squash pollination - lack of!

[barkingdog]

Hello,  I've recently planted my numerous (got carried away!) squash plants out. They are growing well and are just starting to flower but as yet no fruit have set.

Am I bieng impatient  ;D or should I try pollinating them by hand?

cheers,

barkingdog

[barkingdog]

[Lazybones]

Patience my young paduan  ;D

Mine are growing well but still haven't even got any flowers.  I didn't get them for a month or so last year.  Although I might be completely wrong - it has been known  ::)

[timmyc]

we find you get a load of male flowers first anyway before any female ones come along - not sure why - just seems to happen like that - if you've got both male and female then you can always get some pollen from the male flowers on the end of your finger and rub it on the style of the female flower to pollinate them.

[sandersj89]

Flowers of the squash and courgettes are dependant on temperature. Male flowers start earlier when it is cooler, female when warmer.

They sort them selves out soon enough through.

I always help pllination along a bit though.

Jerry

[barkingdog]

Hi

thanks for the answers..I think these are all male flowers. This is the first time I've grown squashes so I'm probably asking daft questions!

bd

[saddad]

Is there any other sort of question? They all seem daft once you know what the answer is but you won't know if you don't ask!!!!!
;D

[supersprout]

Too true dad, no daft questions, only some daft answers ;)
Hope this helps? Previous thread on squash and pollination :)
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,57/topic,20393.0

[Hot_Potato]

Reading this has given me some 'hope' for my healthy looking courgette plants....I've got lots of 'male flowers' altho I don't see them open for long because of a). my 'shady area' where they're growing (which I can't do a thing about) at most they're only 'open' for an hour, early in the morning and b). not much sun at all these last few days to 'open them up' lots of strong winds tho  :(


but!....having read the link - it seems if I'm patient, I should get 'female' flowers eventually.....what I don't understand is....the one or two I've got that are obviously female, already have tiny little fruits/courgettes growing which, having got to 1 to 2" long - just don't seem to be growing anymore :o....why is that??.....surely they're pollinated to get that big or do they all start off like that but need pollination to 'grow bigger'..

sorry if this is a stupid question but I'm really puzzled!

H.P.

[supersprout]

surely they're pollinated to get that big or do they all start off like that but need pollination to 'grow bigger'..

Quite a few of the cucurbits have largeish pale green 'embryo' fruit, very useful if you have lost the labels and can't remember which is which :-[ ;) If they are pollinated, they will grow; if not, the baby fruit will go brown from the flower end and never get any bigger. Sometimes I'd swear that the mumma flower waits to open til there are some male flowers ready and waiting :)

[Hot_Potato]

maybe it's something to do with lack of sun in the case of my plants then S.S. because....I've quite a few male flowers flowering now (well, early in the morning when the sun's on them) but the odd couple of 'apparently female' with the largeish pale green 'embryo' fruit (as you've described) their flowers just don't seem to 'open' so that I can do the 'necessary tickling' with the male flowers as you've described elsewhere!!...it's soooo frustrating  ::)...I so want to have a good supply of courgettes (like I've had last couple of years at the allotment)....not put any up there this year, not got room now I've 'handed over' 2/3rds of it to someone else cos of my back problem  :'(

H.P.

sorry to keep on about these plants - have become paranoid about them  :(