Too small squash - why aren't they growing?
 

I have a couple of squash plants growing really well up a bamboo wigwam. They have produced loads of flowers, and then start to develop small yellow squash. However, the squash don't grow more than 2-3 inches in diameter, then stop. The earliest ones have now gone a bit brown, so i took them off. There are about 10-12 other squash still on the plant. Are there too many? They are growing in our own compost in a raised bed. How do i make them grow bigger?

Too small squash - why aren't they growing?
 

Are there any male flowers on the plant? It sounds like a lack of
pollination.
Steve
"Penny O" wrote in message
...

I have a couple of squash plants growing really well up a bamboo wigwam.
They have produced loads of flowers, and then start to develop small
yellow squash. However, the squash don't grow more than 2-3 inches in
diameter, then stop. The earliest ones have now gone a bit brown, so i
took them off. There are about 10-12 other squash still on the plant.
Are there too many? They are growing in our own compost in a raised
bed. How do i make them grow bigger?




--
Penny O

Too small squash - why aren't they growing?
 

In article ,
"Steve Peek" wrote:

Are there any male flowers on the plant? It sounds like a lack of
pollination.
Steve
"Penny O" wrote in message
...

I have a couple of squash plants growing really well up a bamboo wigwam.
They have produced loads of flowers, and then start to develop small
yellow squash. However, the squash don't grow more than 2-3 inches in
diameter, then stop. The earliest ones have now gone a bit brown, so i
took them off. There are about 10-12 other squash still on the plant.
Are there too many? They are growing in our own compost in a raised
bed. How do i make them grow bigger?




--
Penny O

As Steve says, lack of fertilization. Until the bees show up, you should
take the flowers that are at the end of the long stems and poke them
gently into the flowers that are attached to the branches of the plant.
--
FB - FFF

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Too small squash - why aren't they growing?
 

Mine did that and I sprayed them with a calcium spray and it seemed to work.
I cant be 100% sure that is what fixed it but its worth a shot.

"Penny O" wrote in message
...

I have a couple of squash plants growing really well up a bamboo wigwam.
They have produced loads of flowers, and then start to develop small
yellow squash. However, the squash don't grow more than 2-3 inches in
diameter, then stop. The earliest ones have now gone a bit brown, so i
took them off. There are about 10-12 other squash still on the plant.
Are there too many? They are growing in our own compost in a raised
bed. How do i make them grow bigger?




--
Penny O

Too small squash - why aren't they growing?
 

I have a couple of squash plants growing really well up a bamboo
wigwam.
They have produced loads of flowers, and then start to develop small
yellow squash. However, the squash don't grow more than 2-3 inches in
diameter, then stop. The earliest ones have now gone a bit brown, so i
took them off. There are about 10-12 other squash still on the plant.
Are there too many? They are growing in our own compost in a raised
bed. How do i make them grow bigger?




--
Penny O

As Steve says, lack of fertilization. Until the bees show up, you should
take the flowers that are at the end of the long stems and poke them
gently into the flowers that are attached to the branches of the plant.
--
FB - FFF

Billy

Hang on, if they are already 2-3in they have been fertilised, you wouldn't
get that if you had a pollination problem. The word "squash" means
different things to different people but I will take a stab in the dark and
say blossom end rot.

Do they turn brownish and go soft and sink in starting at the flower end?
Do they then stop growing or fall off the vine? If so then you have BEM
caused by a deficiency of Calcium. This can be due to erratic watering or
lack of calcium in the soil. Google "blossom end rot" for a zillion hits.

David

Too small squash - why aren't they growing?
 

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:


I have a couple of squash plants growing really well up a bamboo
wigwam.
They have produced loads of flowers, and then start to develop small
yellow squash. However, the squash don't grow more than 2-3 inches in
diameter, then stop. The earliest ones have now gone a bit brown, so i
took them off. There are about 10-12 other squash still on the plant.
Are there too many? They are growing in our own compost in a raised
bed. How do i make them grow bigger?




--
Penny O

As Steve says, lack of fertilization. Until the bees show up, you should
take the flowers that are at the end of the long stems and poke them
gently into the flowers that are attached to the branches of the plant.
--
FB - FFF

Billy

Hang on, if they are already 2-3in they have been fertilised, you wouldn't
get that if you had a pollination problem. The word "squash" means
different things to different people but I will take a stab in the dark and
say blossom end rot.

Do they turn brownish and go soft and sink in starting at the flower end?
Do they then stop growing or fall off the vine? If so then you have BEM
caused by a deficiency of Calcium. This can be due to erratic watering or
lack of calcium in the soil. Google "blossom end rot" for a zillion hits.

David

All I can do is tell you what I saw. Last year I had zuchs the size of
my little finger, go all sickly looking, turn brown at the blossom end,
and then fall off. At the time, there were no bees in attendance. I
started pollination by hand. Within a week, the bees showed up and for
the rest of the summer I had no further problems from the zucks, except
for the hide and seek variety.
--
FB - FFF

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Too small squash - why aren't they growing?
 

"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...


I have a couple of squash plants growing really well up a bamboo
wigwam.
They have produced loads of flowers, and then start to develop small
yellow squash. However, the squash don't grow more than 2-3 inches in
diameter, then stop. The earliest ones have now gone a bit brown, so
i
took them off. There are about 10-12 other squash still on the plant.
Are there too many? They are growing in our own compost in a raised
bed. How do i make them grow bigger?




