Fruits not developing

[DonV]

I have melons, winter squash (Summer is doing great), pumpkins and cucumbers that are not having fruit mature.

I have male & female flowers and have for weeks. Winter squash and pumpkin vines are 15' long ore more. First 10 feet got fruit at ever node but it flower, and died. Ends have fruits but still to small to see if they will make it. I have 1 cuc and 1 pumpkin out of lots of vines that is starting to mature, many have died.

Why? They always rot from the flower forward, it has been WET here tons of rain. I try to pop flower off when it dies to stop rotting forward.

[imafan26]

The rain is probably part of the problem with making things rot. Cucurbits require pollination to set fruit. Bees really don't forage much when it is raining and the flowers are receptive for only a short time. It would be natural for unpollinated flowers to fall off.

[DonV]

It is actual fruit (small but fruit) starting to rot after the flower wilts and starts to rot. Squash, Zuccini, pepper all ok.

I have a total of 30' of pumpkins (2 vines 15' each) with exactly ONE pumpkin. Seems odd. Winter squash the same except there is new fruit that might very well do the same thing (still to early to tell).

[rainbowgardener]

Have you noticed any honeybees? Many of us are noticing the lack of them, since nearly half of all the US honeybees died over this past winter.

They are pollinators for squash.

When the female flower appears, there is already an embryo squash behind it. If the flower does not get pollinated (enough - it takes more than one visit), the squash will still grow for awhile, usually getting to be a couple inches long or so (sometimes more) and then it will shrivel up and drop off.


http://gardening.pineapplepalace.org/wp ... C05555.jpg

squash from unpollinated flowers


Alternatively, squash (and other cucurbits) , like tomatoes, can get blossom end rot. The blossom end of the squash gets very dark, brown or black, and soft/ rotten.


http://www.uaex.edu/yard-garden/resourc ... %20rot.JPG

Blossom end rot (in tomatoes and squash) is due to calcium deficiency, but it is almost never a lack of calcium in the soil. Rather various kinds of stress make it difficult for the plant to uptake/ transport calcium. Uneven watering with lots of wet / dry cycles can result in BER. Also if your soil pH is too high or too low, it can interfere with calcium uptake. Too much high nitrogen fertilizer can cause an imbalance of growth between the roots and the leaves. If the leaves grow too fast, the plant does not have enough roots to take up calcium the squash fruit will need. If you fix the problem, then fruits that are set afterwards will not get it.

Do either of these seem like what is going on?

[imafan26]

The female flower will have a little fruit behind it, but if it is not pollinated or there was insufficient pollination, the flower drops off and the small fruit will rot. Some times fruit is pollinated but rots because they are stung by fruit flies. Covering young fruit with a bag will help with that.

[DonV]

WOW GREAT INFO AND PICS!

It looks much more like 2nd pic, we have had tons of rain - seems to me it is encouraging rot? Yes? I have taken to popping flowers of asap to dry out end - it seems like rotting flowers just continues up the fruit.

That said in the 1st pic I have never had and with the green ends (ever). BUT when the flower first wilts it looks like first pic, If I picked it and flower dried it might look like that - but advanced stage always looks like 2nd pic.

I have seen honeybees (I know they are and have been doing bad for years - so I notice them and it makes me smile).

Also note, we have had no rain for almost week, and I have not watered. These I just got out of garden. It starts with slight yellowing and softening of flower end and then just rots (turns brown on summer crooked neck squash).

See pic

So my assumption that rot from excessive moisture is in question - but a few more days will tell if problem is better.

We have had record amounts of rain, very often, with the exception of the last week, for 6 weeks.

[DonV]

pic from today

[DonV]

Watering has been uneven and I have added fertilizer and my leaves are CRAZY huge - what can I do?

Trim leaves? Water more evenly?