I am growing acorn squash and I have noticed that the vast majority of the
female flowers will fall off long before they ever bloom. I have no shortage
of male flowers and thankfully I have successfully pollinated the few female
flowers that have actually bloomed. Any advice as to what the problem could
be?

Also, the male flowers seem to outnumber the female flowers 10 to 1. Not sure
if this is actually a problem though,

Lastly, how long does it usually take acorn squash to be ready to pick after
pollination?

Landrey said:

I am growing acorn squash and I have noticed that the vast majority of the
female flowers will fall off long before they ever bloom. I have no shortage
of male flowers and thankfully I have successfully pollinated the few female
flowers that have actually bloomed. Any advice as to what the problem
could be?

*Falling* off?

Does just the flower part come off, and are there any marks on the baby
squash behind it?

I ask because quite often I have problems with the first female squash
blossoms being attacked by idiot fledgling startlings. Maybe they think
there little squashes are bugs. Maybe they are just drunk on over-ripe
fruit. (They also sometimes bite at tiny baby peppers and eggplant fruits,
but here the triangular bird nips are more obvious.)

Or do the flower and baby squash turn yellow and drop? This would
indicate that the plant was aborting the blossoms for physiological reasons
(pest load, nutrient problems, too much shade, water stress). Usually
I see this sort of blossom dropping later in the season on plants that
already have a heavy fruit load.

Also, the male flowers seem to outnumber the female flowers 10 to 1. Not
sure if this is actually a problem though,

Pretty normal for there to be more male than female flowers. Pollen is
'cheaper' to produce than a fruit and seeds, so the plant can afford to
make lots of it.

Lastly, how long does it usually take acorn squash to be ready to pick after
pollination?

If you want something that cooks up and tastes like a summer squash,
any time. To harvest relatively mature acorn squashes, it will likely
be at least 2 months. But for the best, sweetest squashes the fruit should
be left on the plant as long as possible without risking frost. Minimally,
they should be left on until the stem is as hard as wood and the rind can't
be pierced by your thumbnail. (And on green acorn varieties, any yellow
spot on the bottom will turn orange.)
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

(Pat Kiewicz) wrote in
:

Landrey said:

I am growing acorn squash and I have noticed that the vast majority of
the female flowers will fall off long before they ever bloom. I have no
shortage of male flowers and thankfully I have successfully pollinated
the few female flowers that have actually bloomed. Any advice as to
what the problem could be?

*Falling* off?

Does just the flower part come off, and are there any marks on the baby
squash behind it?

I ask because quite often I have problems with the first female squash
blossoms being attacked by idiot fledgling startlings. Maybe they think
there little squashes are bugs. Maybe they are just drunk on over-ripe
fruit. (They also sometimes bite at tiny baby peppers and eggplant
fruits, but here the triangular bird nips are more obvious.)

Or do the flower and baby squash turn yellow and drop? This would
indicate that the plant was aborting the blossoms for physiological
reasons (pest load, nutrient problems, too much shade, water stress).
Usually I see this sort of blossom dropping later in the season on
plants that already have a heavy fruit load.

Yeah, the flower and fruit turn yellow and fall off. I cut off some leaves
that had been invaded by vine borers so maybe that's why.

Vine borers usually get the vine not the leaves. So the borer may still be a
problem. Sometimes the hole and frass are on the underside of the vine and
hard to see. Are any leaves wilting? Where do you live? I've noticed that of
all th squash we grow, acorn flowers seem to be the most temp sensitive.
Have you had a hot or cold spell lately? A few more possibilities.
Gary

"Landrey" wrote in message
reenews.net...
(Pat Kiewicz) wrote in
:

Landrey said:

I am growing acorn squash and I have noticed that the vast majority of
the female flowers will fall off long before they ever bloom. I have no
shortage of male flowers and thankfully I have successfully pollinated
the few female flowers that have actually bloomed. Any advice as to
what the problem could be?

*Falling* off?

Does just the flower part come off, and are there any marks on the baby
squash behind it?

I ask because quite often I have problems with the first female squash
blossoms being attacked by idiot fledgling startlings. Maybe they think
there little squashes are bugs. Maybe they are just drunk on over-ripe
fruit. (They also sometimes bite at tiny baby peppers and eggplant
fruits, but here the triangular bird nips are more obvious.)

Or do the flower and baby squash turn yellow and drop? This would
indicate that the plant was aborting the blossoms for physiological
reasons (pest load, nutrient problems, too much shade, water stress).
Usually I see this sort of blossom dropping later in the season on
plants that already have a heavy fruit load.

Yeah, the flower and fruit turn yellow and fall off. I cut off some leaves
that had been invaded by vine borers so maybe that's why.

V_coerulea said:

Vine borers usually get the vine not the leaves. So the borer may still be a
problem. Sometimes the hole and frass are on the underside of the vine and
hard to see.

The moth lays eggs on the stem and on the larger leaves, especially in
bush-type squashes. From the leaves they can rather quickly move into
the stems without showing a lot of frass--it goes into the hollow leaf stem.

The moths fly in the middle of the day and mimic wasps in the way they
fly. (Not that we have any red and black wasps, locally, so it's easy to
see through the ruse.)
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)