Squash
Question from Peggy:
Plant starts to grow a squash about 2-3 inches nice shape and color then the tip turns yellow. After that the whole thing turns yellow and dies. Planted in 5 gal plastic pots with bottom cut out, and sunk down about a foot with drip and hose watering. Soil is natural top soil. Thank you
Answer from Pat:
There are two reasons why fruit can abort and fall off a squash, melon, or pumpkin plant. The first reason is lack of pollination. If female flowers aren’t pollinated they will fall off the plant and you will get no fruit. Look at your plants in the early morning. See if bumble bees or honey bees are pollinating them, if not, then hand pollinate them in the way I suggested to another reader.
(I have also made a video on this subject. As soon as possible we will post it on this site.)
The second reason fruit falls off squash plants might be bad soil conditions. I can guess that might be your problem because of the way you have planted. Cutting the bottom off a 5 gallon plastic pot and sinking it in the ground, does not make a good planting situation for squash. Sun can hit the black sides of the container and heat up the soil inside and burn roots. Also, roots of squash need to spread out into the ground. They will be restricted inside a pot. Additionally you do not inform me whether you filled the container with potting soil or with top soil. Scientific experiments have proved that top soil or garden soil stays too wet or too dry in pots and containers and it does not drain properly. Well-amended top soil is the correct thing to use when filling raised beds because a raised bed is more like a terrace, but a pot, even a 5-gallon can with the bottom cut off is not a terrace. Potting soil is the correct material to use when filling pots, hanging baskets, 1 or 5-gallon or 15-gallon cans, and even big tubs and half wine-barrels since potting soil drains properly in containers and yet maintains adequate moisture for plant health.
A better way to plant squash is first to choose a spot in full sun, then dig up your garden soil to 1-foot depth, regardless of how poor you may think it is, then improve it by adding a 4-inch layer of well-rotted homemade, bagged, or trucked compost (not mulch), and digging this into the ground. (If you have heavy clay soil, also mix in some gypsum. Though it takes time to work, you might as well begin now to improve your drainage.) Then sprinkle on organic fertilizer according to package directions, or alternatively, apply chicken manure or guano and then using a pronged cultivator, work the fertilizer into the top 6-inches of the soil. Follow up by watering the ground and letting it settle overnight, and then the next day plant the seeds. Thereafter, water deeply at least once a week. If you do this and also watch that you have bees and hand pollinate if you don’t, you will have success growing squash.