Zucchini Gone Bad!

[cbar]

My zucchini plants were looking okay and starting to bear some fruit. But then this happened. Right now there are just a couple more coming out and they look okay.

Also most of the leaves are looking well, except for a few that I've photographed. I definitely have some cuke beetles, but nothing too crazy. I plan to start the milk treatment tomorrow.

Is there hope or any other suggestions? Thanks!
[img]https://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/cbar851/DSC_0001-4.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/cbar851/DSC_0002-5.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/cbar851/DSC_0003-2.jpg[/img]

[rainbowgardener]

I'm thinking your zucchini flower just may never have gotten pollinated.

zucchini bear separate male and female flowers. They both have to be open at the same time and there has to be a pollinator around to carry pollen from one to the other. Otherwise you can hand pollinate.

The female flower has the little baby zucchini behind it. If the flower is not pollinated, it drops off, but the baby zucch may stay for a few more days and grow a little before it shrivels up and looks like yours and drops off.

Usually this is an early in the season problem and once the plant gets pumping out flowers more, it takes care of itself.

[sjohnson9206]

I have the same thing happening with my plants as well. Everything from smaller fruit, to large fruit has had this on it so I know these guys were pollinated. I was told it's BER and have been acting accordingly.

[rainbowgardener]

Yup, blossom end rot was definitely the other possibility and sometimes it's a little hard to tell from the picture.

The reason I was thinking this one was the unpollination is because it was so tiny.

You can put blossom end rot in the Search the Forum feature and find lots and lots that has been written here already about it. Type blossom end rot AND zucchini if you want to narrow it down...

[dave103069]

I think I may end up having the same problem. I have lots of flowers on my zukes. Mostly male and some female. I have not seen too many bees so I have been trying to polinate myself but it seems the flowers only open in the early morning hours but it seem to only be the males. I have not seen the females open too much. I still tried to polinate them when they were closed but not sure if it worked or not. I'll have to keep a better eye on them and see. Right now I have about 10 females and about 4 of them have lost their flower so far so I am assuming they will eventually wither, but who knows...

[garden5]

I think I may end up having the same problem. I have lots of flowers on my zukes. Mostly male and some female. I have not seen too many bees so I have been trying to polinate myself but it seems the flowers only open in the early morning hours but it seem to only be the males. I have not seen the females open too much. I still tried to polinate them when they were closed but not sure if it worked or not. I'll have to keep a better eye on them and see. Right now I have about 10 females and about 4 of them have lost their flower so far so I am assuming they will eventually wither, but who knows...

I've noticed that, too. I think what you have to do is just watch, and there will be a certain window of opportunity where both kinds of flowers are open. I'm unsure if the flower can still pollinate after it is all closed up. I've read where some flowers only can pollinate at a certain time of day (usually morning).

[gixxerific]

Now what if the fruit formed and than went down. Would that be more of pollination or BER problem? I had a pumpkin that was looking good than rotted away. I saw this and thought it must be bad pollination but could it be BER? It was just a baby when it went down, but definitely had formed into a fruit.

Here is the pic before it rotted.
[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/Gardening/DSC03837.jpg[/img]

Sorry to piggy back on this thread but I believe it all goes together a bit.