Zucchini fruit grow from the bottoms of pollinated female zucchini flowers.
Zucchini is a common vegetable in backyard gardens. It is easy to grow, can thrive in a variety of conditions and produces pounds of vegetables throughout the summer season. Zucchini is a versatile vegetable that can be grilled, stir fried or used in soups and stews. It can also be grated and added to spaghetti sauce for fiber and vitamins or to cakes for moisture and texture. Zucchini squash grow from flowers that the plant produces. A zucchini plant may be flowering but not producing fruit for a number of reasons.
Too Early in the Season
As zucchini seedlings grow into full-sized plants, they begin producing flowers. The flowers that appear during the first few weeks of flowering are usually male flowers. Male flowers must pollinate female flowers to create zucchini fruit. Female flowers will begin to appear and, once they are pollinated, fruit will grow from the base of the female flower.
No Pollination
If your plant has both male and female flowers, it may not be producing fruit because the female flowers are not being pollinated. Bees are the main pollinators in the garden, although butterflies and ants have been known to assist in pollination of zucchini plants. Rather than relying on the insects, you can use a soft paintbrush to spread pollen from one flower to another to aid in pollination.
Plant Stress
Zucchini plants are some of the toughest in the garden, but if they are put under stress, they will have a hard time producing fruit. Too much or too little water causes the plant to go into survival mode, preventing it from expending the energy to produce fruit. Keep the soil around your zucchini plant evenly watered and well drained. Extremely high temperatures also sometimes cause the plant to stop producing fruit. Cooler temperatures, particularly when the summer season is ending, can also cause fruit production to slow down.
Soil Quality
Zucchini plants need to be grown in fertile soil. Have your soil tested early in the season. Amend soil prior to planting zucchini seeds and side-dress with compost or fertilizer after the first blossoms appear. Acidity of the soil may also be a factor in production of fruit. Zucchini plants prefer soil with a neutral pH of 7.
Tags: producing fruit, grow from, female flowers, flowers that, summer season, zucchini plant, Zucchini plants
