Suicidal spaghetti squash...

[KirstieSparkle]

I know its too late now, but want to know for next year as I LOVE spag squash and want to succeed.

First the plants got powdery mildew, which we managed to fight off..... Was growing them in tubs, waiting for raised bed to be built.
I left it on top of the place they will go, was planning to let them trail on ground while cukes behind climb up trellis and tother half decided to "help" ... He trailed it up the wall with the cukes, before I had transplanted it to bed.... And while I was sick.

By time I was better I had to untangle them all..... Because they looked so weak I created a frame for them, but at all stages of fruiting, whether tangled, untangled or just left along the squashes grow I get excited then look a few days later and they've reached thumbish size then fallen off :-(

Just keep dropping :-(
I fed them, good sunny position.... Groooowwww please!

[roitelet]

Are they like courgettes and need to be fertilized to mature?

[Greenleaves]

I have no advice to offer, but wonder if it is a cross pollination issue with the cucumbers?

[Alison]

Don't think it's anything to do with cross pollination or fertilisation but suspect it's more to do with conditions generally ie sunshine, temps etc. it's been rubbish this year and if the plants got a bad start then they didn't get the chance to recover. They like a good feed both on planting and later if possible too.

[sparrow100]

Like Alison says, temperatures and moisture have a big impact on squashes. Wind dries them out fast. Also there might not be any male flowers open when the female opens, or enough pollinators flying about if the weather's awful. I've found them pretty fickle this year. Even the smaller fruited squashes aren't brilliant.

[KirstieSparkle]

Its just so frustrating that the squash starts to form, i get all excited and then boom it just falls off once it gets around as big as that pic with my thumb in it.

I genuinely got super excited about having managed to grow it, then hopes dashed.
cant buy them anywhere round here.

[Basher]

I've watched all but one of my spaghetti squashes form, start to swell, then either rot and fall off - or just plain fall off. I was wondering if the condition caused the blossom end to stay wet and cause rot. Perhaps I should have removed the blossom?


This one fell off a couple of days later.

At least I have one at the moment that looks like it is going to grow properly.

[Tripmeup]

I've watched all but one of my spaghetti squashes form, start to swell, then either rot and fall off - or just plain fall off. I was wondering if the condition caused the blossom end to stay wet and cause rot. Perhaps I should have removed the blossom?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]59275[/ATTACH]
This one fell off a couple of days later.

At least I have one at the moment that looks like it is going to grow properly.

Funny you mention that... I had alot of one particular courgette variety - Athena Polka, actually- grow fine but then, just when they looked ready to pull, I'd notice that some of them had started to rot at the blossom end... first year I seen that so regularly..

[KirstieSparkle]

Hmmm I left all my blossoms on aswell.... Know nothing so assumed nature knew better than me and I shouldnt remove them..
So its not too late for maybe one of them.to grow and ripen?
Hmmmmm.
Off out to see what if any I have now.
Yesterday the one that's stayed longest so far had dropped off :-(

[KirstieSparkle]

Ok so over two plants I currently have 7 fruits forming or about to have thier flowers open... Lots of the other flowers open or about to be and the tip is growing a cluster....

[Alison]

I can see you gave both make and female flowers there so that's good news, if you want to ensure fertilisation then pick off the male ones and take them across to open female ones. When the fruits start to swell you can take off the flower remains if you want but I never bother and if all else is well you shouldn't need to.

[KirstieSparkle]

Lol they just keep Falling off grrrrr

[KirstieSparkle]

just a quick update, my squash (3 of them remaining) but all 3 are starting to swell and grow and look strong... ish
They may turn out to just have 3 small ones.
or may just fall off

Anyone elses starting to grow properly???