--
Penny O

As Steve says, lack of fertilization. Until the bees show up, you should
take the flowers that are at the end of the long stems and poke them
gently into the flowers that are attached to the branches of the plant.
--
FB - FFF

Billy

Hang on, if they are already 2-3in they have been fertilised, you
wouldn't
get that if you had a pollination problem. The word "squash" means
different things to different people but I will take a stab in the dark
and
say blossom end rot.

Do they turn brownish and go soft and sink in starting at the flower end?
Do they then stop growing or fall off the vine? If so then you have BEM
caused by a deficiency of Calcium. This can be due to erratic watering or
lack of calcium in the soil. Google "blossom end rot" for a zillion hits.

David

David,
I don't know what kind of squash you have, but my crooknecks are 3 inches
and the scaloppini are silver dollar size before they bloom .
Steve

Too small squash - why aren't they growing?
 

"Steve Peek" wrote in message
...

Hang on, if they are already 2-3in they have been fertilised, you
wouldn't
get that if you had a pollination problem. The word "squash" means
different things to different people but I will take a stab in the dark
and
say blossom end rot.

Do they turn brownish and go soft and sink in starting at the flower
end?
Do they then stop growing or fall off the vine? If so then you have BEM
caused by a deficiency of Calcium. This can be due to erratic watering
or
lack of calcium in the soil. Google "blossom end rot" for a zillion
hits.

David

David,
I don't know what kind of squash you have, but my crooknecks are 3 inches
and the scaloppini are silver dollar size before they bloom .
Steve



I have "button squash" which may be called "pattypan" and I have crooknecks.
I don't want to break the normal harmony of RGE with a silly tis, tisnt,
tis, tisnt, type argument but I have not seen a squash form fruit before the
flower.

Sure the flower may continue looking quite healthy for some time after the
fruit starts to swell at the base, the flower may even grow after
pollination (I haven't measured) but the flower does not appear from the end
of the fruit after the fruit is formed. The female flowers do have a bulge
at the base before pollination but this is not a fruit.

My understanding is that squash are not parthenocarpic. They are monoecious
and if the pollen from a male flower does not reach the female flower the
female will wither and die without forming fruit.

I suggest that when your squash are flowering you tag some females while
they are just stems with a bulge and watch their development daily, I think
you will find the flower comes first.

David

Too small squash - why aren't they growing?
 

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

My understanding is that squash are not parthenocarpic. They are monoecious
and if the pollen from a male flower does not reach the female flower the
female will wither and die without forming fruit.

Confusion. Parthenocarpic means without seeds. Monoecious means the
plant has both male and female flowers. And if the pollen from a male
flower does not reach the female flower the female will wither and die
without forming a mature fruit.
--
FB - FFF

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Too small squash - why aren't they growing?
 

"Billy Rose" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

My understanding is that squash are not parthenocarpic. They are
monoecious
and if the pollen from a male flower does not reach the female flower
the
female will wither and die without forming fruit.

Confusion. Parthenocarpic means without seeds. Monoecious means the
plant has both male and female flowers. And if the pollen from a male
flower does not reach the female flower the female will wither and die
without forming a mature fruit.
--
FB - FFF

Billy

In part yes, it means producing fruit without fertilisation which has the
consequence of producing no seeds too. For the squash to have fruit before
the flower it would have to be parthenocarpic. See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocarpic
http://glossary.gardenweb.com/glossa...hole &s=terms

So where do you stand re the squash, is it flower, pollination then fruit or
fruit then flower?

David

Too small squash - why aren't they growing?
 

"David Hare-Scott" expounded:

For the squash to have fruit before
the flower it would have to be parthenocarpic

I think you're misunderstanding what they're saying. My squash also
have little fruits beneath the female flower - makes them easily
differentiated from the male flowers. True, they aren't fertilized
yet, but they are there.
--
Ann
e-mail address is not checked

Too small squash - why aren't they growing?
 

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

"Billy Rose" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

My understanding is that squash are not parthenocarpic. They are
monoecious
and if the pollen from a male flower does not reach the female flower
the
female will wither and die without forming fruit.

Confusion. Parthenocarpic means without seeds. Monoecious means the
plant has both male and female flowers. And if the pollen from a male
flower does not reach the female flower the female will wither and die
without forming a mature fruit.
--
FB - FFF

Billy

In part yes, it means producing fruit without fertilisation which has the
consequence of producing no seeds too. For the squash to have fruit before
the flower it would have to be parthenocarpic. See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocarpic
http://glossary.gardenweb.com/glossa...=parthenocarpi
c&b=and&r=whole&s=terms

So where do you stand re the squash, is it flower, pollination then fruit or
fruit then flower?

David

Morphological development is democratic now?
--
FB - FFF

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Too small squash - why aren't they growing?
 

"Billy Rose" wrote in message
news:rosefam-6459EA.07080714082007@c-61-68-245-
So where do you stand re the squash, is it flower, pollination then
fruit or
fruit then flower?

David

Morphological development is democratic now?
--
FB - FFF

Billy

In a constantly chatting democracy there are no facts until you take a vote.
I know this because most people think so.

:-)

David