Acorn squash plant grow and care – herbaceous of the genus Cucurbita also known as Pepper squash, Acorn squash annual plant grows as shrub or creeping vine, also used as ornamental fruit, can grow in mediterranean, subtropics, temperate, tropics climate and growing in hardiness zone 4+, need to take care that there is enough hot days in order to bear fruits.
Growing Acorn squash plant
Leaves color green in heart shape the leaves wavy in the margin
Flower color is yellow, there are female and male flower.
Fruits edible in round-top shape there is like lobes, color fruit are green, orange or yellow. The weight is 200-400 gram. The size 5-8 cm,
Seeds edible, the shell white and the inner part is edible after cooking or roasting.
Acorn squash for sale – Seeds or Plants to Buy
How to grow Acorn squash growing and care:
Mulch keep the moist of the soil and also protect the fruits
How to care:
Watering on the ground and not watering on the leaves or the fruits, need trellising
What is the best way to start growing?
Seedling / Seed (explanation bellow)
Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction?
No, possible to graft for better base that will be resistant for virus
Difficulties or problems when growing:
Attacked easily, when the plant attacked in the base if not treatment well it will die
Planting season:
Spring to summer, but better in the spring and in hardiness zone 4-7 need to start in the middle of the winter indoor, the plant need enough hot days when mature to bear fruits without, if the plant won’t be with mature fruits in the autumn or the plant won’t bear fruits or the fruits will die before fully ripen, also better to choose cultivar that bear the fruits faster.
How to plant:
Planting in well ventilated soil, dig bigger hole than the plant and put organic matter, humus and dead leaves
Pests and diseases:
Powdery mildew, aphids, moth, virus, beetles
Pruning season:
No need, but possible all the season
How to prune:
Infected leaves needed to take out, also try to clean them
Difficulties or problems when growing:
Attacked easily, when the plant attacked in the base if not treatment well it will die
Size of the plant:
0.5-2 m, 20-80 inches
Growth speed in optimal condition:
Average amount of water
Water requirement:
Full Sun
Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
No
Growing is also possible in a pots / planter /flowerpot / containers:
Yes
Growing acorn squash in containers:
Planting in containers need to be at least 10-20L (2.5-5 gallons), well-drained soil, the plant not react well to overwater, need to make enough holes in the container for good drainage also choosing soil for container important and need to be soil well ventilated, can be potting mix or peat soil with perlite, when use bottom for the pot need that it will dry in the same day.
Blooming information
Bloom season:
Late spring to summer
General information about the flower:
Yellow flower with five lobs, there are female and male flowers
Thinning the bloom:
Sometimes happened because disease or not enough water, or need hand poination
Pollination is done by:
Bees and more pollinators, by hand
Fruit information
Fruit harvest season:
Summer to autumn
Fruits pests or diseases:
Powdery mildew
What can be done with big quantities of Acorn squash fruits?
Cooked, baked, grilled, stir fry
Work requirements on the fruit:
Sometimes to space it from the ground
How long does it take to bear fruit?
At least 85 days (3-5 month)
How to grow Acorn squash from seeds
Sowing requirement:
Easy to sow no special treatment, sowing temperature 15-40C (65-104F) but better to sow in 21-25C (70-77F)
Saving seeds until sowing:
Room temperature, dry place
Sowing season:
Spring (but in warm weather possible in the summer) and in cold climate start in the winter indoor
How to plant:
Better to plant it in light soil that will be well ventilated and keep the moist like vermiculite
Planting spacing – How far apart to plant:
Depend if trellising 40*50cm (16*20 inches) when crawling 1*1.25m (40-50 inches), sowing to transplanting 5*5cm (2*2 inches)
Depth of Sowing:
1-2cm (0.5-1 inch) from the top
Conditions for seeds germinate:
Moist soil, full sun
Watering requires for Seeds:
Average amount of water, don’t let it dry
Germination time:
5-20 days
Condition of seedling:
Warm weather, big amount of water, full sun, place to trellising
Do the seeds require burying?
No
Subspecies
Acron Table Sugar – small fruit orange or green rind, the inside is orange
Scientific name:
Cucurbita pepo var. turbinate
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