Zucchini - lots of blossoms but no zucchini

**YankeeMom** · 07-24-2006, 09:01 PM

First, I did try to post this at HomesteadGarden, but apparently I need to have 15 posts in order to post a URL (never mind that I already have nearly 2000 here). So I'm posting this here in hopes to get some answers.

I have some large zucchini plants (container garden) with lots and lots of blossoms, but the blossoms keep falling off before any zucchini can grow

They are in full sun most of the day, I only water from the bottom, there are no blights or pets on the plant itself. The same exact thing happened when I had my garden in the ground the last two seasons. This is my first year container gardening.

Here are some pictures of my zucchini plants:

In this next one, you can see a blossom half of in the upper right:

Any thoughts?

**kabin63** · 07-24-2006, 09:14 PM

I looked up the problem just to make sure I was on the right track. It sounds like you have lots of male flowers that aren't pollinating the female flowers, the ones with the little bulbs just below the flower. Do you have many Bees around your garden? If not, you might have to pollinate by hand or plant other things that attract bees.

**YankeeMom** · 07-24-2006, 09:17 PM

hmm that sounds doable, how do I pollinate by hand?

**YankeeMom** · 07-24-2006, 09:26 PM

Found a great article telling how to hand pollinate zucchini blossoms and how to tell the difference between male & female blossoms. In case anyone else is having similar problems:
http://cemariposa.ucdavis.edu/newsle...ulture1454.pdf

Kabin63 THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! I can't wait to try this!

**frugalfarmwife** · 07-24-2006, 09:31 PM

She beat me to it

I'm having a problem with TONS of male blossoms on my summer squash and very few female this year, frustrating.

Now the zucchini, lol, come on over and I'll give you a banana box full of them!

kj

**kabin63** · 07-24-2006, 10:11 PM

Heather, you're welcome. You know what? I just went out to my garden and looked at my zucchini and guess what? The same problem as you...LOL guess I need to take my own advice.

kj...I'd be so glad to have a banana box full...........

**YankeeMom** · 07-24-2006, 10:21 PM

The zucchini seems to be the only one I'm having issues with. Everything else is doing pretty well:

Cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, regular tomatoes, zucchini, honeydew, corn, and beans. All from seed except the honeydew, regular & roma tomatoes

**frugalfarmwife** · 07-24-2006, 10:45 PM

Oh what a neat little patch you've got going there, watch out though those honeydew are going to take over!

And both of you come on over, trust me, I've got enough zucchini for an army coming on! Also growing butternut squash for the first time this year, man are they ever taking over EVERYWHERE!

kj

**kabin63** · 07-24-2006, 11:08 PM

Heather, the reason the tomatoes aren't a problem is because they have both male and female parts, mine are doing ok too...lol, but zucchini, that's another story. I usually don't have any trouble growing a whole load of zucchini

.

kj, I'd love to...trust me..I go through a lot of zucchini. I make my DH an omelette almost every morning with zucchini, onions, and whatever else I have to put in, but he often likes it with just the squash and onion. If he would let me, I would keep chickens to lay the eggs too. I still might get a few anyway....LOL

**frugalfarmwife** · 07-24-2006, 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by kabin63

Heather, the reason the tomatoes aren't a problem is because they have both male and female parts, mine are doing ok too...lol, but zucchini, that's another story. I usually don't have any trouble growing a whole load of zucchini

.

kj, I'd love to...trust me..I go through a lot of zucchini. I make my DH an omelette almost every morning with zucchini, onions, and whatever else I have to put in, but he often likes it with just the squash and onion. If he would let me, I would keep chickens to lay the eggs too. I still might get a few anyway....LOL

Ok, lol, now I'm going to give you the lecture I give my best friend, who takes care of the place all day long? Who does the feeding at your place? Who keeps the house and does the cooking? Then WHO should have the say on the animals?

Besides, don't ask, just get em! My hubby grumbles about my chickens and turkeys some days but as long as I have the heavier ones (so they can't roost on his tractors and ahem "decorate" them he isn't allowed to grumble!) And besides, they're the BEST bug control there is! They eat the non digested grains and the fly larvae (being polite here, lol) and are great at keeping down the mosquitos and fleas too. And the manure is GREAT for gardens, lawns, fields.

My clucks all run free and are fun to watch, the garden is fenced to keep them out. they wander the horse pasture and yards, then at night the bed down in the barn.

kj

**kabin63** · 07-25-2006, 09:58 AM

kj, I only have 1 acre...LOL...but I really am going to have to wait on the chickens. DH will have to build the coop and that doesn't happen until the house remodel is done. Then I think I might get some, but I will not be able to let them run around as free as I would like to. I have a few close neighbors that I don't think would like it. I do agree about how great they are for bugs, fertilizer and such. Plus free range aggs are the best! One of these days I will have chickens! That's my decloration, but not just yet. LOL If I had a spinning wheel I would have access to all the wool and probably alpaca fleeces I could handle too... LOL I don't live on a farm, but I love living across the street from them and the opportunites they present.

**Kimberlina** · 07-25-2006, 10:05 AM

Lots of quick responses- I was so going to say hand-pollinate! LOL

I try to give my plants a shake when I go by them to help with the pollination. It does help that we have a gazillion bees around here. (DD got stung twice last week.

)

**KatieInLa2** · 07-25-2006, 10:12 AM

I have alot of honeybees around my bird bath and goldfish pond. Maybe a small dish of water near your plants will help draw the bees. I must have a wild hive in the woods near my house.

**kabin63** · 07-25-2006, 01:03 PM

When I went out to the garden morning, swatting mosquitos

, I noticed that all the males are open, but the females aren't, so I thought maybe I would help one along to see what happens when I open it. BTW, I had 3 bees in one of the males...lol...so I guess no problem with bees for me. I also wonder if my plants are not getting enough sun this year. My ?DH talked me into putting it in a different place and I think it only gets about 4 hours of full

and I tried to tell him they need more, but the tomatoes are growing, so,

just trying to figure out what's going on.