Delicata squash female flowers - Ask Extension
Hello, I’m having problems with one of my delicata squash plants. The plant is making plenty of female and male flowers and I have lots of pollinato...
Knowledgebase
Delicata squash female flowers #841031
Asked July 17, 2023, 10:46 AM EDT
Hello, I’m having problems with one of my delicata squash plants. The plant is making plenty of female and male flowers and I have lots of pollinators as well. However the female flowers have started rotting even before opening. This is happening with each one of them and I have not had any fruits growing successfully on this specific plant. First picture shows the fruit before I pried open the flower. Second picture shows the flower starting to rot inside. Third picture shows a previous female flower that never opened and rotted. Thank you for your help.
Baltimore City County Maryland
Expert Response
Hi- we answered a similar question a few days ago:
https://ask2.extension.org/scp/tickets.php?id=840310
The fruit symptoms in the first photo could be due to poor pollination or a fungal fruit rot infecting the immature fruits (Choanephora fruit rot).
The flowers in the second and third photos must have done their job because the fruits are expanded in size showing successful pollination and fertilization of ovules. Female squash flowers naturally wither within a few days of opening. If they are covered in fuzzy fungal growth they are infected with Choanephora rot.
Jon
https://ask2.extension.org/scp/tickets.php?id=840310
The fruit symptoms in the first photo could be due to poor pollination or a fungal fruit rot infecting the immature fruits (Choanephora fruit rot).
The flowers in the second and third photos must have done their job because the fruits are expanded in size showing successful pollination and fertilization of ovules. Female squash flowers naturally wither within a few days of opening. If they are covered in fuzzy fungal growth they are infected with Choanephora rot.
Jon
