Prune zucchini and squash plants for MAXIMUM production| Promotes new growth and prevents disease

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In this video we will be pruning our squash and zucchini plants to prevent disease, increase air flow, and encourage new growth!

[@skgreenhouse]

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[@bigdogbob845]

S & K, several tips that I have learned in my 50+ years of vegetable gardening are, 1st. Do Not water the leaves of any kind of squash , ONLY water the soil below the plants , 2nd. prune the old leaves as the plant grows and spreads out, this will force the nutrients to the new leaves and flowers, 3rd. powdery mildew can be effectively controlled with Whole Milk in a pump sprayer. And lastly.......... ENJOY ! ! !

[@skgreenhouse]

Thanks for the tips! Sounds like you have a ton of experience!

[@kristinebailey6554]

Yes on that not wetting the leaf. Same for cucumber, African Violet, most any plant with furry leaves. .

[@kasiar1540]

Thank you so much!

[@skyethewylder]

Would you drip line water like a tree, or gently put the hose down near the base of the stem and water that way?

[@bigdogbob845]

@@skyethewylder I prefer using a hose for watering as needed. Drip line watering is better suited to trees and plants that are perennial, because vegetables are seasonal, you would be relocating the drip lines way too often.

[@reginagoff4619]

I just happened across this video and after gardening for 40 years, I learned a lot. I had no idea zucchini plant should be pruned. I like this guy!

[@chriswiley5184]

Me too!

[@lindacaldwell6251]

I have pruned my zucchini plants for about 5 yrs now. Believe me it works. It keeps the leaves up off the ground and helps to keep the leaves from getting overly wet. The plants usually make it all summer long until fall. They never did that before pruning. Now I get fruit all summer!!

[@marjoriedanley6131]

Thank you for showing us that we need to prune these plants. I’m 66 years old and have never had a garden, until this year. I can identify mistakes that I’ve already made. But I’m learning and videos like yours have definitely helped me. Have a Blessed day.

[@deeannjanzen8115]

Sweet ♥️ Thanks for Making me smile 🙂

[@allaboutmycats454]

I’m over 60 and I started planting flowers when I was 12. Food came later. Lol

[@anthonyskilton8634]

Same as myself ! So helpful .

[@grace2garden403]

Although this was 11 months ago, this is right on time for me.

[@Pamela_Lang]

ditto, and it was in my recommended

[@Lyddiebits]

Me too!!!!

[@yvettebrown9084]

Me three 💯🤞

[@angelak1540]

Same! I never thought of doing this!

[@JenniferH1724]

Same

[@Juxtoposethevision]

First time coming across this gentleman, I like him.

[@rhondamontgomery9796]

70 & still learning! Thank you so much. Can’t wait to try pruning this year!!!!

[@judymiller323]

ditto, Rhonda ! Judy

[@jeffreywilmer]

I have had some pretty good success training summer squash on a rope line, growing vertical. It keeps the plant airy and allows bees to pollinate when I do not get to the fruits. Also, I freeze the male flowers to have spares when there is female fruit and no male pollinators.

[@bddollen7384]

- HOW DO YOU KNOW THE “ MALE” FRUIT, & HOW DO YOU THEN POLLINATE WHAT …??

[@kateticzkus5391]

Would love to see a picture of your vertical squash. Can you describe more on how you freeze the male flower. Very interesting idea!

[@nancylourose]

@@bddollen7384 he shows the male and female flowers at 2:22. Use a small brush to transfer pollen from male to female flowers.

[@patriot20000]

@@bddollen7384 There isn't "male fruit". The female has the zuke behind the flower, the male flower just has a stem.

[@jude7321]

@Bd Dollen You can help the blooms pollinate by just vibrating the stems with your fingers, tap the stems gently or if you have an electric toothbrush, just hold it against the cluster of blooms for about 10 seconds and it scatters the pollen. Jude, from Kentucky ✝️🥀🐴🇺🇲💚

[@disgruntledpatient6654]

This is my 1st year planting zucchini and squash. Now I know why all those little fruits are dying off. And I had no idea about pruning the plants either! Thank you!!

[@RkicF8]

This year I'm running them up a string and trimming off the bottom. This will elevate the flowers where they are more accessible. Already producing a few a day.

[@stitchinglulu213]

so instead of 100 zucchini, we will get 200? My neighbors already hate me, lol! good video

[@yvonnethomas2464]

Too cute!!

[@MamaBoots007]

Lol

[@poisonivyandroundup7847]

Is there a best time of the day to prune?

[@jhillky]

I'd love to have a neighbor with extra squash.

