| Author |
Garden Gate:  Am I ever going to get the yellow squash and zucch  |
|
|
Beverly Gill
True Blue Farmgirl
1114 Posts
Beverly
Marlborough
USA
1114 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 22 2011 : 03:34:40 AM
|
My plants came out well and the yellow blossoms were large------everything seemed ok....but so far just 1 yellow squash....help----I am new ar gardening....and LOVE it----but don't know what I am doing.
Any advice greatly appreciated........does anyone else use that black plastic over their soil to prevent weeds? What are the pros and cons to using it????
Beverly Gill in HOT Massachusetts
There's no place like home |
|
|
mydakota
True Blue Farmgirl
152 Posts
kristi
redmond
oregon
USA
152 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2011 : 07:55:28 AM
|
Well, what is your ratio of male to female flowers? If you are not getting any female flowers, then I am not sure you can do anything about it. If you are getting them, and they are just not being pollinated, you can hand pollinate with a paintbrush. Just take a paintbrush and rub it around the inside of a male flower until you get some pollen on it. Then take that pollen and dust it around the center part of the female flower. That should do the trick. (should I be blushing?) I had to hand pollinate my zukes last year. This year they are doing fine on their own. Good luck!
HearthCricket Farm. Where the door is always open, and the coffee is always on. |
 |
|
|
LadyInRed
True Blue Farmgirl
6740 Posts
PeggyAnn
Vancouver
WA
USA
6740 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2011 : 08:28:32 AM
|
Kristi...I have gardened for years and I could not tell you the difference between a male and female plant. How does one tell????
blessings,
Peggy
Farmgirl #1326
http://ladyinredsite.blogspot.com
"I'm only as strong as the caffeine I drink, the hair-spray I use and the Girlfriends that I have."
When I was a lonely wallflower, Jesus asked me to dance. Then he asked me to be joyous, to be passionate, and to Be His! |
|
|
|
mydakota
True Blue Farmgirl
152 Posts
kristi
redmond
oregon
USA
152 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2011 : 08:40:38 AM
|
You should have both male and female flowers on the same plant. If you look on the flower stem, behind the bloom, you will either see a very small zucchini, or just straight stem. If you see what looks like a tiny zucchini, that is the ovum and that is a female flower. If you only see stem, that is a male flower. If the female flower gets pollinated, the flower part dries up and falls off and the ovum grows into a full sized zuke. If it doesn't get pollinated, the ovum will grow a very tiny bit, and then wither and die. If that is what is happening, then the flowers are not getting pollinated. With the shortage of bees all over the country, it is a real problem in some areas.
HearthCricket Farm. Where the door is always open, and the coffee is always on. |
|
|
|
mydakota
True Blue Farmgirl
152 Posts
kristi
redmond
oregon
USA
152 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2011 : 08:42:54 AM
|
It also seems like in the beginning, when a plant first starts to flower, it has an overabundance of male flowers. The female flowers do usually catch up eventually, so if your plant hasn't been blooming very long, I wouldn't panic yet. (I have no scientific evidence of this--it just seems to be this way in my garden year after year)
HearthCricket Farm. Where the door is always open, and the coffee is always on. |
|
|
|
LadyInRed
True Blue Farmgirl
6740 Posts
PeggyAnn
Vancouver
WA
USA
6740 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2011 : 09:28:00 AM
|
Kristi...thanks for the Veggie Sex Lesson! LOL No, truly I do appreciate knowing that. I know my Mother use to take
a Q-tip and go out and pollenate her zukes and cukes sometimes...but I never asked her how she knew. ~ Well, who says
you can't teach an old farmgirl new tricks??? You just did and it is a lesson I will remember. Thanks a Heap!
blessings,
Peggy
Farmgirl #1326
http://ladyinredsite.blogspot.com
"I'm only as strong as the caffeine I drink, the hair-spray I use and the Girlfriends that I have."
When I was a lonely wallflower, Jesus asked me to dance. Then he asked me to be joyous, to be passionate, and to Be His! |
|
|
|
Beverly Gill
True Blue Farmgirl
1114 Posts
Beverly
Marlborough
USA
1114 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2011 : 1:15:02 PM
|
oh wow---who would ever think????? I have alot to learn.
Its 100 out---I'll go look tomorrow.....lol
Beverly
There's no place like home |
|
|
|
City Chick
True Blue Farmgirl
1402 Posts
Deb
Chattanooga
TN
USA
1402 Posts |
|
|
kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2011 : 05:52:51 AM
|
Mine didn't do too well this year. I tried the no til method and it was a mostly shaded area til afternoon. I did get some yellow squash but only a few zuc. I did plant more in between the corn but it's way too shaded and has come up really spindly but they are full of flowers. So we shall see. I am surprised the zuc didn't do so good.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
|
|
|
mydakota
True Blue Farmgirl
152 Posts
kristi
redmond
oregon
USA
152 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2011 : 07:27:52 AM
|
I almost felt dirty just typing that out!! Lol! Glad it was helpful!
HearthCricket Farm. Where the door is always open, and the coffee is always on. |
|
|
|
Beverly Gill
True Blue Farmgirl
1114 Posts
Beverly
Marlborough
USA
1114 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2011 : 07:45:07 AM
|
thanks again, never would have known
Beverly
There's no place like home |
|
|
|
prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2011 : 4:08:48 PM
|
I'm glad i read this post--I haven't gotten any squash at all, had blossoms,etc., but never saw any bees. Now it's too late to pollinate cause the blossoms are drying out and falling off. I watered everything real good today but my garden this year has been a disaster. Oh well, there's always next year!
Cindy
"Vast floods can't quench love, no matter what love did/ Rivers can't drown love, no matter where love's hid"--Sinead O'Connor
"In many ways, you don't just live in the country, it lives inside you"--Ellen Eilers
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
|
|
|
upnorthgirl
Farmgirl in Training
35 Posts
Sharon
St. Germain
WI
USA
35 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2011 : 7:11:31 PM
|
I am thinking this is my problem too, I will have to get out my paint brush tomorrow, and try to figure out which one is male and vise versa. I too have a ton of huge blossoms, and no aquash, I imagine it works the same as with zuc's. Thanks for the education!!
Sharon
FG#3239 |
|
|
|
City Chick
True Blue Farmgirl
1402 Posts
Deb
Chattanooga
TN
USA
1402 Posts |
|
|
Beverly Gill
True Blue Farmgirl
1114 Posts
Beverly
Marlborough
USA
1114 Posts |
Posted - Aug 08 2011 : 7:06:39 PM
|
this was not a good year for me-----big bushes and blossoms BUT just 2 yellow squash.
Beverly Gill
There's no place like home |
|
|
| |
Garden Gate: Am I ever going to get the yellow squash and zucch |
|
Am I ever going to get the yellow squash and zucch
I've noticed tons more honey bees this year than normal. all in my squash flowers. So, I know they're getting pollinated. The flowers are just falling off after a day or so and leaving a stick in it's place. I don't know what the problem is. All 5 of my plants too.