Q.Tertiary Vine
I have read that by trimming the tertiary vines on a squash plant you can have bigger, better fruit. What is the tertiary vine? Also, can you have too many squash on one plant? Will it cause trouble? Thanks.
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
Squash normally grows two main vines that head off in opposite directions. Each of these vines produce a secondary vine and additional runners, or tertiary vines, appear off these secondary vines. It is usually recommended that these be removed by pinching them off to promote larger fruit growth, as it will direct the plant's energy towards the fruit growth rather than additional vine growth. Having lots of squash isn't necessarily a bad thing, unless there are so many that they are becoming stunted. You can remove some of the female flowers or smallest fruit if this is a problem for you.
