Excellent explanation. I have gardened for 75 years and never learned to hand pollinate--but I have a squash volunteer in pot on my porch. It is blooming, but not forming squash and I knew it was time to learn... It's not so complicated when you explain it. Thanks!!
What an excellent teacher you are! I know what I am going to do next time I go to my garden! First, look for the male and female flowers and try hand pollinating. Thanks!
Wow...this was great information. I had no idea there was only 1 day for the female to get pollinated. As always you have the best videos and information. Thank you Scott!
This is great, I’ve had to hand pollinate all my squash even with tons of bees in them. But, unfortunately I’ve got 5 squash plants and only had 5 female flowers total this summer.
Thank you for your high quality and very comprehensive (as always) video lesson. I like how you always give options on how to achieve a particular result.
Thank you. I need to do this with my pumpkins if it’s not too late. Lots of flowers there were but nothing. Will try but it is prolly too late. At least I’ll know for next year
Another video filled with useful information. I see from all the comments that I'm not the only person who needed this how-to this year. Personally, I've spent more money on perennial flowers for the 'bee garden' than I did on the veggies. Butterfly bushes, Lilacs, Hollyhocks, Yarrow, etc. that will hopefully keep the bees coming back and wandering over to the food-producers. Next spring I've got a full pound of mixed native grass & wildflower seed to spread along a border of the yard to really pump up the beneficial bugs.
I also like to use the male flower as the paintbrush. Then I leave the male flower stem pointing at that female flower just to make sure I know that it's pollinated. I also leave the leftover male flower on one of the leaves so the bees can see it
Great tips Scott. Another important reason to learn the difference between the flowers is so you can use a few male flowers to stuff + cook :) You never want to screw up and cut off the wrong ones
Hi Scott, I absolutely love love your videos because you're so good at explaining in details and speak nice and soft and in a way I can understand. You take your time to explain. Thank you so much.
Paul Zinerco Hi Paul, your son isn’t getting different kinds of squash on the same plant. They may just look different at different stages of development. Cross pollination will only affect the SEEDS inside of the fruit the plants produce. Then if those seeds are planted they may produce a genetically different plant than the parent plant. So if you hand pollinate flowers from the same plant and close the flowers, the seeds in the fruit it grows will grow plants that are genetically the same as the parent plant.
My biggest problem, for the last two years, is male squash flowers grow, bloom and die before any female flowers are in bloom. The first year I lost most of my squashes for this reason. The second year it happened again but I was ready for it and hand pollinated. It worked just fine and I got a pretty good % pollinated and grew to maturity. Bees wouldn't have helped in this case because there was almost two or three weeks between male and female flowers.
I read on another board a string that discussed hand pollinating sweet corn. People were having issues with the stalks tasseling out and dropping their pollen before the ears formed. Several people claimed they have been able to successfully save pollen in a small container for a few weeks/months and still have it be viable when they applied it at a later date. The important thing is to mark the container with the proper pollen variety. I know it's a lot of extra work, but these are crazy circumstances we are enduring !
I named my zucchini plant david, the good zucchini. it's amazing how fast they grow too, it entirely took over the garden bed I put it in, with just a little basil growing underneath the leaves~
Dear Gardener Scott. Hand pollination works on melons too. It's harder to tell the male and female flowers, though. How good are wasps at pollination? I've noticed about 10 different varieties where I live, and some websites say they're really good at it, and some say they're bad. I even found one website that says they are both in the same paragraph! I'll link you to the website if you like.
I really appreciate this video, I have been having a horrible time with pests(mealy bugs, grubs, spidermites, and aphids) so i am using neem oil and about to grab some mesh. This will help immensely, thanks!
Very informative video. Unfortunately bees are declining in numbers so this is very important to make sure your plant can produce for you. I don't grow squash, but I do it for fun on my peppers . I have a garden for the pollinators, but it is just getting started.
@@poojapurohit5177 This is an old thread, but in case you still don't know how to encourage pollination of tomato plants, it is very easy! When you see blossoms on the plant, using your finger just tap the blossoms several times. That will shake the male pollen downward onto the female portion of the flower
I have one straightneck squash popping out only male flowers (and a lot) but I've been using the pollen this way. I seem to have plenty of bees and things but they weren't spreading the "love" around enough.
The plant will start producing female flowers when it is big enough to support fruit and after some initial male flowers, but when stressed by high heat or other environmental factors the female flowers may start appearing sooner.
