Squash

The Squash is a single-use plant in Plants vs. Zombies and Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time that attacks zombies in a space directly to the left or right of it by squashing them. When a zombie comes in its range it jumps up and squashes it. The Squash appears to be loosely based on the Chayote Squash.

Plants vs. Zombies
Squash

Squashes will squash the first zombie that gets close to it.

Damage: massive

Range: short range, hits all zombies that it lands on

Usage: single use

"I'm ready!" yells Squash. "Let's do it! Put me in! There's nobody better! I'm your guy! C'mon! Whaddya waiting for? I need this!"

Cost: 50

Recharge: slow

Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
Squash

Sun cost: 50

DAMAGE: Massive

RANGE: close

RECHARGE: sluggish

Squashes will smash the first zombie that gets close.

Usage: single use

Area: all zombies around target

Squash is actually his stage name. His birth name is Tracy.

Usage
When planted, the Squash waits until it sees a zombie in an adjacent square to the left or right, at which point the Squash's eyes will turn around to the zombie and make a "Hmm?" sound as if disapproving. The Squash will then pounce, crushing the zombies in that square.

Because it can pounce to its left, the Squash can also pounce on Vaulting Zombies who have vaulted over it. However, the Squash will sometimes fail to smash a Pogo Zombie. This usually happens on the slanted part of the roof.

Like most other instant kills, the Squash is non-reusable (vanishing after pouncing on a zombie) and has a slow recharge speed.

Standard Levels
The Squash is an excellent plant to use in early setup against that one zombie or tight group of zombies which are too strong for the current defense or that managed to sneak through. However, plant slots are generally too valuable for this plant to be of frequent use in earlier levels, though they are good against Gargantuars and Zombonis, and are excellent for Survival: Endless after you finish your setup. The Bobsled Bonanza mini-game is one level that the Squash really shines on (although some setups need no instant kills at all), because of its relatively cheap cost and ability to destroy a Zomboni, but it only squashes one or two of the Zombie Bobsled Team in one hit, so use a Wall-nut or Tall-nut to make the zombies stack up. It is also helpful in the Column Like You See 'Em and Pogo Party mini-games. One thing to remember is not to stack Squashes in one lane. For example, in the roof levels, if a Bungee Zombie drops a zombie in the middle of the Squashes, two or three Squashes will squash only one zombie, wasting sun.

Vasebreaker
Vasebreaker Endless and Ace of Vase almost absolutely require that you use the Squash, due to the presence of Gargantuars. Whenever you see a Gargantuar, hit it with two Squashes as quick as you can. Don't forget you can even plant the Squashes directly under the Gargantuar, and it will hit it before it has a chance to react. You may also use extra Squashes for the Buckethead Zombies. Squashes also appear on other Vasebreaker levels, but they aren't necessary.

I, Zombie
There are several I, Zombie levels with Squash. Make sure you use cheap zombies whenever you can, and remember that the Gargantuar can be easily taken down by two of them in the same lane.

Monster Mash Achievement


The achievement Monster Mash is earned by crushing five zombies of any kind with one Squash. For Survival levels, this achievement can be earned quickly, but if your version does not have Survival, then plant a Wall-nut or Tall-nut during the final wave and wait for a mob of zombies to pile up, then Squash them all.

Endless Zone
On higher levels, after one Zombie, another might appear, be it two or three of them and sometimes one of them can be in the same row with the other zombie. Place the squash NOT close to those zombies but somehow five spaces away from them. That way, you can use its sluggish re-charge to your advantage, making other zombies wait for the right turn to appear. This and Potato Mine are excellent partners-in-crime. Just remember to place it four or five squares away from the zombie that will appear on a certain row. Squash is also useful in the higher levels of endless zone already especially in levels where hordes of Gargantuars will attack.

Piñata Party
In some Piñata Parties that Squash is present, feed it with Plant Food to crush the two strongest zombies on the lawn before returning to its original spot. It is also good if more zombies are in a same square, for example, behind a walnut, therefore they will get squashed together.

