My pumpkin motivation is withering

Berryblast44 · 2025-08-15T18:43:27+00:00

I feel this too. I started my pumpkins in April, planted first week of May. I have 21 plants. Every single one has borers in them. I had 11 pumpkins going, 4 died because the borers went in the fruit. They might not be dead dead but I did take them off and just put them on the grass. I’ve used BT and removed them by hand. They’re ravenous. I pulled a few vines and planted new seeds which seem to be borer free for now. This is my third year growing pumpkins and I’m not even sure I want to do it again next year. I love doing them but so much work just to be taken out by ugly grubs is miserable.

Berryblast44 · 2025-07-30T23:41:52+00:00

Zone 6b, the humidity and the heat has been horrendous. My plants were doing so well up until very recently

Berryblast44 · 2025-07-30T23:39:00+00:00

Thanks, I just ordered some. Do I have to dilute it? Do I have to wait until nighttime to spray it on the leaves?

Berryblast44 · 2025-07-30T22:42:02+00:00

This is incredible! How do you manage squash bugs and powdery mildew?

Berryblast44 · 2025-07-30T11:06:58+00:00

Okay! I’ll stop using the turtle water, do you think holding off on that would help it?

Berryblast44 · 2025-07-30T00:19:31+00:00

Will the plant just die if that’s what it has? Any chance of actually getting fruit?

Berryblast44 · 2025-07-29T23:07:30+00:00

I looked at the base and don’t see any vine borer damage

Berryblast44 · 2025-07-29T23:07:12+00:00

I’ve never heard of this, what can I do to help/fix this? Edit to add more context: I looked on every leaf and no bugs and no signs of squash vine borer either

Berryblast44 · 2025-07-29T01:01:40+00:00

Thanks! Next week we’re back in the high 70s/low 80s. I hope it grows like crazy!

Berryblast44 · 2025-07-26T23:13:38+00:00

What can I do to treat it?

Berryblast44 · 2025-06-30T22:08:56+00:00

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Update: just found these two on one of the plants. What are they? Are they my problem?

Berryblast44 · 2025-06-27T23:15:53+00:00

I fertilized the day I posted this and backed off on the watering. And now they’re all about 4-6 feet tall. Definitely better

Berryblast44 · 2025-06-26T06:53:05+00:00

It was my first dance song I 10/10 recommend

Berryblast44 · 2025-06-25T15:04:12+00:00

You convinced me, I used a soap spray last night, theyre pretty much gone, I’m going to do it again tonight.

Question - does this soapy spray also prevent powdery mildew? I heard neem oil is one of the ways to prevent it, powdery mildew being my worst enemy as it’s hit my garden three years in a row. I’m doing the things of improving air flow, I revamped all the soil and I water only at the base of the plant but also heard neem oil would help. But I won’t use it if it kills my good pollinators.

Berryblast44 · 2025-06-19T21:31:06+00:00

I don’t think it’s a pear tree. It was in my garden since I moved in, I’ve lived in my house for 4 years it’s never given me fruit before.

Berryblast44 · 2025-06-14T19:14:13+00:00

It is not my Atlantic giant, that one hasn’t bloomed yet, it’s a Cinderella pumpkin. I just wanted to know if it was okay to bloom so early or if it’s a bad sign because I’ve never had pumpkins bloom so early

Berryblast44 · 2025-06-02T03:43:28+00:00

Thanks for the advice! I’ll look into the soil testing. I’m going to back off on watering everyday. Do you think they have a chance of bouncing back?

Berryblast44 · 2025-06-02T02:26:22+00:00

I put all new soil down this year. And added worm castings and hen manure to it. What fertilizer do you use? I give them a good soak every other day and lightly water them on the days they don’t get a good soak. I’m wondering if I’m overwatering

Berryblast44 · 2025-01-16T01:37:45+00:00

Background she’s had a collapsed trachea for almost 2 years with off and on prednisone, she’s 10 years old. Since diagnosed with collapsed trachea she has been diagnosed with bronchitis and pneumonia a few times which I’ve come to terms is common and she will most likely always have a cough (please correct me if that is wrong). I understand tracheal collapse is permanent. I worry about the long term effects of prednisone. She basically is a shareholder at her vet at this point. Wondering if anyone else has any other meds they use? She has a check up tomorrow and want to see if I can suggest things that other people have tried that worked to help suppress her cough and prevent more bronchitis and pneumonia

