Poor Courgette Crop

LizD_2

Hi

I have about six F1 Zucchini courgette plants, 3 to a tub. I've only had about 4 courgettes from them. At the moment, they have lots of male flowers, but no female flowers. They're watered every day. Wondering if I need to feed them or divide again?

janeawej

how big are the tubs?
do u have loads of leaves and no fruit?
do they look 'dusty'?
slugs?
what r u feeding them?

JoeyEmma

Sorry to sound silly, but how do you tell the difference between a male and female flower? I just planted my seeds and got courgettes a few months later, iwthout having tio stress

LizD_2

janeawej wrote:

how big are the tubs?
do u have loads of leaves and no fruit?
do they look 'dusty'?
slugs?
what r u feeding them?

Tubs hold about 5 litres of compost. Lots of leaves, some look a bit yellow and are curling up. Wouldn't really say they look dusty. One tub had blackfly earlier in the year, but it doesn't seem to have affected it too badly. Don't think slugs have got them: no holes and we have a family of hedgehogs in the garden. They had all purpose miracle grow back in june, haven't fed them since.

JoeyEmma,

Female flowers have a bulge at the base of the petals, this turns into the courgette. Male flowers don't have a bulge.

Gingham_Ribbon

I am getting monster courgettes. But they are in 9" tubs individually. Do you have 3 plants in a quite small container?

I'd happily swap with you. I have an aversion to anything green at the moment so I'm having to give them away!

LizD_2

Gingham Ribbon

I think you're right, they need to be in bigger pots. Do you think they'd be okay if i split them and feed them? They seem healthy enough, just not many fruits.

Gingham_Ribbon

I'm afraid this is my first crop, so I don't know. But you've nothing to lose by seperating them. If it was me I would do it, making sure they were watered well and had plenty of drainage in the bottom, feed them and see what happens.

Good luck. (Incidentally, I haven't fed mine but did mix some John Innes no 2 in with the compost when I was potting them. I've no idea what it is. Just doing what my father in law told me!)

janeawej

definately try bigger pots are you watering too much or too little never soak or stand in water best to water more often with less water as too much at once can cause fruit problems, you could always try self polinating the few female flowers with a paint brush and pollen from amle ones or planting somehtin the bees will like next to them, the reason i ask about 'dusty' leaves is that they will get cucumber mosiac virus and theis makes the leaves look dusty not much u can do about it but will start to decrease cropping

let me know how u get on!

i have only grown them in the ground grew 3 acres one yr!! must b mad!

scuzz

Could also be down to the weather. The heatwave's meant to be having a bad effect on veggies this year

VickyM_2

I wish the weather was affecting our courgettes - we are in full-on glut mode. Anyone want me to post them some??