Sometimes it happens that zucchini plants hardly develop any fruit. Different reasons play a role here. If there are no care errors, the lack of fruit production may be due to inadequate pollination. You can easily help here.
How to pollinate zucchini manually?
To manually pollinate zucchini, remove a male flower, remove the yellow petals and insert the stamens into the female funnel. Repeat the process for all fertile flowers. Alternatively, you can use a small brush to transfer the pollen.
Generative characteristics
Zucchini plants develop male and female flowers that open every two to three days during the flowering period and the number of which varies depending on the weather. Flower pollination is carried out by flying insects, which romp between the petals, collect nectar and transfer the pollen.
When fertilization fails
When the weather is unfavorable, the number of insects is very low. In addition, the pollination problem is exacerbated if you only cultivate one plant in the garden or on the balcony. In particularly rainy summer months, the plants develop more male flowers, which is often a problem with heat-loving varieties. In these cases, manual insemination makes sense.
Manual pollination
The ideal time for hand pollination is in the morning, as zucchini bloom for a few hours at the beginning of the day. The flower structure gives you clues about gender. While the female part has a thickened ovary below the petals, the male specimens sit on long, thin stems without any thickening.
How to proceed:
- clip off male flower
- remove yellow petals
- Insert stamens into the female funnel
- Repeat the process for all fertile flowers with a stylus
Brush method
A small cosmetic brush (€7.00 on Amazon) serves as an alternative to collecting flowers. Brush the soft bristles over the stamens so the pollen sticks. Then remove them from the handles. The more often you repeat the process, the greater the pollination success.
When pollination was successful
After successful fertilization, you will soon be able to observe how the flower closes, the ovary swells and the petals wither. Remove the petals to prevent rot formation. After five to seven days, a clearly visible fruit has developed that can be up to 20 centimeters long.
Tip
To support fruit ripening, remove all swelling flower buds and crowns from mid-August. These are a delicacy tossed in butter or on buttered bread.
