|
| I am planning to grow an edible gourd ... cucuzzi (Lagenaria siceraria, I believe). I am also wanting to grow butternut squash (c. moschata), trailing green marrow (c. pepo), buttercup squash (c. maxima).
I thought I could grow these together, and save seed true to the original plants, but someone told me gourds mix with squash. I didn't know if this is all squash or just one particular group. I figured you might be the group that could tell me if this is true. Thanks for any help you could give. |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by farmerdilla (My Page) on Fri, Mar 28, 08 at 20:58
| The Lagenaria siceraria will not cross with anything other than another Lagenaria siceraria. Many of the ornamental gourds are squash ( C. pepo) which is where all the crossing stories come in. C. moschata and C. Pepo do not cross. There have been some C. moschata- C.maxima hybrids so under some circumstances they will cross. |
|
| I agree with what farmerdilla has said except that C. moschata and C. pepo can cross. You should look into hand pollination, it is very easy and definitely worthwhile if you want to save seeds. |
|
- Posted by farmerdilla (My Page) on Sat, Mar 29, 08 at 14:51
| Theoretically possible, but I have grown acorns and butternuts side by side and never had it happen. Nor are there any C.pepo - C moschata hybrids that I am aware. The Japanese have created C. moschata - C. maxima hybrids. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Cross pollination Tables
|
| Well a book I have in front of me suggests otherwise. Also here is a pdf on cross pollination that also says otherwise. And if you search google scholar for "cucurbit + cross pollination" the first link you will find is Rationale and Methods for Producing Hybrid Cucurbit Seed , which also suggests that the cross is possible and that C. moschata and C. pepo should be isolated when saving seed. Farmerdilla, we can agree to disagree and that is fine, but hopefully we can both agree that to save seeds mo_girl should hand pollinate and cover flowers to avoid any contamination. |
|
| Thanks for your helpful responses. |
|
| I've grown c. pepo and c. moschata side by side for over 25 years with not a single cross occurring. What I've understood is that the two can be cross, but only under forced conditions in which a breeder eliminates the possibility of same species pollination, forcing the plants to accept the cross or produce no seed at all. So for practical purposes, a home gardener can assume that c. pepo and c. moschata will not cross. C. moschata and c. maxima apparently cross more readily. Yet, when I spoke with Glenn Drowns about it, a couple of years ago, he indicated that this kind of cross is usually associated with certain abnormal conditions. It is not the norm. At any rate MO_girl's plan should work. She should be able to save seed and it is highly unlikely that she will get a cross. What she is describing is a planting scheme that has been followed by quite a few seed savers, for many years; which except in very rare circumstances works quite well. George |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Pumpkins Squash & Gourds Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.