Dutch bucket winter squash
 

Hi All,
I have a few projects going and wanted to share them with you and get any input.

I started seeds in rockwool cubes and then moved them to Grodan Delta block after a couple of weeks. The germination and block growth all took place in an aluminum disposable pan with about 1/4 inch of water in the kitchen window. I start with RO water and nutrients at low strength, EC of about .6 to .8. I have used Dutch Master, Gen Hydro and Botanicare grownth formulas. I really don't think it matters one bit. I think fish emulsion would work fine also (read about using it somewhere). I adjust the ph to 5.8 and that is it. Keep the starter cubes and larger cubes wet but letting the pan go dry is not a bad thing, just make sure the cubes are moist and do not dry out. I think this material will stay moist or 1-2 days with no water in the pan. This should promote more rapid root development. Check out pictures. There is also bibb lettuce , a tomato and mescaline mix but those are another story I'll share later.

All squash were planted at the same time, the one in the dutch bucket is growing slower than the inside plants due to cooler outdoor temps at night etc. I live in So. Cal. This is all FUN!

I have not done any research into fish emulation for hydroponics. I do know it is used, just not all the details, like if anything else is needed, amounts to use, types etc.. I beleve it is called Aquaponics.
Ya, you just want them moist rather than saturated all the time.
You can build a makeshift tent by using wood or P.V.C. tubing to make a frame, and then covering it with a plastic drop cloth at night to help keep them warmer. You can even heat the inside of the tent on cold nights.

I have a giant winter squash going right now. teh fruitig is not all that great yet? i see little fruit but two of them had what look like blossom rot so i just tugged them off. do you pollinate yours? i assume you dont because they are groing fruit?

The blossom end rot is from lack of pollination. Squash has male and female flowers and will have to be hand pollinatied.

squash
 

Mine are growing really slowly! Flowering is not even in my mind right now. Regarding the pollination, does one need to use a feather between two or more flowers to create the fruit? Will mother natures critters do this job in the winter? My squash fruited last summer with out any human intervention?

The male flowers will be on a longer stem then the females, the females will have the small fruit below the flower. To hand pollinate pick the flowers from the plant and remove all the petals, then open the female and rub the male around inside the female.

I do this even with my outside garden. The trick is to know the males and females are ready. The flowers will start to change color the day before they open, when they open the best time to pollinate is in the morning.

I grow giant pumpkins and you always hand pollinate them.

the male and femal are both on the same plant on the squash? i planted 3 of them but for some reason thought they would not need pollination.

My morning is this afternoon so i'll start polination then. if i was to store polen how long will it last and can i dry it or freeze it? Be nice to have for when i just want to grow one plant.

on that same note do you know when the water melon like to be pollinated and how you tell the male from the female. I dont have any flowers yet but i lost my second plant in a terrible gardening accident. it through itself right in to my pruning shears

Yes they are both on the same plant, normally the males will show up first and then the females. Squash, Cucumbers, Pumpkins, and Watermelon will have both types of flowers.

Attached is a picture of a female cucumber, notice the little fruit below the flower, the males won't have these.

squash
 

So do both flowers produce fruit, or just the female when it is pollinated by the male?

Only the females produce fruit, they will make a fruit wether it gets pollinated or not. If it gets pollinated the fruit will grow if it doesn't it will get soft and fall off. The males only purpose is to pollinated the females, after that they are done, that is why you pick the males from the plant and throw them away when you are done, I will normally use several males on every female.

Some plants have male and female flowers, some plants like tomatos have the male and female parts both in the flower. Some plants like Asparagus, and Pot have male and female plants, and some plants like corn have the male and female parts in different places, for Corn the tassle on top is the male part and the slik is the female part.

The first picture is the inside of a male Pumpkin flower.
Next is the inside of a female Pumpkin flower.
The next one is the Male on the vine
The fourth one is the female on the vine, you can see the little pumpkin below the flower.
Last one is both of them together, with the petals removed.

Cucumber, Squash, and Watermelon flower will look similar.

This is good to know. Does this apply to all squash variety's?

I have grown several different types of squash and have found this to be true so far.

It's kind of like rape, you force her little petals open and then hop on with 3 or 4 males.

After that it's time for a smoke. LOLOLOL

I just signed up for a bee hive keeping forum. I'm going to bring in some imigrant workers and not pay them to wok 24/7. food and water of course.

bumble bees, i just left some quetions for the forum about perpetual gardens and the bees not seeing winter when they would die off.

I have a small fridge in the garage i can house the hive in in my green room if they need to be tricked into a winter enviroment to keep them going.

I just dont see how they can get there little legs around the paint brush and fly it from flower to flower to pollinate.

be nice to get 100% pollination. hydro honey

The way Bumble Bees work in pollination is they land on the flowers and hold on by flapping their wings and that will knock the pollen loose. This is mainly for plants like Tomatos that have both male and female parts in the same flower.

Aonther way is to just shake the plants every morning. Or if outside walk down the row with a baseball bat and hit the stakes.

i do the flick and shake on the tomatoes but if i miss a few days of going in the green room I see it in production a week or so later when i dont have new fruit develpoing. I like the idea of bringing in a helper.

I'll be like a apple grower here in washington, bringing in workers from a long ways offf and no pay and 24/7 work.

I got to that squash right after sun rise and those flowers opened right up like you said. I located my male parts and opened up her flower and got right up in there. I worked each one two or three times like you suggested. thank god i'm not a dirty grower, had to lay down on the floor to get up under her. Its all very bushy and getting my fingers in the center flowers was tight. since she is of the floor a foot i can lay on my back and look up from under neath and see much better than from the side or top.
I hope she fruits for me now. weird after i was done i felt like a ham sand which and nap?

my artichoke look about the same as well, but i was suprised the canteloupe flowers are so small. twice that of the tomatoes. interesting that the colors of these plants are almost all the same yellow.

I'll break out the camera and get some photos of the room the vine plants are finally starting to cover the light structures the way i wnated them to. i have morning glorys with big buds ready to open any time and lots of little ones develpoing.

You can really tell its fruiting time now the dehumidifier is running a lot more with so much hydro up take from the masses of vegged leaves evaporating from the leaf that is.

I got more than 6 inches of growth in 12 hours yeterday on my cantelope. i'm growing it up to the top of my light boxes then i'm going to grow it around the structure with fruit hanging down in net bags. same with my cukes and peppers.

snow peas are deliciuos got a couple yesterday to try. flowers all over it, just a amazingly beautiful flowering plant.

so these hardware store straw berrys i dumped in friday night already have strong leaf develpoment and the rasberry has a 1inch of stem growth with leaves. the grape has develpoed buds on it already off the stem so its awaking. they must have been in warm storage for a while now with no food to take off that fast.

I'm off to the boat show but tonight i'll take still pictures and post them.