Courgette flowers starting to look brown and crusty

frazzbo

I've been eagerly awaiting flowers on my courgettes, but noticed that the bits that I thought would turn into flowers now seem to be turning a bit brown and dry looking. The leaves look healthy I think.
Have my plants got some sort of disease, and are they rescue-able?

DavidAC

The female flowers on my plants only stay open one day, the first male flower looks about to open. The plants are growing courgettes though. I have one courgette 18cm long and over due for picking.

welshsue

Excuse me if I sound stupid.... 1st time of growing courgettes this year. How do I tell which are male and which are female flowers please. Also have a winter squash plant so same question about that please.

rhiwfield

Welshsue,

The female flowers have mini versions of the squash or courgette behind them

rhiwfield

welshsue

Ah right, thanks very much. will go and have a look now and see which is which.

jollyanna

A few weeks back on Gardeners Question Time, I'm sure I heard Bob Flowerdew say that nipping off the male Courgette flowers will encourage female flowers to come into bud. Has anyone else heard of this way of encouraging female flowers ?

Lotus-eater

jollyanna wrote: »

A few weeks back on Gardeners Question Time, I'm sure I heard Bob Flowerdew say that nipping off the male Courgette flowers will encourage female flowers to come into bud. Has anyone else heard of this way of encouraging female flowers ?

No but it makes sense and if you haven't got any female flowers to pollinate, there is no point having the males anyway. Just a waste of the plants energy.

frazzbo

Here are some pics of my brown and crusty looking courgette flowers. I'm wondering if perhaps they are the male ones (as they are smaller) and perhaps they have already flowered and I just missed them? Not sure how though, as I tend to do a thorough examination of everything every day to check on progress!!

This one seems to look quite dry and crusty:
http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/7098/p1000971d.jpg

And so does this:
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/7181/p1000962w.jpg

This one looks in best health, I think:
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/457/p1000981.jpg

Lotus-eater

I cant quite see what's going on, but it looks like none of them have flowered yet, when they do, you can see them about half a mile away.
It looks like some of them are about to flower.

frazzbo

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I cant quite see what's going on, but it looks like none of them have flowered yet, when they do, you can see them about half a mile away.
It looks like some of them are about to flower.

Fab news, thanks! I'd convinced myself it was the start of them dying!

Archiedixon

There is no problem with your plants, you just take proper care of them.
They will grow after some time........
Thanks.....