Todd wrote:
Brooklyn1 wrote:
Todd wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote:
The amount of growth will be limited by competition for water,
nutrients and sun not the number of plants. If you left them all it
would make little difference to the total just each would be smaller.
If you want to thin them wait until the true leaves (not the cotyledons)
appear and open, then choose the healthiest one and cut off the others.
The main thing here is not to damage the chosen one.

Question: which will get me more fruit? Three smaller
plants crowding each other or one larger plant?

There is no way to know for certain in advance especially without
knowing the type of zuke plant; bush/vining?. Do you want a greater
number of fruit or larger/heavier fruit? You'll get the greatest
number of better quality fruit by harvesting often before the fruit
become too large.. in the end by harvesting smaller fruit often
there's a much better chance of ending up with more fruit by weight
and also better quality fruit. It's best to harvest zukes when
they're 4"-6" long, then the plant will keep putting out more in its
quest to reproduce by producing viable seed... by allowing fruit to
become large and seedy the plant will stop producing.

They are "Squash, Italian Ribbed Zucchini" A.K.A "Costata
Romanesco".

http://www.burpee.com/heirloom-seeds...rod002006.html

I did notice that if you let the fruit get the size of a club
(fun to scare the neighbors), that the plant will stop
producing. Was told on this group that the plant thinks it
is "finished".

I have been told if you want a lot of produce, to grow
zucchini. "You'll have so many, you'll have to give them
away." I think someone is pulling my leg. But I keep trying.

Now that you know the type of squash, do you think I
should prune or leave all three sprouts?

Thank you for helping me with this.

Depends how close together... sometimes if the sprouts are a half inch
or more apart they can be carefully separated and all three planted.
If they are right up against each other I'd save the best one and snip
the other two. The best way to increase yield is to plant more
zucchini, seeds are cheap. The best way to use up a bonanza of
zucchini is slice them in half longitudinally, brush the cut surface
lightly with olive oil and dust them with favorite seasonings; s n'p,
and dago herb blend... then grill them. They'll be very tasty
so will be consumed in quantity.