Grey Zucchini?

vivalaboss

vivalaboss

Well-Known Member
Ok im growing some 'grey' zucchini this year, and so far the plants are looking great and healthy, however, the male flowers are opening up just fine, but the females arent wanting to open....you can see them come up with the zucchini behind the flower, but the flower never opens up and the flower and fruit just turn yellow, mushy and die.....i thought it may have been because i didnt have a sufficient amount of P and K, so i got some Alaska Morbloom 0-10-10, cause all ive fed it so far was 5-1-1, fish emulsion....im growing all organically, so if anyone has any ideas on why the female flowers are not opening and dying off i would greatly appreciate it....also ive had like one or two of the very bottom leaves turn yellow and die, but i figured it was just normal as the plant matured, but it may be related.... heres a pic of one of the plants...you can see the yellow leaf at the bottom...but overall the plant looks to me pretty healthy, maybe it just wanted to drop the first round of fruit, or maybe its a problem...if someone could help i would greatly appreciate it!!
zucchini.jpg
 
vivalaboss

vivalaboss

Well-Known Member
still having this problem....no signs of vine borers or anything, so i figured it was a nute problem...got some ALASKA Morbloom 0-10-10 and fed them about 4 days ago, so hopefully this will help...if anyone has any ideas or can share some experience with me i would GREATLY appreciate it cause this is supposed to be the easiest of the vegetables to grow but im catching the most hell with it....Thanx Alot!!

Photo0057.jpgPhoto0064.jpgPhoto0055.jpgPhoto0053.jpg
 

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vivalaboss

vivalaboss

Well-Known Member
so i guess im the only one with this problem??? i doubt it...im still having some trouble with the female flowers not wanting to open and just yellowin up and dyin, they look so green and healthy with a big ol pre flower on top, but the next morning the fruit, flower and all are yellow and shriveling up....its not a lack of pollination cause the flower doesnt even want to open to get pollinated, im at a loss here.....male flowers all opening picture perfectly, so if anyone at all has any kinda advice or experience with this problem i would greatly greatly GREATLY appreciate it!!!!
THANX A BUNCH
 
racerboy71

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
your last set of pix look good to me m8, that's the way mine usually form.. the flower will just drop off, and the fruit will grow up behind where the flower was at one point..
right where you have your finger looks like the beginning of a nice healthy fruit to me, give it some time, i'm sure they will grow nicely for you..usually once i get a fruit like that, it's sometimes only days till i have something reasonably big, zuchinni's can grow quickly..
 
vivalaboss

vivalaboss

Well-Known Member
but the flowers on the females aren't even opening to become pollinated by the males....the females just dont open, turn yellow, and eventually turn to mush and just fall off....but ya everything looks good and healthy, the ph is great and has been the whole time, i think it just needs a little time and its going to start doin its thing, im just gonna have to trust in the Lord for the harvest this year...Thanx for the input
 
mcpurple

mcpurple

Well-Known Member
female and male flowers. i didnt know they had them. all my flowers seem to turn into fruit.
hope they produce well for you. i will have alot of xtra, ill send some your way
 
racerboy71

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
mcpurple said:
female and male flowers. i didnt know they had them. all my flowers seem to turn into fruit.
hope they produce well for you. i will have alot of xtra, ill send some your way
Click to expand...
glad you said this mcpurple as i was thinking the same thing.. i usually only get that one big yellow flower which eventually falls off and the fruit grows in behind this..
 
mcpurple

mcpurple

Well-Known Member
i was just out in my garden looking at my flowers on them and i saw 1 that had no fruit out of 4 plants.
 
vivalaboss

vivalaboss

Well-Known Member
but what would cause the flowers to not open in the first place....the male flowers that dont have the fruits behind them are opening big and pretty, but the female flower with the small fruit behind it never opens up.... and yes they do have male and female flowers....male flowers are on long skinny stems with the yellow flower, they open to pollinate the female flowers that have the small immature fruit behind them....i understand that if the females dont get pollitnated then the fruit will die and fall off, but what would cause the flower to never open at all...the flower just turns brown and the fruit behind it just yellows and shrivels and dies....
its not a pollination problem its a flower opening problem....but ya the plants are extremely healthy and maybe there just reaching the point of maturity to where they can handle fruit...im gonna wait this out...theres several big female flowers with a healthy fruit behind them right now, so hopefully in the next day or so they will open like normal and start producing...thanx for all the input and hopefully someone has some advice on why the female flowers won't open at all..
 
racerboy71

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
huh, you are right about them having both female and male flowers, i never noticed anything other than the big yellow, what i think are the female flowers before.. i've been growing them for years too, lol..
i found this quick lil aritcle, but the only thing that they really mention is lack of pollination, which doesn't make sense as to why the flower wouldn't open to begin with.. but i still thought it was a good read, and i even learned a few things, imagine that..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zucchini
 
mcpurple

mcpurple

Well-Known Member
well i learned a few th8ngs today about them while at work/

it could be not enough feerilizer or to much but i dont think so. it could be inconsistent watering schedule, it could also be the ph of the soil, or if it is to clayt like they wont do good, just a few things to think about and check.
i hope they produce for you
 
4tatude

4tatude

Well-Known Member
vivalaboss said:
but what would cause the flowers to not open in the first place....the male flowers that dont have the fruits behind them are opening big and pretty, but the female flower with the small fruit behind it never opens up.... and yes they do have male and female flowers....male flowers are on long skinny stems with the yellow flower, they open to pollinate the female flowers that have the small immature fruit behind them....i understand that if the females dont get pollitnated then the fruit will die and fall off, but what would cause the flower to never open at all...the flower just turns brown and the fruit behind it just yellows and shrivels and dies....
its not a pollination problem its a flower opening problem....but ya the plants are extremely healthy and maybe there just reaching the point of maturity to where they can handle fruit...im gonna wait this out...theres several big female flowers with a healthy fruit behind them right now, so hopefully in the next day or so they will open like normal and start producing...thanx for all the input and hopefully someone has some advice on why the female flowers won't open at all..
Click to expand...
your correct in they arent mature enough for fruit. its natural to drop at first, especially with high n feeding. give them time n the alaska feed n they will have you giving zukes away lol. if the fruit sets n looks less than vigerous cut it off. i cut many off at begining of production but very few once they are doing well. patience grasshopper lmao cause i have vertually no patience
 
CarbonX

CarbonX

Active Member
There are some reasons to why plants abort flowers

1 - Humidity
2 - Soil is to wet or to dry to much of the time
3 - If its to hot or to cold
4 - Your not feeding it the proper kind of food.
 
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