05 Jan 11 Kate Moore (Australia - temperate climate)
My zucchi plants grow enormous, flower copiously but then the fruit just shrivells away to nothing. I haven't had one fruit from either plant, despite about 10 flowers at a time per plant. I'm in Cottesloe, WA
An even easier way to hand-pollinate - pick the male flower, pull the petals away leaving the stem and the stamen (the long yellow bit sticking out of the middle of the male flower) and brush the stamen onto the stigma (the thing inside the centre of the bloom) of the female flowers. You can do the same with other cucurbits eg pumpkins, cucummbers. I do mine on the way out of the house in the morning. Cucumbers are a bit harder as the flowers are so much smaller - you might need a paintbrush for those!
Me too, Kate! I'm in Trigg and experiencing the exactly the same with my zucchini plants. I was told that my problem is a lack of bees for cross pollination between the male ans female flowers...
to hand pollinate: get a small soft paint brush, open the male flower gather pollen on brush then open female flower and light coat on the bit inside, you have now pollinated your zuchinni it should only take a couple of days to watch the zuchis grow, amazing!
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