During the summer and fall, a couple of my butternut squash developed splits in the them, Most of the splits were around the top near about 2" below the stem, Other splits also happened vertically up and down the squash.
Most of the butternut squash did fine though.
What would have caused this ?
Thanks Craig
Could be the sun, most likely to occur if foliage has been lost to mildew, exposing the fruit. Some varieties are more likely to crack than others.
if foliage has been lost to mildew,
Okay, that certainly makes sense here. As most of the leaves did turn white, then yellow then gone. Thankfully I did get quite a lot of squash. And this is my first time ever growing winter squash.
What causes the white mildew on the leaves and next year how can I stop it.
Thank You Craig
It's associated with: cool, damp nights + heavy fruit load + other stresses (pests, nutritional).
You can slow it down, but I'm pretty much convinced you can't stop it. Eventually the vines become senescent and succumb. *Early* outbreaks are the ones that hurt fruit yeild and quality.
Too much nitrogen makes it worse. Adding potash and micronutrients helps. (Seaweed spray is good.)
The best 'cure' (if the powdery mildew is consistantly early and rampant in your garden) is to use a combination of baking soda and oil spray.
See:
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