Once again the dreaded zucchini has stumped me. I did an all out
effort to thwart the vine borer and might have succeeded. Now, other
problems are cropping up.
I think I'll have to hand pollinate the plants. One plant has all
kinds of blossoms and has had them for several weeks but no fruit.
That plant grew from seed from last year's harvest. Is it possible
that it will only produce male flowers? When I do hand pollinate, do I
have to do it from one plant to another or can I do it within one
plant?
Another plant that did produce one zucchini has another problem. It
keeps looking very wilted. We have had 5 or 6 days of about 90 degree
temps and at one time, it looked so bad I thougt the vine borer did get
it. After watering, it seemed to come out of it but looked bad the
next day. Also, some of the stalks seem to be dying off with the
leaves turning brown. I noticed that some of the dirt around the base
had eroded it away. Would this cause the wilting problem?

On 21 Jul 2006 07:35:53 -0700, "rile" wrote:

Once again the dreaded zucchini has stumped me. I did an all out
effort to thwart the vine borer and might have succeeded. Now, other
problems are cropping up.
I think I'll have to hand pollinate the plants. One plant has all
kinds of blossoms and has had them for several weeks but no fruit.
That plant grew from seed from last year's harvest. Is it possible
that it will only produce male flowers? When I do hand pollinate, do I
have to do it from one plant to another or can I do it within one
plant?
Another plant that did produce one zucchini has another problem. It
keeps looking very wilted. We have had 5 or 6 days of about 90 degree
temps and at one time, it looked so bad I thougt the vine borer did get
it. After watering, it seemed to come out of it but looked bad the
next day. Also, some of the stalks seem to be dying off with the
leaves turning brown. I noticed that some of the dirt around the base
had eroded it away. Would this cause the wilting problem?

I believe that Zucchini are the American name for cucumber? If so it
sounds as if you have the same problem that am am experiencing. See
Cucumber - Picture (posted above). One reply has suggested a shortage
of potassium but I am feeding. (Although I dont know if its enough)

Steve Newport wrote:


I believe that Zucchini are the American name for cucumber?


They're close but not the same thing. Not apples and oranges as
such...more like Red Delicious and Granny Smith.

..

Zone 5a in Canada's Tropical Storm Free Far East.

On Sat, 22 Jul 2006 06:13:48 GMT, Steve Newport
wrote:

On 21 Jul 2006 07:35:53 -0700, "rile" wrote:

Once again the dreaded zucchini has stumped me. I did an all out
effort to thwart the vine borer and might have succeeded. Now, other
problems are cropping up.
I think I'll have to hand pollinate the plants. One plant has all
kinds of blossoms and has had them for several weeks but no fruit.
That plant grew from seed from last year's harvest. Is it possible
that it will only produce male flowers? When I do hand pollinate, do I
have to do it from one plant to another or can I do it within one
plant?
Another plant that did produce one zucchini has another problem. It
keeps looking very wilted. We have had 5 or 6 days of about 90 degree
temps and at one time, it looked so bad I thougt the vine borer did get
it. After watering, it seemed to come out of it but looked bad the
next day. Also, some of the stalks seem to be dying off with the
leaves turning brown. I noticed that some of the dirt around the base
had eroded it away. Would this cause the wilting problem?

I believe that Zucchini are the American name for cucumber? If so it
sounds as if you have the same problem that am am experiencing. See
Cucumber - Picture (posted above). One reply has suggested a shortage
of potassium but I am feeding. (Although I dont know if its enough)


Zucchini is the same thing as courgette in the UK. Same family as
cucumber.

--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974

"cloud dreamer" wrote in message
...
Steve Newport wrote:


I believe that Zucchini are the American name for cucumber?


They're close but not the same thing. Not apples and oranges as
such...more like Red Delicious and Granny Smith.

..

Zone 5a in Canada's Tropical Storm Free Far East.
..actually, although they are in the same family, zucchini are a summer
squash
(courgette), while cucumbers are, well, cucumbers.

