Young zucchini plants are a treat for snails. Pesky aphids damage leaves and flowers. The large leaves are also susceptible to powdery mildew and other diseases. There are ways to prevent it and effective ways to combat it.
Common pests on zucchini plants
snails
Attracted by the fresh shoots, voracious snails almost attack the young zucchini plants. You can protect your plants from this immediately after planting:
- Sprinkle slug pellets (€7.49) around the plants, available from Neudorff, Compo, Schacht, among others
- put up a snail fence around the whole bed
- put a snail collar around the plant, also available with a greenhouse cover
If the snails have made it to the zucchini, the only solution is to collect and destroy them.
lice
If you discover curled or deformed leaves and shoot tips on your zucchini plants, they are infested with aphids. It is often small green or black animals that gather on the undersides of leaves and shoots and do not spare flowers and fruits either. They can also be recognized by the sticky, black film they leave behind.
Since the aphid infestation can lead to the death of entire parts of the plant, you should act quickly:
- Spray with stinging nettle infusion made from stinging nettles (you can find them everywhere) and water in a ratio of 1:9
- About 150 g of chopped garlic and 5 l of boiling water make an effective garlic infusion
- as a chemical agent: spray all infested blossoms, leaves and fruits with Neudosan Neu Blattlausfrei. According to the manufacturer, fruits are safe to eat.
- Use ladybugs as natural predators
damage from diseases
mildew
The large leaves of the zucchini provide an ideal breeding ground for powdery mildew and downy mildew. Both are fungal diseases that can lead to the death of the plant.
Powdery mildew can be recognized by white spots on the upper side of the leaves. Downy mildew forms white to brown spots on the undersides and brown or yellow spots on the upper side of the leaves. The treatment is done by:
- Remove and destroy affected leaves
- Use of anti-fungal agents from specialist shops
- Garlic infusion, fresh milk
Some new breeds are said to be resistant to powdery mildew, such as "Anissa F1", "Diamant F1 Hybride", "Soleil", "Mastil F1" and "Leila F1".
Zucchini yellow mosaic virus
Mosaic yellow discoloration on the leaves indicates zucchini yellow mosaic virus, which is transmitted by aphids. Consequences are stunted leaves, weak shoots, malformed fruits. The virus leads to the death of the plant. So that it doesn't come to that:
- Treat any aphid infestation immediately
- grow yellow mosaic virus resistant varieties such as 'Defender' and 'Mirza F1'
prevention
A healthy, vigorous zucchini plant is best equipped to resist disease. The preventive measures therefore include an adequate supply of nutrients, adding compost to the potting soil and regular watering.
tips and tricks
Collect the slippery snails by hand? A scary thought for many gardeners. This can be remedied by special snail tongs from the garden trade. It facilitates the collection, also of snail eggs, hygienic and gentle on the plants.