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mosaic virus in butternut squash?
I have been away for a couple of days and have come back to find one of my butternuts looks as if it has mosaic virus. Can they get it? I thought it was spread by green fly and we dont have any in the house. Could it be something else? What should I do I do? It is currently on a window sill with other squash and cucumbers.
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Your squash plant probably does have the CMV virus if leaves are mottled, pale in parts, perhaps a little blistered or stunted. Not worth keeping the plant, I would compost it as I don't think the virus persists in soil, being brought to plant leaves by aphids mostly, or via unhealthy seed, probably the case for your plant - are the others healthy?
Cucumber mosaic virus is common to other vegetables besides all cucurbits, including lettuce and spinach, also to groundsel and chickweed. I have noticed it sometimes but it rarely spreads to become a major problem here. Viruses are tricky, with no remedy once plants are infected and then you think "maybe they all will succumb', but fortunately not, especially when... soil is healthy. I have a friend who is RHS judge and whenever looking around my gardens she comments on all the diseases, most of which I have not noticed, and she seems to ignore the good bits. My idea is to be mildly aware of disease and to work keenly for health.
Thanks Charles. Im still not sure it is mosaic as a new leaf has grown without it, so Im wondering if it could be that it perhaps got scorched or similar? The plant is growing well. The leaf is mottled but not blistered and the main veins on the leaf are still a nice green. The pictures I have been able to find on line are more light ar=nd dark green random patches, where as this was a dry brown and in a fairly disticnt pattern.