Why barren flowers appear on zucchini and how to deal with it
Barren flowers on zucchini - mass appearance of flowers on bushes without ovary. This herb is cross-pollinated.
Large yellow flowers are unisexual, they are subdivided into:
- male - with long thin pedicels, pistil rudiments and five developed stamens fused together;
- women - with an ovary.
Barren flowers cannot be called useless, they are necessary for pollination of female flowers. Without them, the fruits of plants will not grow, and non-pollinated ovaries will wither very quickly.
The mass appearance of barren flowers on the bushes of zucchini means a decrease in yield. And sometimes there may be no fruit at all.
Why zucchini often bloom empty
There are several reasons contributing to the formation of a large number of male colors, first of all, these are:
- sowing last year's (fresh) seeds;
- improper storage of seed - violation of the temperature regime or the creation of poor conditions;
- unprepared, acidic soil with a PH below 7;
- carrying out agrotechnical measures unsuitable for these plants;
- very hot or too cold weather;
- absence of pollinating insects.
Of particular importance for the normal development of zucchini is the choice of location and the correct planting scheme. Do not place beds under tree crowns or plant seeds at a short distance, less than 0.7 m from each other.
What to do if barren flowers are found on zucchini
In the appearance of barren flowers, zucchini diseases may be to blame. If the bush is infected with the cucumber mosaic virus, there may be no flowers at all or only male flowers will bloom. In this case, you need to immediately take emergency measures, use special drugs, such as Aktara or Aktelikt. However, if the degree of damage is high, the bush is removed (carefully dig in and pulled out), and then burned away from plantings. To destroy the powdery mildew fungus, which also causes infertility of pumpkin seeds, use an ash solution or Carboran.
Seeds from three years ago are best suited for sowing, in this case there will not be too many barren flowers on the zucchini.
Plants grown from last year's "fresh" seeds can be stimulated to form ovaries. To do this, you need not water them for about 10 days (the duration of the artificial drought must be adjusted depending on weather conditions).
With abundant watering of bushes growing on heavy clay soils, flowers also do not normally pollinate. In thickened plantings, the ovaries rot. Overgrown wide leaves impede normal lighting and prevent plants from fully developing. In this case, the excess leaves are removed, and the places of the cuts are sprinkled with ash, in order to avoid decay.
To bring the soil acidity to a normal indicator, dolomite flour or ash is added, depending on the degree of acidity:
- high degree - 0.5 kg per 1 m²;
- medium degree - 0.3 kg per 1m²;
- low degree - 0.2 kg per 1m².
With the exception of parthenocarpic varieties, which do not require pollination for the development of ovaries, the yield of all the rest depends on insects: bumblebees, bees, garden ants. But their quantity is sometimes not enough for inflorescences, therefore they are attracted by spraying the leaves with sweet water, or pollinated by hand.
If during the period of development, zucchini received too much nitrogen fertilizers, they activate the growth of stems and leaves, begin to "fatten" and do not form ovaries.
To minimize the negative consequences, the bushes are periodically watered with ash infusion or complex fertilizers, which include phosphorus and potassium.
Zucchini barren: the effect of weather
Experienced gardeners note that in a cold rainy summer, there is no large harvest of zucchini. If it is constantly drizzling and pollinating insects do not fly, there is no need to wait for full-fledged ovaries. The pollen stores moisture. Manual pollination can improve the situation, provided the pollen is dry.
There is another good reason why the squash is not tied. In the heat, in zucchini planted in an open, sunny place, the pollen grains become sterile, so fertilization is also impossible. Dosed watering with warm, settled water will improve the situation by spraying the plants with a solution of boric acid (1 teaspoon of the substance per 10 liters of water). To avoid overheating of the roots, the root portion of the soil is mulched with cut grass, leaves and weed stems.
Is it necessary to remove barren flowers
Barren flowers on zucchini do not form ovaries; they produce pollen grains that fertilize female flowers. Inexperienced vegetable growers believe that plants spend a lot of vital energy on barren flowers and cut them off.
But this cannot be done, and here's why:
- Nature likes to play it safe. Barren flowers bloom earlier than female flowers, and although they wilt quickly, due to their number, most ovaries are fertilized.
- When the male flowers are plucked or cut, the plant is injured, its growth and development are suspended. And the worst thing is the penetration of viruses, infection with fungi and other dangerous microorganisms.
- If you cut off all barren flowers ahead of time, further fertilization of the emerging ovaries will become impossible.
In order not to have to remove barren flowers or regret that there are too many of them, you need to monitor the weather changes. When it gets cold, cover the bushes with lutrasil or spunbond.
The plants are fed during the growing season at least three times, and more often with prolonged fruiting. During the growth and formation of the bush, nitrogen-containing fertilizers are used. From the beginning of flowering - with phosphorus and potassium, but you can also use an ash solution. With mass fruiting, the plant needs nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Therefore, appropriate combinations or complex fertilizers are selected. Can be applied to the soil ash.
If you take proper care of zucchini, they will delight you with a large harvest of tasty and healthy fruits with a high content of iron, carotene, potassium and a number of organic acids useful for humans.