Thanks mr Scott for this one! So timely. It’s interesting to me that I replanted a zucchini after hail and only female flowers emerged first, I hadn’t a single male and 3 zucchini just died off very small last week. One question I have is, can one use a still closed male flower to pollinate the almost mature female flower? I did manage to save one zucchini this week which has grown very well,but now I have a great many male flowers and no female flowers left as yet. I must admit I am confuzzled by this,but very interested to know why this might be.
You can try using a closed male; it won't hurt. Pollen deteriorates quickly and isn't viable for very long. When a plant is stressed by weather or other environmental issues it will start producing female flowers and can disrupt the normal cycle. Your hail probably caused that.
@@GardenerScott hey Scott...I don't have bees this year....just asking 4u to confirm how many days do I have to polinate both pumpkin and zucchini flowers.thnx
@@paulsoutbackgardenaustrali7674 The female flowers need to be pollinated the first day they open. If you pollinate the female flowers when they appear you should get a steady supply of fruit.
interesting video and great info. thanks. One question - are there going to be enough male flowers to break one off for each female flower that you hand-pollinate? It makes them "one use", versus the paintbrush/swab method, where you could go back to the same male flower to hand-pollinate multiple female flowers. Is that not a concern? Thanks again!
@ Gardner Scott , hello make my hoop today turned out great I bought this compost at Lowe's it has perlite in lt that's good but when I make my seed be starter mix on your mix should I reduce the perlite in 1/2 g Half or is more not good thanks Gary from AZ
Great video! Do you recommended pruning the fruit or females that didn't pollinate? I have a lot of brown small unpollinated squash fruit dying off so should I just trim all off or let them die off and fall off themselves?
Awesome info Scott. My name is Scott too and I am growing a bucket garden right now on my front porch and my pumpkin is growing really well. A female blossom has just come out on the main vine. But there is another vine going up onto a trellis. Is it safe to prune that vine going nip off completely in order to send more energy to the fruit?
Hi, Scott. I like to leave extra vines until fruit forms and to leave as many leaves as I can. You can prune off the tips so new energy doesn't go into longer vines, but more leaves means more energy for bigger pumpkins.
@@GardenerScott thank you Scott I just pruned off that one leg I was asking about. Most of all the big leaves are on the main vine. I wish I could send you a picture of my plant.
Scott, I have two types of bottle gourd, in all 4 plants and in between the 10 feet or so I find male and few female flowers. One type is a long one and the other round gourds. What happens, if I mistakenly use a male from a long type to the female of the other type? Any problem?
I was real close to going and yanking them out turning light yellow no fruit probably 30 ft long one of them going up to fence line when I saw this video maybe I'll try a little longer
I had to remove all of my crook neck and zucchini squash. The developed either Mosaic virus and/or Downy mildew. Is there a way to determine the difference? All the literature/pictures I found on google looked very similar sometimes??? BTW, I used drip tape irrigation. Thanks for your video's
There is a difference in how the leaves look. Do a search for photos of Mosaic virus and Downy mildew and look at the patterns on the leaves. Mosaic virus tends to be more mottled with deformed leaves and Downy mildew tends to have distinct spots on the underside of leaves.
@@GardenerScott Yes, I noticed that after about 4-6 large leaves on each plant they started becoming deformed, smaller and more wrinkled. (At first I thought it might be contamination from herbicide in some hay I had near the squash, but run off water from heavy rains didn't affect any other cabbages or collards.) Veins in leaves were lighter colored and lighter mottled areas as well. About 7-10 days later started developing mildew spots on the underside of the leaves. Sounds like a combination of both maybe. Thanks for replying. Stay warm, still in the 80's here!
Hey you at home!! Pssst Psst yes you!! Leave the female flower attached to the plant when you hand pollinate, otherwise it won't work properly. Don't cut it off the planet OK!? 😛 Smile lots this weekend.
My heart! My system went into complete shock when Gardener Scott completely removed a female flower. I am happy to be educated... but the food grower inside me is screaming "Noooooo!" Gardener Scott says it is "More fun" to use the male flower as a paintbrush to pollinate the female flower. When I do this - I tell my partner that I am making my plants have sex.
Excellent explanation. I have gardened for 75 years and never learned to hand pollinate--but I have a squash volunteer in pot on my porch. It is blooming, but not forming squash and I knew it was time to learn... It's not so complicated when you explain it. Thanks!!
This is great as i am growing pumpkins off the balcony
Thank you, this has to be the best and most thorough explanation i have ever come across on hand pollination!
