Is this butternut squash successfully pollinated?

[CrazyConure]

None of the male flowers were open in time when the females opened, so I physically opened 3 of them and use them to pollinate the female. It's been two days since I have pollinated her. Do these before and after pictures prove successful pollination?


Before:


After (today)

 

[Beth_B]

I really don't know, and I read your other squash blossom thread too.

I can tell you however that I've been growing various types of squash for almost 40 years. Often I've just gotten a single plant from a nursery and stuck it in the ground. Not once have I given a single thought to whether the plants were male or female or somewhere else on the sexuality spectrum. And not once have I had a poor squash harvest. Those darn things do their thing with wild abandon and they're hard to give away besides because everyone else's squashes do the same thing.

I believe you may be overthinking this really. Mother Nature (along with whoever created modern squash cultivars) pretty much designed the process to proceed to fruition without us faffing about with pollinating our own flowers.

 

[CrazyConure]

If I haven't hand pollinated this, there would be no chances of it surviving. At least by hand pollinating I gave it a chance to actually grow. The reason why your butternut squashes grew was because you had some insect or bird that did it for you. I have them as well, but the male flowers were closed shut. Nothing could take pollen from one, from the other.

 

[Beth_B]

You are in very buggy Florida with year around temperate climate, IIRC? And I'm in Michigan by way of Colorado...two not-buggy cold weather states.

Yet I've grown zucchini, pattypan, butternut, yellow, acorn, spaghetti and other types of squashes consistently and successfully without ever once even thinking about hand-pollinating. And many times single plants (the last few years.) And never had a poor squash crop...those things are hard to kill and grow like crazy.

I still maintain you're over thinking this. Seriously, who can't grow squash? Its one of those no-brainer veggie plants that first-graders are encouraged to grow because they're so easy.

 

[CrazyConure]

I don't know what to tell you. If you had successful crops, but didn't hand pollinate it, the credit goes to the bugs who pollinated it.

I already gave the explanation on why I hand pollinated it. It's not my fault at all on how the male flowers were premature. The plant has the control over that. Anyways, my plant is very green and healthy, just because I want some butternut squashes, (which was the reason I even planted it) doesn't mean I'm overthinking anything.

I'm just trying to get a successful yield. Nothing wrong with that. Many people hand pollinate their plants.

 

[Chuck]

How many times I have seen people kill plants by too much TLC I can't count but this is something I can't quite explain. Fretting about the first squash blossom not setting fruit is bordering on the ridiculous. Most squash produce so much by the end of the season that your friends run when they see you coming trying to get rid of your excess fruits. Don't worry. You will end up with more blooms of both sexes than you will know what to do with

 

[CrazyConure]

Thanks.

This is my first time gardening. I'm just very excited. I didn't harm the plant though, I just hand pollinated it, but whatever.

I was just asking if the image above looked like it was going to continue to grow. I think it looks weird on how it got yellow so fast. I don't have much experience. I'm just trying to learn.

 

[headfullofbees]

I don't think so.
I think it should still be green.
Precisely how did you hand-pollinate?

 

[headfullofbees]

How many times I have seen people kill plants by too much TLC I can't count but this is something I can't quite explain. Fretting about the first squash blossom not setting fruit is bordering on the ridiculous. Most squash produce so much by the end of the season that your friends run when they see you coming trying to get rid of your excess fruits. Don't worry. You will end up with more blooms of both sexes than you will know what to do with

Crazy Conure is new to gardening, and eager and exited.
Let's nurture that enthusiasm perhaps diverting it into other channels?

 

[CrazyConure]

Thank you, headfullofbees!

I took the stamen, and gently rubbed it around the pistil/stigma.

 

[Chuck]

None of the male flowers were open in time when the females opened, so I physically opened 3 of them and use them to pollinate the female. It's been two days since I have pollinated her. Do these before and after pictures prove successful pollination?


Before:


After (today)

Bee's is right. It did not successfully pollinate and here is why. The male flower was not sexually mature enough to be viable. It hadn't opened yet, plus just because it has opened doesn't necessarily mean it is mature. The reason folks hand pollinate is because they do not have enough natural pollinators. A cluster of opened flowers attracts them and if you watch a honeybee going about his business he will visit every open flower there is just to make sure he has done his job. Even if a flower isn't viable some of the others are. Even after a bee has come and gone not every female flower will produce. You will see little squash forming and sometimes they will to be almost 2 inches long when all of a sudden it will shrivel up and die. This flower was pollinated by the above bee yet still was not viable. The best thing a gardener can do is to attract pollinators by having flowers scattered about. Honeybees are only one of hundreds out there.

 

[CrazyConure]

You're right, chuck. I checked this morning and it was starting to turn brown on the edges. I felt a little bad. Also, all the male flowers (the closed ones) shriveled up. I didn't touch them. Was there anything that triggered this? I feel like poop.

 

[headfullofbees]

You're right, chuck. I checked this morning and it was starting to turn brown on the edges. I felt a little bad. Also, all the male flowers (the closed ones) shriveled up. I didn't touch them. Was there anything that triggered this? I feel like poop.

Take it easy, friend. It'll happen.

 

[Chuck]

You're right, chuck. I checked this morning and it was starting to turn brown on the edges. I felt a little bad. Also, all the male flowers (the closed ones) shriveled up. I didn't touch them. Was there anything that triggered this? I feel like poop.

It just happens sometimes, I don't know why. But don't worry, it is still early for squash, especially winter squash like butternut. Direct your energy to keeping your plants free from mildew and fungus. With all this rain everyone is having it might be a difficult year.

 

[CrazyConure]

You're right. I see some weird mildew-like thing on the edges of the leaves. I also got 2 mushroom like things pop up from the soil.

Thank you both.