crook neck squash...help...rotting on the vine

FamilyGardening 7/29/2011, 3:46 pm

hi everyone

well....i have crook neck squash growing in a topsy turvy tree....the plants are large and have been very lush.....a couple of leaves have turned a little yellow and dry...but look normal to me.....

we have been getting some fruit going and then after its a few inch long they become mushy and dont grow any longer....

any thoughts?

we are so dissapointed.....last year i had them in our SFG and before we could harvest any the coons would get to them... Mad

so this year we decided to try them up in the topsy turvy tree to see if that would lend us a harvest.... Sad

thanks

hugs

rose

**Furbalsmom** 7/29/2011, 4:45 pm

FamilyGardening, Is it possible they need to be hand pollinated? The female flower already has the fruit at its base and may be a couple of inches long before the flower ever opens. If it does not get pollinated, the fruit dies.

FamilyGardening 7/29/2011, 4:55 pm

thanks furb.....im going to take a pic so you can see if that is what is going on....if so...then it gives me hope that we may get some still Very Happy

we have lots of bee's in the red rock SFG......this is where my topsy turvy tree is with the squash.....

we have ran into this in our three sisters garden out back....with the pumpkins....there are lots of bees there too.....but in there...we have far more male flowers then females.....

hugs

rose

FamilyGardening 7/29/2011, 9:00 pm

here are a few pics.....

this is what they look like before they start to grow...they feel firm and the flower part has dried up.....

crook neck squash...help...rotting on the vine 07_29_10

crook neck squash...help...rotting on the vine 07_29_10

this is what they look like after they have grown a bit bigger.....the skin looks and feels crinkly and soft......

crook neck squash...help...rotting on the vine 07_29_11

crook neck squash...help...rotting on the vine 07_29_11

this is what they end up looking like at the bottom of the squash....its mushy, wet and bruised looking....

crook neck squash...help...rotting on the vine 07_29_12

crook neck squash...help...rotting on the vine 07_29_12

any idea's?

thanks

hugs

rose

happycamper 7/29/2011, 9:30 pm

Your squash are not being pollinated. I missed one and lost it last week. Some people use qtips or paint brushes to hand pollinate. I use a male squash flower, remove the flower portion and rub it on the female flower just to make sure it grows.

FamilyGardening 7/29/2011, 9:39 pm

thanks happy

im going to try to do that.....i figured with all the bee's we have this year i wouldnt need to do that.....im gonna try though...cause i really want some squash....

does the female or males have to be all the way open to do it?

seems like my summer and winter squash and pumpkins are getting a lot more male flowers and they dont seem to be open at the same time as the females are...

thanks again for the help!

hugs

rose

happycamper 7/30/2011, 12:29 am

FamilyGardening wrote:

does the female or males have to be all the way open to do it?

Most plants get the male flowers first and yes on the males. I usually wait for the females to open before I "tickle it" (best term I can come up with) with the male.

I do on occasion tear a small piece of the yellow female flower off (with my fingernail) to make a hole and rub the male onto the female, BUT, be Warned! if you do this, the female flower falls off very easily and if it falls off, no squash!. It will get soft, wither and die. If you want to eat them, I wouldn't advise it.

I usually do this only when I want to push the plants production and fall/winter is coming and only to the large female flowers that have opened and then closed again. It's either me getting them or powdery mildew when the rains start in the fall.

FamilyGardening 7/30/2011, 12:36 am

ok...got my paint brush ready Shocked

hugs

rose

Denese 7/30/2011, 3:55 pm

It's also possible you have blossom end rot on your squash. Sad

http://www.ehow.com/facts_7716369_squash-blossom-end-rot.html

FamilyGardening 7/30/2011, 9:40 pm

oh you maybe right Denese.....i didnt even know squash you could get that Shocked

my tomato's had it at the first and i added some calcium and they seem to be doing fine now.....the soil is the same in those pots as in my topsy turvy tree for the squash.....hmm :scratch:

oh thank you for mentioning that.....and giving me the link! .....im going to get some compost tea going and add some calcium to it!...give them a spritz bath and a good drink Very Happy

maybe i will get a squash after all Smile

we still are going to hand polinate too!.....cause i want squash!!

hugs

rose

LauraG 8/4/2011, 5:56 am

Hi,

My zucchini is also rotting on the vine. How do I tell male blossoms from female so I can pollinate correctly?

