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I have planted in a pot the seeds of a squash/cucurbita (this type) and it was growing very quick and nicely.

In the last couple of days I noticed that the leaves looks half dead/sick, and I don't know what is the cause and what can be done - is it bad treatment (water, sun etc.) or a disease? What can be done to help it?

Of course I can remove the infected/dead leaves, but I'd like to know what is it and how to approach it to improve it.

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(I guess that if it will become bigger I'll have to transport it to a bigger pot or to the ground)

Thanks!

arieljannai
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This looks like botrytis cinerea, grey mould, which is a fungus disease affecting many plants including squash. You need to control humidity better, especially when watering. I’d say this happened because the leaves are touching the compost which must have been contaminated somehow.

What you need to do is to remove all affected leaves and dispose of them promptly. Burning is best, fungus must be destroy or it will spread to other plants.

Make sure your secateurs are clean and sterilised to obtain a clean cut when removing affected material. Then wash and sterilise them again after use to avoid spread to other plants. When watering, do so into the roots, do not spray foliage.

There is no chemical control for this fungus. Unfortunately, your plant looks really badly affected and it might be a lost cause. I would start again, that would be easier.

user33232
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  • I have nothing to lose by cutting the infected leaves and see if it recovers, I'll try that :) if not, I'll start again! – arieljannai Jun 18 '18 at 19:38
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    You can get disease resistant varieties. Look it up and it will be easier. These varieties usually have several resistances. Good luck – user33232 Jun 18 '18 at 19:57