Butternut squashes - healthy or sickly?

New to trying these, and not sure whether it is all going according to plan. These pics should be viewable without an account:
http://www.keepandshare.com/photo/view.php?u=326003&fv=y&vo=lt

The sweet dumpling looks a lot happier. Don't think I have been treating it any differently.

Should I be worried?

 

See that you have them in pots - I've only ever grown squashes/pumpkins in a pile of compost - maybe a shot of nitrogen based fertiliser might be in order to bring back the green?

 

I have been experimenting with granular feeds, which I think I am supposed to add periodically and let the watering do the rest. I am a bit paranoid about the cost and wastage of liquid feeds, but if the solid stuff aint working I will have to adjust.

 

"I am a bit paranoid about the cost and wastage of liquid feeds"

Most of mine flows through the pot and out onto the floor :(

I have some nice fake-stone balustrade round the terrace where we sit out. It has four urns at intervals, and the pedestals under the urns have green lichen, whereas the rest have grey ... clearly more nitrogen etc. where the urns sit!

I put whole-season slow-release granular feed in my tubs and urns, when I planted them in May, but I have still been feeding with liquid feed. I figure that it will take a while before the roots are in the right "zone" to get the fertilizer that the granules release - plus I'm impatient for the plants to get bigger and look more established!

I've chosen Miracle Grow for that job because it is slightly higher on Nitrogen (growth) than Potassium (flowers and fruit), and has much less Phosphate (roots), and if you have a choice that might be a worthy contender. Couple of quid I think I paid for a packet

 

My best guess is that the sick looking squash has some root problem - either rot or insect attack.
I think the pots are maybe a bit on the small side as squash plants get pretty big and consume a lot of food.