I have a few butternut squash plants that are growing very well and
have produced a lot of flowers and small squashes. The problem is once
the squashes get to about 2-4inch long and the flower dies, the
squashes also die.

Can anyone tell me whats causing this and how I can prevent it.

Many thanks

Nick wrote ..
I have a few butternut squash plants that are growing very well and
have produced a lot of flowers and small squashes. The problem is once
the squashes get to about 2-4inch long and the flower dies, the
squashes also die.

Can anyone tell me whats causing this and how I can prevent it.

They are not being pollinated, obviously not enough of the right insects
around your way so hand pollinate. Get a male flower, pull off the petals
and push it into the female flowers rubbing the male pollen of onto the
stigma.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

In article , "Bob Hobden" writes:
| Nick wrote ..
| I have a few butternut squash plants that are growing very well and
| have produced a lot of flowers and small squashes. The problem is once
| the squashes get to about 2-4inch long and the flower dies, the
| squashes also die.
|
| Can anyone tell me whats causing this and how I can prevent it.
|
| They are not being pollinated, obviously not enough of the right insects
| around your way so hand pollinate. Get a male flower, pull off the petals
| and push it into the female flowers rubbing the male pollen of onto the
| stigma.

Not necessarily. Two other causes of this are cucumber mosaic virus and
cold. The former can be told by the distortion and discolouration of
the young leaves. The latter is quite likely, given C. moschata's
heat requirements (it has been pretty chilly the past week).

It's worth checking for virus, and otherwise hand pollinating, as the
weather is not easy to control on a domestic scale ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.