But...hold on. Closer inspection revealed several green, live-looking nodes on the innermost parts of the plant's branches.
I carefully trimmed the plant back to the live leaves, repotted it in a larger, lighter-colored container, and watered in a very weak form of seaweed/fish fertilizer just to give it a boost in getting back to the land of the living. It is now sprouting new leaves like crazy.
Pesticides used: None.
The Life of the Party
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Case 3: If you like cucumbers and have never grown the well-known heirloom 'Lemon' cukes, I highly recommend them. This vine takes "prolific" to a whole new level.
The trouble with heirloom veggies, however, is that they're not hybridized to resist diseases and pests. Once they're attacked, they're pretty much done for. And boy, was one of my Lemon cuke vines attacked. It was literally covered with aphid eggs, as a result of drought and just pure negligence.
Looking closer revealed something else, though. I noticed the vine was playing host to a wide range of beneficial insects in various stages of development that were feeding on the aphid eggs. Lady beetle nymphs were all over the place, as were assassin bugs and wasps, all munching happily on the unwanted pests.
Now, I'd already harvested over two dozen of the tennis ball-like cucumbers from this particular vine, so I wasn't too concerned about pushing it into fall production. It had served its purpose for me, and now, it was hosting a big and popular banquet for several beneficial insects. As a result, the vine stays for now. Once the ladybugs have had their fill and moved off, I'll pull up the plant and discard it.
Pesticides used: None.
The lesson here is that close inspection may help save your plants that are in critical condition. Of course, most plants will eventually reach a point of no return if left unwatered and/or infested with pests. And sometimes, you will need to use some sort of pesticide to rid yourself of unwanted insects. I -- and my plants -- got lucky.
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