Butternut squash with lots of boy bits

[Thelma Sanders]

I have squash girl flowers and no boys.
I have courgettes with lots of flowers.............so I've been using boy courgette flowers to pollinate the squashes......they don't seem that fussy LOL
I'm not seedsaving so it doesn't matter 'who's the daddy'

[morg134]

butternut melon's ??

My butternut has 7 female flowers open, not a male in sight, out of desparation i used male melon flowers..... i know they won't work, but just imagine if they did, i'll deffo save the seed... butter nut melons.. MMmmmm

[horticultural_hobbit]

If I had any girl flowers on Gladys; I could use the pumpkin boys from Bruno, if they opened at the same time. Couldn't say if Gladys was going to have any more babies before the end of the growing season. Is awfully green, and getting taller and more triffidlike up the cane.

Are melons and Butternuts even of the same family, to pollinate?

[morg134]

they are both members of the cucurbit family along with cucumbers, marrows etc,
but i assume sadly to far apart for pollinating purposes.

[horticultural_hobbit]

Silly question

I am probably confusing biology, and badly.

Can girl courgette flowers be used to pollinate another plant? They seem to bloom, stay bright, and then wither. Or I really have to to wait for the boy bits? A nice community garden bloke has just told me that he doesn't bother with knowing girl or boy bits. Just dips his finger into open flowers and spreads it around

[horticultural_hobbit]

Is it all over for Gladys?

At this point in the season, is it curtains for Gladys? Gladys had three fruits. All of which died and death. Now, once again there are many gentlemen, but no ladies. Gladys is very green still, and her main vine keeps trailing. So what happens now?Do I continue to leave her alone, or do I need to intervene?

[BroadRipple]

This is the best thread I've ever read...HH and KiwiSoph, I salute your profound emotional engagement with your curcurbits. I've been watching, encouraging and wringing my hands over mine for the same reasons. If it's any help, and who knows if this will work, I've been...
a)worrying
b)breaking off the odd rare male bit and putting, er, prodding, er, whatever it on the female bit.
c)but only from the same plant, not siblings or even cousins, because that's both illegal and yucky.
I did b)in front of my children, hoping to give them an interesting lesson in plant biology. My son was genuinely pained and has not forgiven me.
I can hear the female flowers out there RIGHT NOW: 'and I need you more tonight/and I need you more than ever/and if you'll only hold me tight/we'll be holding on [see, that's the tendrils] for ever...'
Bonnie was right. It's a total eclipse of the curcurbit.

[horticultural_hobbit]

Next time on curcurbit close...
Gladys the BNS wonders if she has to pay parental support for Bruno the ghostrider pumpkins love child. Or is It Claude the courgette ducking his responsibility. Stay tuned!

[horticultural_hobbit]

Gladys is very green, leafy and triffid like. Lots of boy bits. I keep looking at her, wondering if I should just commit some plant euthanasia and pull her up and out. Any nay sayers to convince me otherwise? The chances of any fruit now must be fairly diddly squat.

[rustylady]

No Hobbit, don't do it. Gladys is like me, craving some nice warm sunshine. Be patient.

[horticultural_hobbit]

Growing pains

Our Gladys is now six foot tall, so way taller than me. Bless, I have been ignoring her somewhat. Just feeding her. She has also got some babies, I saw them as I was tying up her vines and tendrils. Now, we all know how I get stupidly enthusiastic when I see the babies. I have seen babies, and I'm assuming that there will be boy bits somewhere in the melee.

Perhaps I should continue to ignore her. If there are boy bits, leave my s*xual assault with cotton bud until necessary. On the wilkos packet it says harvest from september til November. Is that gonna be a long enough for something if anything?

[Florence Fennel]

Hobbit, do you think you might be becoming just a teeny weeny itsy bitsy overly concerned about the male and female bits? I think you ought to leave the bees to it for a bit and see what happens!

[horticultural_hobbit]

Completely into overdrive, Flo. Have been doing my best though, and just walking past both Gladys and Bruno and not touching anything. And I'm going to continue and do nowt. I feel a lot less precious that way! Just feed them and that's it. You know, I've seen a lot more flying insects in the last few days. Too skinny to be bumblies, might be what are called hoverflies? And i saw a ladybird! Just the one on Bruno. I resisted a silly dance, smiled and put the leaf back.

Note to self: quit panicing.

[VirginVegGrower]

This is the best thread I've ever read...HH and KiwiSoph, I salute your profound emotional engagement with your curcurbits. I've been watching, encouraging and wringing my hands over mine for the same reasons. If it's any help, and who knows if this will work, I've been...
a)worrying
b)breaking off the odd rare male bit and putting, er, prodding, er, whatever it on the female bit.
c)but only from the same plant, not siblings or even cousins, because that's both illegal and yucky.
I did b)in front of my children, hoping to give them an interesting lesson in plant biology. My son was genuinely pained and has not forgiven me.
I can hear the female flowers out there RIGHT NOW: 'and I need you more tonight/and I need you more than ever/and if you'll only hold me tight/we'll be holding on [see, that's the tendrils] for ever...'
Bonnie was right. It's a total eclipse of the curcurbit.

Loving this but me thinks you've all been sniffing the foliage or smoking it! Bizarre!

[Florence Fennel]

You're like a fussy mummy, do calm down dear. I saw a couple of ladybirds the other day, so I moved them into my greenhouse where they are needed! I'm sure Gladys and Bruno will work it out for themselves if they get some sunshine and some visits from the pollinators.