What an excellent teacher you are! I know what I am going to do next time I go to my garden! First, look for the male and female flowers and try hand pollinating. Thanks!
Thanks Scott,I like your slow easy thorough coaching, and not so long videos. Thank you.
Wow!!! How did you know I was needing this video😊 Thank you for all your expertise💡
Wow...this was great information. I had no idea there was only 1 day for the female to get pollinated. As always you have the best videos and information. Thank you Scott!
I was hand pollinating while watching this 😀 hopefully I’ll have some seeds true to type for next year!
This is great, I’ve had to hand pollinate all my squash even with tons of bees in them. But, unfortunately I’ve got 5 squash plants and only had 5 female flowers total this summer.
Thank you for your high quality and very comprehensive (as always) video lesson. I like how you always give options on how to achieve a particular result.
Thank you. I need to do this with my pumpkins if it’s not too late. Lots of flowers there were but nothing. Will try but it is prolly too late. At least I’ll know for next year
Another video filled with useful information. I see from all the comments that I'm not the only person who needed this how-to this year.
Personally, I've spent more money on perennial flowers for the 'bee garden' than I did on the veggies. Butterfly bushes, Lilacs, Hollyhocks, Yarrow, etc. that will hopefully keep the bees coming back and wandering over to the food-producers. Next spring I've got a full pound of mixed native grass & wildflower seed to spread along a border of the yard to really pump up the beneficial bugs.
Great video. I don't have bees, so this is a perfect solution. I will keep you updated.
I also like to use the male flower as the paintbrush. Then I leave the male flower stem pointing at that female flower just to make sure I know that it's pollinated. I also leave the leftover male flower on one of the leaves so the bees can see it
Great tips Scott. Another important reason to learn the difference between the flowers is so you can use a few male flowers to stuff + cook :) You never want to screw up and cut off the wrong ones
Hi Scott, I absolutely love love your videos because you're so good at explaining in details and speak nice and soft and in a way I can understand. You take your time to explain. Thank you so much.
That was awesome 👏
Just what I needed 👍🏻
Thank you SO MUCH Scott!! 😀
Thank You for that video, it explains why my Son gets three different kind of zucchini and squash on the same plant 🌱
Paul Zinerco Hi Paul, your son isn’t getting different kinds of squash on the same plant. They may just look different at different stages of development. Cross pollination will only affect the SEEDS inside of the fruit the plants produce. Then if those seeds are planted they may produce a genetically different plant than the parent plant. So if you hand pollinate flowers from the same plant and close the flowers, the seeds in the fruit it grows will grow plants that are genetically the same as the parent plant.
Thank You for your quick response 🙏👍
My biggest problem, for the last two years, is male squash flowers grow, bloom and die before any female flowers are in bloom. The first year I lost most of my squashes for this reason. The second year it happened again but I was ready for it and hand pollinated. It worked just fine and I got a pretty good % pollinated and grew to maturity. Bees wouldn't have helped in this case because there was almost two or three weeks between male and female flowers.
My female fruits sometimes turn yellow and die before the flower even opens up.
I had this problem this year too. Was all ready to hand pollinate but I had no opportunity unfortunately
I read on another board a string that discussed hand pollinating sweet corn. People were having issues with the stalks tasseling out and dropping their pollen before the ears formed.
Several people claimed they have been able to successfully save pollen in a small container for a few weeks/months and still have it be viable when they applied it at a later date. The important thing is to mark the container with the proper pollen variety. I know it's a lot of extra work, but these are crazy circumstances we are enduring !
I named my zucchini plant david, the good zucchini. it's amazing how fast they grow too, it entirely took over the garden bed I put it in, with just a little basil growing underneath the leaves~
Thank you. Very easy to see what I need to do.
Thank you
Thank you sir. You are a great teacher . Well done videos.
I had to hand pollinate some of my butternut squash this year, because I didn’t have enough bees in my yard.
I wondered what was the best way to do that , many thanks for showing me how.
Thanks Scott, absolutely the best vid I have seen on hand pollinating. regards Bill.
Dear Gardener Scott. Hand pollination works on melons too. It's harder to tell the male and female flowers, though. How good are wasps at pollination? I've noticed about 10 different varieties where I live, and some websites say they're really good at it, and some say they're bad. I even found one website that says they are both in the same paragraph! I'll link you to the website if you like.
Some wasps will be pollinators, but they are not as effective as bees. Their smooth bodies do not transport pollen well.
❤❤ Great Work❤❤
Very awesome job of showing everything one might need to know about this. Thank you
Loved this so fun and educational, thanks!
