Hey there, peoples... =^_^= I'm curious about something. I'm growing two squash plants indoors. Is it normal for a squash plant, once a female flower has been successfully pollinated, and the fruit growing, to produce what I would call "dud" females? This is the female I pollinated. The pic was taken on 03/04/16 and NOW it's 8 inches long and 3.25 inches wide at it's fattest point. all the other females look rather shriveled compared to this one and the flowers turn orange but never bloom. If anyone is wondering what kind of squash this is, last season I purposefully cross pollinated a Spaghetti Squash female with Zucchini male pollen before ALL of my squashes were killed by squash vine borer larva. (( hence why I'm growing in doors. )) This is the hybrid.
What are you pollinating it with? Maybe it is only rarely self-compatible. Fertilization can be a funny thing. Not an answer to your question, but an interesting read on squash breeding nonetheless: Breeding Squash: Art of Selection
Thanks for the replay... :) With it's own flowers. like I said up top, the fruit is growing. But... none of the other females are growing to a point where the flowers will bloom They look, shriveled in on themselves. My second plant just had a female flower open, with a couple other females that looked healthy yet to bloom, and I immediately snipped the males that were ready as well, and rubbed them all on it. I wonder if this one takes, the others will shrivel up. Here's the one that's growing. Sorry about the lighting. The fruit is still a dark blackish green
From a few suggestions I've read, the other fruits may not be developing because the plant overall isn't receiving enough sunshine. Putting all of its eggs in one basket, so to speak.
*Nods* Gotcha... just in case you or anyone else is interested, here's the progression so far on the "Zucchetti" squash. Personally I thought the fruit would turn a lighter color considering the mother plant was a spaghetti squash.
