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Vegetable Gardening

All male blossoms on zucchini

11 years ago

Granted, we're in a horrible drought, and its been super hot, but I have watered the garden every other day and most of the other veggies are doing well. So here it is early August, and I still only have male blossoms on my zucchini. Are they just sensitive to heat? Usually I have them coming out the wazoo. I'm using seed from last year, which did great last year.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

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Comments (5)

digdirt2
11 years ago
The plants are sensitive to stress. Any stress and sometimes it just won't allow reproduction. That would only give it more stress. Based on all the other posts you may be lucky to just have plants growing at all thanks to the heat. Are they heavily mulched to keep the roots cool? Have they been fed? Can they be shaded? Is it possible you are OVER-watering?

Saved seed could easily have crossed but sterile seeds from cross-pollination would be unusual. Normally you get "something".

Dave
catherinet
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks Dave,
I don't think I have over-watered, but as you probably know, rain water is sooooo much better for the plants than ground water. Yes, they are mulched. No, I don't tend to feed my plants except to have soil that has aged compost (including chicken poop and bedding). I suppose I should have shaded them a bit. I just kept hoping it wouldn't be as hot and sunny.........but it always was!
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flowergirl70ks
11 years ago
The same thing happened here last year. I think its heat stress. there were lots of male blooms but I didn't get even 1 zuch. My grandson planted a pumpkin this year. so far no little pumpkins set on. If there is a female blossom, there aren't any male ones at the right time, so no baby pumpkins. I hate this weather.
catherinet
Original Author
11 years ago
I'm in zone 5 too. Its pretty scary to never get rain. We've gotten maybe a total of 1/2" of rain in the last 2 and 1/2 monts. I sure hope this isn't a trend. I'm getting paranoid........the rain misses us every time by just a couple miles.
mandolls
11 years ago
I am a zone cooler and we have had at least a little rain, but my Armenian Cucumbers which have 7-10 ft vines and have been flowering profusely for over a two months have only yesterday set one cucumber out of seven plants. Other cucumbers have been doing much better, but still not what one would expect.

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