Cross pollination of squashes

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gavinjconway

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Cross pollination of squashes
« on: October 02, 2012, 18:08 »
Hi my learned friends...

I grew a few courgettes (round, normal, patty pan and Lebanese) and also some acorn squash "Honey Bear" all withing a space of 4x3mt.. Do you think that the Acorn Type would cross pollinate with courgette / marrow types? I want to collect some Acorn squash seeds but am scared of x pollination..
Now a member of the 10 Ton club.... 2013  harvested 588 Kg from 165 sq mt..

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DD.

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Re: Cross pollination of squashes
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2012, 18:18 »
Yes, cucurbits are notoriously promiscuous!

Have you not seen my photo?
Did it really tell you to do THAT on the packet?

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gavinjconway

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Re: Cross pollination of squashes
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2012, 18:20 »
No DD..?

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JayG

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Re: Cross pollination of squashes
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2012, 18:24 »
Squashes readily cross-pollinate with each other, although other cucurbits are a bit more choosy (cucumbers won't cross-pollinate with squashes, for example.)

(I'm sure DD will be digging out his pic shortly - be very afraid!)  :lol:
Sow your seeds, plant your plants. What's the difference? A couple of weeks or more when answering possible queries!

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Yorkie

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Re: Cross pollination of squashes
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2012, 18:25 »
Yes, cucurbits are notoriously promiscuous!

Have you not seen my photo?

Wondered how long it would take you to see this thread!!  ::) :lol:
I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days all attack me at once...

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DD.

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Re: Cross pollination of squashes
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2012, 18:32 »
Here we go, the result of pumpkins getting intimate with marrows!

Whilst they look like ornamental gourds, these fruits were about 12" long.


« Last Edit: October 02, 2012, 18:34 by DD. »

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mumofstig

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Re: Cross pollination of squashes
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2012, 18:37 »
Acorn squashes and courgettes/marrow are all curcurbita pepo, so they're very closely related and easily crosspollinate.
curcurbit family tree

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gavinjconway

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Re: Cross pollination of squashes
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2012, 19:18 »
I guess I'll bin my seeds and wait to see if I can get some elsewhere.. DD were those "thingys" tasty?

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DD.

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Re: Cross pollination of squashes
« Reply #8 on: October 02, 2012, 19:37 »
They were plants I gave away, much to my embarrassment. They should have been trailing marrows!

The chap I gave them to said they were.

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sunshineband

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Re: Cross pollination of squashes
« Reply #9 on: October 02, 2012, 19:42 »
I liked the look of those squashes - you could have started a trend with them I reckon  :lol:
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LilacSandy

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Re: Cross pollination of squashes
« Reply #10 on: October 02, 2012, 19:45 »
I'd have brought seed just to see the other plotters faces  :lol:

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savbo

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Re: Cross pollination of squashes
« Reply #11 on: October 02, 2012, 19:54 »
squashes identical to DD's appear on the front of Lidl's ornamental gourd seed mix...

I was speaking to a plant physiologist from the Uni a few weeks ago and he was of the opinion that the pollen falling on the female flower will make no difference to the fruit that forms... so any oddities that form in that first generation must be due to a mutation. Obviously the seeds from a cross will grow into plants with different fruit - the Turks Turban seed I saved from last year had obviously crossed with a butternut or pumpkin cos I got an orange flattish gourd without the bumpy lumps proper TTs should have

sav

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DD.

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Re: Cross pollination of squashes
« Reply #12 on: October 02, 2012, 19:59 »
They won't be quite identical. 

These were edible and as I say were a foot long!

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sunshineband

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Re: Cross pollination of squashes
« Reply #13 on: October 02, 2012, 21:58 »
squashes identical to DD's appear on the front of Lidl's ornamental gourd seed mix...

I was speaking to a plant physiologist from the Uni a few weeks ago and he was of the opinion that the pollen falling on the female flower will make no difference to the fruit that forms... so any oddities that form in that first generation must be due to a mutation. Obviously the seeds from a cross will grow into plants with different fruit - the Turks Turban seed I saved from last year had obviously crossed with a butternut or pumpkin cos I got an orange flattish gourd without the bumpy lumps proper TTs should have

sav

Yes, because the seeds are the bit formed through pollination, not the surrounding fleshy gourd bit  :nowink:

The seeds from a crossed squash are always an unknown  :wacko:

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savbo

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Re: Cross pollination of squashes
« Reply #14 on: October 04, 2012, 10:19 »
I added my comment cos there have been various threads over the years about squashes and tomatoes where people seem to ahve got their generations mixed p?



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