Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Problem with growing yellow squash?

I have problems with getting a crop with my yellow squash. The flowers get pollinated, and I'll get small fruits-then the fruits get deep lines in them, like wrinkles, they turn brown and then fall off. And they don't ever get any bigger than three or four inches long. I've noticed this with pumpkins and watermelon, too. Why is this? What can I do about it? Thanks.

Problem with growing yellow squash?
They might not have been properly pollinated, so the ovary, which looks like a little vegetable, doesn't set fruit %26amp; falls off.





There are several other possible reasons why you get all vine and no fruit on your squash: too much fertilizer, not enough sunlight, too much heat or too cool weather, rainy weather at bloom time, no pollinating insect activity, improper pollination or pest problems.





Pollination needs to be made to all segments of the female flower. This has to be done by 10 a.m. because pollination carried out later than the end of the morning during warm weather has very little chance of success because the pollen will have heated up and fermented and will no longer be viable.





You can help pollinate the squash. You should see the squash enlarge the day or two after pollination %26amp; the squash should be ready to pick in 3-4 days... unless the squash bug intefers with the process by sucking the juices out of the developing squash. Check out this pollinating squash by hand video:


http://lubbock.tamu.edu/ipm/AgWeb/videos...





Since squash belong to the same family as pumpkins, this site illustrates %26amp; gives directions on how to pollinate your flowers:


http://www.pumpkinnook.com/howto/pollen....





Make sure you don't water overhead early in the morning so the male flowers can have a chance to pollinate the female flowers.


Male flowers are short lived. They will open up before dawn and will close completely by mid-morning.The male flowers possess both pollen and nectar, the female flowers only nectar. If the plants are watered from overhead early in the day, that may prevent all further pollination for that day. Everything gets washed off of the short-lived male flowers. Replacement flowers do not open then until the following morning.





There can be other reasons why blossoms don't set fruit %26amp; fall off. Sometimes, even if they were pollinated... the blossoms can abort from the stress of high day and night time temperatures. Extreme temperatures during flowering... below 55 degrees or above 85 degrees... can reduce fruit set. Sometimes there are only female flowers %26amp; not any male flowers, so the female flower can't get pollinated. Too much shade or not enough light, plant disease, %26amp; even too much nitrogen can also cause poor fruit set.


http://www.kokopelli-seed-foundation.com...





Good luck! Enjoy the video :) Hope it helps.


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