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San Diego

My season is over and starting prep for next year. My plant got mosaic in the latter stages of the year, just affected some of the very late growth on the plant. I'm cleaning the patch, but much of the plant had already died and pieces are on the ground, getting most of the plant out but still, can't get everything. Plus pumpkin was cut up into pieces and decomposing in patch. Will mosaic come back from left over pieces of pumpkin or plant? I think I'm safe, but just wanted to ask. I know it mainly comes from infected insects that bite your plant.

9/11/2009 3:10:05 PM

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Mosaic can only be vectored by live infected plants. It can be another species altogether or another cucurbita species. It is very likely the virus was spread by aphids but some insect is the most likely candidate.

Did you get a positive ID?

9/11/2009 5:17:38 PM

San Diego

unfortunately no positive id, I kind of suspect tobacco mosaic just because I showed a friend my pumpkin one day and I saw that he was smoking in his car before he entered the patch. I remember that mosaic can be spread by infected tobacco from smokers sometime. The disease started in the same spot of the patch he entered. lol Just affected the last part of the main. Thanks Tremor, makes me feel better for next year.

9/11/2009 5:43:03 PM

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Matt & I both smoke in the patch. No virus there yet.

9/11/2009 6:48:35 PM

Monrovia, CA

Duster, we have been living with mosaic for years now. I thought it was the end of the patch but then talked to a gentleman, Ty Hall, from Kellogs Garden Products and he told me to solarize my patch before I planted. I did that the next year and planted a cover crop for the first time as well......I ended up with my PB of 1376 lbs. I ran out of time this year and didn't solarize the patch. Mosaic is running rampant again.. I learned my lesson....solarize with plastic EVERY year before I plant.

BTW the 1376 was grown off of the 1014 Holland!!
Michelle

9/12/2009 10:06:32 PM