Excellent explanation for a new gardener. Thanks!!
💚Perfect timing!!! Love it... Thank You Gardener Scott!!!
Could you make a video on how to repeal squash bugs
Good idea. I'll add it to the list.
I really appreciate this video, I have been having a horrible time with pests(mealy bugs, grubs, spidermites, and aphids) so i am using neem oil and about to grab some mesh. This will help immensely, thanks!
Thx ❤
I started a garden at my new spot in grow bags and its the first year I have had bees and not had to do this
Great class. Thank you
Very informative video. Unfortunately bees are declining in numbers so this is very important to make sure your plant can produce for you. I don't grow squash, but I do it for fun on my peppers . I have a garden for the pollinators, but it is just getting started.
Exceptional examples and video. Thank you!
Just started this season and do think I'm getting more squash and seems to be twice the crop
Thanks
Thank you, so helpful and easy to follow
I have been doing more and more of this these days.
How to hand pollinate for tomato flowers? I am new in to gardening and like all of your videos. Well appreciated 👍🏻
Hand pollinating tomatoes is similar but I've never found it necessary.
As my tomato plant is growing high up ,I am worried whether flower gets pollinated or not. I see few of them getting dried .
@@poojapurohit5177 This is an old thread, but in case you still don't know how to encourage pollination of tomato plants, it is very easy! When you see blossoms on the plant, using your finger just tap the blossoms several times. That will shake the male pollen downward onto the female portion of the flower
Thank you Scott...
Bob Cooney
I have one straightneck squash popping out only male flowers (and a lot) but I've been using the pollen this way. I seem to have plenty of bees and things but they weren't spreading the "love" around enough.
Are the flowers easy for the bees to see them? You may have to trim off some of the lower leaves to make the flowers more visible.
question regarding growing pumpkins. what ground cover if any works best to help with weed controls? regular straw laid out?
I've used wood chip mulch and straw around my pumpkins with good success.
This was very thorough instruction - thank you. QUESTION: I also have ants in my flowers (as I saw in yours): could the ants act as pollinators?
Definitely. Ants can be good pollinators.
Very informative video... I may need to do this on my own zucchinis. Are there certain conditions that signal a plant to start growing female flowers?
The plant will start producing female flowers when it is big enough to support fruit and after some initial male flowers, but when stressed by high heat or other environmental factors the female flowers may start appearing sooner.
good stuff as always! :)
Thanks mr Scott for this one! So timely. It’s interesting to me that I replanted a zucchini after hail and only female flowers emerged first, I hadn’t a single male and 3 zucchini just died off very small last week. One question I have is, can one use a still closed male flower to pollinate the almost mature female flower? I did manage to save one zucchini this week which has grown very well,but now I have a great many male flowers and no female flowers left as yet. I must admit I am confuzzled by this,but very interested to know why this might be.
You can try using a closed male; it won't hurt. Pollen deteriorates quickly and isn't viable for very long. When a plant is stressed by weather or other environmental issues it will start producing female flowers and can disrupt the normal cycle. Your hail probably caused that.
@@GardenerScott hey Scott...I don't have bees this year....just asking 4u to confirm how many days do I have to polinate both pumpkin and zucchini flowers.thnx
@@paulsoutbackgardenaustrali7674 The female flowers need to be pollinated the first day they open. If you pollinate the female flowers when they appear you should get a steady supply of fruit.
What me interest most to know how you managed to seminate 10: pumpkins in such a small bed?
Compliments again
My soil has the nutrients to support their growth.
interesting video and great info. thanks. One question - are there going to be enough male flowers to break one off for each female flower that you hand-pollinate? It makes them "one use", versus the paintbrush/swab method, where you could go back to the same male flower to hand-pollinate multiple female flowers. Is that not a concern? Thanks again!
There should be more male than female flowers, but a single male can be used to pollinate multiple females. There is a lot of pollen in that stamen.
@ Gardner Scott , hello make my hoop today turned out great I bought this compost at Lowe's it has perlite in lt that's good but when I make my seed be starter mix on your mix should I reduce the perlite in 1/2 g
Half or is more not good thanks Gary from AZ
You can reduce the amount of perlite if there is already a good amount in the bag you bought.
@@GardenerScottok thank you Gary
Great video! Do you recommended pruning the fruit or females that didn't pollinate? I have a lot of brown small unpollinated squash fruit dying off so should I just trim all off or let them die off and fall off themselves?
