Squash Question and Soil Question

17 years ago

Now that I am applying some of the knowledge I've gained here regarding fertilization, etc., my garden is looking much better. In the last two weeks, I've fertilized with fish emulsion, very diluted composted quail manure and kelp (at different times) and everything is picking up and looking happy. I just have a couple of questions.

1) I'm still planting some squash and a couple more Okras. Is it OK to add a little well composted horse manure to my potting soil. By well composted, I mean it is probably 5+ years old. My father just turned over his manure pile on his property. Looks like great organic material to me. Is it OK to add it?

2)My yellow squash plant has had only one lone female flower so far. There haven't been male flowers yet, however, the blossom died and the fruit looks to be growing. Does that mean that it somehow was fertilized? Or will it die? The only other related thing I had blooming at the time that flower was open, with all male flowers so far is Armenian Cucumbers. My zucchini had not bloomed yet.

Ania

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Comments (4)

susaneden
17 years ago
The well-aged manure is GOLDEN--black gold, to be exact. Your plants will love it.

Doubt your cucumber pollinated yourt zuke, as they are different species. Nowever, if one of your neighbors is growing a C pepo of some sort, maybe you got lucky. otherwise, the fruit will abort. You will be able to tell quickly, as the unpollinated female fruit will rot and fall off.
stephen_albert
17 years ago
The horse manure after five years should be well composted and free of salts that might burn tender plants. You can add an inch to the top of the planting bed and turn it under.

Usually female squash flowers follow male flowers by about a week. Female flowers that drop off without producing fruit probably were not fertilized. Bees usually transfer pollen from the male stamen to the female pistel, but you also could do this with a soft brush--or take a male flower and whirl it around inside the female flower.

Here is a link that might be useful: HarvestToTable.com
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ditnc
17 years ago
I have yet to get a successfully pollinated squash (summer, zuke, etc.). The boys and girls come out at different times, and since the blossoms last only 1 day, this isn't working out. I bought some bloom booster which I suspect may be a garden store marketing gimmick, but we'll see. Others have prolific amounts of zucchini and yellow squash at this point in the season...why am I having such a problem? Getting frustrated with this - it has been going on for a month now....

I would happily go out and pollinate them myself, if I could only get the male and female blossoms to produce at the same time!

For those of you with tons of squash, what's your secret????
tcstoehr
17 years ago
There's a couple of ways to hedge your bets. Firstly, the more the merrier. More plants means the better chance that male flowers will coincide with female flowers. And the more flowers there are, the more attractive it will be for bees to show up and hang around.
I also try to match compatible plants. In one bed this year I planted a golden zucchini, a superpik summer squash, and two acorn squashes. All pollen compatible members of C. Pepo.
You can also grow summer squashes that require no pollenation:
http://www.territorialseed.com/product/1097/220