Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: MoreWhisky on May 07, 2010, 00:13
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I seem to be having trouble germinating my Hooligan,Crown prince and Festival squashes.
I cant understand why :unsure: everything else has germinated lovely. Have tried different composts to, and so far have 1 hooligan :ohmy:
Any other Squash lover out there who can give me a tip or two please :)
Cheers MW.
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Can I add a me too.....
I have had only a 25% record with my hawk squashes. Courgettes seem to have worked a treat but my squashes have been a struggle.
Thanks
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I've had good germination,except for an acorn squash >:( but they have been so slow this year.
But for me, as it was just one variety out of 11 :ohmy: I'm blaming poor seed quality for that failure
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Are you keeping them nice and warm , i put a seed tray in a plastic bag on top of a kitchen wall unit and they were up 50mm in 6 days. :)
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I have had the same problem with butternuts. All the other squashes came up no problem, but none of the four butternuts appeared. I put the rest of the packet to chit, which they did eventually, but still only one of the chitted seeds I sowed has appeared. Very odd... there were no problems last year.
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I planted my Butternuts, (last yers Dig In seeds) on Saturday in 3 inch pots inside an unheated propogator which I put on a shelf in my office. This morning nearly every single one has just started showing.
What I have learnt this year if it's of any help is.
Not too hot at any time
Not too cold at any time
Not too wet.
Now I germinate all seeds indoors on top of a cupnoard in my office, and do not soak the compost as I did last year as they were all rottig before germinating.
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they might like a bit of bottom heat (prop without a lid)
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Every squash seed i have sown this year has grown. A packet of patti-pan from a seed swap that was 2 yrs past use by date all grew , b-nuts planted 2 seeds per pot all grew and were thinned and composted.
I wish i could get the same germination rates with spring onions. :)
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none of my squashes germinated ( plastic bagged and in a greenhouse)which i put down to old seed, went and bought some fresh and still nothing :(
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I have noticed on several occasions that squash grown alongside cougettes and pumpkins need more heat to get them started.
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My unknown butternut squash seeds were planted in compost, put in a propagator on my windowsill in my kitchen (kept warm by an Aga). I was shocked to see that this is what they looked like after a week! Just have to hope that they fruit now :lol:
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none of my squashes germinated ( plastic bagged and in a greenhouse)which i put down to old seed, went and bought some fresh and still nothing :(
It's still too cold out in the greenhouse for them to germinate :( Start some more inside on a warm windowledge :)
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Don't give up on them mines have taken weeks and are only just showing now. I hadn't given them any heat so last week I popped them in a poly bag blew it up and tied it off and now they are through. Thank goodness as I don't have any more seeds left. I only got 10 in the packet.
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Gave most of mine a short holiday in the kitchen to kick start them and then they've been in a cold green house and growing on well. I missed a couple and thoses two have been in cold greenhouse since sowing and look to be really sturdy plants. Now if i could just get my brassicas to last beyond first leaf I would be very happy :D
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I germinate them in a propagator in the airing cupboard. The key is to make sure the compost is not too wet or they rot and to take them out as soon as they break through otherwise they get leggy. Put them on the windowsill or cold greenhouse after that. I grow dozens of varieties (old and new seed) and only the overly wet ones have failed.
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I germinate them in a propagator in the airing cupboard. The key is to make sure the compost is not too wet or they rot and to take them out as soon as they break through otherwise they get leggy. Put them on the windowsill or cold greenhouse after that. I grow dozens of varieties (old and new seed) and only the overly wet ones have failed.
Overly wet!! Now that's most likely to be a problem. :(
I stuck mine in paper pots and into an unheated greenhouse that gets very warm during the day and holds a fair heat at night as it's on a high wall - acts like a thermal store. I intended taking them indoors at night - forgot .... 90% germination and old seeds too ;)
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One trick with squashes and cucurbits is to plant the seeds on their sides. And being mostly tropical plants, they prefer warm, not overly wet conditions for germinating.
It's also possible that seed crops were poor last year so plant lots more than you normally would and the odds should be in your favour.
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I germinate them in a propagator in the airing cupboard. The key is to make sure the compost is not too wet or they rot and to take them out as soon as they break through otherwise they get leggy. Put them on the windowsill or cold greenhouse after that. I grow dozens of varieties (old and new seed) and only the overly wet ones have failed.
Too wet, hmmmm must be it.
Next year one year older, one year wiser thanks all
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I sowed about 20 different varieties of squash on Sunday, and most of them have already germinated. They are in a heated propagator, with the seeds just pushed into the moist compost, with the pointed end down till they are level with the surface. Easy, even with some of the seed several years old.
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First lot failed, second lot have all come up, from same packet of seed, in same compost, in same conditions - bottom heat and grow light. So who knows? I dont!
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I sowed all my courgettes, squashes, pumpkins, cues at the weekend in a heated propagator. Most varieties (Crown Prince was 100%) have had complete success already. I ran out of space though so the butternut squashes on the other hand, are in a pot in a plastic bag just on the windowsill and so far nothing. I'll bung them in the propagator and move the others on to the windowsill tomorrow and see what happens.
I always start mine off in a heated propagator and normally get really good results.
Hope this helps.
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First lot failed, second lot have all come up, from same packet of seed, in same compost, in same conditions - bottom heat and grow light. So who knows? I dont!
That's' the wonder of nature ..... when it works in your favour it's a real buzz ;)
Keep at it - odds are you'll win eventually ;)