[@sandyjonesrigby4422]

That's too funny. Any advice about squash bores. Useful information, I have always been afraid of pruning, just watch out zucchini, here I come with my pruner!!

[@studymassage8204]

I have grown Zucchini with great success for over 60 years, I use a misting system that runs at night which is like nature does when it rains. My wife makes bread out of it, with nuts, berries, crushed grains, sometimes chocolate bits. Her little 6" loaves are a hit at the farmer's markets, she sells several hundred every year.

[@Chris_at_Home]

My sister used to grow commercially with organic certified produce. She told me to water the lawn at night and the garden at dawn. The reason for watering the garden in the morning is so the leaves dry fast to prevent mold.

[@user-nv9dw2ec7s]

Just started planting vegetables this spring. Never to old to learn something new. Thanks

[@saundrayork1654]

I've never before heard of pruning squash plants; however, you've explained this so well that I can't wait to try it. THANKS!

[@brendamcallister5074]

I did this last year and it really worked.

[@brachashighhopeshomestead226]

@@brendamcallister5074 OK!! WILL DO AS YOU HAVE DONE FOR SUCCESS!!

[@calcat7375]

@@brachashighhopeshomestead226 Good Luck!! It worked for me😎

[@calcat7375]

@@brendamcallister5074 I had an 82 year old man with year's of experience who told me not to it wasn't his fault but just had never had of it back then, of course being me I had to tell him about it after we're all never to late to learn 😎

[@carolherrera7152]

me too

[@karengrice2303]

I got a mason bee house and bought some cocoons at the local nursery. They actually pollinate 90% more plants than honey bees. They aren’t part of a hive so they aren’t concerned with a queen. Just independent little workhorses!

[@karengrice2303]

@@jeancampbell4341 Yes I guess there are 140 different species so you do want to get some that are native to your region. Our local nursery carries local native species so I got them there.

[@ermspa9373]

@@karengrice2303 zucchini bees (yes zucchini bees)are special they follow the plant cycle they are up earliar in the morning then honey bees and by 10 in the morning are asleep sometime you will find them zzzz inside the closed flower so if you are like me and enjoy eating the zucchini flowers just don’t pop it in your month you may be in for a surprise. They are also browner then regular bees. If you want to see them working get up early like around sun rise and watch how much energy they have. I have to get into the garden the tomatoes are gossiping about the sex life of the zucchini.

[@MaLiArtworks186]

How much do they cost?

[@karengrice2303]

@@MaLiArtworks186 The bee home isn’t too expensive, about 20 to 40 dollars. But if you have some wood scraps, you could probably find a pattern on line to build a bee home and just buy the nesting tubes. You need to buy the mason bees from your region because there are many different species. There are conservation groups that sell them where I live for 5 dollars a box of about 20 cocoons. I think it is important to have them because they are the native bees of the North American continent. Honey bees are native to Europe and were brought here. That could be part of the reason they haven’t thrived here.

[@rebeccasallen4905]

Thank you. We were just discussing the overgrowth of our squash plants. Now I can move forward pruning in confidence. Exactly what we needed to know. Very cool. Good job!

[@chriswiley5184]

I’m 65 years old and just learned this! Amazing!

[@evigfoundation3949]

Very helpful - thank you so much. As a hobby beekeeper just want to comment on your pronoun for the bees - he is likely a "she" that is doing your pollinating. Male bees only job is mating with Queen Bees. The girls do all the work!

[@nighthawkindarkness]

What a life!

[@GotoHere]

I’m a woke blue haired democrat that voted for Biden, I think that bees are misogynistic.

[@nona104]

So, just like in the human world 😄

[@heatheralbert5404]

Human man's dream! 😂

[@heatherk8931]

@@GotoHere 🙄

[@lyndajovanovic2529]

I stumbled on to your site's lesson on pruning zucchini plants. Thank heaven I did! I'm new at growing veggies so it's turning out to be a steep learning curve. This lesson is right on time.

[@tammysummerfield183]

Ditto I just started growing zucchini this year and I’m thrilled to say I have 5 zucchini growing!! So happy 😃 can’t wait to learn more on how to prune my plants. My biggest problem here in central Fl is ANTS!! HELP PLEASE!!!! Choose to grow as natural as possible 🥰

[@calcat7375]

Inspite of some other's criticism I pruned my squash, zucchini and other veggies too, my 1st year I pruned without any diseases (spraying for bug's is imperative) the 2nd year I was sick and unable to take care of it and couldn't persuade the other Gardners so they didn't produce 1/2 the amount taken care of so I'd highly recommend doing the pruning this is my 3rd year but I learned from experience BTW the Squash bug's are a brutal enemy of all watch out. !Best of luck😎

[@calcat7375]

@@tammysummerfield183 That's Wonderful I was so happy after getting my 1st squash and zucchini I took pictures of them lol I learn all I can from these kinds of video's be a proud mama😎

[@AjArpopP52]

@@tammysummerfield183 do a mixture of borax and sugar (for example 1 tablespoon borax to 4 tablespoons sugar) mix that together with enough water to make a paste. Put it on a cap of some kind and place it right by the ant hill. The ants will eat it and take it back to their nest and it kills them.

