Butternut squash
This year I am growing squashes for the first time. They are producing
plenty of female flowers which are now opening, but there are no male flowers with which to ..... er, fertilise (is that the right word?) them. There are buds of male flowers but they never develop. So, do squashes need to be fertilised in the same way as courgettes? I do have some courgette plants alongside the squashes which *are* producing a few male flowers. Can I fertilise the squashes from them? David -- David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK |
Butternut squash
In article ,
David Rance wrote: This year I am growing squashes for the first time. They are producing plenty of female flowers which are now opening, but there are no male flowers with which to ..... er, fertilise (is that the right word?) them. There are buds of male flowers but they never develop. So, do squashes need to be fertilised in the same way as courgettes? I do have some courgette plants alongside the squashes which *are* producing a few male flowers. Can I fertilise the squashes from them? Most squashes grown in the UK are Cucurbita pepo, as are courgettes, so it should work. Hubbards, Crown Prince etc. are C. maxima, Butternut and Tromboncino d'Albenga are C. moschata, and probably won't. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Butternut squash
On Tue, 21 Jul 2020 09:32:58 Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article , David Rance wrote: This year I am growing squashes for the first time. They are producing plenty of female flowers which are now opening, but there are no male flowers with which to ..... er, fertilise (is that the right word?) them. There are buds of male flowers but they never develop. So, do squashes need to be fertilised in the same way as courgettes? I do have some courgette plants alongside the squashes which *are* producing a few male flowers. Can I fertilise the squashes from them? Most squashes grown in the UK are Cucurbita pepo, as are courgettes, so it should work. Hubbards, Crown Prince etc. are C. maxima, Butternut and Tromboncino d'Albenga are C. moschata, and probably won't. Thanks, Nick. The seeds from which I grew the plants were saved from a squash I bought in Waitrose in January. The label doesn't say what variety they are (apart from the label saying "Golden Butternut Squash" which I suppose is a description rather than a variety!) but says they were grown in Greece. Well, we'll have to see what happens. I don't think the first female flower was pollinated properly as the fruit is two inches long and hasn't grown for a week. Two later ones do seem to be getting larger and are between three and four inches long. I don't expect them to grow to the proportions of the original but anything will be worth having. (I've just remembered the correct word - "pollinate". Age is catching up with me but I won't make that an excuse!) David -- David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK |
Butternut squash
On 21/07/2020 10:55, David Rance wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jul 2020 09:32:58 Nick Maclaren wrote: In article , David RanceÂ* wrote: This year I am growing squashes for the first time. They are producing plenty of female flowers which are now opening, but there are no male flowers with which to ..... er, fertilise (is that the right word?) them. There are buds of male flowers but they never develop. So, do squashes need to be fertilised in the same way as courgettes? I do have some courgette plants alongside the squashes which *are* producing a few male flowers. Can I fertilise the squashes from them? Most squashes grown in the UK are Cucurbita pepo, as are courgettes, so it should work.Â* Hubbards, Crown Prince etc. are C. maxima, Butternut and Tromboncino d'Albenga are C. moschata, and probably won't. Thanks, Nick. The seeds from which I grew the plants were saved from a squash I bought in Waitrose in January. The label doesn't say what variety they are (apart from the label saying "Golden Butternut Squash" which I suppose is a description rather than a variety!) but says they were grown in Greece. Well, we'll have to see what happens. I don't think the first female flower was pollinated properly as the fruit is two inches long and hasn't grown for a week. Two later ones do seem to be getting larger and are between three and four inches long. I don't expect them to grow to the proportions of the original but anything will be worth having. (I've just remembered the correct word - "pollinate". Age is catching up with me but I won't make that an excuse!) David Try hand polinating them, nothing to loose. |
Butternut squash
In article ,
David Rance wrote: Thanks, Nick. The seeds from which I grew the plants were saved from a squash I bought in Waitrose in January. The label doesn't say what variety they are (apart from the label saying "Golden Butternut Squash" which I suppose is a description rather than a variety!) but says they were grown in Greece. Well, we'll have to see what happens. I don't think the first female flower was pollinated properly as the fruit is two inches long and hasn't grown for a week. Two later ones do seem to be getting larger and are between three and four inches long. I don't expect them to grow to the proportions of the original but anything will be worth having. Perhaps. I have never had any trouble with fruit setting, despite sometimes having had only one plant of C. moschata, but you will be lucky if any mature, let alone ripen enough to be worth eating. It's very marginal in the UK. Tromboncino d'Albenga does well, but is eaten unripe (like a superior courgette). C. moschata and maxima, are always trailing types and get quite large. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Butternut squash
