Match-maker for cucurbits? Right!
 

I hope someone will indulge me as I try to sort out my "fizzling zuchs".

Is the number of cucurbits planted important to pollination? As I
understand it, cucurbits have male and female flowers. Their pollen is
sticky, so wind borne pollination isn't going to happen. Pollination
only takes place through the agency of bees. Right? Whether you have one
plant or a hundred. Right? Or, is there some other player in the game
that I'm not aware of yet? I just don't want to plant three zuchs if
it's not necessary (and perhaps change the Earth's center of gravity and
destroy civilization as I've come to enjoy it). I mean, logic is only as
good as it's premise. Right?

Thanks for the seminal information about the zuch flowers. Now, most
mornings, you can find me out in my garden playing match maker with the
open flowers of my squash plants.

So, can anyone tell me off the top of their heads if the lack of bees
(and there does seem to be a dearth of them) is going to be a similar
problem for my cucumbers, pumpkins, and butternuts? Am I going to have
to open a fertility clinic for cucurbits?

Match-maker for cucurbits? Right!
 

William L. Rose wrote:
I hope someone will indulge me as I try to sort out my "fizzling zuchs".

Is the number of cucurbits planted important to pollination? As I
understand it, cucurbits have male and female flowers. Their pollen is
sticky, so wind borne pollination isn't going to happen. Pollination
only takes place through the agency of bees. Right? Whether you have one
plant or a hundred. Right? Or, is there some other player in the game
that I'm not aware of yet? I just don't want to plant three zuchs if
it's not necessary (and perhaps change the Earth's center of gravity and
destroy civilization as I've come to enjoy it). I mean, logic is only as
good as it's premise. Right?

Thanks for the seminal information about the zuch flowers. Now, most
mornings, you can find me out in my garden playing match maker with the
open flowers of my squash plants.

So, can anyone tell me off the top of their heads if the lack of bees
(and there does seem to be a dearth of them) is going to be a similar
problem for my cucumbers, pumpkins, and butternuts? Am I going to have
to open a fertility clinic for cucurbits?

All Cucurbits are insect pollinated. Does not have be honeybees, but
some type of pollinating insect. Squash bees, Bumblebees, carpenter
bees and sevral other types can do the job. The more plants that you
have in this family, the better the chances of attracting pollinators.
All the squash will pollinate each other so the zukes, yellow
crooknecks, pumpkins and butternuts will support each other.

Match-maker for cucurbits? Right!
 

"William L. Rose" wrote in message news:rosefam-
So, can anyone tell me off the top of their heads if the lack of bees
(and there does seem to be a dearth of them) is going to be a similar
problem for my cucumbers, pumpkins, and butternuts? Am I going to have
to open a fertility clinic for cucurbits?

Yes

see:

http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/book/

David

Match-maker for cucurbits? Right!
 

wrote:

So, can anyone tell me off the top of their heads if the lack of bees
(and there does seem to be a dearth of them) is going to be a similar
problem for my cucumbers, pumpkins, and butternuts? Am I going to have
to open a fertility clinic for cucurbits?


All Cucurbits are insect pollinated. Does not have be honeybees, but
some type of pollinating insect. Squash bees, Bumblebees, carpenter
bees and sevral other types can do the job. The more plants that you
have in this family, the better the chances of attracting pollinators.
All the squash will pollinate each other so the zukes, yellow
crooknecks, pumpkins and butternuts will support each other.

Including butterflies. I am seeing a greatly reduced number of bees,
but an increase in butterflies, so maybe things will average out.