Zukes not fully developing

[Paul M. Cook]

My zuke plant, I only have the one, is acting oddly. So far it has started

4 zukes. Two I hand pollinated the others were bee pollinated. In each case they grew to about 4 inches in length and then just stop. After 10 days I cut them all off as they had not grown an inch in a week. Last year they grew an inch a day. What could be going on here?

[Bill who putters]

You may have ended up with a cull as your main plant. Thinning and culling leaving the strongest is a big part of gardening.

[Paul M. Cook]

I only planted one. I do containers. I have this one in a 22 inch pot with

3 cubic feet of soil. The seeds came from my garden shop. The plant itself is quite healthy and has many large leaves.

[David Hare-Scott]

What do the flower ends look like? I am wondering if you have atypical blossom end rot.

David

[Paul M. Cook]

The flowers are very large and perfect. I have three new ones on there now. None have grown a quarter inch in the last several days. All are about 3 inches long. One is turning yellow.

Paul

[songbird]

i would guess that you need a different source of pollen. some plants don't set fruit very well when self pollinated.

songbird

[Paul M. Cook]

Hmmm ... last year I grew Fordhooks. This year Black Beauty. Could it be the variety of zucchini?

Paul

[songbird]

Paul M. Cook wrote: ...

i'm not really sure, but it could also be a timing thing too. some plants/blooms will not be able to be pollinated unless certain conditions are met and i don't have a good description anywhere of what a pollen accepting zucchini squash blossom looks like in comparison to one that is not (i have such a description for tulips, but that doesn't help you :)).

you may want to do some experimenting and see what seems to work. like, pollinating within a few hours of the bloom opening, and then trying again a day later, and then waiting another day and try again. try some early in the morning, others midday, others evening, etc. for temperature. no need to be shy, a normal squash blossom needs many visits by bees before they are pollenated properly. that could hold for zucchinis also...

sorry i can't be a more specific help but my reference isn't precise and i'm not online much these days to nose about.

songbird

[Paul M. Cook]

I'm thinking zukes are really weird. First they open their blossoms in the early morning, seems just one time, then close up and die unless pollinated. I know I pollinated them in the later part of the day and I had to tease the blossoms open again. The stigmae had all closed up by then. So I am thinking when you pollinate them is important. Looks like no zukes this year. None are growing past 3 inches and now all I have is female flowers.

Paul

[songbird]

Paul M. Cook wrote: ...

i looked more today and found a few references about timing, any that did said pollinate in the morning. so yes, i'd guess your timing was off and that was the problem. your early bees were not buzzing.

songbird