Hello everyone, I tried to grow bryonia (a type of squash) and it just doesn't look good; the flowers come out but they dry out after a while. Also the leafs turned to be white (if I rub them, they return to thier regular color). It can't be dried - it gets a lot of water and it gets enough sunlight. If somebody can tell me what to do it would really help Thanks, Amitai
Hello Amitai, I am curious about the white of the leaves that rubs off. Is it like a powdery mildew or fungus? I had trouble with that on my squash last year although they did make a few fruit anyway. It may help if you can tell us where you are located and I am curious if you have been having wet or dry conditions. After squash flowers are pollinated they do dry and fall off as a fruit forms. Are there no tiny fruits beginning where the flowers fall off?
Thanks for your reply. I am located in Israel, in a dry location (near the desert). The whiteness of the leaves is like a kind of powder that doesn't come off easily - it isn't wet. Regretfully, the flowers come out, then fall and no fruit comes out. The plant is about three months old. Amtai
It sounds like powdery mildew, just spray it with a fungicide. What species Bryonia are you growing? The red-fruited Bryonia dioica is, as the name suggests, dioecious; that might explain why you are not getting any fruits. Be careful with the herb, it's quite poisonous.
I don't think resorting to a fungicide is necessary, is it? Particularly for something in a food garden...
True, it is perhaps not the best solution... If it's necessary to use anything sulfur powder is relatively harmless, so is the mineral oil-based ones; avoid any systemic fungicides.