By Viv1
Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
what to do with my squash plant
have googled everywhere trying to find out if i need to nip out the top so to produce side shoots or do i let it sprawl about or grow up a cane ! its in a large pot in GH but its going onto patio soon due to lack of space
- 19 Jun, 2010
Answers
thanks T - its a small thing called munchkin
20 Jun, 2010
I'd just put three stout stakes in the pot, tied together at the top to make a tepee, and let the vine grow up and down as it pleases. If the greenhouse has plexiglass panes, or is made with plastic film, I'd put the plant in partial shade when first it's moved out, to keep it from getting ultraviolet sunburn.
20 Jun, 2010
Smaller squashes, like butternut, patty pan, or acorn, can grow on a strong tepee or trellis, Viv. Big ones, like hubbard or banana, are better off on the ground, or in cloth slings attached to a very strong trellis. You can nip out the tip as long as it is already producing fruit, but that will stop further fruit production for a few weeks--sometimes a good thing, with the larger varieties.
19 Jun, 2010