Question
QUESTION: I've got butternut squash growing very well. The plants are hardy. Have gotten tons of blooms but most just dry up.
Bees are doing their part. There appear to be many non flowering buds along the vine that don't seem to do anything.Any ideas as to why there are so few squashes developing?

ANSWER: Pollination is almost always the primary cause of the symptoms you have described. However, if the bees are active in the area, there are still two other possibilities.

Excessive water can certainly cause the fruit to shrivel prematurely and fall from the vine. It is important to only water the plants when the soil dries 3" below the surface. Mulching the bed with straw, shredded leaves, or dried grass will help retain moisture, cool the soil, and prevent weeds.

The other possibility is that the genus or particular variety you have planted has an inordinate ratio of female to male blossoms. Some varieties are predominantly female, and require a male pollinator plant to ensure pollination. This is especially true with squash plants. Many of the offerings in my seed catalog specify that one male pollinator plant is included in the seed packet for every 3 or 4 female dominant plants. The easiest way to tell is to check the blooms and see if the majority of the blossoms have a bulbous swelling at the base of the flowers. These are the female blossoms. If this is the case, you will need to plant a different variety next year or a second variety of butternut to complement the first.

I hope this answered your question. Please write again if I can ever provide assistance.

Regards,

Mike

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Mike
Is there anything different about the actual seed as to weather it is male or female? It appears that I've got more
male plants than female. They were all chosen randomly,should I be looking for something specific on the seed?

Answer
Joe, unfortunately, there is no way to distinguish the two seeds visually. It is all in the hybridization process. That is why I only order seeds from catalogs. They are very specific in their descriptions as to the genus of the seed, and whether or not a pollinator is required.

The good news is that very few hybrids have predominantly male blossoms. What normally occurs is that the first flush of blossoms will be mainly male, and the female blossoms will follow about 4 weeks later. If the majority of blossoms were female, then I would be concerned since that is an indication that the plant is monoecious, meaning it only produces female blossoms. That is when a pollinator is required.

Be patient for another week or so, and I think you will see a dramatic improvement.

Good luck.

Mike