Kitchen Garden Forum

I have 2 butternut squash plants which finally started flowering in August.

I have 2 questions :

A. About 6 female flowers have been pollinated by separate males, but only 1 has set. How do you get more to set ?

B. 2 females have developed into growing squashes without the flowers having opened at all. Is this common ?

Thanks

Alan

Hello Alan
The only tip I can give you is that squash flowers are far more receptive in the morning as soon as they open and if you are pollinating by hand this is the time to do the business.
As for B I have never heard of this before. Are you sure that the flowers never opened?


John

Have you seen plenty of bees, if not hand pollination might help ? Squash types do cross pollinate, if you have only butternut, no problem, if you have more different squash stagger planting a bit cover other types with environmesh and only allow bees access to one type at a time,if you want to save true seed..

I have had a butternut squash plant which has been really healthy all summer but every single fruit that has grown to about four inches has rotted off and dropped off and we have only two small squashes left and I am sure they will drop off before too long. Now the leaves are going very pale and sick looking.

Has anyone any suggestions as to what I have done wrong.

Catherine, I haven't experienced this but I am wondering if it could be blossom end rot, which can affect squash as well as tomatoes ?

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/problem ... atment.htm

I did once read - sorry can't remember where - that butternut squash were not the best squash for our climate. Maybe this summers awful weather has something to do with it.

Hi Catherine,
I suspect very low night temperatures would cause this problem and in a round about way this ties up with Glallotments posting.
Butternut really are one of the plants that do not like life below 10C.
JB.

My turks turban squash are thriving despite the low night temps it was only 6 last night, the fruits are gaining size rapidly, with smaller ones still coming so lets hope the warmer spell continues.