Anyone Else in Florida Having Problems With Small Yellow Squash?

[citychickinthecountry]

I've been using Miracle Grow and have had plenty of blooms, but my yellow squash just won't get big. They won't get much larger than about 2 inches long. :/

Even a co-worker complains that their yellow squash aren't getting big this year. I see the bees pollinating my cucumbers (tons of big cucumbers), tomatoes (which I'm now having other problems with (see my posting under Diseases and Pests)), and zucchini (HUGE zucchini), but I haven't seen them pollinating my yellow squash.

What's going on? I got my yellow squash from the feed store that I got my other plants from. Should I maybe start from seed and see if I have the same problem? Or is there a way that I can pollinate the flowers myself?

 

[hoodat]

I've been using Miracle Grow and have had plenty of blooms, but my yellow squash just won't get big. They won't get much larger than about 2 inches long. :/

Even a co-worker complains that their yellow squash aren't getting big this year. I see the bees pollinating my cucumbers (tons of big cucumbers), tomatoes (which I'm now having other problems with (see my posting under Diseases and Pests)), and zucchini (HUGE zucchini), but I haven't seen them pollinating my yellow squash.

What's going on? I got my yellow squash from the feed store that I got my other plants from. Should I maybe start from seed and see if I have the same problem? Or is there a way that I can pollinate the flowers myself?

If they aren't getting pollinated they will shrivel up and drop off before they get up to size. Pollinating by hand is easy. Just pick your male flower leaving an inch or so of stem to act as a handle. Strip off the petals and insert the stamen into the opening between the pistils on the female flower. The female flowers are the ones showing the immature fruit below the blossom. For good measure I usually also wipe the stamen around on the outside of the pistils. I've had to pollinate all of my zuchinis by hand this year. The ants are invading the flowers and I think that discourages the normal pollinating insects from doing their job.

 

[vfem]

My concern is it sounds like you are only getting male flowers and no female flowers in comparision. Then you have the issue if you are getting TONS of flowers (miracle grow can do this) it goes into a hard production of flowers and leaves and they put little to no effort into the fruit. The plant fizzles out!

I think you may be over fertilizing, it is quite common to do that.

 

[citychickinthecountry]

Hmmm...well, is it too late in the year (in Florida) to start from seed or to plant new plants?

Where I live in Florida, I probably have a good 4-5 months of hot weather left and then another month or two after that before it gets even close to any freezes. Plus, I have a greenhouse that I could plant the squash in.

Just a thought. Otherwise, I'll just be sure to not use Miracle Grow next year. Lesson learned for the Newbie.

 

[vfem]

Its ok to use some... I'm just wondering if you over did it. And as nice as it can be, I find you get better results if you use it just on decorative plants then food producers. I don't use it anymore... but that's because I killed many potted plants over the years from over doing it, and I never understood why.

You're learning and that's the best anyone can do in the garden!

 

[boggybranch]

My yellow summer squash did real good for a bit, then the leaves started dying back, they quit blooming and started shriveling up at the soil line (kinda like damping off on seedlings) even though they were large, mature plants. Have pulled them up and discarded (not composted). May try another planting...in another area of the garden.

P.S. I'm 10 miles north of the Florida line.

 

[hoodat]

Miracle Gro is formulated to release into the soil immediately and promote fast growth so that purchasers are encouraged when they see the quick results. The opposite side of the coin is that you have to use it a lot more often since it doesn't stay in the soil for long.
I far prefer a slow release organic that will support the plant for long periods even if you don't see fast results. The long haul is what pays off.

 

[vfem]

My yellow summer squash did real good for a bit, then the leaves started dying back, they quit blooming and started shriveling up at the soil line (kinda like damping off on seedlings) even though they were large, mature plants. Have pulled them up and discarded (not composted). May try another planting...in another area of the garden.

P.S. I'm 10 miles north of the Florida line.

Did you see if anything had burrowed its way into the stem and killed it from the inside out? Vine borer? That's what that sounds like.

 

[citychickinthecountry]

Its ok to use some... I'm just wondering if you over did it. And as nice as it can be, I find you get better results if you use it just on decorative plants then food producers. I don't use it anymore... but that's because I killed many potted plants over the years from over doing it, and I never understood why.

You're learning and that's the best anyone can do in the garden!

Luckily, I only used Miracle Grow on the plants two (maybe three) times since I've planted them. They have been in the ground for a while now.

Maybe I'll just start a few seeds in large pots and then I can move them into my greenhouse if it gets too cold.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

P.S. I'm using my fuzzy butt (chicken) poop to make compost. I have many good resources at work that also compost and have helped me learn to produce a great first batch. I'll be sure to only use compost next year (not Miracle Grow). Guess now I need to make another post about what I can and can't use compost on...