Butternuts

[chadspad]

I have started lots of plants off in pots in my conservatory. I have a butternut squash plant that was going great guns and outgrowing the room so I put it outside (as the weather was warm and sunny then) but kept it in the pot as it appeared so happy. It continued to grow, has lots of squashes on it, ive fed it, watered it etc. Now all of a sudden the squashes have gone yellow and are dropping off. Any ideas? Our weather is very unsettled so far, perhaps its not enjoying the temperaure changes?

[battybird]

I came across a post about this a little while ago, quite an old one I think...of course cannot find it now!! One suggestion was that the butternuts needed feeding and potash was suggested. ashes from the fire??
Hope it works, to get so close and then lose them is very irritating!!

[chadspad]

Ive got another plant growing in the conservatory which had already got a butternut and is now flowering afterwards and it came to me that Im pretty sure the other one didnt flower (im always excited to see the flowers!) Now, does it work that the fruit appears anyway, then the flower comes and has to set the fruit? Im thinking that if the other one didnt have flowers and the squash didnt set thats the reason the squashes are falling off. Does that make sense?

[Odsox]

Sounds like you answered yourself ... butternuts, like courgettes and all other squashes, need to be pollinated or the embryo fruitlet will just shrivel and drop off. The trick is to get male and female flowers open at the same time, which is not easy early in the plants life and especially if you only have one plant.
Now that you have two plants flowering you have twice as much chance of success.
I always fertilize squash and courgettes by hand, just to be sure.

[chadspad]

I still only have the 1 plant flowering but I have a courgette flowering. Now, silly question of the day - cant I use the 2 different plants for pollination?

[Odsox]

Yes, as far as I know anyway.
I have done this with various cucurbits including melons pollinated with cucumbers.
Don't do this if you want to save seed though, as they will probably be some weird cross breed.

[chadspad]

Brilliant I'll get my paintbrush out