Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Advice for my squash plants

GolizgoGolizgo Posts: 8
in Plants
I am growing 2 squash plants in the polytunnel and as yet have plenty of male flowers but no female ones. Do the female flowers form on side shoots? If so do I need to pinch out the tip of the plant to encourage side shoots like you do on melon plants. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Posts

  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    We have grown squash plants for a number of years, but have never had a shortage of female flowers.  We remove the male flowers, keep the female flowers (they have a mini squash growing behind the flower), I only pinch out the end of the growing shoots when I have 3 or 4 squash forming on that shoot. Perhaps someone else has come across this shortage of female flowers, but we haven't.
  • BONE MEALBONE MEAL Posts: 18
    Thought you needed male flowers for pollination ?
  • GolizgoGolizgo Posts: 8
    Thanks for the replies, I have loads of male flowers just no females, perhaps I am too impatient.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    You do need male flowers for pollination on squashes, but not for cucumbers (pollination makes cucumbers bitter). I have always just let them get on with it. Males are usually formed before females. I used to often hand pollinate, taking the male to the female as it were.  I took the tips out after three fruits had set, so the energy goes into the fruit, not more growth. They were making a takeover bid for the whole garden.
Sign In or Register to comment.