"Broadback" wrote in message
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Aries wrote:
snip
What am I doing wrong? I have 4 plants and few courgettes. In fact one has
produced none at all, only male flowers! We love them, never have any
spare! Certainly now this year, though maybe the courgette fairy is
waiting to pounce!

All but one of our plants are at the allotment.
The most vigorous settled in straight away.
The one next to it has only just started producing fully.
The two (supposed to be yellow) that went in a few weeks later are lagging
behind again - one is starting to produce but the other is still not really
doing much.
They have all been planted with plenty of food and organic material, however
the lack of rain has been a big problem.
I think that they only really get into their stride when the roots get far
enough down to get a steady supply of moisture.
At that point they take off.
The recent heavy rain is probably the reason that nearly everyone suddenly
has loads of courgettes.

As far as I can tell, the sign that they are happy is when the leaves
develop a very dark green colour with a grey mottling around the veins.
Just been out to check this on the one in a pot on the patio (which I have
promptly watered).

If they are looking unhappy then try to over water them.
You shouldn't be able to but this might give them a boost.
If they are pale green, then feed them.

Cheers

Dave R
--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder