Understanding Cross Pollination (What YOU Need to Know)

[@lastchancemonicam3948]

Sometimes cross pollination results in something different and unique. A few years ago, I had honeydew melons and cantaloupe melons cross pollinate and didn't realize it. I saved the seeds and was quite surprised the next year when an orange/green melon emerged. I tried it, and it's fantastic! I've saved seeds from it every year since then, and I've loved the new melons.

[@jbishop7037]

We don't deserve Gardener Scott, so let's appreciate him. Let the ads play fellow gardeners. He would benefit from that, and we will benefit in kind if he keeps making these gems

[@eliandkate]

I take my hat off to you young man 😀 Great explanation and very timely

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks, Eli!

[@jose_da_gymrat]

Coincidentally enough, this is a topic that I had on my mind. I’m just starting to grow my own vegetables, so I was curious about the risk of this because I wanted to save my seeds. Thank you for the information!!!

[@heidiclark6612]

Thank You for this great detailed information about cross pollination.I learn something new with every one of your videos.

[@rosedillon6645]

I've ended up with basil crosses multiple times - the Ethiopian x Genovese basil is delicious, but the Thai x Genovese basil is less so. It's kind of fun!

[@richardosborne8570]

Thank you gardner Scott. Simply outstanding video. I now understand this! Richard from France

[@jackiestretch5545]

I can’t thank you enough for sharing your knowledge! I am very new to gardening and was truly stumped by this topic… Thank you so very much!! I understand now 🥰🥰🥰 You are a wonderful teacher.

[@ginninadances]

Garden is looking good Scott! I'm properly jealous!

[@ignaciocarda6004]

Thank you so much! So well explained! Like you said, there's a lot of misinformation around . I was worried that my chillies of different varieties might produce complete abominations of fruit for being together in the same yard! I will , however, have to buy new seeds if I want them to remain pure, haha!

[@amymorales4622]

This gave me some great ideas about experiments my grandkids can do in the garden. They will be saving some seeds from their favorite plants this year. What they get next year is a mystery.

[@dustyflats3832]

Great video! I've seen many comments this year of 'I think my vegetable cross pollinated' because it doesn't taste right. Unless it was from seed last year that cross pollinated than it's not possible. I seen the comment a few times and was starting to second guess what I thought was impossible.

[@CB-sr8ee]

I’ve got a funny looking volunteer pumpkin growing in a place in my garden where I spread some compost. Pretty sure it was cross pollinated in my garden last year, but I’m excited to see what it matures to.

[@ninemoonplanet]

I saw an interesting video about creating a living, growing willow "fence". I know what growing in places with wicked winds can do, and often the plants get cross-pollination from that wind. The idea behind the "fence" or living "wall" is using willow, two together times as many as the length you need, planted (basically stuck into the soil) then woven. The branches are done in a V formation, one going left, the other upright. I think I will try that with weeping willow, and break that flow of strong winds. Cross-pollination is something I ignored, and got a useless set of seeds.

[@ninemoonplanet]

Grapes, are the vines self-pollinating or do we need two different ones for pollination? We have one vine that I believe is a red grape, the other is seedless white. The red doesn't put out grapes, although we'v tried changing soil, sun exposure. Not sure if you can answer, and I don't know what varieties they are.

[@GardenerScott]

Grapes have perfect flowers and are self pollinating. It may take a few years for grapes to produce after planting.

[@KPKENNEDY]

Very informative, thank you

[@shineyrocks390]

Thanks for setting us straight! Great job as usual 👍♥️

[@juanitaglenn9042]

Oh my goodness duh me!!! I have saved seeds from my peas and I used to grow sugar snap and shelling peas and saved the seeds of snap for replanting, as the shelling were just too much of a pain. I've been wondering why my peas always get so much bigger but have a tough shell or string when it's been only 'sugar snap' I've been planting. Super sweet 'almost' shelling peas🤦‍♀️😅

[@juanitaglenn9042]

Thank you so much Gardener Scott, for this video!! It explained things so much for my 'aha' moment👍😎

[@dwaynewladyka577]

Very good information here. Your garden looks really good. Cheers, Scott!

[@mococlimbing]

Hello from the pyrenees. Very interesting, thank you very much!

[@TJtheHAWK]

Awesome video Scott. I think I got some bad seed from Migardener this year. I ordered some Atlantic giant pumpkin and ended up with some unknown gourd. Real disappointed I got no pumpkins this year. 😕

[@Plantdog]

Another great video,! Thanks

[@TeaTimeWithTee-dg9iq]

Love this video ❤

[@Judten1]

I am so happy you explained this!! I have zucchini and winter squash next to each other. One of my zucchini was hard as a rock and I didn’t use it because I had no idea why it was so hard. Could the cross have been with this hard winter squash and the zucchini to make this happen? I’m so learning. Love your channel!!

[@Gardeningchristine]

Cross pollination can affect the seeds, but won’t change the fruit this year. Say you were growing sweet corn and Indian corn next to each other and they cross pollinate, you could see and taste the difference, because we eat the seeds (corn) but if a zucchini and winter squash cross pollinate, the seeds would be a cross, but the zucchini would still be zucchini and the squash would still make squash, but if you planted the seeds from either, you might get some kind of hybrid zucchini squash plant next year. I hope this makes sense.