[@Kd4stt.]

Thanks for educating the farming community.

[@loisjohnson7272]

Thank you for your help, I am just learning how to grow healthy zucchini plants, wanted to know about pruning tips, thanks again ❤

[@ashuhhleycakes]

Definitely learned a lot. My zucchini plant is quite dense and bushy with small rotting fruit. You helped me solve my issues in one video - thanks!

[@penniemcgee1914]

Fantastic video-learned so much! Thank you

[@heatherupton6558]

Same here. Im getting tons of small rotting fruits as well but had no idea that I needed to prune zucchini plants and they are enormous . The bees 🐝 in my garden are incredible but clearly they cannot find my flowers to do their thing. Thank you for your advice.

[@patriot20000]

@@heatherupton6558 You don't Have to. Just an attempt at keeping powdery mildew away. But I haven't found anything that works.

[@thingirlsrus]

You can pollinate using a Q Tip. I do that for pumpkins, watermelons, zucchini and squash.

[@richardmatthews8184]

Thanks for describing the Male and female parts and the importance of trimming the foliage to assist the bees in pollination.

[@skgreenhouse]

Thanks for watching!!!

[@AmyLegg-pl6hu]

First time growing squash and zucchini. This helps so much! Didn’t know what to do with the flowers, etc. tried looking it up with not much success and you absolutely nailed it for me. Thank you 😊

[@lisacarden1309]

Thank you so much! I can't wait for my plants to start growing and producing* I live in Oregon and powdery mildew is always an issue... This info is wonderful Thank you! 🙏❤️🙏

[@davidveliz7170]

I appreciate your straight forward information. Although I’ve heard similar information before you present it did clear and simple to the point. Your short video was very helpful for my short attention span. Well done

[@skgreenhouse]

Haha, glad you were able to get some value from it! I too have a short attention span. You won't see many long videos from me! Thanks for watching!

[@lishamartinez1946]

Whoa...didn’t realize I need to prune...AND I’m moving my zucchini plant near my flowering bush that has a lot of 🐝!!! Thank you!

[@skgreenhouse]

Thats a good idea! Thanks for watching! :)

[@brachashighhopeshomestead226]

Great idea!!

[@colleenr5871]

Thanks for the video! I will be pruning my squash plants now. I was previously told that pruning would set them up for diseases and that it was to be avoided. So now I can prune and have more squash and healthier plants. Many thanks! :)

[@ecogeekmama]

@s&K greenhouse I really appreciate that you showed the bees pollinating the fruits. It’s a great Opportunity to talk about the fact that that was not a honeybee it was a member of the Xylocopa genus, possibly Xylocopa Virginica aka carpenter bees. Honeybees don’t usually get up early enough to pollinate squash, instead native bees do an amazing job. It’s common to find long horned Melissodes bees or green sweat bees like Agapostemon working hard to get food for themselves and then feed us along the way. With more than 4,000 native bee species across America (Amd not talking about honeybees which were Brought here in the 1600s and are a managed agricultural resource), We should all be doing as much as possible to learn about the native bees in our area. I also appreciate the fact that you talked about making sure that there are other plants around for them to forage on to help bring them into the garden areas. Some of the tiniest bees want forage more than 100 feet away from their nest in the ground while others like bumblebees will fly a couple of miles. Adding native wildflowers can go along way towards feeding the native bees it will then pollinate your food crops.

[@granmabern5283]

Thankyou for your interesting comments about native bees! We have a few up here in Quebec. I noticed we also have a lot of black wasps, which live in the ground and are good pollinators. They are also mean. But not as allergenic as the yellowjackets.😅

[@donaldanderson7072]

The biggest crop of zucchini I ever had was after a hailstorm shredded my plants and I thought it was a disaster but eventually they came back to produce a bumper crop

[@kimkaseman7854]

I’m a beekeeper and a gardener! Love watching my bees help pollination. I’m gonna try pruning this year!

[@julijulibobooli]

Thank you so much for the info! I’m growing squash now and I’m totally going out there right now to prune em up 😊

[@janetgablecull2099]

You described my zucchini plants (and yellow squash) exactly, from last year. I got very few squash. Got my clippers in my hand, and ready to go prune. Thank you so much.

