I never thought I'd say there's too many females but these damn Straight-neck squash won't bloom a male flower. All the websites about gardening and squash say that it's usually the other way around. All male flowers and no females. To any who don't garden, squash has to have male flowers to pollinate the females. If not, the squash gets to be about the size of a small pickle and then rots. I guess it's because I live on the Left-Coast and the plant has some sort of Sexual Identity problem. We haven't had any bees either this spring. The weather is great although it could be a little hotter. I don't know what to do to get some male flowers outside of finding another squash plant and maybe cross-pollinating these damn things using a Q-Tip. Between plant disease, bugs, and no bees, gardening can be one frustrating hobby.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Too Many Females!
I never thought I'd say there's too many females but these damn Straight-neck squash won't bloom a male flower. All the websites about gardening and squash say that it's usually the other way around. All male flowers and no females. To any who don't garden, squash has to have male flowers to pollinate the females. If not, the squash gets to be about the size of a small pickle and then rots. I guess it's because I live on the Left-Coast and the plant has some sort of Sexual Identity problem. We haven't had any bees either this spring. The weather is great although it could be a little hotter. I don't know what to do to get some male flowers outside of finding another squash plant and maybe cross-pollinating these damn things using a Q-Tip. Between plant disease, bugs, and no bees, gardening can be one frustrating hobby.
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2 comments:
Yeah, since when has "too many females" been a problem?
Is it possible this is a soil problem? Maybe the soil is too alkaline or lacking in some nutrient? Or maybe you have the only lesbian squash plant on the planet?
Try googling Felder Rushing and send him an email. He's a local, hippie horticulturalist here in Mississippi and on his radio show he claims to answer ALL of his email questions. Just tell him your problem. I'm almost certain he'll be delighted to know about your container gardening. Hell, he grows a garden in the back of an old, beat-up pickup truck he drives around.
Good luck with the plants. I know how frustrating it can be.
Thanks for the tip toast. Last Summer all I had were males for a while. Now I have the opposite problem. I'm about ready to cut my last plant down anyway and plant my pole beans. I'll try the squash again in the late-summer after my beans.
I'll try your advice about Rushing. I'm getting a shit-load of little tomatoes now the days are longer and warmer. I'm learning each time I go through a season. My problem is I'm stubborn and keep trying to grow veggies out of season. Even in Kalifornia some things won't grow without the right heat and sunlight.
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