Thanks, I didn't know winter squash were susceptible to BER. I don't know that it's the culprit here though. The developing squash don't seem to rot from the blossom end or from any particular place. They just kind of shrivel up. I will add some eggshell to the mounds and do a foliar spray, in case that might improve matters.
In my garden, I've never had trouble with pollinators. All sorts of insects will do the job. That's one advantage of a small scale garden, as opposed to commercial farming. With your squash, the first fruit matured, and the later fruit didn't. Perhaps a nutrient (calcium?) was exhausted in the soil.
it could be incomplete pollination. if there is poor pollination, the plant aborts the development of the squash, and the blossom end appears rotted, even though it is not blossom end rot. perhaps your hand pollination efforts werent enough? (admittedly i have never hand pollinated)
Could be. I only started hand pollinating when I noticed that for a few weeks, while there were plenty of bees and such around, there weren't many visiting the squash.
It doesn't have to be bees. A lot of the pollinating in my garden seems to be being done by yellow jackets (bless their ornery, cantankerous little hearts!) I know I have some carpenter bees (making their nests in my garden gate) who get busy in the garden, and one year I had ground-dwelling bees.
I'm inclined to agree with yesididit2, that your problem could be inadequate pollination. You didn't say: are you using a brush dipped into the pollen of the male flower, or using the male flower's anther directly on the stigma? You have to rub the pollen which is on the anther generously and thoroughly all over the stigma to get good pollination. (If you were using a brush, or a cotton swab, next time try using the anther itself. If you've been using the anther directly on the stigma, try to touch all of the stigma with it.)
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I did add eggshell and a little fertilizer and did a foliar spray yesterday. We'll see.
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I'm inclined to agree with yesididit2, that your problem could be inadequate pollination.
You didn't say: are you using a brush dipped into the pollen of the male flower, or using the male flower's anther directly on the stigma? You have to rub the pollen which is on the anther generously and thoroughly all over the stigma to get good pollination. (If you were using a brush, or a cotton swab, next time try using the anther itself. If you've been using the anther directly on the stigma, try to touch all of the stigma with it.)
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/blog/edible-gardening-101-how-to-hand-pollinate-squash/
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