We are of to Norfolk today for a few days,
The in laws will be hand pollinating our squash and pumpkins for us tommorrow and sunday after showing them how to do it!
But if they dont do it right how long will these females be able to to be fertilized for?,. a few more were ready to come out tonight/tomoz and just wondered if they would still be viable on monday?
Anyone?
No more than two days. It is recommended to hand pollinate the first day but I have done it on day one and two.
The pistil noticably withers after two days whether they have been sucessfully fertilized or not.
Whoops I have never done that!!
How can you tell a female from male flower?
Maybe that's why I dont get a lot of squashes ???
Another daft question how do you do it?? I apologise for sounding ignorant
Female flowers have a small squash behind them, male flowers don't... it'll be marble sized, not as big as a golf ball....
Quote from: admjh1 on June 29, 2012, 23:17:36
Whoops I have never done that!!
How can you tell a female from male flower?
Maybe that's why I dont get a lot of squashes ???
Another daft question how do you do it?? I apologise for sounding ignorant
Usually the bees do a very good job and other insects too. Fleabeetles are very attracted to squash flowers and probably do their bit and a whole lot of other insects.
Hand pollinating is done to make sure on dull days or for seed saving. For seedsaving at least one male flower and a female flower of the same variety are selected on the day before they will open. These get a tape around them to prevent them from opening. The following morning the tape is removed and the flowers spring open, the male flowers get picked and brought to the female for hand pollination. Then the female flower gets closed again, to make sure no insect brings pollen from an unwanted variety which would not result in pure seed. And the hand pollinated female gets a marker.
In most cases there is no need for hand pollination to get fruit for eating. It does not matter for eating if the pollen was from another squash. For example an Uchiki kuri squash that was fertilised by BonBon pollen, will still produce an Uchiki Kuri fruit, only the seeds inside are not true to type.
Exhibition growers also hand pollinate, but most growers never bother.
Gakina is absolutely right. Unless you want to save seeds or unless your squash are tucked tightlky under some cover and critters cannot get to them just let nature take it's course and it will.
Just relax and enjoy your break.
XX Jeannine
Thanks everyone
The in laws have pollinated 8 squash/pumpkins yesterday with cotton buds and then tied them up.
The reason I've got them to do it is not for seed saving but because of the less then perfect weather and also lack of insects.
So have been pollinating the plants with what ever males are available using a cotton bud.