How long is the lifespan of squash plants? Are you having fun growing squash plants in your garden? Well, this plant is really awesome to grow and this plant really likes getting more sun.
The squash plant grows well in tropical and subtropical countries where the sun is available for longer hours. When the plant gets enough sunlight, the plants thrive well and produce more flowers and fruits. And if you plan to grow this plant in your garden, you should plant them in a little bit of open space where it will receive enough sunlight.
Lifespan Of Squash Plant
The lifespan of squash plants can go about 5 to 6 months. During those months, some squash growth stages are happening on the plant. The plant started as a seed. That tiny squash seed started to germinate after a few days and became a seedling after.
Gardeners can sow seeds directly in the soil but some gardeners sow it in a seedling first and after that, they do transplanting. Any of those methods will work. The squash seedling continues to grow and the vines increase in length.
The squash vines can just crawl on the ground along their journey but you can also put some trellis. Adding a trellis is just optional and the squash plant can just grow on the ground. After a month, some male flowers may appear on the plant.
When the plant matures, it can now produce male flowers. The male flowers will help the plant pollinate. There will be male and female flowers on the plant but female flowers will appear late.
Once the female flowers show up, you can see squash fruit on the plant as early as 50 to 60 days. Most of the fruits will appear between 3 to 4 months. There will be plenty of fruits growing and it will happen when the plant gets sunlight, water, and fertilizer. Caring for squash plants is really important for them to happen and make their lifespan longer.
How To Prolong Squash Plant Lifespan
In order for a squash plant to live in a good shape, it must stay healthy. You need to make sure that the plant is receiving its needs regularly.
When the plants are getting enough food, they will grow healthy, and also, they need protection from pests and insects that may attack them. You need to monitor your plants regularly to see if there are problems and you will solve them immediately.
Enough Sunlight For Squash Plant
Find a good spot to plant squash. Look for an open area to grow this plant so that they will receive more sun more often. The plant gets most of its food from the sun.
The leaves of the squash plant process them and convert them into a sugar called glucose. When the plant makes food, it will grow longer and faster. The squash does not tolerate too much cold and frost will damage them. This plant thrives well in tropical and subtropical climates.
When the squash plant starts to fruit, they need more sunlight so that the fruits will be bigger. At least 6 hours is needed for the mature plants to make their food.
You can harvest squash in a good number when the plant gets consistent light. That is why you need to grow them with a little bit of distance from taller trees and concrete. Those trees might block the sun which can lead to poor growth of squash plants.
Concretes like houses can also block the sun so if you don’t want it to happen, plant the squash a few distances from the house or you can add a trellis and train the squash to crawl on it. The vines will crawl on the trellis, and the trellis can also support the fruits to make them safe. You need to make a strong trellis so that it will not be blown by the winds. When the trellis is moving when the winds come, the fruits may fall.
Water Is Essential For Squash Plant
When there is no rainfall, you need to give squash plant water. Water is important in the squash plant’s life. It helps the plant grow well and makes its leaves fresh. The water also will help to produce more flowers and fruits.
Planting distance for squash plants is important. When growing squash, you should plant them a few distances from other plants. In that way, there will be no competition for the water. Don’t plant squash too crowded with similar plants or other plants so that all plants in the area will grow to the max.
Also, when you water squash you can check the soil first to make sure that the soil is dry. Commonly the soil dries up when there is no rainfall. Water them slowly and deep just enough for the plant.
Do not overwater to avoid root rot and yellowing of leaves. There are times that you need to water squash plants more often and there are also times that you need to water them less.
During summer the temperature increases and the weather becomes hot. Most of the plants during this time need more water because hot temperature increases the evaporation of the water. Keeping squash plants well hydrated to make them healthy.
Improve The Soil Nutrients Quality By Adding Fertilizer
Improve the soil nutrients to improve the squash plant growth. You can use 4-4-4, 4-6-4, 4-10-10, 10-10-10, etc., fertilizers. Any of those can be used just follow the instructions on the label of the product.
Making the soil rich in nutrients increases plant growth and makes them bigger. More leaves grow and the production of flowers and fruits increases by a good percentage. It is a great feeling when the squash is blooming. The male and female flowers will appear on the plant. When there are no bees, you can do hand pollination so that fruits will set.
There will be more squash fruit per plant when more flowers are pollinated. You can use a brush in pollinating flowers or you can also just use a male flower and bend its petals to highlight the pollen.
You can use chemical or organic fertilizers for your squash plant. The fertilizer you are going to use may depend upon what you practice. If you are practicing organic gardening then you should use organic fertilizer like compost.
Protect Squash From Pests And Diseases
There will be some pests and diseases that may attack the squash plant. Some of those pests are beetles, vine borers, pickle worms, aphids, bugs, whiteflies, etc. Some of the diseases of squash are blossom blight, downy mildew, powdery mildew, bacterial wilt, etc.
You can control those pests and diseases of squash plants by using pesticides and fungicides. You need to use treatment when they show up to treat them immediately and prevent further damage to the plant. By making the plant free from pests and diseases, the squash plant will thrive well and will live longer.
It is great to know how long is the lifespan of squash plants. The squash plant lifespan can reach about 5 to 6 months. The plants will have that life expectancy on average and once they reach those months you will no longer be able to see fruits, and the plant will slowly stop growing. Soon the plants will dry up completely. Even though the squash plant only lives for a few months, still you can get a lot of fruits from it.
Growing squash plants have many benefits for the grower and if you are a beginner, it’s great to grow this plant. You can pick the fruits and cook them or sell some of them to the neighborhood or at the market. It will be profitable to grow squash plants in your garden.
