This is just personal experience, although I seem to recall others reporting the same thing. When a young squash is only starting to produce females, it is still quite frail to produce viable fruit. If your largest leaves are only about 6" long, the plant is too young to support the fruit even if the weather is right and you have both male and female flowers. It's as though the plant hasn't had its first period and so it can't get preggers even if there has been major reproductive action (like yellow and black striped bees or buff-coloured bees). My first half dozen females all aborted. The flowers dried out, dropped and the baby zuke shriveled up and rotted. I, too, was alarmed by this the first time, but so far, this has been my experience with all four zukes I've had, and they all ended up producing. The information on plants not being able to support multiple fruit is valuable. I think zukes often start out looking like there is a production problem when there really isn't. It's one of those plants that takes a little patience. It's good to ask questions, but if you have squash that isn't behaving as you expected, it is best to give it some time. As long as the squash doesn't have any funky symptoms, like discoloration of leaves, spots and blotches or funky weird bugs on leaves or close to the main stem near the ground, patience is usually the best medicine.

Best time to make a cutting if just before they start to get flowers. When the leaves drop, the flowers will start. Put them in the shade to slow them down. I have one coming into flowers now. I don't know what the rest will do or when. I expect yellow flowers on this species. I would cut them in Sept. I think here anyway that the growth will start as soon as it cools off. They should start growth about Oct 15, anyway that is what they do here. Norma

Hi Mithander, Sorry, there's so much going on w/ this plant. Fungus gnats are generally indicators of too much watering. These plants are jungle cacti, not arid cacti, so they do need water w/ reasonable frequency & are designed to tolerate the extreme heat of the tropics. (They originally hail from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil which is where I grew up, so I know they have rainy season in January & that it gets VERY hot.) But that said, they need fast draining mix 'cause their roots can rot quite easily. Yes, flowering is a lot of work for the plant, but generally one withholds water for one month after flowering & then the plant slowly starts to come back. Usually mine start putting on new growth again in March or April & I resume a regular watering schedule. Maybe the soil you used had wetting agents in it? If you still have the package maybe read the list of ingredients. At any rate, soil that's too wet & then a a plant moved to a pot that's too big combine to make for conditions for rot. Also putting it into a cooler room combined w/ damp soil can also lead to serious rot & root rot (that's why you have fewer roots). These plants normally grow up in the crotches of trees w/very little mix & just whatever leaf debris & animal wastes happen to drop on them. Their natural habitat gets lots of rain, sometimes frequent rain (depending on the season). Sorry, but if a plant stays too wet, the last thing to do is water it more. Does the pot still have drainage holes? 'cause this is in part a bad drainage problem. I'd put it back into the smaller pot, into a mix of 1/2 African violet soil & half perlite or pumice. I'd smell the roots for rot & then sprinkle ordinary cinnamon (like you use for baking, actual to prevent rot) on the roots & then shake them off & pot up as above. I'd put the newly repotted plant into a position of bright, indirect light & then please leave the plant alone. These plants thrive w/ benign neglect & when healthy, a bit of fertilizer. They tend not to do well when fussed over. I realize you're trying to help the plant, but you're killing it w/ kindness & not resolving the basic problem which sounds to be bad mix, compounded by too much water & then maybe also cold, air conditioned air. While you wait for it to recover you can check out your other cuttings which you mentioned are growing well & also read lots of Christmas Cactus posts here at C&S. Good luck!

Aqua, so we are to take for granted then that you are over-wintering your geraniums and the present plants are going to make a re-appearance next spring. Your problem has bits of what could be a light problem. Does your plants receive good full sun and even if it does get rained on, good drainage should not interfere with it getting over-watered. Slow production of bloom might suggest too you are feeding your plants not the right kind of food. A fertilizer with a higher middle number to help the plant produce bloom is recommended. Miracle Gro is one specified for most plants. A couple tablespoons of superphosphate (0/26/0) mixed into the soil around the roots might push it to produce better. A feeding of something that would be better put on a lawn---with a high nitrogen value might be cause enough to deny bloom....but give you increased foliage. Perhaps, you have mixed with the potting soil (I assume you did use potting soil) some enriched compost. Compost is noted for having a high nitrogen value. It should always be mixed with the present soil wherever it is used....including the bedding plants.