Sweet dumpling squash plant grow and care – – herbaceous of the genus Cucurbita also known as Dumpling squash or Sweet Dumpling , Sweet dumpling squash annual plant, grow as semi vine, vine or creeping vine, can grow in mediterranean, desert, subtropical, temperate or tropic climate and growing in hardiness zone 4+, need to take care that there is enough hot days in order to bear fruits.
Leaves color green in round or heart shape with lobes and wavy margins.
Flower edible in yellow color with five lobs, female contain semi fruits round green shape, and male flower are smaller
Sweet dumpling squash fruits
Fruit peel is yellow or cream light or dark with green or orange stripes, the shape, round with lobes, inside the fruit is yellow or orange.
Sweet dumpling squash for sale – Seeds or Plants to Buy
How to grow Sweet dumpling squash plant – growing conditions and care:
Mulch, recommend to watering on the ground and not watering on the leaves or the fruits, the vine species need trellising
What is the best way to start growing?
Seedling / Seed
Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction?
No
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.
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
Size of the plant?
Height 0.3-2 m (12-80 inches), wide 0.3-1.5 m (12-60 inches)
Growth speed in optimal condition:
Fast growing
Water requirement:
Average amount of water
Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Sun
Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
No
Growing is also possible in a planter /flowerpot / containers:
Yes, 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 early summer
General information about the flower
Flowers are edible, yellow flower with five lobs, female contain semi fruits rounds green shapes, and male flower are smaller
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
Edible fruits
Fruit harvest season:
Summer to autumn
Fruits pests or diseases:
Powdery mildew, mites
What can be done with big quantities of Sweet dumpling squash fruits?
Eaten raw, cooked, grilled, stir fry, stuffed
Work requirements on the fruit:
Sometimes to space it from the ground
How long does it take to bear fruit?
90-110 days
How to grow Sweet dumpling squash plant 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:
If trellising 20*30cm (8*12 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:
5-14 days
Condition of seedling:
Warm weather, big amount of water, full sun, place to trellising
Do the seeds require burying?
No
Scientific name:
Cucurbita pepo
