Random question for the green screen: I am helping my mom out with her garden. She planted 2 cucumbers, 2 crooked neck squash, and a few tomato plants in a very small area. The squash took off, as well as the cucumbers, but has not been able to harvest much. After further research and reading, she tells me that she thinks that she only has male(?) plants, and because of the lack of bees or other pollinating insects, her plants aren't getting pollinated. The reason that she's only getting tomatoes is that they are self-pollinating. Any suggestions on what she could do?
Random question for the green screen: I am helping my mom out with her garden. She planted 2 cucumbers, 2 crooked neck squash, and a few tomato plants in a very small area. The squash took off, as well as the cucumbers, but has not been able to harvest much. After further research and reading, she tells me that she thinks that she only has male(?) plants, and because of the lack of bees or other pollinating insects, her plants aren't getting pollinated. The reason that she's only getting tomatoes is that they are self-pollinating. Any suggestions on what she could do?
Do this right here for squash, zekes, and cukes...
For polinating 'maters, just take a small branch from the 'mater plant (for instance a sucker branch) that has a few leaves and just lightly "dust" the blooms to shake 'em a bit... this will polinate the plants more efficiently if you have a shortage of pollinating insects.
Random question for the green screen: I am helping my mom out with her garden. She planted 2 cucumbers, 2 crooked neck squash, and a few tomato plants in a very small area. The squash took off, as well as the cucumbers, but has not been able to harvest much. After further research and reading, she tells me that she thinks that she only has male(?) plants, and because of the lack of bees or other pollinating insects, her plants aren't getting pollinated. The reason that she's only getting tomatoes is that they are self-pollinating. Any suggestions on what she could do?
Cucumbers and squash have both male and female blossoms. You can take the male blossoms, peel off the outer leaves, and rub the stamen around the base of the inside of the female flower. You have to do this in early morning because that is when the flowers are open.
Tomatoes are self pollenating. You can shake them, use a vibrating toothbrush and vibrate the blooms, or do as described above. The toothbrush thing works pretty well because native bees (honey bees can't really pollenate them) use buzz pollination to get pollen from tomato blossoms.
Cucumbers and squash have both male and female blossoms. You can take the male blossoms, peel off the outer leaves, and rub the stamen around the base of the inside of the female flower. You have to do this in early morning because that is when the flowers are open.
Tomatoes are self pollenating. You can shake them, use a vibrating toothbrush and vibrate the blooms, or do as described above. The toothbrush thing works pretty well because native bees (honey bees can't really pollenate them) use buzz pollination to get pollen from tomato blossoms.
I'm pretty lucky in that I have plenty of bees. I have just flicked the tomato blooms in the past with my finger with some success in down years. Plant some pollinators. Cilantro is great for attracting bees! It's usually blooming about the time cukes/tomatoes are coming on in my part of the world and gets me started until the other flowers get going.
I'm pretty lucky in that I have plenty of bees. I have just flicked the tomato blooms in the past with my finger with some success in down years. Plant some pollinators. Cilantro is great for attracting bees! It's usually blooming about the time cukes/tomatoes are coming on in my part of the world and gets me started until the other flowers get going.
For sure. At my community garden plot, we have no problems, though my cucumbers aren't putting off much fruit. We have a pollinator garden for bees and butterflies and every plot (64 of them) has some kind of flower going. We let our cilantro go to flower and it got about 5' tall and their were multiple bees in it daily.
At my house, though we have plenty of polinators planted, we don't have nearly the number of bees. I am guessing that is from everyone using pesticides on their lawns and such. I hand polinated my squash pretty religiously and did all of the above techniques on my tomatoes.
For sure. At my community garden plot, we have no problems, though my cucumbers aren't putting off much fruit. We have a pollinator garden for bees and butterflies and every plot (64 of them) has some kind of flower going. We let our cilantro go to flower and it got about 5' tall and their were multiple bees in it daily.
At my house, though we have plenty of polinators planted, we don't have nearly the number of bees. I am guessing that is from everyone using pesticides on their lawns and such. I hand polinated my squash pretty religiously and did all of the above techniques on my tomatoes.
My cukes are crazy this year. I have a 10ft row of picklers that are doing well. I have a 10ft row of straight 8's that aren't. They were all planted the same day and all of the plants look the same. Straight 8's are even blooming but not putting on. They are all in the same bed. Weirdest thing I've ever seen. Guess I'll go 'masturbate' them
My cukes are crazy this year. I have a 10ft row of picklers that are doing well. I have a 10ft row of straight 8's that aren't. They were all planted the same day and all of the plants look the same. Straight 8's are even blooming but not putting on. They are all in the same bed. Weirdest thing I've ever seen. Guess I'll go 'masturbate' them
Our straight 8's are what is frustrating us. They look robust and grow like gangbusters with blooms everywhere, but probably only half a dozen cukes.
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