Thanks! Unpollinated flowers will drop off the plant naturally, but you can pinch them off to hasten the process. I usually just leave them be.
I see the tiny little squash but my female flowers are shut tight. How big do the squash need to be b4 the flower will open ?
The flowers should open a few days after the tiny squash is visible. As the plant grows more flowers will appear.
Awesome info Scott. My name is Scott too and I am growing a bucket garden right now on my front porch and my pumpkin is growing really well. A female blossom has just come out on the main vine. But there is another vine going up onto a trellis. Is it safe to prune that vine going nip off completely in order to send more energy to the fruit?
Hi, Scott. I like to leave extra vines until fruit forms and to leave as many leaves as I can. You can prune off the tips so new energy doesn't go into longer vines, but more leaves means more energy for bigger pumpkins.
@@GardenerScott thank you Scott I just pruned off that one leg I was asking about. Most of all the big leaves are on the main vine. I wish I could send you a picture of my plant.
great video. do the big carpenter bees pollinate?
Thanks! Carpenter bees definitely pollinate, but their body size limits the flowers that they can access.
Thank you
I think its more fun to just plant flowers that attract pollinators. Let the bees do the work, that's what they were hired to do.
Scott, I have two types of bottle gourd, in all 4 plants and in between the 10 feet or so I find male and few female flowers. One type is a long one and the other round gourds. What happens, if I mistakenly use a male from a long type to the female of the other type? Any problem?
Nothing will happen this year. If you save the seeds and sow them next year, a hybrid plant will probably grow.
Thanks boss
I was real close to going and yanking them out turning light yellow no fruit probably 30 ft long one of them going up to fence line when I saw this video maybe I'll try a little longer
I had to remove all of my crook neck and zucchini squash. The developed either Mosaic virus and/or Downy mildew. Is there a way to determine the difference? All the literature/pictures I found on google looked very similar sometimes??? BTW, I used drip tape irrigation. Thanks for your video's
There is a difference in how the leaves look. Do a search for photos of Mosaic virus and Downy mildew and look at the patterns on the leaves. Mosaic virus tends to be more mottled with deformed leaves and Downy mildew tends to have distinct spots on the underside of leaves.
@@GardenerScott Yes, I noticed that after about 4-6 large leaves on each plant they started becoming deformed, smaller and more wrinkled. (At first I thought it might be contamination from herbicide in some hay I had near the squash, but run off water from heavy rains didn't affect any other cabbages or collards.) Veins in leaves were lighter colored and lighter mottled areas as well. About 7-10 days later started developing mildew spots on the underside of the leaves. Sounds like a combination of both maybe. Thanks for replying. Stay warm, still in the 80's here!
I haven't had any luck with none of my squash. Male flowers die and fall off before females even come out. Not sure what I'm doing wrong
How long is the male's pollen good for if cut?
It can last for days if the temperature isn't too high.
I must be the only adolescent person watching this! You did such a great job on never giggling or snorting! Seriously - thank you for the info!
Thanks!
Thank you so much. We are growing our first food forest and am so excited. New subscriber here!
Welcome to the channel! I have permaculture and food forest videos planned.
Hey you at home!! Pssst
Psst yes you!!
Leave the female flower attached to the plant when you hand pollinate, otherwise it won't work properly. Don't cut it off the planet OK!? 😛
Smile lots this weekend.
👍👍👍👌♥️
How many female flowers can you pollinate from one male flower
A single male can pollinate multiple female flowers.
Thanks as I don’t see any bees in my garden
👌
What if the male flowers happen to be gay?🤣 It’s so beautiful to see how nature gets everything just right
Funny
When only growing in a greenhouse, it's hand pollinate or -- nothing!
When i have all male flowers and no female what should I do?
Just wait. It's normal for male flowers to appear first and gradually female ones will grow.
Hello Scott, teach me.... so I can be first
Bob Cooney
Salt Lake City
Second viewer 😄
My heart! My system went into complete shock when Gardener Scott completely removed a female flower.
I am happy to be educated... but the food grower inside me is screaming "Noooooo!"
Gardener Scott says it is "More fun" to use the male flower as a paintbrush to pollinate the female flower. When I do this - I tell my partner that I am making my plants have sex.
Thanks! I wanted to leave the female flower on the plant but couldn't get the camera angle I wanted. It was painful for me to remove it too. 🙂
My Government killed all the Bees here , to stop the Bee Mite .
Looking at my Squash patch , No Bees , Must Hand Pollinate .
This was very helpful. Thank you 😊