Butternut squash with lots of boy bits

[horticultural_hobbit]

My beloved BNS (winter butternut squash F1) is all very triffid-like, but has a lot boy bit flowers. There are three girl flowers, at varying stages of having the butternut bud behind them. All the flowers, boys and girls, are closed shut. I do hasten to add that I germinate this BNS inside very early. Am I therefore to play the waiting game for the flowers to open? It's all very exciting watching it grow...a BNS in Brummieland.

[Flummery]

Most seem to have more boy flowers first but they do catch up. Let nature take its course.

[chris]

Think of it as the plant letting the pollinating insects know that they are flowers on the plant - so they'll return.. Natue is indeed, very capable of taking care of itself as Flum says!

[Pies]

Think of it as a wedding the poor groom it standing at the alter waiting for his bride to arrive

[buzzingtalk]

Nothing wrong with your plant - the exact thing happened to my squash plants last year too The lady flowers will soon come

[Kiwi_Soph]

Think of it as a wedding the poor groom it standing at the alter waiting for his bride to arrive

aw, that is actually too cute.


our plant just has the start of the beginning of the tips of flower buds so I'd be excited by anything with petals, boy or girl!

[Snadger]

Supposedly a womens prerogative!

[horticultural_hobbit]

It's on the right track, BNS was born this way!

[horticultural_hobbit]

The girl flower of the BNS has opened up in all it's pretty yellowness. The boy bits are still closed. Do I need to go out there and cajole a boy bit to open up?

[horticultural_hobbit]

The Beloved BNS is ever more triffidlike. There are lots of broad green leaves. There are also a handfulof girl flowers, with about three or four fruit. The one fruit that was one of the early ones, is about five to six centimetres long, excluding the stalk. Over the last few days, I have notices that it is going a little yellow. Not a mottled colour-i hope not, anyway-but a butternut yellow.

With my flight of over enthusiasm, i know that these won't crop til later on the year. But are there any titbits of solace out there? It isn't very big, and i know that butternut squash can be all sorts of random shapes and sizes. Mine is growing in a container, up various canes as it creeps. Would folk recommend taking some of the girl bits off? I'm altogether rather precious about observing how it will change and develop.

Next door to it is the pumpkin on the patch. A ghost rider thingy, that Ma foisted onto the experiment. That is looking quite leafy, actually.

[baldrick]

Think of it as the plant letting the pollinating insects know that they are flowers on the plant - so they'll return.. Natue is indeed, very capable of taking care of itself as Flum says!

I like atht. We were only worrying yesterday about our pumpkins and courgettes. One lady flower on 6 plants!

[chris]

I've yet to see flowers on mine

Going to go down the plot later with a whip, bat and a spade.

[horticultural_hobbit]

Folks were right, lady flowers do turn up on the butternut squash. Courgettes have been doing over time lately, gone from two to four lovely dark greens a week. Hopefully i havent spoke too soon! I wouldn't want it to wilt away. My Ma quite likes it!

I must check the butternut daily just to see if anything has changed. Haven't seen anything on the ghost rider pumpkin yet though. That was is stil a baby, I didn't raise that from seed.

[horticultural_hobbit]

HORROR!

Some vile creature has been chomping at the beloved BNS. Didn't think much of the dark spots at first, thought it was just a random catapiller. Wasn't much, toward the end of the bulb. Then, today, saw more brown gouges, and thought of a blossom rot type scenario. A deep white trail of teeth marks is around the stalk where the creature got full up and gave up.

I will not surrender, have wrapped a sandwich back around it with an elastic band. Bugs will not get my butternut. Will fight them all the way, the horrible things. Blighters have made irksomely angry.

[Suky]

HORROR!

I will not surrender, have wrapped a sandwich back around it with an elastic band. Bugs will not get my butternut. Will fight them all the way, the horrible things. Blighters have made irksomely angry.

Is that so the creature has something else to chomp? :P