Most summer squash varieties are bush and don't spread out more than, say, four or five feet from their roots. You can prune some. But try to remove only growing tips so as not to leave large wounds to draw squash bugs. Also, after a point, the plant may stop thriving.

George

Thanks George! I pruned three stems away from each... we'll see how it goes.

I see you live in Tallequah... my parents are in Checotah. (But I'm a long way from them here in Va.)

I have a similar dilemma, but with winter squash plants.

I am growing Buttercup squash for the first time in the NW UK. I usually grow marrows, so this is a new crop for me, and I foolishly thought the plants would be about the size of a large trailing marrow plant...

I think I'm going to have to prune the plants - they are well on the way to overgrowing and smothering nearby crops with the vines.

The problem is that most of the female flowers are developing near the ends of the growing vines. What I would like to know is, if I prune off the longer vines, will the plant produce new side shoots with more female flowers, or will I have cut off most of the potential crop?

YOU could try redirecting the vines. I read someone curled the vines around and around the center of the plant.