[@nikkip683]

Yes! I had zukes that were amazing. Then three shorter rotten at the ends. Now good ones again are growing. Now I know WHY those icky ones happened. I’ll make sure to plant bee attraction flowers next year. This year was first garden. This video was my first gardening video.

[@skgreenhouse]

Gotcha! I'm glad I was able to help some and thank you for watching!

[@gaylenanut7035]

Excellent information! I planted zucchini and tomatoes last year with wonderful plant growth with very little yield. Pruning was the issue. This year I have watched my plants more closely, pruning as I go. I’m now getting great results applying your suggestions. Thank you.

[@currygirl7225]

This is my first year growing anything and I'm so pleased with how well my squash is growing. Love the pruning tips I'll implement this tomorrow.

[@mrswiggles4790]

Just found this video, so glad I did! I had no idea I needed to pruned them to promote air circulation. I’ve got four planted in a raised bed and they are growing close BUT I’ve observed bees each morning I’ve gone out to water so that’s a great thing. 🐝 I’m heading out to start pruning right now! Thx for the info!

[@cathiwim]

This is the first time i have ever heard of pruning squash and zucchini! Will try this , thank you!

[@skgreenhouse]

Awesome! You'll be glad you did 👍

[@barbarakalchik2664]

Thank for being just plain clear down to earth! No pun intended!! But seriously I had the pollination problem and didn’t know what to do, now I do! Thanks a bunch!🙂

[@skgreenhouse]

😄 thank you for watching! Glad i was able to get my points across effectively!

[@lizherbst7393]

You can also hand pollinate in the morning with a paintbrush. 🖌 🌼 male pollen to female stigma

[@leannekenyoung]

@@lizherbst7393 have you actually tried this and do you believe it works? Because it’s been my experience that using a brush or qtip simply doesn’t work. The most helpful way that I have found is to actually cut off the male and carefully remove all the petals and then hold the male flower by the very bottom and insert it down into the female flower as far down in as possible and then I let it sit in there for a minute or so and then I’ll trying turning it a half turn one way and a half turn the other way, and I usually hold the base on the female blossom so that I don’t accidentally break it off. So I hope this method helps someone if they have tried the paintbrush or qtip methods and not had success perhaps this way will work. I know for a fact that it does because I’ve grown cucumbers and it has worked really well for them. The reason I know my method works and that they aren’t subsequently pollinated by an insect is because my plants are growing indoors in my apartment and there are no flying insects and no crawling ones either. Lol! So that’s how I know my method actually does work. 🙏🏻🥰🇨🇦

[@beentheredonethat6584]

@@leannekenyoung I use the paint brush method on my squash as a backup. I have found that I need to get going before the bees arrive. If I wait, the pollen is all taken. Since I don't cut the flower off, there is still plenty of pollen available for bees when they start their shift. My female flowers are only now starting to appear after several days of large numbers of male flowers. This morning I found 3 females and only one male so I was able to ensure a good set by hand pollination.

[@brachashighhopeshomestead226]

@@leannekenyoung I think what you have suggested will ensure that we get what we planted bc its possible the pollen shared on the bees body may be from another squash! the seeds I pulled out of an acorn squash turned out to give me zucchini or half yellow half green squashes mostly although I did manage to get a few acorns. But it was such a consternation how such a thing could happen... I actually thought it could have happened bc it might have been a hybrid. They were very good but this advice will be another good experiment to see what develops this season, thank you so much!

[@JillZiegler]

This video helped me to learn about self-pollinating the flowers as well as the pruning since I planted too many plants in my raised beds ! Thank you much !

[@susanmorgan6965]

This is my first year growing squash and zucchini, and I knew virtually nothing about doing so. All the plants that are in my larger garden popped up in my patio containers after I used my compost soil for other plants, and I transplanted them, knowingly "too close" but as you said in the beginning, raised beds require the use of space differently than ground gardens. I always pinch back flowers to promote better growth, but I'd not thought about pruning the leaves on vegetables! This is a wonderful video; thank you for your time and energy in putting this together

[@jessecurvin9201]

Subscribed! I did my first vegetable garden this year and couldn’t have done it without the help of people like you on KZbin. I hope you have videos for cool weather gardening because I’m about to start my first one very soon as well! Thanks for the great videos!