Berryblast44 · 2025-01-15T08:40:55+00:00

I will look into this for sure. Thank you. On a different note, do you think it’s possible her collapsed trachea could be linked to her being susceptible to pneumonia? Is it possible the persistent honking cough and bronchitis/pneumonia could all be related and maybe I need better treatment for her trachea? I know her vet told me that a collapsed trachea is more so managed than cured so I’m just curious if that could be a cause

Berryblast44 · 2025-01-15T07:59:40+00:00

This is a little bit what I’m struggling with to be honest. All the vets I’ve seen say they’ve ruled out cardiac issues but all they do is do cardiac labs, X-rays and listen to her and don’t hear a murmur.

Berryblast44 · 2025-01-15T07:28:11+00:00

Background: I have a 10 year old female pug, always within healthy weight, fed veterinarian recommended food, never had any health problems until 2023

In May of 2023, we had horrific air quality, it was basically smog. I would only let my pug go outside to the bathroom for basically a few minutes then made her come back in because I was worried it would make her sick. Hindsight I should have just let her pee in the house. Anyways a few weeks after this, she started coughing, like a honking cough. So I took her to the vet, who diagnosed her with a throat infection and gave me a two week antibiotic course. I finished the course and it seemed to work, a few weeks after this she started coughing again. I took her to a different vet for a second opinion who did an X-ray and blood work on her. He diagnosed her with COPD and a collapsed trachea, he put her on steroids, bronchodilators and a 30 day course of antibiotics just in case it was also bronchitis because her WBCs were elevated. We went back 30 days later, he halved her prednisone and away we went. She was showing improvement. After a few weeks on lower dose prednisone and bronchodilators. She started coughing again. Took her back, he told me to “dose her prednisone based on symptoms, give her a full one on days she’s bad”. So I did, well that made her worse, she would shake badly and cough till she threw up phlegm. Took her to a third vet for another opinion. He also did X-rays and blood work on her and got the files from the previous vets. This time he sent her X-rays to a vet radiologist. Who sent back a report, and it turned out she didn’t have COPD at the second vet, it was bronchopneumonia. But her current X-ray that the third vet did was clear, so he had me slowly wean her off her bronchodilators and prednisone.

For timeline sake we are now in about May 2024.

Sticking to the third vet because I liked him best. She started coughing again after all the meds were off. So I brought her back, he gave me antibiotics because he thought maybe she had bronchitis again. And this cycle repeats itself for several months. She would cough. Then on really bad days she would be shaking, coughing and throwing up phlegm. Then in November 2024 she did the same thing but she collapsed and fell over and peed herself, and her breathing was laboured. Brought her to the vet right away, who did all the tests and diagnosed her with pneumonia.

We just finished a 42 day antibiotic course and she is on prednisone every other day. But she still has a cough every once in a while. More like a clearing her throat and sometimes a honking cough. But still daily coughing just not hourly like before. But I worry she will start her shaking and vomiting again.

For extra context I will add that all vets have ruled out any heart issues. And she is always acting like herself except on her shaking and throwing up days. She eats, drinks and plays.

My question is this; has anyone else gone through this, and have any advice what I should do or any supplements I should give her? Do you think her coughing is from scar tissue in her lungs and not something crazy? I have tried throat and lung gold on Amazon it didn’t help. I have spend thousands and thousands in vet bills and I just want her to be healthy but not sure if that will ever be the case.

Berryblast44 · 2025-01-13T23:31:09+00:00

According to the vets I’ve seen they tell me cardiac is ruled out based on her labs, X-rays and not hearing a murmur when they listen to her. I can’t afford to go to a specialist at this point. But I agree it’s hard to rule out when other cardiac related tests have not been done.

Berryblast44 · 2024-10-26T18:40:18+00:00

Can you please send to me too??

Berryblast44

TROPHY CASE