Zucchini squash hex

[Angi]

I have on numerous occasions throughout the years, planted zucchini squash and always had an over abundance of produce. This year I decided to try them again after about a 4 year hiatus. I was surprised when reading the various newsgroup posts that some gardeners had problems getting produce on their plants attributing it to the plants having female blossoms only. Lo and behold I have been hit with the Edible Newsgroup Zucchini Hex also this year for the very first time. The blossoms were all on an extended stem and as the various newsgroup posts eluded are all female. I chopped the plants to the ground this morning and will try again next year and make a trip to the farmer's market for zucchini. The plants were very healthy and about 4 feet tall and about 6 feet wide and I had pulled the plants except for three of the healthiest about a month ago and all were in one hill. The seed packet was an International Culinary Collection and the type was Italian Zucchino Cocozelle which was all that was available when I bought them and normally I buy Northrop King seeds. The seeds that are left over in the packet will go into the XXXX CAN!

[John DeBoo]

I've grown a number of different varities but as of this year have settled on one particular one that has given me the biggest and best fruit I've ever grown as well as the healthiest plants. Ferry Morse is the seed Co and Black Beauty is the variety.

[zxcvbob]

I think maybe you screwed up. Those sound like male flowers, and squash often start out producing all male flowers and add female flowers a week or two later.

Best regards, Bob

[Larry Blanchard]

Well, no, he said "extended stem" which sounds like the female flowers to me.

Anyway, I've got the same problem. The female flowers do produce fruit, but it turns yellow and dies from lack of pollination when it's only an inch or so long.

This morning I found a male flower and about 4 female flowers open. Out came the Q-tips and I did a little artificial insemination.

But I noticed what may be the root of the problem. Down inside every female flower, around the base, were several ants. That sound familiar to anyone?

[Angi]

I'm not the least bit sorry that I decided to chop the plants to the ground after having only blossoms for a few weeks without any sign of produce; whatever sex they were. In my opinion, it is bad enough that the male robin has to wait for several weeks for the female to fly in and the Lord alone knows about the humans' dilemma, so the squash plants don't have to start following suit also! I have always had zucchini any time I planted it enough to vow never to grow it again except for this year and this variety. Previously I planted black zucchini however the only seeds available this year at the store when I made my purchase was this worthless Italian kind.

[Christopher Norton]

The message from Larry Blanchard contains these words:

Still in the laboratory in Texas or London by any chance????????

I know it`s nothing to do with Zucchini but simply could`nt resist.

[John DeBoo]

I have ants on mine too but they are growing nicely. I'm wondering if the aide in pollination?

[Larry Blanchard]

In my case, I don't think so. I've since looked at a couple of the fruits which were turning yellow and they were blackened and hollow right where the flower attaches, which is where the ants were.

[John Savage]

I'd interpret it as describing the male flowers. But no matter.

The most popular zucchini grown here in Australia is the Blackjack. The beauty of growing zucchinis is that they don't need pollination. We pick the fruit on the day that the female flower opens or the day after. At this stage the fruit is about 4 inches long and we usually have to break the opened flower off the end of it. Apparently your variety of zucchini is very different if the fruit is not like this.

You can break the male flower off, tear away the petals to leave just the central pollen stalk, and rub that over the swelling inside all the female flowers in turn. It works perfectly. Once pollinated, you can leave the fruit to attain giant size like a mature marrow. But the plant won't bear as many fruit if you allow them to grow large, and the largeer fruit are lacking in flavour.

Very familiar. Not a problem at all. The ants are just sipping the nectar bounty. The bees go for the excess of pollen in these flowers.