[@leannekenyoung]

Thank you for your video I’ve been pruning my cucumber plants and now my squash plants extremely heavily because I’m growing them indoors in my apartment and I’m actually growing them hydroponically in a 5 gallon bucket. I also use a tomato cage upside down on the bucket. The cage supports some of the weight of the plant and I run a pretty heavy gauge string from the ceiling down into the Center of the plant and it gives the tendrils something g to latch onto as they grow and they love to grow up the center strong. I have also been hand pollinating and I’ve tried a paint brush and a qtip but I found neither of those worked instead what I do is take the male flower and peel all the petals back and only when I have a female flower that is fully open and then I place the center of what’s left of the male flower and gently while holdin underneath the bottom of the female flower I place the center of the male flower down in as far into the bottom of the female blossom as possible gently and give it a brisk little shake and then I’ll turn the male flower a quarter turn one way and then back again and if the male center will remain in thr female flower I’ll just leave it in there until the following morning. Sometimes it will remain and other times depending on the direction the female flower is facing it will not. But that is the only way that I’ve found has given me 100% pollination rates. For whatever reason the pollen doesnt seem to stick to a paint brush or a qtip and if u are lucky enough to get it on either of them then it doesn’t seem to release the pollen into the female blossom where you need it to go. Just that’s been my experience in hand pollinating.🙏🏻🥰🇨🇦

[@farmco6897]

Thanks so much this is a treasure of a mini tutorial on indoor gardening

[@leannekenyoung]

@@farmco6897 glad you like it. Do you grow indoors as well?

[@farmco6897]

@@leannekenyoung I don't cause I forget to water. I had a horrible year growing squash the year before last and I am a huge believer in people growing food especially now with all the crazy weather, the war, and supply chain issues, so instructions on how to grow something that normally requires pollinators indoors is just awesome.

[@alienabductionanswersmovie2809]

wow! you have a great system for apartment dwellers!

[@leannekenyoung]

@@farmco6897 that’s the great thing about growing indoors hydroponically no need to worry about watering as long as you have a large enough reservoir, I have a roma tomato plant that is putting on all kinds of tomatoes and I couldn’t keep the 5gal pail filled with water it seemed every day it needed refilling so I moved it into a 120Litre tote box and it’s loving it! I estimate I’ll only have to add nutrient rich water once a week now. Much more manageable!!

[@ninamos]

I'm heading to the garden now to prune. Thanks for the demo! Very helpful for a novice gardner.

[@lindaburton6883]

Thank you! I just learned why my squash fruit would rot before it had a chance to grow. I didn't realize it was a pollination issue. Also thank you for showing me how to prune my zucchini for continued harvest.

[@coach3958]

Is nobody gonna talk about that beautiful blue hydrangea?

[@lynne2013]

And the dog

[@wendyburpee1671]

@@lynne2013 Yes, I noticed it and was trying to see what it was :-)

[@destiny5776]

If you like Hydrangeas I have enough to give them away...My house is surrounded with them but last year I started 20 new plants and I don't know what do with them all...

[@venus489]

Bees do not have trouble finding flowers. They are experts at what they do. Pollinators will come if the gardner hasn’t used products that will kill or reduce their numbers. It can take a couple of years for the ld50 goes down enough for them to return, native pollinators are especially effected.

[@icanneuer8494]

It's definitely loving those pine needles. Probably why it's so blue.

[@NoLproductions23]

My first instinct was to prune my squash back but I was nervous 😂 thank you so much for this video. So informative!

[@calcat7375]

Agreed! My 1st squash I'd ever grown I took that info into a reality and had beautiful production!I was so proud then last year 2021 I was unable to and someone else didn't do it, the proof was good enough for me! Thank you so much . Much love to you and all taking care of Mother Earth 😎

[@robertahill5621]

Thanks so much for this great and informative video! I came across it weeks ago, before my squash and zucchini were growing, and now I've come back to it when I needed it. I just pruned my plants a few minutes ago, and am so excited to avoid a potential issue that could have been avoided with pruning before it happens. I'll be watching out to see how pollination goes, too! Thanks for helping me to be proactive!

[@marilynroberts6644]

I'm just now seeing this, a yr late, but I'm eternally grateful. I am a hit or miss zucchini grower ! You provided some great advice and in a very pleasant way. Thank you.🌱

[@uasoprano1977]

Thanks for the great tips! I have staked my zucchini for the first time this year. I also appreciate the note about the variegation on the leaves - this is the first time I have experienced that with my plants and I was worried they were already getting sick. Good to know it’s not an issue!

[@laronn]

Great vid. Last year our plants did not produce any zucs or they rotted, looking back no bees pollenated the flowers. This morning the flowers opened up and we noticed a bee doing their work. That’s good. Also now can recognize male and female plants in case we need to manually pollinate with a q-tip.

