Butternut brown patch disease?

[Rabidbun]

Hi all! Got a bit of a problem with my butternuts that I was hoping someone would be able to help with! Haven't been able to find anything like it on the internet or on this forum, so knowing my luck it's going to be something incredibly basic.

Basically the butternuts themselves are getting small mottled brown patches on the skin, which are then growing until the entire skin is covered, when the butternut basically is rotten and squishy.

Just spotted another one on the plant (third now) and was hoping that it might be something treatable? Or if I should just pull up the plant and plant something else.

[OllieMartin]

Hmm, the fact that it grows and destroys the whole squash suggests it's probably a pathogenic fungus such as fusarium wilt.
Hard to make a judgement without seeing a picture, check here to see if anything matches:

Cucurbit troubles - WikiGardener

[Rabidbun]

Thanks, doesn't look like fusarium wilt (the brown spots are darker) but does look a little like brown spot (though the brown bits aren't as large and don't go sunken). I sense another squash plant is about to be pulled up.

Much preciate the help. I seem to fail on internet searches more and more these days!

[BeatTheSeasons]

Are they getting too wet? Is it just damp that is rotting them? Or did you rest them up on something dry like a tile?

[Rabidbun]

They're actually hanging down from a trellis arch - the one next to it hasn't succumbed (yet) and is huge!

[LolaLou]

Ouch, how frustrating for you. I've had a look about and found this fact sheet which (although US based) is very informative about general growing of squahes and diseases. Not sure, but they mention and show pictures of Black Rot on the fact sheet - could it be that?

http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1041/ANR-1041.pdf

[Rabidbun]

Thanks all, I suspect that it *is* brown rot as another one has started to go, and this time it has the sunken areas. Preciate all the help in IDing it.

Got a piccy of this one! Though failed to insert it as an image!

http://picasaweb.google.com/10093953...eviuzmz_eTrgE#

Something is telling me that squashes might just end up on my not to grow list! *eyes the blue banana squash seeds for next year ruefully*

[LolaLou]

Ooooo....that is ugly! Not that it will save the squash but I'd be curious if that was a butternut. Looks more like a crook neck or possibly some type of hubbard? I had a couple of patches appear on my butternuts last year after the local foxes started using them as markers for their territory so I gave them a little 'wash' with the anti-bac spray I use in the kitchen.....and the little spots never got any futher. Not sure that is desperately organic but it worked in my case

[jackyspratty]

Ive lost lots of squash to a brown spot this year, including ones hand pollinated for seed saving. They grow well then develop brown soft patches, stop growing and keel over

[Keith2202]

I've had one that looks a bit like the picture. I thought that the plant had too many fruits and handle and had decided to dump it to concentrate its energy into the ones it could handle.
Then as it has been dumped, it starts to rot, I pull them off (they essentially fall off when you touch them as is rejected) and hope the rest are ok.
I could be wrong of course and it could be a disease.

[Rabidbun]

Yeah, they're weird looking for butternuts LolaLou - Seeds of Change packet though, so figured it was just an odd variety to what I was used to.

I did wonder if the plant was prioritising that way Keith2202, but it spread so fast through each fruit (and along the vine in order of growing too) that I fear it's the disease. Sympathies to everyone else that has been gotten by it this year; it's a doozy alright.

Have pulled up many plants today in the rain (figured it would keep down spores), have now lost three tomato plants to grey mould, three squash plants to a strange fungal looking leaf issue, two courgette plants that have just stopped producing totally for over a month and looks like I might have blight starting in the greenhouse. Oh, and my two curcubit plants went blotchy and are dying as well. Perhaps I should try mushrooms next year!

Gotta love the weather!?

[taff]

I had that on an uchiki kuri, pulled off the fruit. The plant has one large fruit on it, all the others fell off or were taken off so don't despair!

[Coredefence]

My butternut squash fruits have all rotted from the blossom end before they could reach any size at all. My plants are growing up a trellis from a raised, prepared and manured bed. Companion planting with nasturtiums has kept blackfly and other pests at bay. I'm totally at a loss, unless it's because I haven't artificially pollinated the flowers, I just allow the insects to do their work.

[OllieMartin]

My butternut squash fruits have all rotted from the blossom end before they could reach any size at all. My plants are growing up a trellis from a raised, prepared and manured bed. Companion planting with nasturtiums has kept blackfly and other pests at bay. I'm totally at a loss, unless it's because I haven't artificially pollinated the flowers, I just allow the insects to do their work.

If they've died or are dying before the flowers have fallen off they probably haven't pollinated. I left all my courgettes for the insects to pollinate and had some good luck, but you might want to try pollinating them yourself to see if that helps.