squash growing tips?

[Kathy]

I have a number of squashes and pumpkins growing happily at the end of the garden. The plants are thriving, and shooting off in all directions, and I'm really not sure which is which any more. They are producing lots of yellow flower buds, but as soon as they open they seem to shrivel and drop off, without pollination, just leaving a bare severed stem. I've not ben home much lately, but from what I've seen, I think this happens in the space of about six hours, with a bud beginning to unfurl in the morning and being on the ground by the time I get home.

Why?

Is it too wet with all this rain and they're rotting? Do I need to hand-pollinate them? They are a little overhung by some neighbours' leylandii (on my list of "things to burn down"), so is that the problem? Everything else there is growing quite happily, and I've got lots of beans and baby carrots. Is it slugs severing the stems? (No sign of slugs, but I have had problems in that corner previously).

All suggestions gratefully received, ta. 

[Si]

I'm no expert on these things - still waiting or mine to do something, but my experience was that last year my squishes did seem to take a lot longer to start fruiting that the courgettes (which went into the same bed at the same time).  I was just about to pull the plants up, thinking that they weren't going to fruit, when all of a sudden I was swamped in the things.

[Jon P]

Not quite sure but I read that they can get out of balance between the male flower stems and the female fruit-bearing flowers, but this will correct automatically.  I can't believe there aren't plenty of insects making a beeline for the gaudy flowers proferring themselves with open petals though?

[juliet]

I've had to hand-pollinate courgettes before, but only when on my balcony, not when in an actual garden.

Are they male (just stems) or female (little tiny fruits under them) flowers?

[Kathy]

I've had to hand-pollinate courgettes before, but only when on my balcony, not when in an actual garden.

Are they male (just stems) or female (little tiny fruits under them) flowers?

Ah. They're prolly male stems - no sign of little fruits under them. That might explain something - I'd forgotten that some plants do that.

<------- Cambridge university educated biologist.

[juliet]

I think there are some circs in which you get more male fruits... might be worth looking that up?  Um.  If in doubt feed & water them a bit more?  that's usually a safe bet with squashes.

[Cyclops]

It's quite common for squashes to produce only male flowers at first. Be patient, the female flowers will arrive eventually.

Although my squash and courgette plants are the same size at the moment there's no sign of a single squash yet I'm having to practically eat courgettes with every meal to get rid of them