[@Joanaphillips77]

I actually knew all about this from my last years of experience. I’ve also trained my summer squash even to grow up, on trellis, until I broke one. Though, I really appreciate this video because I’m going to share it. Hopefully, it’ll help out new gardeners with the simple method of cutting out older growth to aerate. If they’re paying attention 😂

[@halinapeltonen1777]

You are a great presenter. Easy to hear and see what your point of interest is. Thank you gor the video.

[@skgreenhouse]

Thank you! I appreciate you watching and glad I was able to get my points across! 😄

[@michelemilesgardiner4522]

Oh, that explains it. I need to prune my squash. So many rotted before getting pollinated. Thank you.

[@skgreenhouse]

You'll be amazed!

[@all_vol_yall8721]

If the fruits are rotting while small you likely need more calcium in your soil.

[@valeriegomez4941]

Maybe self pollinate, I tried this because mine would just start turning yellow, worked wonders!

[@randiginder7691]

Never thought to prune leaves. Makes so much sense. Thank you!!

[@marysmith8138]

OMG! This video was extremely helpful for me! A first time trying my hand at gardening person. Currently have squash and zucchini growing past the normal N Florida growing season. Glad to hear there are things to do to keep my plants healthy!

[@jenheadjen]

This was great, thank you! Please make more - you make everything so clear! Would love to hear your tips on carrots, radishes, tomatoes, everything else pretty much! :)

[@karlywoods4202]

I just found your videos and I am so thankful I did! I pruned my squash and zucchini like you said, and here came the bees! We had so many bees and I wasn't sure why they almost all but left. They couldn't see the blooms. I'll definitely share your videos and watch more of them. The tomato video came after this one and I pruned those right after. Thank you!

[@joehunnicutt3440]

As a relatively novice gardener, I appreciate the guidance provided by S&K, especially regarding pruning of vegetables.

[@juliecarter9540]

Growing a zucchini for the first time this year. Loved your easy to follow video tonight, looks like I’m heading into the garden tomorrow to do some pruning. Also taken notes from BigDogBob’s tips on the previous comment too.

[@vickiemeisinger9632]

Really appreciate your channel, & your knowledge you are sharing!! I’ve always been a believer in pruning and I have never found you can over prove unless you get right down to that base of the plant but nobody would do that I hope. I want to give my father a beautiful sunset maple tree and hold at 700 miles to give it to him in the first thing he did was pull out His pocket knife and strip all the leaves off of it except the ones at the top… I was gasping for air as I watched him and he shared with me that if you do this before you plant, you will have the nicest shaped tree win it grows up and he was TOTALLY RIGHT...It is a stunning well shaped tree in my parents yard. I do pruning with my flowers as well as my zucchini but I’ve never thought about cross pollination and I’m going to pay closer attention to that so thank you for this video. I’m becoming very concerned for the Bee pollination in our USA, So everyone does need to do their part in terms of planning something to help your gardens… My Parents always had rose of Marigolds and rose of Zinnias carefully placed at the front of gardens ..& then A large variety different flowers every so many rows and I always thought it was for making it pretty out there but it was later it was my grandfather who explained how important it was because we also had orchards and we needed as many bees as we could get. I wish I could talk to all of them… My parents and grandparents because gardening is a bigger part of my life now than it was in my 20s , And I didn’t pay as much attention and tap into their vast knowledge. It’s videos like this did help us be better gardeners and most of us don’t have the acres and acres of land that our parents had. Good luck to you and I look forward to more videos.. I eat zucchini 12 months a year FYI

[@skgreenhouse]

Really appreciate you sharing ❤ Glad you're liking the videos, I will keep them coming!

[@brachashighhopeshomestead226]

Vicki I think you mean ROWS OF MARIGOLDS & ZINNIAS, yes? that these brightly colored flowers attracted the bees etc. to stop by & have a little visit. on the vegetables...

[@tesswagner895]

Thank you!!!🌻 You answered quite a bit for me, especially the pollination problem. I have a friend who successfully treats powdery mildew by spraying her plants with 2% milk, undiluted. Thank you for sharing. This is great info!!!

[@darlamcfarland3721]

Thank you for all the great advice-I did not know any of this stuff!! You are absolutely adorable and I enjoyed listening to you!! 🥰

[@JessicaLopez-kz4pk]

Thank you for taking the time to explain some of your tips for keeping your squash and zucchini healthy. I was looking for a video on how to prune my squash as well as how to avoid powdery mildew. I will definitely use some of your tips. Thanks

[@rawbeliever]

Never knew this and we have zucchini & squash just coming in. Sent video to hubby. This will be a big help.

