Squash
Squash, along with corn and beans, are believed to have originated in Mexico and Central America where they were eaten 7,500 years ago. Squash come in a variety of different shapes and colors, including tan, orange and even blue. The terms pumpkin, winter squash, and summer squash have been applied to fruits of different species. California, Florida, Georgia, and Michigan lead the United States in squash production.
Fruit Set
Fruit set is categorized as the critical transition period shortly after fertilization as plant processes switch over to fruit formation and growth. A successful fruit set is integral to a healthy crop at harvest. This process can be improved with the addition of Cytokin® at key timings. Cytokin® contains plant growth hormones responsible for cell division, cell enlargement, and various other plant growth functions. The nature-based plant growth regulator effects help to maximize conditions necessary for fruit set and early fruit development.
Residual Presticide Applications
Environmental pests come in a wide variety of forms including, diseases, insects, invasive weeds and more. The methods for controlling these pests vary as well. Some solutions require a pesticide to remain active and in contact with the leaf surface for an extended period for best results. Nu-Film-17® is uniquely formulated to be combined with pesticides that require residual activity on the leaf or fruit surface. These include contact or ingestion-based pesticides that have direct activity on the target pests.
Systemic Pesticide Applications
Plant health can be negatively impacted by pests in the environment in several different ways. Each of these potential pests also require their own unique solution for control. Exit® has been purposefully formulated to be combined with pesticides that depend upon rapid uptake and translocation of the active ingredient. Pesticides with systemic or translaminar activity, as well as those with hormonal or plant growth regulator effects, are particularly well suited for tank mixing with Exit®. The unique ability to increase the speed at which translocation occurs is what defines Exit®.
Fruit Sizing and Development
Fruit development is an exceptionally important and nutritionally taxing period for plants. Potassium is a critical nutrient at this time as it is responsible for translocation of proteins and sugars, water balance in plants, production of ATP, root development, improving quality of the fruits by maintaining desirable sugar to acid ratio, ripening of fruit and many other processes. Sugar Express® serves as an ideal nutritional choice at this critical time to provide critical nutritional needs at key timings. The addition of Calcium Chelate at this time can also assist in improving development and fruit firmness through the strengthening of cellular structure.
Blossom End Rot
This nutritional disorder typically occurs when plants are growing rapidly, and the first fruits are developing. When fruit cells breakdown due to a lack of calcium, dark blemishes appear on the blossom-end of affected fruits. These may enlarge until the entire bottom of the fruit becomes dark, shrunken, and leathery. Blossom-end rot is a common nutritional deficiency caused by a lack of calcium in rapidly growing fruits or vegetables. Calcium is constantly taken up by roots, but it is first transported to growing points within the plant. Cell Force® provides a necessary boost of rapidly available calcium, potentially improving fruit quality and mitigating the risk of blossom-end rot.
