Powdery mildew on squash leaves?
Powdery mildew on squash leaves?
My butternut squash plants, although are growing very well, seem to have this white patterning along the veins of their leaves.
It looks a bit like powdery mildew, however all of the pictures I’ve seen of that online seem to be more spotty and less distributed like this. This patterning is seen across ALL of my squash plants and I’m not sure if I need to do something or just let it grow!
https://vegcropshotline.org/powdery-mildew-symptoms-vs-variegated-leaves/ Usually, the mildew forms in circular patches randomly over the leaf, not so geometrically over the veins. It looks normal.
That’s the perfect reference. Mine definitely looks variegated, not powdery. Thanks for sharing that!
It's referred to as leaf silvering. It's a genetically controlled trait common in the Cucurbita genus. That being said those are a bit extreme.
Take a look at the underside of the leaves. Silverleaf whiteflies could also be the cause.
Not powdery mildew. I think some varieties of squash are just variegated like this.
Bingo. I've grown a similar verity over the past few years and the first year I was very confused.
Your plant looks pretty ok to me, and I wouldn’t sweat it anyway — in my experience with zucchini they always end up getting mildew as a final life stage kinda thing. They’ll keep producing until it really takes over, by which time they’re done anyway. Instead focus on feeding well and watering consistently to stave it off and maximise productivity.
Vine borers have been getting my squashes lately, but agree that end of season mildew is hard to avoid.
Does it actually wipe off?
It does not wipe off!
Then it looks like the initial spread of the virus before it starts producing all the junk that covers the leaves. There's lots of stuff you can do to combat it, just search around and doo all the things, because slowing it early is about the best outcome you can hope for.
Some more pictures!
Variegated mutation maybe? Can plants get albinism?