General

 * Squash's name means two things - one is the fact that it is a squash, and the other is that it squashes zombies.
 * Technically, the Squash cannot be eaten or smashed, as it jumps on the attacker and kills it before it can be done more damage than a couple of bites.
 * However, if the player correctly activates the Pea Pod glitch, a flock of Zombie Chickens will rush on the lawn. The Squash will not squash any chickens and thus, it will be eaten like a regular plant.
 * Only an Imitater Squash that is transforming can be run over, eaten, or smashed.

Plants vs. Zombies

 * The Squash can be destroyed by Peashooter Zombies, Gatling Pea Zombies, Jalapeno Zombies, basketballs and Jack-in-the-Box Zombie explosions.
 * On the PSN and XBLA versions, your controller (connected) or your friends' controller (connected) will rumble when a Squash jumps and lands on a Zombie.
 * In the online version of the game, you get the Squash instead of the Potato Mine after Level 1-5.
 * For some reason, the Squash never squashes a Bungee Zombie to the left. This may be because, like when a Bungee Zombie targets a Chomper, it drops slightly behind the plant. But it should squash the zombie (since Squashes can go left or right).
 * Squashes deal almost full damage to Tall-nut Zombies, leaving them about with about a quarter of their health left, approximately 30 hits.
 * The Squash, the Wall-nut, the Explode-o-nut, and the Giant Wall-nut are the only plants that can move. The last three plants mentioned can only move in Wall-nut Bowling.
 * However, the Explode-o-nut always moves, due to only appearing in Wall-nut Bowling; the other plants move only in specific occasions.
 * If a Squash kills a zombie in the Pool, the Squash creates a small splash.
 * If you plant a Squash on the edge of the Pool and it squashes a zombie, instead of hitting the floor and making a thud, it makes a splash instead.
 * The Squash, the Chomper, the Tangle Kelp, and the Potato Mine are the only instant kills that are activated on contact with the enemy.
 * The Squash, the Chomper, and the Potato Mine are the only instant kills that can miss.
 * The whole screen will shake whenever a Squash squashes a zombie.
 * In the Online Version of the game, the Squash jumps higher than usual when squashing zombies.
 * It is the only massive damage plant besides the Chomper and the Tangle Kelp that is not an explosive.
 * The Squash, however, is the only one of these three that are Area-Of-Effect, making it a good choice when multiple zombies are coming in a single area.
 * Squash.png is also the plant that talks the most according to the Almanac; the second-most talkative plant is the Coffee Bean.
 * In the free PC version, the player cannot use the Squash, Threepeater, or Twin Sunflower.
 * The Squash was bigger than usual in the DS trailer.
 * If the Squash looks left, it will squash at the right, and vice versa. It is unknown if this is a glitch or not.
 * In the DS version, the Squash's "Hmmm?" is barely audible; however, it can still be heard when wearing headphones or putting your ears near the DS speakers.
 * A Squash can kill a Squash Zombie before it gets squashed.
 * The Squash is one of the two plants that can verbally speak. The other one is the Sunflower.
 * The Squash's idle animation looks like it's trying to squash the ground under it.
 * If a Pole Vaulting Zombie vaults over a Squash and the Squash doesn't kill it, it will not squash the zombie behind it.
 * If a Pole Vaulting Zombie jumps over a Squash and there is another Squash behind it, both the Squashes will smash the Pole Vaulting Zombie.
 * The same thing happens if there are three Squashes.
 * If a Squash squashes a zombie on the slope of the Roof, it will appear to levitate above the roof after it has squashed the zombie.

Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time

 * If Squash is upgraded by Plant Food, it'll crush the nearest two zombies on screen and then return back to its spot.
 * It can be hard to give it Plant Food since it is a one-use plant and jumps when there is a zombie around.
 * In the Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time Trailer, the milk carton in the fridge Crazy Dave opened said that the Squash was missing, indicating that it is now a plant you must pay for in the new game.
 * Its real name is Tracy.
 * When it crushes a Zombie, the Squash makes a different sound than it did in the first game.
 * No zombie can kill Squash. However, a stage element from Kung-Fu World will kill it instantly if it is placed on a wrong square.
 * Zombies will now lose their head and an arm when they get squashed.
 * It also jumps forward, instead of sideways.