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Post by mrsk on Aug 3, 2015 8:01:46 GMT -5
DH and I are only a little fond on summer squash. Really one meal would do us for the summer, and the dang stuff is growing everywhere, even where I didn't plant it.! I think my niece must have dropped some seeds.
I never thought I would say this in SD, most of my life has been in a drought, but I think we had way too much rain, and way too many days of cloudy weather. Just the last few weeks have we had a more typical full sunshine days.
But that is how gardening is, one year this is good, next year you can't grow it at all!
Mrs K
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Post by brownrexx on Aug 3, 2015 8:58:53 GMT -5
I'm really wondering if someone nearby did some massive herbicide bombing or something that is preventing the plants from putting on the fruits.
I think that if that had happened that your plants would have withered and died in a short period of time. Herbicides are developed to kill leaves.
I think that cool weather and lack of pollinators is more likely the cause. You have mentioned how cool it was many times this season and squash, eggplants and tomatoes are warm weather crops. Didn't you say one time that it was warmer in your basement than outside?
I had a lot of blossom drop on my peppers until it got really warm. I think that some plants just don't like cool weather and won't produce.
I have lots and lots of bees at my place and I have noticed that the bumble bees are the ones who seem to be most commonly seen on the squash blossoms. I am thinking that you have a lack of pollination on your squash. Maybe you should try that paintbrush method to transfer pollen into the female blossoms.
mrsk - try this with some yellow squash and I bet you'll like it.
Baked Parmesan Breaded Squash
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Post by desertwoman on Aug 3, 2015 9:16:39 GMT -5
We are having cool weather, with lots of rain and grey skies , here, as well. So maybe that is the influencing factor here, too. Though friends were over for dinner last night and their tomatoes are doing great. They live in town, however, and we have so many microclimates within our area, that they may just have a little less rain than us, here up against the mountains.
In fact, more days than not, the past month, I have said "it feels like fall". Beans are loving it though!
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Post by tbird on Aug 3, 2015 9:29:36 GMT -5
brownrexxThat is true of earlier in the season but it has bright sunny and generally very sunny for many weeks now. I would say all of July was very average for us. highs in the 80's most days, not a lot of rain, very sunny. Pollinators is certainly not the issue; not only have I have seen plenty but it doesn't even matter because the female buds never open. The mini squash withers before the flower opens. That is the really odd part, to my mind, and the similarity from pepper to eggplant to squash is another factor. The big tromboncino squash must have had about 100 female buds - none of them have ever progress to bloom.
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Post by brownrexx on Aug 3, 2015 9:40:13 GMT -5
Well that was my best guess.
Here is what Territorial Seed has to say about your squash:
"All squash are monoecious (bearing separate male and female flowers on the same plant), and most require bee and insect activity for successful pollination. Poor fruit set is often the result of poor pollination."
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