[@GardenerScott]

As I explained in the video, cross pollination won't cause that.

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

Do you know what kind of winter squash it is? If it's also a cultivar of Cucurbita pepo like zucchini, then it could cross pollinate, but as others have pointed out, you won't notice the difference until you try growing those seeds next year. An interesting thing about zucchini is that if you leave the squash on the vine for a long time, it can harden just like a winter squash, and the gourd will keep on the shelf for a few months. Typically it will start to turn orange as well. At this stage, you can extract the seeds to plant next year, and the zucchini is still edible as long as you cook it like a winter squash.

[@theelpydimension]

Great information thank you!

[@threadbarerag336]

I bought purple kohlrabi from some garden see seller and ended up with kaleraobi. No stem. Still edible leaves but tough.

[@joekool9601]

Great video Scott , just wondering what would happen if I use the pollen of squash or pumpkin to pollinate the cucumbers .

[@GardenerScott]

They are different species and won't cross pollinate.

[@hugelpook]

Do you recommend a book about saving seeds?

[@GardenerScott]

"The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds" is a good one: amzn.to/3d9Bf3N

[@tranthiduyen615]

Những cây bí thật tuyệt vời

[@granny_hack795]

OK, I see this video was made two years ago. Hopefully you keep up with your channel. I have a question my green zucchini and yellow squash cross pollinated last year. If I keep the seeds from these cross pollinated fruit, what will I get next year because I love the taste of these cross pollinated fruit.

[@GardenerScott]

You'll probably get a hybrid of the green zucchini and yellow squash. There is no way to know what color or taste you will get until you grow it. If you have space in your garden, it can be a good experiment.

[@saltyshieldmaiden]

I’m curious if I should be worried about cross pollination from a neighbor’s squash plant down my block roughly 300 yards or so down I discovered they have some type of squash plant growing through their fence.. I am not sure of the variety yet but it’s concerning me as I was hoping to seed save my spaghetti squash… how far appt should we be

[@flatsville1]

300 yards is about the minimum distance seed farmers & heirloom propagators strive for to protect their crops from crossing. It's a crap shoot.

[@GardenerScott]

Cross pollination is possible. Seed growers often grow at least 1/2 mile apart to be sure.

[@lukealexander4512]

Great video! I enjoy understanding cross-pollination and seed saving information. However, cucurbitas appear to be the most confusing, even among some university agricultural offices. Would butternut squash cross with a gourd?

[@GardenerScott]

Some summer squash can pollinate some gourds in the same species. As a winter squash, Butternut shouldn't cross pollinate.

[@lukealexander4512]

@@GardenerScott Thank you for the help and the information. I am planning on growing Seminole Pumpkin and looking into birdhouse gourds.

[@mudpiemudpie785]

Explain what happened with my Moonglow pear, being next to my Bradford pear, consistency producing weird inedible fruit if it's not that the trees are cross pollinating.

[@GardenerScott]

The trees are cross pollinating, but that is necessary for most pear trees to produce fruit. The taste is another problem, probably with the tree or environment.

[@mudpiemudpie785]

@@GardenerScott Thanks

[@jameshenninger6103]

i have an electric fence to help control deer. will they go through the fence to eat vetch in the winter

[@GardenerScott]

Deer will eat just about anything if they are hungry enough.

[@johnk_dev]

How do Heirloom seeds play into this? When something is classified as Heirloom, doesn't it mean that the seeds from this year's fruit will produce the same fruit next year? Is that only if they self-pollinate or does cross-pollination not affect them?

[@GardenerScott]

Heirloom seeds are open-pollinated seeds. As long as they aren't cross pollinated they will produce the same plant again.

[@brightbeautifuldays]

Excellent video! However, I am still wondering about parthnocarpic cucumbers because not only do I want to save seed from my other varieties that I don't want sterile, but I don't want to make other people's curcubits sterile? Do parthnocarpic need to be kept in greenhouses to avoid this? Also, if I get store bought hybrids will seed saving not work and am I taking a big risk with my heirlooms even if covered. I am in an area that can be very windy.

[@GardenerScott]

Parthenocarpic cucumbers produce primarily female flowers, so while they can be cross pollinated with male pollen from another cucumber they shouldn't have male flowers to cross pollinate.

[@adyscript]

I’ve heard different varieties of corn will cross pollinate and the resulting corn that year will be a hybrid. Is that true?

[@GardenerScott]

Yes, it is. Because it is wind pollinated, corn can easily cross pollinate nearby varieties and if you save the seed for planting a hybrid is likely.

[@charmainemrtnz]

Are ants hurting or helping my plants? Will squash bugs still get to my zucchini in the fall if the frost doesn’t? In Idaho.

[@brightbeautifuldays]

I heard that ants attract aphids to eat the sugar from the aphids. They don't like to go over a line of cinnamon or chalk dust if you can re-route them. I just also read that baking soda mixed with sugar of frosting kills them.

[@saltycat662]

It depends. Usually ants are harmless unless they're farming aphids on your plants. Squash bugs could still attack during the Fall. Always check for bug eggs and damage just to make sure.

[@heathernevin8676]

How do you know if a plant is sterile?

[@GardenerScott]

The seeds won't germinate.

[@Hal0630]

❤️

[@GardenerScott]

Thank you!

[@tranthiduyen615]

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