and this seems to have helped with the wilting problem, I am going to take out the other box that is wilting in hot weather and see if it cures the problem in that box as well.

This all seems very strange to me but does make sence in the fact that if the plant is harder and stronger by being hardened off outside it will be less affected by disease and maybe could even become resistant.

Dave is right try or you will never know, oh by the way I had a dig around in the ruined potatoe box and there are potatoes in there.

Dave

 

Hi John

Yes there are holes in the boxes, I thought the same as you and drilled holes in the ends just to check and no water came out, the depth of the soil is about 8-10 inches, far deeper than a growbag.
There is a further development that the bottom leaves on one plant are going yellow so I have taken that one out of the green house most of the others are growing really well and have small cucumbers on them.

Some have been drooping badly in the recent hot spell and one of these is the one with yellowing leaves!!

So long as I get some fruits it will be worth growing them and it looks like I will. The Tomatoes look great.

Thanks for your help

Dave