Updated Oct. 8, 2022
Gourds are a beautiful plant that I would recommend growing to anyone. They are not just for decoration and can be used as an ingredient in multiple types of bread and desserts.
The experience of growing them is incredibly rewarding, and something I hope everyone has the chance to experience.
Pests and other mildews have had it out for our gourds since the first day they sprouted from the ground. They have waited until August and September to strike with wrath.
Keep Reading! There are a couple of helpful steps to take when your gourds are being threatened by such forces.
A variety of gourds. Photo credit: Jan Huber
Gourd Problems
Powdery Mildew
First, you have got to know what you’re dealing with. Powdery mildew is a fungus that spreads over the leaves of squashes, cucumbers, and gourds. Identifying powdery mildew is easy, as its name is the perfect descriptor.
It takes form in milky powder covering the broad leaves of your gourds. It thrives in the moist, warm Kentucky summer weather and is very prevalent in agricultural Zone 6b. When powdery mildew takes hold, it can often overtake the plant before the gardener even has a chance to stop it.
Powdery Mildew on a pumpkin Photo credit: Jeff Kubina
Japanese Beetles
Finding out what kind of bugs you’re dealing with can be slightly harder. Japanese beetles start as fat, white grubs with a nearly translucent body and a small, red, beady head.
Once they are mature, they are shiny green or bronze wings. The damage they cause to leaves looks like large, defined bites often taken out of the center of leaves.
Squash Bugs
Squash bugs, which are often the culprits in my own garden, start out as clusters of red eggs tucked tightly against leaves. This is only the first sign of trouble.
They develop into insects with two antennas and flat, hardbacks that can be gray, black, or brown. They bite into the leaves and stems of gourds, sucking out the “plant juices.” An infestation of these can be swift, but they can be stopped.
Squash bugs on a gourd vine. Photo credit: Kathleen Bryant
Protecting Your Gourds
Once you have figured out what pest or disease is harming your gourd garden, the next step is finding an organic remedy. When treating your garden for pesticides and more, the goal is to inflict as little harm to the surrounding natural environment as possible, while still protecting the plant.
Neem Oil
This is why my first resort is to treat with organic remedies such as neem oil. Neem oil or spray can be purchased online or at most garden or hardware stores. In my garden, I tend to lean more towards using neem, because it is tough but organic, and can be used to treat both pests and molds.
While multiple applications of neem can be beneficial, likely only one will be necessary. You don’t mess around with neem.
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Once you’ve delicately applied the spray, assuming you are doing so to take care of the villainous squash bug, take a butter knife or similarly dull blade or scraping device, and get those disgusting, beady red eggs off of the leaves. Look on the undersides of the leaves as well as the tops, as squash bugs are not above dirty tricks.
These are squash bug eggs on a gourd leaf. Photo credit: Kathleen Bryant
Cautions
Being a rough and rowdy pest killer can have its risks, which should not be ignored. Neem is not harmful to dogs, cats, or humans. Spraying it on plants and leaves will not affect their edibility.
Neem should not be harmful to pollinators, but it can be if used in the wrong way or on the wrong part of the plant.
Read our article 10 Reasons To Eat Organic to learn more
Make sure to apply neem with great precision and prejudice. Focus on the leaves, where insects tend to lay their eggs and mature adults’ land to feast upon the flesh of your hard-won leaves.
Stay away from the flowers where bees like to nestle down and get covered up with the pollen. Pollinators know the gold is in the flowers, so they don’t tend to waste time settling on the leaves.
Monitor Your Garden
Now, it’s very important that you don’t simply treat the issue and move on. Our local ecosystems deserve the same respect you give to your garden. Pest removal is more than just the act, it’s the aftercare. For that reason, you have got to pay very close attention to the plants in the coming weeks after you apply the neem or another organic pesticide alternative.
Make your way outside every day and examine:
● budding gourds
● the flowers
● the leaves
● the stems
● the number of pollinators that are visiting
Tending to these aspects, even micro-managing the growth and development of your garden can be critical in this post-treatment period.
Composting will help build your soil fertility and improve your plant’s overall health. Check out our video.
Any good gardener knows that the leaves of a plant are the harbinger of crisis or the sign of good times. When surveying your hard work, check on the leaves, and ask the following questions:
1. Are they still getting eaten up?
2. Are they growing big and broad, getting enough nutrients?
3. Are they wilting?
4. Are they showing any evidence of the plant not getting the proper amount of water?
You should also check on the gourds themselves. A couple may be soft or rotten from their time battling nature’s evils. This is nothing to be ashamed of.
We cannot blame ourselves or our gourds for falling victim to such monsters as the squash bug. However, gourds that are no longer viable should be clipped off the vine and disposed of, so as to not waste anymore of the plant’s resources towards a lost cause.
As discussed previously, if used improperly, neem, and even other organic pesticides can cause harm to local pollinators. Take notice of pollinator levels on and around the plant for the days following a neem application.
You have got to re-evaluate the way you sprayed your pesticide if it seems that butterflies and bees no longer want anything to do with your plants.
These things are meant to be done gently, and if sprayed in the flowers instead of on the leaves, you can do some real damage to innocent insects. Evaluate your work and impact on the larger ecosystem and adjust accordingly for the next time you apply any pesticide.
Finally, check on those stems. They are the highways of plant nutrients but are often spared attention due to being covered up by leaves and fruits and flowers.
If they are limp, soft, or thin where they shouldn’t be, consider how the plant’s watering schedule has been, and make changes if you are able to determine they are lacking or bursting with water.
Take Away
Gourds are elusive as they are beautiful. As gardeners, we owe it to ourselves to work hard and give them everything they need to succeed. We also owe it to the land around us to not trample Earth and poison the local habitat in the process of reaching for our goals.
I hope gardeners can appreciate and utilize these tips in their own gardens, so they can grow their best gourds and we can all share in the beauty of pumpkin pies, jack-o-lanterns, and dried-out daisy gourds together this fall.
Guest Author Kathleen Bryant is a third-year Environmental Science major at Northern Kentucky University. They live in Florence, KY where they primarily grow gourds and tomatoes.