# Squashed



## DmaxRojo (Aug 19, 2005)

Problem: zucchinis get about the size of a vienna sausage, turn brown and yellow on the end, and then rot.

Observations:
doesn't appear to be any bug or fungus issues
fairly constant moisture regiment

Hypothesis:
pollenation issues??????

Any help would be great. This problem plagued me last year too. The year before that, I had zucchinis so big that I sliced them long ways and made lasagna noodles out of them. Aaarrrgghhh!


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## BigTim (Dec 3, 2006)

Lack of pollination. If you only have a few plants you might try this, one morning remove a male flower from the plant. Carefully remove the petals and bump all the females with the exposed pollen.


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## LDL (Jun 10, 2006)

Or you can use a Q-tip


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## zrexpilot (Jun 14, 2007)

I am having this problem too.
My garden is about 10x40 I planted my squash on the ends of the 40 section.
On one end my squash plants are huge and on the other end they didnt grow as big or as fast. Now my big squash plants are putting out very small zucchinis and squash and my small plants on the other end are putting out very big squash.
wierd


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

Sounds like blossom-end rot to me.

*Water evenly* - If the plant goes through drastic changes in the amount of water it gets, it may not be able to take up the calcium it need at the crucial time when the fruit is being formed. Water evenly, not too much or too little.

*Add the right kind of fertilizer* - Add a low nitrigen fertilizer to the soill before you plant. Too much nitrogen will 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.

*Add lime *- The soil pH must be between 6.0 and 6.5 for optimal calcium uptake. Use lime to balance you're your soil's pH if it is too low, adding lime will correct this.

*Add gypsum* - Gypsum will help add calcium to the soil and will make that nutrient more readily available.

*Remove the fruit and fix the problem* - If squash blossom end rot appears, remove the affected fruit and use a calcium rich foliage spray on the plant. This will ensue that the next round of squash that the plant grows will have sufficient calcium to grow correctly. You can use Epsom salts (AKA magnesium sulfate) which has been proven to prevent blossom rot). Apply a spray of 1 tbs. Epsom salts to one gallon of water liberally on the plants once per month.

In addition, if you suspect a pollination problem, hand pollinate with a small (hobby-type) paint brush.


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## BigTim (Dec 3, 2006)

Ooops...,W R Ranch is right on. I did not even think of calcium deficiency at the time. Get a foliar spray like Rot-Stop or Yield Booster and spray them per label instructions.


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