I have 5 speedling trays of DIVA and MARKETMORE just emerging in the shadehouse. The cucumber beetles appeared to hit those trays this morning. Not only were there beetles all over the leaves (which are just the dicots right now), we found beetles in the soil of the trays, also. It's pretty disgusting.
This brings up anoher issue for me, however. I noticed emerging radish that are being shredded by flea beetles and now these cukes being attacked by cucumber beetles. Both of these incidents are occuring to plants that have yet to even start their first true leaves. in my knowledge of plant physiology, these plants, so far, are developing from nutrients that were stored in the seed and not nutrients from the soil. If that's the case, accepting that sick plants attract insects, am I defeated at the seed level? In other words, is there something wrong with my seed that's causing the seedlings to attract pests or is this really my own soil problem(s)? Seeking solutions and not blame -Allan >Allan, > >Last year Chris stopped mulching the cucs, and increased cultivations. The >cuc beetles were burrowing into the mulch. We had almost 100% loss to them. >And now that we are not mulching and increasing cultivations, we still have >a few, but it has decresased to a tolerable level. > >Christy
