Butternut squash growing to an inch then falling off

[gone 2 seed]

I have a healthy butternut squash plant that has produced two little squash only to have the squash die and fall off right after the bloom dies. Could it not be being polinated? How do I hand polinate? I have another squash that just bloomed today.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Yes, I'm pretty certain that it is lack of pollination.

If you are going to hand pollinate you can take a male flower and then use a small paint brush to take some pollen off from the inside (you should be able to see it) and then brush it onto the female flowers. That easy! You might want to take different pollen from a few male flowers to ensure proper pollination but it is not totally necessary. If you don't have a brush you can just clip a male flower off and just brush it up against the female flower.

Good luck!

 

[gone 2 seed]

Thank you, I will try it. Looks like I am having the same problem with my acorn squash. This has been a bad garden year at my house.

 

[bills]

With the problems of bee populations dropping, due to disease, and mites, etc., it seems pollination issues are cropping (pun intended) up everywhere.

Allow some of your early season plants to go to seed, the blossoms will attract more of the bees in your area, to your garden. Overwintering a few parsnips, or leeks, is a good way to introduce some flowers to the garden early.
I find my early chinese veggies, if a few are left to go to seed, are also great blossomers, and a huge bee attractant. Bok Choy, or Guy Lan, are good ones.

Makes the garden pretty as well.