After having solved the male-femal flower business (you wouldn't think I
did level 1 bio for HSC would you, and ag too) and fertilised them, a
number of them, we still have the same problem.

They grow to a 3-6" ball and then rot and drop off.

either
a) we (me, swmbo, and bees) stuffed up the fertilising, or
b) it has to be something lacking in soil.

Any ideas?

BTW, the gourds are doing well and we have a few little gourds/squash so
far, although some early ones did drop off.

Terry Collins wrote:

After having solved the male-femal flower business (you wouldn't think I
did level 1 bio for HSC would you, and ag too) and fertilised them, a
number of them, we still have the same problem.

They grow to a 3-6" ball and then rot and drop off.

either
a) we (me, swmbo, and bees) stuffed up the fertilising, or
b) it has to be something lacking in soil.

Any ideas?

BTW, the gourds are doing well and we have a few little gourds/squash so
far, although some early ones did drop off.


full sun moisture fowl manure and do an acid alkaline check, otherwise,
just put a few handfulls of lime per square meter in your garden.
That usually fixes it... :-) Mine have taken over from the triffids and
are all over the yard.

"Terry Collins" wrote in message
...
After having solved the male-femal flower business (you wouldn't think I
did level 1 bio for HSC would you, and ag too) and fertilised them, a
number of them, we still have the same problem.

They grow to a 3-6" ball and then rot and drop off.

either
a) we (me, swmbo, and bees) stuffed up the fertilising, or
b) it has to be something lacking in soil.

Any ideas?

i'm just wondering if it could be c) not enough water.

both my zucchini and cucumbers were doing exactly as you describe. i
suspected lack of water, as they were in containers rather than the garden
bed. i put them into the garden bed instead, & they've been thriving ever
since! this, of course, doesn't mean lack of water really WAS the problem or
was the entire problem - it could have been your option b - however, not
enough water can lead to blossom end rot apparently. so there you are! these
types of veg require quite a bit of water.

i'll also say, i tried pumpkin a few times, but never managed to get them
fertilised correctly, because i've never brought an actual, live pumpkin
into existence. so option a is also possible, but i gather it shouldn't be
quite so difficult as all that(?!). i'm just particularly hopeless,
probably. so my money's on not enough water, or a nutrient problem.
(i'll close before you realise how unhelpful i am inadvertantly being g)
kylie





BTW, the gourds are doing well and we have a few little gourds/squash so
far, although some early ones did drop off.

0tterbot wrote:


i'm just wondering if it could be c) not enough water.

In past years, maybe, but not this year. It was well watered (daily)
this year. The growth was spectacular in comparison.

Erik Vastmasd wrote:

I produce only a few pumkins because of limited space. But I usually
help the bees, when the pumkin extends to the limits I set, I snip the
shoots and I find opposite sex flowers will then start to develope.

I suspect that this might be somewhere that we are failing. We tend to
just let the blighters grow, but I have noticed that female flowers only
form late and only a few at the ends. So I am determined next year to
snip early to encourage branching of the plants, rather than a couple of
long runners.

Terry, I have learned that the biggest reason small squash/pumpkins rot
before developing, was because they had not received enough visits from bees
and other pollinators.

I would plant flowers near them next time, or just leave them alone and
later in the season, but still in time to allow them to become ripe, they
will be visited. Just pull of the rotted ones.

Before you add lime to your soil, you might get a pH test. Lime will raise
the pH and I wouldn't do that unless it was in the range of 4. Most edible
plants need a ph below 7. Blueberries like 4, but most everything else you
will be raising wants a ph of 5.5 to 6.5.

I have never experiences blossom end rot until the fruit was older and
usually just a week or so away from becoming ripe.

Good luck. Dwayne


"Terry Collins" wrote in message
...
After having solved the male-femal flower business (you wouldn't think I
did level 1 bio for HSC would you, and ag too) and fertilised them, a
number of them, we still have the same problem.

They grow to a 3-6" ball and then rot and drop off.

either
a) we (me, swmbo, and bees) stuffed up the fertilising, or
b) it has to be something lacking in soil.

Any ideas?

BTW, the gourds are doing well and we have a few little gourds/squash so
far, although some early ones did drop off.

"Terry Collins" wrote in message
...
Erik Vastmasd wrote:

I produce only a few pumkins because of limited space. But I usually
help the bees, when the pumkin extends to the limits I set, I snip the
shoots and I find opposite sex flowers will then start to develope.

I suspect that this might be somewhere that we are failing. We tend to
just let the blighters grow, but I have noticed that female flowers only
form late and only a few at the ends. So I am determined next year to
snip early to encourage branching of the plants, rather than a couple of
long runners.

i think i'll try this too & see if it helps! we might both have more luck
with them next year, you never know. i can't believe i've never even managed
to get them _fertilised_, but anyway. (must try harder).
kylie

Dwayne wrote:

Terry, I have learned that the biggest reason small squash/pumpkins rot
before developing, was because they had not received enough visits from bees
and other pollinators.

I would plant flowers near them next time, or just leave them alone and
later in the season, but still in time to allow them to become ripe, they
will be visited. Just pull of the rotted ones.

Before you add lime to your soil, you might get a pH test. Lime will raise
the pH and I wouldn't do that unless it was in the range of 4. Most edible
plants need a ph below 7. Blueberries like 4, but most everything else you
will be raising wants a ph of 5.5 to 6.5.

I have never experiences blossom end rot until the fruit was older and
usually just a week or so away from becoming ripe.

Good luck. Dwayne


"Terry Collins" wrote in message
...


After having solved the male-femal flower business (you wouldn't think I
did level 1 bio for HSC would you, and ag too) and fertilised them, a
number of them, we still have the same problem.

They grow to a 3-6" ball and then rot and drop off.

either
a) we (me, swmbo, and bees) stuffed up the fertilising, or
b) it has to be something lacking in soil.

Any ideas?

BTW, the gourds are doing well and we have a few little gourds/squash so
far, although some early ones did drop off.






Yep flower but best of all is LAVENDER. Anyone knows that lavender
attracts bees like crazy.

"Dwayne" writes:
Terry, I have learned that the biggest reason small squash/pumpkins rot
before developing, was because they had not received enough visits from bees
and other pollinators.

I second that. The easiest is to transfer pollen with a brush from a male
flower to every newly opened female flower each morning, and not place
much reliance on the bees. During damp weather when the bees stay home
you can do their job for them and not lose out on setting fruit.

That's why I recommend zucchinis to the home gardener--they don't need
pollination because you pick the fruit while it's tiny, still at the embryo
stage.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)