Q Why did my ‘Uchiki Kuri’ squash produce very few fruits?
Robin, by email
A
PIPPA SAYS ‘Uchiki Kuri’ is a popular type of Japanese hubbard squash. For good pollination and fruiting, plants need both male and female flowers at the same time, and the weather is a crucial factor.
In hot, dry summers, if plants are allowed to become drought stressed, they tend to make mainly male flowers and few female flowers. So if there were dry spells during the main flowering period, this may have been the cause of your poor crop.
Conversely, a cool, wet summer can cause poor crops too. Although squash do need plenty of moisture at the roots, they also need lots of long, warm, bright days if they’re to grow and fruit as they should.