Hello newyorkrita. here in our farm we are faced with the lack of natural pollination in squashes when the temperatures are still very cool/cold outside our greenhouses where we grow cucurbits. We have found that we can simply cut the male flower full of pollen, trim the petals so that the anther is fully revealed. Then it can be rubbed directly onto the stigma of the female flower. One anther carries enough pollen for various female flowers. We have also found that it is unnecessary to only use same variety or species, because what one is aiming at fruit formation rather than seed formation, Then if pollination produces viable seed or not becomes irrelevant since for most cases, the fruit will be harvested long before seeds mature. Once pollinated, we also cut the petals of the female flower as a reminder of on that the flower has been pollinated. We hand pollinate early in the morning when pollen is fresh. Later in the season, bumblebees that fly into our greenhouses do the job.
