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Butternut - Fruit before flowers?

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  • #1

    Butternut - Fruit before flowers?

    I don't know if this is normal but I thought the male flowers (lots of them) have to come first before you get any fruit. I have lots of unopened buds that is obviously going to be male flower but I notice there is a tiny fruit developing (as you'd recognise with courgette) already.

    How did it get pollinated? The butternut plants were placed next to a very productive courgette plant for a while but this kind of cross pollination isn't possible as verified by one our expert members in earlier thread. I hope this isn't too stupid query???
    Food for Free
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  • #2
    Hi
    Is there any possible chance that it was fertilised from a squash plant nearby. Bee's travel a hell of a long way in a day.
    Just a thought there.
    Regards
    Dave
    "He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart"

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    • #3
      The male flowers can be quite insignificant veg 4681, so it's possible one or some came and went without you noticing. Or maybe in a neighbouring garden or plot.

      From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

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      • #4
        Don't assume that it is fertilised, Alice. I had the same thing before any males. thought that my plant was hermephradite! Eventually it fell off.
        phreddy

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Phreddy View Post
          Don't assume that it is fertilised, Alice. I had the same thing before any males. thought that my plant was hermephradite! Eventually it fell off.
          phreddy
          Thanks Phreddy for preparing me for the disappointment when my fruit will fall off eventually. It's better to know than live in hopeless hope.
          Food for Free

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          • #6
            probably a bit late in the year for anything to develop now..i was cutting small fruits of my squash today..

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            • #7
              Originally posted by veg4681 View Post
              Thanks Phreddy for preparing me for the disappointment when my fruit will fall off eventually. It's better to know than live in hopeless hope.
              Hi veg4681,

              Don't get too tense about it... your female butternut squash will start to develop a week or so after fertilized and if it is not fertelized it will not grow bigger and eventually it will drop/ rot.
              During the warm/ optimum weather the unfertilized female flower will drop/ rot in within a week to 10 days but at cooler weather like know it will probably a little bit longer to show.
              Hope it help,

              Momol
              I grow, I pick, I eat ...

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              • #8
                I'm losing hope of harvesting any fruits from mine this year. Plenty of fruits appearing, but they are turninr grey and then disappearing a few days later once they've reached ping-pong ball size. Some are now at tennis ball size, but I reckon they'll soon circum to the same fate...
                A simple dude trying to grow veg. http://haywayne.blogspot.com/

                BLOG UPDATED! http://haywayne.blogspot.com/2012/01...ar-demand.html 30/01/2012

                Practise makes us a little better, it doesn't make us perfect.

                What would Vedder do?

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by HeyWayne View Post
                  I'm losing hope of harvesting any fruits from mine this year. Plenty of fruits appearing, but they are turninr grey and then disappearing a few days later once they've reached ping-pong ball size. Some are now at tennis ball size, but I reckon they'll soon circum to the same fate...
                  Hi HW,

                  Sorry to hear that but don't give up yet, if you wish to save your tennis ball size butternut, try to fertilize them with high potassium ( K ) fertilizer. potassium can help the fruit develop to mature size, prevent the fertilize fruit from dropping and not only that it will improve the taste of the squash and at the same time it will encourage more flowers to develope. Once you have done the fertilizing, most of all hope that warm weather not ending that soon though it looks more like autumn now ( at my area ).
                  I was worried about my squash too but eventually it does form several fruits( 4 of them ) which is from 18 to 20 cm across.
                  They are yokohama winter squash, belong to the same family with butternut. It will be around 1.5 kg at it's final size( 22 to 25 cm across )... it is getting there.

                  Hope it help,
                  Momol
                  I grow, I pick, I eat ...

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