The leaves on two of my three zucchini plants are doing this! It happened very rapidly, and doesn’t appear to be affecting the plants next to it. This picture was taken AFTER I removed several of the leaves that had turned crumbly brown and dead.
Both of the affected plants are producing fruit, but the fruit is growing much more slowly than in previous years.
Some Googling offered very few answers, as I found only two similar-looking leaves offered in photos on discussion boards asking the same question I am: What’s wrong with it? And neither of the boards had an actual diagnosis. I’m going to have to science the shit out of this.
First, I have to rule out some things. The most obvious: FUCKING INSECTS. I’ll get another post going soon that includes my garden-acquired amateur entomology knowledge, but for now it’s enough to say that I did not find any usual culprits like squash bugs or aphids. No real insect activity that I can see. The only insects I could find on them are these fun little fuckers:
And when I say fun LITTLE fuckers, I’m not kidding. These little dudes are tiny! Miniscule! Those are the veins of the leaf next to it. I couldn’t get a clear shot with my fancy-cam because it’s so small. AND, there’s only a couple on any one plant. I also checked the underside of the leaves, and thought I could make out a tiny little light brown grub, but there were only a couple, and so small I couldn’t make out any details to search on. My best guess is that the little brown grubs might be the babies of the black and white guy from the front, but I can’t be sure.
I did a pretty heavy Google search, including an image search, and I could not find any articles or images that identify this guy. It did not come up on any searches for “teeny little garden fuckers that are ruining my zukes”, although I admit, that search term may be a little too specific.
I find it difficult to believe that these little dudes, even if they’re sucking sap, are causing this level of damage. Additionally, I am staying regular with my organic pest killer, and have no infestations anywhere in the garden at the moment. So I’m ruling this guy out as the cause.
The other possibility is scald from pesticide or herbicide, or maybe a magnesium deficiency. But I couldn’t find anything definitive. I had used an organic pesticide a few days before, but was careful to do it according to the instructions, and on a cloudy evening as the sun was going down- the scald idea just didn’t make sense to me.
So my first experiment was to fertilize.
I chose a basic fertilizer that should be good for everybody in the garden. I’m new to fertilizer, so am starting at the beginning, since I don’t actually know what’s wrong with these zucchini.
I am a full week out that fertilizer application and have seen no discernable difference or improvement. Actually, the first of the plants to show symptoms, has it spreading to the newer leaves, too.
While I still haven’t found any real insect activity on these zucchini plants, I have noticed that my yellow squash and cucumber leaves are also yellowing around the edges. Many websites and extension programs mention that this could be a nutrient uptake issue, and might be helped with a treatment of magnesium: Epsom salt. So today, I’ve applied a solution of 3 Tbsp Epsom salt in 2 gallons of water to all of the curcurbits in the garden.
I’m hoping that this will make an appreciable difference, because I’m running out of options, and with three zuke plants, I should be looking forward to fuck-tonne of squash. I have visions of piles of sweet green zukes for zoodles, roasted veggies, veggie kabobs, and so much more! We’re also heading to the hills for a camping trip, and the garden will be on autopilot for several days. Here’s hoping that when we return, I’ll come home to beautiful GREEN and healthy-looking zucchini.
I’ll update when we return!
The Pottymouth Gardener 
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