07 Nov 17 Cherie (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I am growing a yellow zucchini variety, mulched and composted. Trying to be consistent with the water but it's hard in the stormy weather here in Bris. Plant looks healthy and happy and fruiting well, but none make it to edible size as they get squishy and brown at the flower end (Blossom end rot?), When I break them off and open there are maggots inside... Any experience and ideas to fix this issue, not the first year, or variety, I've had this problem, though the worst it's been.
A couple of things. 1. Zucchinis need bees to pollinate or you have to do it by hand ( break off a male flower and peal the flower part back and rub the female flower). 2. You need both male and female flowers to be able to pollinate (sometimes there is all male flowers and sometimes all female flowers - happened to me this year). 3. Wet weather brings moths grubs and disease - water down low around the plants and not on the plant - also if watering the plant do it in the morning so it dries out before night. 3. With the storm season happening it is probably too late for zucchinis now. A thing for blossom end rot is some Epsom Salts - google about doing it - it works for tomatoes. By this time of the year I normally have all my plants harvested - summer too windy, too hot and chance of wrecking storms - like last night - Bundaberg.
Zuchinni, pumpkin, rockmelon and such are now just starting. Early fruiting generally does not get pollinated as well as it does in a week or two's time. From your description your female fruit buds are not pollinated and then they rot and get infested with fruit fly larvae or similar. Try hand pollinating your female buds with a male bud at this stage in the season and this will secure fruit production. Strip the male buds covers and wiggle around the inside of a female bud, that will ensure pollination. Use your finger in soil if it comes out with material on it don't water, if not, water well once every 3 days.
Regards
Matt
10 Nov 17 Cherie (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Thanks for that info. I'm thought pollination was occurring, as the fruit starts growing well, doesn't that mean it has been pollinated? The fruits are about 5cm long when they go soft and squishy at the end.
We do have bees around...
When the female flower comes out, the little zucchini grows to about 5 cm long in the first few days. If it is not pollinated, it then shrivels up or goes rotten in the end. You may have bees, but you need to look to see if you have all female flowers - or all male flowers. My zucchini crop - at the start they were mostly male flowers and at the end just about all female - 1 male 20 female.
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