Cross pollination happens when two separate plants exchange their pollen grains and pistil to give rise to a new variety that has the characteristic of the two parent plant. Now cross pollination can occur between different types of squash variety.
It is possible for different squash varieties that are planted close to each other to cross pollinate even when that is not our intention in the first place. So, this article will give you the answer.
Cross pollinated squash is mostly inedible. It isn’t a good thing to consume cross pollinated squash. Reason being that they contain a large amount of cucurbitacin. Consuming cross pollinated squash may simply be toxic to your health.
From what we mentioned above, cross pollination occurs by exchanging male and female gametes between two separate plants to produce offspring. Cross pollination does occur among squash.
It is pretty rewarding to save seeds from your garden. However, you need to be careful of the type of seed being saved particularly if they have been cross pollinated.
Normally, the plants of the Cucurbitaceae family are meant to produce a toxic compound which is cucurbitacin. This toxic compound usually acts as a natural defense against insects.
Squash are insect-pollinated plants. Hence it is possible for bees to cross pollinate squash. You may even be growing just one type of squash variety in your garden, bees can simply collect a different pollen grain from your neighborhood and cross pollinate it with yours.
Can Insect Pollinating Bees Cross Pollinate Squash?
– It is required you separate them by a good distance of one and a half to a mile.
– Build some barriers to drastically reduce the chances of pollinators to cross pollinate your plants.
How To Avoid Cross Pollinated Squash In Your Garden