Nigel Andrews writes
Jenny,
Thanks for that info. Well my plant knowledge isn't that advanced.
I may assume that it has been the male flowers that were finished and they
were ready to be knocked off.
The trouble is that there aren't any other flowers so it seems they have
(how can I put this politely) liberated their potential to the wind!
The idea supports that fact the remaining stem is just plain when I was
expecting there to be the young marrow forming at least at the base of the
flower.
The young marrow thingie appears behind the female flowers. Plants have
various mechanisms to encourage cross pollination - in marrows, the
mechanism is to tend to produce nothing but male flowers to begin with,
and to start producing female flowers a bit later.
I think the male flowers do tend to fall off.
I just hope my marrow plants are hermaphrodite and not homosexual!
"JennyC" wrote in message
...
"Nigel Andrews" wrote in message
...
I have marrow plants which have lost both of the first flowers which were
part way thru' the 'collapse' which comes after the full flower.
The first occasion I found the collapsed flower lying on the ground
underneath the 'square cut' stalk on which it had been growing.
The second occurred as I watered the plants, with a can and spray rose,
the part collapsed flower fell off onto the ground leaving, again, a
square cut stalk!
The first occasion I blamed slugs or birds for severing the flower. The
second time was obviously the watering, but I didn't think the flowers
were so delicate. Could it be though some failing in the plant that left
both flowers vulnerable to the slightest knock?
Please help, thanks.
A 'first season' gardener!
Nigel
I've never actually grown marrows myself, but do know that they have male
and female flowers. Maybe the male ones drop of once they have flowered???
Pictures here so that you can perhaps identify them:
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/...cts/00-031.htm
I'm sure a proper vegetable grower will be along shortly with better
advice :~)
Jenny
--
Kay