Why did my beautiful, full, bloom laden, yellow squash plants not produce any vegetables?

Question

I planted a few yellow squash plants last summer in a huge planter on my balcony. The pants got huge, didn't have bugs or disease, got lots of blooms but never developed any squash. I watered them regularly, but not too much, and they got full sun. What happened? Do you have to have bees, or wind to polinate squash plants? That's the only thing I could think of. They had everything else plants need. I want to try again this year with some bush cucumber plants, and I'd kind of like some cucumbers! Ha!

Answer 1

Two possibilities. Either your plants are still producing only male flowers, or you don't have adequate bee activity. Squash and their relatives produce both male and female flowers on the very same plants. The female flowers actually will show the very immature fruit as a part of the stems at the bases of the petals. Male flowers have straight stems. You'll also see pollen in males. Pick a few males, peel back petals and rub across sticky female parts, for lack of bee activity. For the first couple of weeks squash produce mostly males.Be patient, you should eventually be rewarded. If you have mostly female blooms, it's probably lack of pollinators. Peel and rub!

Answer 2

if u look careful at the middle of the blooms youll notice a different.you'll have a male flower and a female flower, they need to be pollenated, have no bees thats alright u can do this by using artist paint brush, one of the very small one with fine brissels, just move the pollen around to each of the flowers.thats what i had to do this year and now i have more squash i can eat

Answer 3

the long stems with blooms usually come first,they are the males.then a squash with a bloom will come shortly after that!maybe its just too soon!the tiny squash with the blooms on its end is the female!and will have to be pollinated by the male in order to keep growing!

Answer 4

If they are on the patio in full sun the bees would have found them. You might have had blossom rot...don't give up I've had huge tomato plants with no fruit and all sorts of calamities over the years, keep on keepin on and you'll get it right eventually...Happy gardening

Answer 5

Sounds like no pollination. You can pollinate yourself. Get a little paint brush like kids would use. Put it in one of the blossoms and kinda swish it around. Then go to the next flower and do the same. etc, etc. That should do it.

Answer 6

YOU HAVE TO HAVE BEES AND INSECT TO POLINATE THEM!AND THEY REQUIRE FERTILIZER MORE SO THAN OTHER VEGETABLES!
TOMATOES AND CORN , I THINK ARE THE ONLY 2 WIND POLLINATED VEGGIES!
YOU COULD TRY POLLINATING THEM WITH A QTIP,BUT I AM NOT SURE IF IT WILL WORK!

Answer 7

soil is acidic,try sprinkling some crushed lime stone on it in the fall,lime will neutralize the soil.squash and cucumbers don't require much fertilizer,if you over feed,they won't make

Answer 8

yes, you need the bees to pollinate