Squash problem

[berksmike]

My greenhouse squash plants have developed some wrinkled yellow leaves.... Started with one and now all 4 are showing the same pattern ie patches of yellow and light green on the new leaves with brown edges...
Could be mosaic virus but am I mising anything else obvious? And any tips to sort them out would help.. I'd like to avoid chucking the lot

Enclosed is picture of the poor plant!

Mike

[Two_Sheds]

I just think you're a bit premature Mike. I'm not sowing squash seeds until April - its way too cold/dark for them yet

[berksmike]

They were started in a light room so don't think the temp and light were a problem..
Was gonna plant out into my greenhouse but don't want anything to spread to other crops

[Two_Sheds]

yep, they've been started in enough warmth/light. However, they have another, what? 6 weeks until they can go outside? Methinks, still way too early. Cut your losses. Sow some more in a coupla weeks.

[berksmike]

Theyre not in the greenhouse yet and havent left the light room
Have had a close look at the leaves affected... The yellowing seems to originate from the leaf veins and on the underside of the leaves there are pin prick sized green balls attached to the affected veins...Can't quite make them out but might be aphids...

[Two_Sheds]

Yeah, them aphids. They love tender EARLY growth!

[berksmike]

Fortunately they don't like soapy water and they just got a shower!!!
Think they may have hitch-hiked on a friends poorly chilli plant that I've taken in for some TLC...
I just hope theyve not infectd my plants with mosaic virus

[dexterdoglancashire]

Not sure whether this would work on this occasion, but other more knowledgeable grapes can confirm/deny this.....I made up a mixture of water, chilli flakes and garlic which I srayed on my greens to try to kill off the cabbage white butterfly - it didn't work for me, think I'd left it too late, but it may help kill off your aphids? Bernie aka Dexterdog

[serenity]

mosaic virus is spread by aphids. fraid you can't do anything, killing the aphids does not help as the plant is already affected.

[rustylady]

Could they just need a bit of feeding? They look fairly big and your initial compost only holds enough feed for a couple of weeks.

[pigletwillie]

As it is obvious your plants have been stressed I would seriously advise you to compost the lot and resow in April. Stressed plants, even if they recover very rarely crop anything like a healthy unstressed one. Your light room may be light to you but many plants are triggered by the length of daylight they recieve (light bulbs dont cut it) and as yours are seriously early they probably dont know their ar*e from their elbow daylight wise.

Even with a heated, growlight lit greenhouse I wont be starting any courgette, pumpkin, squash or anything similar till the middle of April as they just do not thrive if sown much earlier.

Sorry to be blunt.

[berksmike]

No need to apologise pigletwillie..

Will just have to put this loss down to itchy fingers.. Have grown them for 2 years similarly with no probs but that may just have been luck...

Just glad it was a small sowing.. kept most of the seed for sowing later but fancied some early crops!

Mike