Trouble with my butternut!

[NitramNella]

Hi

I am currently growing a butternut squash plant in the greenhouse with some tomatoes. Toms are doing fine but I am concerned about the squash. It has flowered profusely and produced some small fruit. However, rather than growing into big whoppers, most of these fruit seem to disintegrate and turn to crumbly dust. Occasionally the flowers do too. I still have some small fruit which I am trying to nurture beyond the disintegration stage but I am not sure what is causing it.

I water and feed every other night, using a vegetable feed in the water.

Any ideas gratefully received.

Kind regards

Martin

[paulsherwin]

It sounds as if you need to pollinate the flowers. Normally the insects do this, but this won't happen in a sealed greenhouse. You need to carry pollen from the male flowers (long stalks) to the female flowers (tiny fruits).

Paul

[NitramNella]

thank you paul. first attempt at squashes. will get the artificial pollinator (aka cue-tip) out..