Hand-pollinate pumpkin, squash and zucchini

When to do it

When fresh male and female flowers of compatible plants are open, usually in the morning.

What you need

• Fresh male flower or clean soft brush
• Plant identification

How to do it

1. Check that pollination is the likely issue. Young plants may produce male flowers before females, and heat or moisture stress can also cause fruit loss.
2. Identify a male flower on a plain stalk and a female flower with a small swollen immature fruit behind its petals.
3. Choose fresh pollen from the same crop and compatible species, ideally the same variety. Remove the male petals carefully or collect pollen with a clean brush.
4. Gently transfer pollen from the male anther onto the female stigma in the flower’s centre. Avoid crushing the flower or wetting the pollen.
5. Mark the flower and watch whether its fruit grows over following days. Continue normal moisture care; successful transfer does not guarantee fruit under severe stress.

What success looks like

• The small fruit continues enlarging instead of yellowing and dropping.

Watch out for

• Using a male flower alone and expecting it to form fruit.
• Assuming any two cucurbits are compatible.

Plant guides using this technique

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