Damaged stem of cucumbers and melons - Ask Extension
I have several plants scattered around my allotment, butternut squash, melon and cucumbers . Some of them have damage like bite marks halfway up the s...
Knowledgebase
Damaged stem of cucumbers and melons #873736
Asked June 19, 2024, 6:03 AM EDT
I have several plants scattered around my allotment, butternut squash, melon and cucumbers . Some of them have damage like bite marks halfway up the stem, then they keel over and die. Please advise, Laura
Baltimore City County Maryland
Expert Response
To best help you we'd like to see photos of the damaged stems if you are able to share some. These could be attached directly to this reply.
If this only happens to cucurbits, it could be cucumber beetles gouging stem tissue, but one would expect to see injury to leaves as well. Here is our page on Cucumber Beetles:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/cucumber-beetles-spotted-or-striped-vegetables/
Other possibilities are slugs, cutworms, and rats.
(We have been seeing a lot of slug damage as they are happy eaters at night and during rainy, overcast days.
Christine
If this only happens to cucurbits, it could be cucumber beetles gouging stem tissue, but one would expect to see injury to leaves as well. Here is our page on Cucumber Beetles:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/cucumber-beetles-spotted-or-striped-vegetables/
Other possibilities are slugs, cutworms, and rats.
(We have been seeing a lot of slug damage as they are happy eaters at night and during rainy, overcast days.
Christine