[@janhet001]

I learned something, thank you!! I grew my zucchini and summer squash side by side like you and boy did both of them took over my raised bed. Next time, I will definitely be pruning the plants!!

[@dataevolver4756]

I have never pruned zucchini/squash so I'm looking forward to trying that this year. Thanks!

[@derrelldewaynekelley6829]

I have been gardening a along time and that was the first time I ever seen it done. So I have learned something new I can incorporate into my gardening

[@susankranz6729]

I have been growing zucchini for years, I always thought those little fruits that rot were caused by a disease. Thank you for setting me straight! I will now make a point of checking my zucchini (and cucumbers) in the morning and manually pollinating them. I haven't seen many bees in my garden. We let the clover grow in our yard to attract them. Good info!

[@sherryduncan7968]

Thanks for showing how to prune and explaining the male and female. I always let mine run wild! 😍

[@donaldstory105]

Very helpful ! I was recently questioning whether I could prune back leaves that were overwhelming other plants. You now have a new subscriber. 😊

[@pattyrink468]

My zucchini plant has white patches on the leaves. I thought it was some kind of mildew, but this video taught me that this is absolutely normal on zucchini leaves!! Thank you for pointing this out, and also for the tips on pruning!

[@mikegrant8490]

I've got a lot of marigolds scattered throughout the garden. Pollinators use them and unwanted bugs are staying away. Deadhead your marigolds and save the seeds for the following year. I had so many last year that I'm giving used jars full of seeds to the neighbors. Plant no later than July 15th and pick the seeds past the first freeze. My zukes and acorn squash need some more pruning! Great video.

[@robine.4248]

Thanks for the tip on the Marigolds. I deadhead but never tried to save the seeds. I will do this and see what happens! Thank you!

[@mikegrant8490]

@@robine.4248 Four years ago I got a small packet of marigold seeds. Saving the seeds and replanting them, I increased my seed load by a factor of thousands. The past two years, I have had to deal with nearly a five gallon bucket full. I've been giving people who want some 16 once roasted peanut containers crammed full. I gave my granddaughter two canisters yesterday for her outdoor space with the idea of giving some of the excess to her coworkers and patients at the hospital she works at as well as her neighbors. Marigolds, containing natural pyrethra, are great for insect control by decreasing crop damage in the garden. I just learned too, that in Mexico people will make a fresh planting of marigolds no later than August 20th each year to assure young vibrant plants for their observance of the November 1st, Day of the Dead. Good luck with yours!

[@brachashighhopeshomestead226]

Mike, thank you for your ideas!

[@jennymallin9404]

Something ate all my marigolds , any ideas on what it might be ?

[@mikegrant8490]

@@jennymallin9404 Are you seeing other plants in the area also suffering? You'll have to use your powers of observation to try and ascertain what might be getting to them. Marigolds are pretty hardy once established. Question: were they getting adequate water? Look for thirsty insects that might not be affected by the pyrethrums the marigolds naturally produce or have not yet produced in the younger stage of life. My vegetable garden is thick with young marigolds, the fourth year since planting the first few, so much that they are getting to a state of becoming perennial. Don't forget that you can replant and replant until mid August. Also, Jennie, any good garden center will have someone who can help you diagnosis many of the problems in plants, be it insect, viruses, Ph imbalances, over and under watering, pesticide and herbicide misuse nearby your plantings as well as fertilization issues. Soil testing is a very good place to start. Your State Extension Services are backed by agricultural departments at your universities and are the very best for your particular area. Good luck. I would replant the marigolds, maybe try a different spot.

[@joannarnold3090]

I never knew that you could prune squash and zucchini. They say you learn something new everyday. At 64, I now know a new trick for our garden!! Thanks 😊

[@bonnieboo98]

Thank you so much for this video I had no idea I could prune squash plant! I always end up with powdery mildew eventually. Great information!

[@nicolelefebvre1898]

Thank you for this valuable information. I had given up on growing zucchini because the fruit would always rot and and the plant would get powdery mildew. I decided to give it one more try this year. I’m excited to try all your suggestions, which make total sense.

[@kelaxy]

I hand pollinated squash one year waiting on my bees to show up. For two parts that never ever connect it’s absolutely fascinating how the stamen and the pistils so perfectly interlock together. ✌️

[@maryjanegreen7601]

Reminds me of a Pink Floyd video

[@ninjamom1602]

That's what she said🤪🤣💞

[@wonderlymarshall6822]

Thank you I have grown both of these plants for a number of years and I’ve never had more than one maybe two crops come out of these now I know why and now I can fix that this year thank you so much. 😀

[@cheyennelasley]

Very helpful! My 2nd year gardening, and my first year actually pruning plants and getting the full effect of gardening! Thank you!