On 21/07/2020 10:55, David Rance wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jul 2020 09:32:58 Nick Maclaren wrote: In article , David RanceÂ* wrote: This year I am growing squashes for the first time. They are producing plenty of female flowers which are now opening, but there are no male flowers with which to ..... er, fertilise (is that the right word?) them. There are buds of male flowers but they never develop. So, do squashes need to be fertilised in the same way as courgettes? I do have some courgette plants alongside the squashes which *are* producing a few male flowers. Can I fertilise the squashes from them? Most squashes grown in the UK are Cucurbita pepo, as are courgettes, so it should work.Â* Hubbards, Crown Prince etc. are C. maxima, Butternut and Tromboncino d'Albenga are C. moschata, and probably won't. Thanks, Nick. The seeds from which I grew the plants were saved from a squash I bought in Waitrose in January. The label doesn't say what variety they are (apart from the label saying "Golden Butternut Squash" which I suppose is a description rather than a variety!) but says they were grown in Greece. Well, we'll have to see what happens. I don't think the first female flower was pollinated properly as the fruit is two inches long and hasn't grown for a week. Two later ones do seem to be getting larger and are between three and four inches long. I don't expect them to grow to the proportions of the original but anything will be worth having. (I've just remembered the correct word - "pollinate". Age is catching up with me but I won't make that an excuse!) David Are you aware of toxic squash syndrome? -- SRH |
Butternut squash
In article ,
Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote: Are you aware of toxic squash syndrome? I am, but I don't see it's relevant here. If the supermarket fruit wasn't bitter, its progeny won't be, and there are no ornamental C. moschata grown in the UK. Yes, it's a potential risk for C. pepo, so you shouldn't eat squash that tastes bitter or 'off' - but that's true of many of the vegetables we grow. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Butternut squash
On Tue, 21 Jul 2020 12:23:23 David Hill wrote:
On 21/07/2020 10:55, David Rance wrote: On Tue, 21 Jul 2020 09:32:58 Nick Maclaren wrote: In article , David Rance* wrote: This year I am growing squashes for the first time. They are producing plenty of female flowers which are now opening, but there are no male flowers with which to ..... er, fertilise (is that the right word?) them. There are buds of male flowers but they never develop. So, do squashes need to be fertilised in the same way as courgettes? I do have some courgette plants alongside the squashes which *are* producing a few male flowers. Can I fertilise the squashes from them? Most squashes grown in the UK are Cucurbita pepo, as are courgettes, so it should work.* Hubbards, Crown Prince etc. are C. maxima, Butternut and Tromboncino d'Albenga are C. moschata, and probably won't. Thanks, Nick. The seeds from which I grew the plants were saved from a squash I bought in Waitrose in January. The label doesn't say what variety they are (apart from the label saying "Golden Butternut Squash" which I suppose is a description rather than a variety!) but says they were grown in Greece. Well, we'll have to see what happens. I don't think the first female flower was pollinated properly as the fruit is two inches long and hasn't grown for a week. Two later ones do seem to be getting larger and are between three and four inches long. I don't expect them to grow to the proportions of the original but anything will be worth having. (I've just remembered the correct word - "pollinate". Age is catching up with me but I won't make that an excuse!) David Try hand polinating them, nothing to loose. That's what I'm having to do as there are so few male flowers and even fewer bees, etc. I either use a paintbrush or else cut off the male flower, pull the petal back and rub the anther on the female stigma. David -- David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK |
Butternut squash
On Tue, 21 Jul 2020 15:27:09 Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:
On 21/07/2020 10:55, David Rance wrote: On Tue, 21 Jul 2020 09:32:58 Nick Maclaren wrote: In article , David Rance* wrote: This year I am growing squashes for the first time. They are producing plenty of female flowers which are now opening, but there are no male flowers with which to ..... er, fertilise (is that the right word?) them. There are buds of male flowers but they never develop. So, do squashes need to be fertilised in the same way as courgettes? I do have some courgette plants alongside the squashes which *are* producing a few male flowers. Can I fertilise the squashes from them? Most squashes grown in the UK are Cucurbita pepo, as are courgettes, so it should work.* Hubbards, Crown Prince etc. are C. maxima, Butternut and Tromboncino d'Albenga are C. moschata, and probably won't. Thanks, Nick. The seeds from which I grew the plants were saved from a squash I bought in Waitrose in January. The label doesn't say what variety they are (apart from the label saying "Golden Butternut Squash" which I suppose is a description rather than a variety!) but says they were grown in Greece. Well, we'll have to see what happens. I don't think the first female flower was pollinated properly as the fruit is two inches long and hasn't grown for a week. Two later ones do seem to be getting larger and are between three and four inches long. I don't expect them to grow to the proportions of the original but anything will be worth having. (I've just remembered the correct word - "pollinate". Age is catching up with me but I won't make that an excuse!) Because of the lack of squash male flowers, I've been pollinating the squashes from courgettes and it has worked because the squashes are now growing. So it seems that the courgettes and the squashes are both cucurbita pepo. (I've discounted pollination from neighbours' gardens as no-one round here is growing vegetables.) Ironically today for the first time I have about half a dozen male squash flowers open and not a single female flower which they can pollinate. Are you aware of toxic squash syndrome? Yes. I gather that it is discernible through the bitter taste and that, if you try one which is bitter, it should be immediately spat out and the rest discarded! I gathered that first squash fruit which didn't seem to be growing, cut off a slice and tasted it and it wasn't at all bitter. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, I spat it out! As an addendum to cucurbitae and bitterness, about thirty years ago I grew some gherkins. I went away for my summer holiday and, upon my return, of course, they had grown enormous. Nevertheless I'm not one to throw things away and, although they tasted very bitter, I hoped that with a few months' pickling, they might be edible. They weren't! David -- David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK |
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