Garden Tip By James Stevens:

Did you know that zucchini is susceptible to a fatal disease that can topple a seemingly healthy plant in just one day? It's called "root rot."

We all know that zucchini plants, like people, can die of dehydration (not enough water) in just a few days. Drought is a known killer--a disease of prolonged insufficiency.

Just the opposite happens with root rot, however. Due to excessive rain or over-watering by well-intentioned humans, the roots of a plant can get saturated (over-hydrated) with water to the point where they are no longer able to "breathe" properly and they die off, leaving the top of the plant without support or sustenance. On the surface it looks like sudden death: one day the plant seems fine, the next it's a goner.

"Root rot" due to excess (water) consumption kills quickly. So if you are a zucchini plant, take notice!