[@1cryogen]

Started radically pruning squash a couple of years ago. Any leaf in the shade of another leaf or with powdery mildew gets cut. We train them up a small tomato cage. Now we get squash into september. It works.

[@victorbenner539]

I don't know why I haven't considered pruning zucchini and squash before. I was a horticulture major in college some forty years ago. So it's not like I'm a rookie on the subject but your spot on with this. Not only will this do all the things you mentioned, including making it easier for the pollinators to find the blossoms ( let's not forget the humming birds) it will make it easier for the Gardner to find the fruit when still a more preferable size. You know those wonderful little fruit, not the huge ones that are ready to take over the world. And as long as we are talking about pruning and blossoms how about collecting some blossoms also. Stuffed blossoms are a wonderful part of Italian cuisine. Go ahead and plant more then one zucchini plant if you want. Just remember to be removing some of the blossoms for the table and keep the number of fruits manageable. Have a great day. 👍 🌤🍻🌱

[@mairedhulemley115]

Oh my goodness yes! All of that! And I breaded and fried up the blossoms last year! What a delicacy!

[@jaellouis4749]

Do you use male or female flowers in cuisine? Or both?

[@victorbenner539]

@Jael Louis Good question. I believe each blossom has both male and female parts. So any blossom will do. Tip, harvest blossoms that are more difficult to find first. That way the fruit you allow to grow are easier to find before they get to large. Also add blossoms to salads and use as garnish.

[@mnorton8721]

Hey, I just saw your video and learned something. Both my zucchini and squash are planted close to each as space is a premium in the raised beds. Thanks for teaching this old dog something new👍.

[@gabrielleannacormierart]

I just planted some zucchini and cucumber plants this morning! Now I know how to keep my plants healthy and hope to have a first great crop. Thank you for your tips! 😊

[@lukevenable356]

Very helpful video-- thanks. I decided to prune my zucchini yesterday because some of the leaves were shading over the neighboring tomato plants and I was worried that I may have damaged the plant because of the huge gaping holes it leaves after pruning the large stocks. I'm relieved to see that this is not a problem

[@stevensawicki824]

This is a wonderful video, I often wondered if this was possible or would harm my plants if I cut. Thank you for taking the time to how us home gardeners this tip...

[@jessicaramer6630]

Thanks for this video. I am growing crookneck squash and zucchini for the first time this year and I needed the advice.

[@dnkimaging]

This video was right on time. I was just pruning my squash vines today but had no guidance and was going instinct. Thanks!

[@queen452010]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INFO ON HOW POLLINATION WORKS. I’M A NEW GARDENER AND THERE’S SO MUCH TO LEARN! I NOW KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MY HUMUNGOUS OVER CROWDED ZUCCHINI PLANT!

[@skgreenhouse]

You're quite welcome! Thank you for watching! Sounds like your already doing well with it!

[@kathrynsyzdek6995]

I've been afraid to prune my zucchini. Thanks for the encouragement!

[@makaracomeau160]

These flowers that have fruit can be harvested & blue corn batter fried & enjoy a native american treat. Love from Taos NM

[@gingerzelidon3573]

Thank you, I didn't know what you shared in this video and will be pruning my squash plants as you described in this video. Have a blessed day!

[@alidabirch1840]

I learned aggressive pruning of squash plants is a good idea for increased production. Thank you!

[@skgreenhouse]

Great! Glad you got something from it! Thank you for watching!

[@brendaayotte7816]

I have been gardening for years and never pruned my zucchini ... great tip! 😊 thank yiu

[@20greeneyes20]

I would think pruning the leaves give more energy to the vegetable production and growth even more...

[@ramonahierholzer3163]

GREAT advice!!! Thank you! I'm growing squash for the first time thus year.

[@lyndabahnsen2069]

Definitely learned from your video! I had a zuccini plant last year that produced several small zuccini but they would all stop growing. The plant finally just petered out, so I pulled it up. Now I know it was a pollination issue. Thanks!

[@annettependergraft120]

It's my first time growing squash. This is very helpful!

[@skgreenhouse]

Awesome! Thank you for watching!

[@ceepark114]

Interesting, I didn't know that pruning squash would help it to continue to grow and put out new foliage and flowers, thanks.

[@Dougarrowhead]

It wont

[@4Renee9]

I’ve never even thought of pruning squash/zucchini - makes total sense. Thanks!

[@rebeccawuenschel2333]

very helpful. I've been pruning as you have suggested so far this season and it has really helped with the powdery mildew and helping new growth. I have used the string/stake method which is also helping with the air flow by keeping them growing upward.