Squash Stems

Question

My summer squash are doing fabulously, except for one thing. The stem near the ground is dead. Literally. Dried, cracked, flat. . . dead. I still get great squash from my plants though. They are big and taste great. This happened to my squash last year, too. I read through the stuff on vine borers, but the symptoms don’t fit. What is wrong with my squash, and can I fix it?

Answer 1

While stem split is common and usually due to extreme temperature changes and uneven watering, it never hurts to check for signs of pests, especially since they can penetrate the plant through these dried, cracked splits.