Q. My
friends are giving me grief because I can't grow zucchini or other squashes. I
get female flowers with the squash below the flower. I have male
flowers, too. We seem to have insects around enough to pollinate other
plants. But this fruit withers at about large grape size. What can I
do to become one of those zucchini and squash growers who have so much they
can't even give it all away?
A. It is possible that they are not open at the same time
and having more than one plant should solve that problem. During high
temperatures, pollination can be a problem because of sterile pollen.
 |
| Zucchini fruits yellowing and falling off |
If the
plant has a very tight canopy and bees have a hard time getting to the flowers
then this could prevent good fruiting. It is also possible that you have a variety
that is not a good performer in our climate.
 |
| Male flowers have slender stalk supporting the flower while females stalk, which become fruit,, are much thicker. |
You may
have to act like a bee do some hand pollination. You might try hand pollinating.
This requires a soft paint brush and transferring the pollen from the male
flower to the female flower. This is a pretty good video on hand pollinating
zucchini.
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