Also, due to the incredible heat and humidity here in the D.C. area this year just about everything in my garden is covered in powdery mildew. I have clipped and trimmed and sprayed but I think about half my plants are goners. Only things holding up well are tomatoes and hot peppers. Oh, and my herbs are doing okay, but squashes and melons are very bad, kiwis and blueberries didn't st any fruit, and even my hardy fig is looking pretty droopy. I have been feeding them sparingly with organic fertilizer but really, when it's 100 degrees out and dripping wet, what can you do?

Also, a snake got into my koi pond and ate all but one of my baby koi. I am now looking for a very fat snake...

Thanks.

littlesapphire 8/4/2011, 7:17 am

Male blossoms are on a long, thin stalk, whereas females have a miniature squash right behind the flower!

I'm sorry to hear your garden isn't doing so well this year. I hope the heat dissipates a little so you can have some success.

Denese 8/4/2011, 9:25 am

Sorry to hear about your squash. The weather this year is really strange all over. My acorn squash is blooming, but only males, no females, yet. My beans haven't even blossomed, and they're up and over my 6 ft. trellis. My cukes and tomatoes are the only thing that's really doing great. My corn is starting to silk, but not many of them. It's just been a weird summer.

LauraG write:

Also, a snake got into my koi pond and ate all but one of my baby koi. I am now looking for a very fat snake.

I'm so sorry to hear about your babies. Sad

I cry every time I lose one of my koi. At this time I have 5. Luckily at this point, all mine are probably big enough they could eat the snake. Laughing

My biggest is about 28 inches and my "baby" is now about 8 inches.

lakelady 8/5/2011, 6:43 pm

I had the same problem. Many males, blooming before the females. I also had blossom end rot at the same time. So what I was doing was hand pollinating, and also adding some calcium to the root zone of the plants, and watered down in a hand sprayer. Much better now Smile

. I feel your pain, i would get so upset once those cute little squashes would shrivel and start to rot! All that work.....

FamilyGardening 8/5/2011, 8:56 pm

happy to report after adding some calcium in our compost tea we are setting fruit that look like we will be eating them soon! Very Happy

hugs

rose....thankful to have this forum!

Denese 8/6/2011, 10:03 am

FamilyGardening 8/10/2011, 11:03 pm

here are the wonderful crooknecks we are getting cheers

crook neck squash...help...rotting on the vine 08_09_10

my momma stop by last night and i gave her one of these pretty guys and she ate it like an apple affraid

on her way home....she said it was so yummy!

crook neck squash...help...rotting on the vine 08_09_11

while shopping today the children and i walked around the produce section and it was entersting how they noticed the differnce in what our veggies look like compared to the big box stores.....they said the stores looked small, un-ripe and really dull in color...... Laughing

crook neck squash...help...rotting on the vine 109486

THANK YOU ALL so much for the help and advice in how we could fix the problems we were having and be able to get these cool healthy veggies!!

hugs

rose

**Furbalsmom** 8/11/2011, 1:10 am

Rose, I am so happy your squash are healthy and producing now.

FamilyGardening wrote:while shopping today the children and i walked around the produce section and it was entersting how they noticed the differnce in what our veggies look like compared to the big box stores.....they said the stores looked small, un-ripe and really dull in color......

Fresh veggies look so nice and shiney and you can leave them on the plant until they really are ripe and ready to eat.

cienfuegos 8/11/2011, 1:44 am

how did you add calcium btw? thanks in advance.

petals1973 8/11/2011, 2:09 am

cienfuegos wrote:how did you add calcium btw? thanks in advance.

I was just about to ask that.

FamilyGardening 8/11/2011, 2:40 am

here is some info on what i used....Maxi-Cal 10-0-0 from Grow More.....i also used it for my tomato's when they had BER.....
http://www.growmore.com/products/MaxiCal_brochure.pdf

it has worked great!

i tried to find a pic of the bottle....when i get a chance i will take a pic of my bottle

hugs

rose

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