cross pollination of spaghetti squash and zuchinni

[sobie]

We suspect that we have inadvertantly cross pollinated our zuchinni with spaghetti squash. The fruit is very large and green with white spots. How long before maturity?

[rainbowgardener]

If your zucchini and spaghetti squash cross pollinated that would NOT affect the fruit they produce which is determined by the seed that was planted and will still be the same as the plant it came from. It would affect the seeds in that fruit, so if you saved the seed from that fruit and plant it next year you could have some kind of spaghettini hybrid.

The only way you could have a cross now is if the seeds you planted in spring were from some kind of cross pollination like that. If you got your seed from some reliable place, that isn't it.

[Shebee]

I have one Zuchinni plant that cross pollinated with a winter squash.

First of all, it looks like a Zuchinni squash, only the shell is hard and very dark green. It it easy to peel. The flesh inside is orange.

It is the most beautiful zuchinni that I have ever seen. It also taste like winter squash...kinda sweet...with nutty overtones.

I have saved all of the seed from this squash. I want to plant it next year. I want to plant it every year! When I plant this seed next year, will it revert back the original zuchinni or can I continue developing this new type of squash? I would like to eventually get a zuchinni with a deep orange color.

Shebee

[dan1003]

Like rainbowgardener said, cross pollination does not affect the fruit (in this case squash or zucchini). The fruit is entirely made from the ovary of the plant being pollinated and thus contains only the "maternal" genes. The seeds inside of the fruit do, however, have both maternal and paternal genes.
If you grow those seeds (F1 generation), you get a fairly predictable mix of traits (think of a mule) from the maternal and paternal plants. If these F1 plants then cross pollinate, the new seeds will be the F2 generation, which will be a much less predictable mix of traits (if they develop at all-- many F1's are sterile...like a mule), because recessive traits can come through (which is why it's not a good idea to mate with your relatives).

See [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendelian_inheritance[/url] for more on the genetics.

Bottom line: cross pollination is not a factor unless you save your seeds.

[brightonbaker]

Hello I saved some seed from a spaghetti squash bought in the supermarket. We sowed four of these this year which have all created squash fruits, although two of the plants have entirely yellow fruit and two plants have yellow fruit with green bottoms! Do you think that the original seed was a hybrid or have they cross pollinated with our courgette plants?!

Emily
PS we haven't tried to eat the squash yet - is there any reason that they wouldn't be edible??

[rainbowgardener]

Read the above re cross pollination. Even if they cross pollinated with your courgettes/ zucchinis, that would NOT affect the current generation of fruit.

Your supermarket spaghetti squash could have been a hybrid or it could just be uneven ripening.

I don't see why it shouldn't be edible.

[jal_ut]

Where did you get the seed?

Crookneck, pattipan, zucchini, spaghetti, and some pumpkins are all of the species Cucurbita pepo. They will freely cross. Since they are pollinated by bees, they will most likely cross to some extent if you grow them near each other as I do. However this does not have any effect on this years fruit. If your squash fruits do not come true to type, then it is because of the seed you planted. It was likely something that was crossed last year.

I have saved some seeds from my squash and planted the following year just for the heck of it. Since I grow several of the pepos the resulting fruits were rather weird. Not at all like the parents.

I only grow one Cucurbita moschata type, Butternut. I can save the seeds from it and they will come true to type. The reason is that they are of a different species and don't cross with the pepos.

You can also grow one Cucurbita maxima, (Hubard, Bannana, or Giant Pumpkin) and expect them to come true to type.

However if you grow several of the Cucurbita pepo squash just figure they will cross and don't save seed unless you just want to grow it to see what you get.

Same with watermelon, if you only grow one variety, you can save seed and it will come true to type. (If it is not a hybrid to begin with.)

When will it ripen? Good question. Young growing squash have a bright shiny look to the skin., and the skin is tender and can be easily scratched or dented. When they are ripe they lose that gloss and the skin becomes hard. If it happens to be of a summer squash type, you should harvest when young and tender. If it is of winter type, look for the tendril where the stem of the fruit joins the vine. When it is dry and the skin of the fruit is hard, and has lost its gloss, your squash is ripe.

Yes, crossed squash are edible, and may be just delicious. Try it.

[jal_ut]

Last year I planted some Hubbard squash and some Banana squash. I saved some seed from one of the Hubbards. This year I again planted Hubbard and Banana from the same seed lot as last year, but I also planted some of the saved seed. Here is a picture of the results:

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/squash3.jpg[/img]

The Hubbard and Banana came true to form as expected since it was from a good seed source. The saved seed produced the squash in the center. There were several individual plants from this seed, and they all produced a similar looking squash.

Last year I only had the two Cucurbita maxima types in my garden, so the cross was definitely between Hubbard and Banana. This year I have a Cucurbita maxima pumpkin plus the Hubbard, Banana and the H/B cross growing in my garden. I don't think I will save any seed .

[applestar]

let us know how the Hubanana tasted.

[rainbowgardener]

Very interesting! Clearly in between its two parents with characteristics of both. So save some of your Hubanana seeds (good name, applestar) and see what they produce next year!

[jal_ut]

Rainbow, I will save some seed for you if you want to try it, but I am not interested in doing the test.

I think next year I will only plant one Cucurbita maxima and that will be the pumpkin. Then I can save the seed and offer it for sale. Those seeds cost $1 each at the store.

I haven't had much luck selling any of the large squash, yet the acorn and butternut sell good. As for my own eating one of the small ones is enough for us. If I cut a large one and cook it up, I will have plenty for the freezer.

[rainbowgardener]

No, that's ok. I don't have a lot of room for growing squashes, so I will concentrate on the ones I really want.

I imagine people don't really know what to do with the huge squash, don't have pots the right size, don't know how to handle it, don't really want to have so much they have to freeze the left overs, etc. They are cool to look at, but a little intimidating when you start thinking about lugging it home and dealing with it.

[jal_ut]

Yes, actually I think I grow them now and then just for a lark. It is fun to get such a big fruit. Its like going for a big pumpkin. They are good eating, but you need to cut one and go visit the neighbors. The smaller varieties like acorn, delicata and butternut make more sense for a small family. I have plenty of room to grow anything I desire, but like I said, I think my planting will be different next year. Its better to have a fruit someone will use, than just something for me to look at.

[rainbowgardener]

Delicata is my all time favorite squash!