Squash leaves yellowing after planting out

[Yasminh14]

I've just planted out half a dozen butternut squash plants that were getting rather pot-bound. I've reluctantly had to delay planting out as I wanted to put them in the patch where my first early potato crop was, and it's taken till now to get all of this out (couldn't eat/give them away quick enough!).

The plants were developing their 3rd or 4th sets of leaves, so still quite small, and a couple were starting to look a bit yellow before I planted out. I assumed that this was simply because they were pot-bound and needed to go out a.s.a.p. However, a few days after planting out, they are definitely already bigger, but also still getting yellower.

The bed where I've put them was a brand new bed on recently cleared land, the new potatoes were the first thing to be planted there. They have done brilliantly, and other adjacent beds have already been producing a range of crops fantastically for over a year without any additional soil improvement, the soil is excellent if a little heavy. So I'm not sure what the problem is. Was it a mistake to plant squash where I'd just grown potatoes? Or will it just take them a couple of weeks to get used to their new home? Should I give them a feed? I've never fed squashes before and never had problems with them before, so not sure what feed is best? Can I give them tomato feed?

[WendyC]

Were they hardened off before planting out? Was the root ball nicely wet before planting, as being pot bound it can be quite hard to reset them sometimes. If they needed greening up it's a high nitrogen feed you want not tomato food.

[taff]

They're probably sulking because it's cold. And ptoatoes would have sucked a lot of nutrients out of the soil.
As above, try feeding them and see what happens.

[greenishfing]

I have found that squashes are generally even more suicidal than cucumbers, particularly at planting out time............ In past years so many have keeled over or been eaten. I find that I do not have green fingers when it comes to transplanting them.

Now I try to grow twice the amount I intend to plant out and stagger planting out times. Anything to try and minimize the damage.

Only 2 dead this year so far....slugs.

[Two_Sheds]

plants that were getting rather pot-bound. ... and a couple were starting to look a bit yellow ... getting yellower.

The damage they've suffered (probably starvation) isn't going to be turned around immediately. The leaves that are dying won't come back to life, but it will put out new leaves now.

Were they hardened off before planting out?

shouldn't need it in late June, at least we don't over here when the nights are in double figures

They're probably sulking because it's cold.

Is it cold? We've had two months of above-average temps here, it's broiling some days

[gardening_gal]

Is it cold? We've had two months of above-average temps here, it's broiling some days

Temp in my tunnel last night was 7.5 C.

[Two_Sheds]

Yes, but the OP is in France, not Scotland

[gardening_gal]

Ooops.

[Yasminh14]

Thanks all! I will give them a one-off feed with an all-purpose fertiliser and leave it at that. They haven't drooped and still appear to be growing, so I'll put the yellowing down to the damage they've suffered, thanks Two Sheds.

Weather here in Brittany is a bit cooler now after a one-month dry and hot spell, but still in double figures at night, and plants were in pots outside for most of their lives, so definitely not a hardening off problem. I'm sure they'll recover. A couple of other plants which were planted out earlier in a different spot are growing like crazy, so hoping these will catch up once they've recovered.