🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <331cafda.1249977@netnews.worldnet.att.net>,
jackdins@worldnet.att.net (Jack Dinsmore) wrote:

> Someone was kind enough to suggest injecting
> BT into the squash vines in answer to my eariler
> query on how to fight the stalk borers.
>
[snip]

> Now the next questions:
>
> 1.  The mixing rate is one Tbs per gallon of water for
> spraying.  What rate do I use for injecting?  It
> would seem that I would only want a spoonful of
> the diluted mix for injecting, so I need to know
> how to mix up just a few drops.  The instructions
> on the bottle say not to store the diluted mixture,
> so I can't mix up a pint or so and store it.

A tablespoon is roughly 1/2 ounce. A gallon is 128 oz. so you are looking
at about a 1:256 ratio. That's better done in metric, I suppose. You could
work it out with an eye-dropper if you wanted to. Figure the volume you
need, and how many drops it takes to fill it and then, how many drops are
ca. 1/256.

>
> 2.  At what stage of growth do I inject the stuff?
> Must I wait until the vine diameter gets to be a
> certain size?

I don't know the definitive answer here, but I would guess that it will be
too hard to inject until the vines are at least as fat as a pencil. Squash
vine borers generally like the fatter vines: finger diameter or larger.
These can be tough, so I hope you have a stout needle.

> 3.  How much to inject? and where?  Into the center
> and just at one place, or what?

Just a few drops at each injection site should do. This stuff is potent.
Pay the most attention to the base, and the vine segments aroung the larger
nodes.
>
> I'm sorry for all these pesky questions,

This is what rec.gardens is for.

> but this is
> a completely new experience for me and I have to
> admit that I'll feel a little funny lurking around
> the squash plants with a needle in my hand.  However
> I am resolved not to surrender to the stem borer
> until I have exhausted every possibility at my
> disposal.  :>)

Also try covering much of the vine with soil as it grows. If it is not
exposed, it is less subject to attack. Also, the plants grow adventitious
roots at nodes, and this gives them more medium in which to grow.

>
> My server, ATT Worldnet, does not carry rec.gardens.edible,
> (altho twice I have requested it) so I  am crossposting to
> rec.gardens.  I am not even sure if this will appear on edibles.

It did show up on both groups. Rec.gardens is still an appropriate forum
for edible questions. It just has other topics as well. (In fact, I'm
posting from the mother ship.)

If you can get on the web, try Deja News. It will allow you to see things
your local server doesn't have, and even to post directly.

> Anyway, since I can't read that newsgroup I would appreciate
> an E-mail in addition to a post.

You got it.
>

Regards,
Bill

--
Bill Morgan <wtmorgan@pilot.msu.edu>
Center for Room Temperature Confusion