HTH,

Deb

In article ,
Steve Newport wrote:

On 21 Jul 2006 07:35:53 -0700, "rile" wrote:

Once again the dreaded zucchini has stumped me. I did an all out
effort to thwart the vine borer and might have succeeded. Now, other
problems are cropping up.
I think I'll have to hand pollinate the plants. One plant has all
kinds of blossoms and has had them for several weeks but no fruit.
That plant grew from seed from last year's harvest. Is it possible
that it will only produce male flowers? When I do hand pollinate, do I
have to do it from one plant to another or can I do it within one
plant?
Another plant that did produce one zucchini has another problem. It
keeps looking very wilted. We have had 5 or 6 days of about 90 degree
temps and at one time, it looked so bad I thougt the vine borer did get
it. After watering, it seemed to come out of it but looked bad the
next day. Also, some of the stalks seem to be dying off with the
leaves turning brown. I noticed that some of the dirt around the base
had eroded it away. Would this cause the wilting problem?

I believe that Zucchini are the American name for cucumber? If so it
sounds as if you have the same problem that am am experiencing. See
Cucumber - Picture (posted above). One reply has suggested a shortage
of potassium but I am feeding. (Although I dont know if its enough)

Sorry ol' chap. A zucchini is what the folk across the channel call "
une courgette". Sigh, if only local "regime change " was that easy.

In article . com,
"rile" wrote:

Once again the dreaded zucchini has stumped me. I did an all out
effort to thwart the vine borer and might have succeeded. Now, other
problems are cropping up.
I think I'll have to hand pollinate the plants. One plant has all
kinds of blossoms and has had them for several weeks but no fruit.
That plant grew from seed from last year's harvest. Is it possible
that it will only produce male flowers? When I do hand pollinate, do I
have to do it from one plant to another or can I do it within one
plant?
Another plant that did produce one zucchini has another problem. It
keeps looking very wilted. We have had 5 or 6 days of about 90 degree
temps and at one time, it looked so bad I thougt the vine borer did get
it. After watering, it seemed to come out of it but looked bad the
next day. Also, some of the stalks seem to be dying off with the
leaves turning brown. I noticed that some of the dirt around the base
had eroded it away. Would this cause the wilting problem?

I wish you luck. I had my own period of hand wringing as my squash
season started to unfold but it ended-up being much to do about not much
of anything. I'm guessing, and I haven't been particularly good at it,
that pollination comes in fits and starts as the season begins and then
settles down into a predictable routine, I hope. For a week, I ran
fertility clinics for my "zuch" and my crook-neck but they seem to have
no further need of me in their private lives.

The wilting, the positive response to water, and disturbed dirt at the
base of the other zucchini makes me think that the roots have been
damaged, possibly by dogs or cats running amuck.

I have dogs and cats, and I try to protect some of my more exposed
plants from them by using strategically placed tomato trellises. You may
want to give the wilting "zuch" some B1 or bone meal to help it scab up.

We're also having hot weather high 90s, low 100s (not desert hot but hot
none the less, and a nice change from the cool summers of the last six
years) along the north coast of California but the tomatoes seem to be
loving it.

Good luck

rile wrote:
Once again the dreaded zucchini has stumped me. I did an all out
effort to thwart the vine borer and might have succeeded. Now, other
problems are cropping up.
I think I'll have to hand pollinate the plants. One plant has all
kinds of blossoms and has had them for several weeks but no fruit.
That plant grew from seed from last year's harvest. Is it possible
that it will only produce male flowers? When I do hand pollinate, do I
have to do it from one plant to another or can I do it within one
plant?
Another plant that did produce one zucchini has another problem. It
keeps looking very wilted. We have had 5 or 6 days of about 90 degree
temps and at one time, it looked so bad I thougt the vine borer did get
it. After watering, it seemed to come out of it but looked bad the
next day. Also, some of the stalks seem to be dying off with the
leaves turning brown. I noticed that some of the dirt around the base
had eroded it away. Would this cause the wilting problem?

The wilted plant got blight. Take it out and burn it or throw it in the
trash. It got infected by cucumber beetles, which next year you can
control with an occasional pesticide spray (I started using rotenone
this year, and so far no damage).

You can see yourself if the plant is producing male flowers only. Males
are on a thin stem, females are on a thick bulbous stem. If you see
males only, eat the blooms with abandon since the flowers are so much
better than the zucs. If you see females as well, you got a pollination
problem. You can pollinate within the same plant.

Eat the lowers raw or cook them somehow?



"simy1" wrote in message
oups.com...

rile wrote:
Once again the dreaded zucchini has stumped me. I did an all out
effort to thwart the vine borer and might have succeeded. Now, other
problems are cropping up.
I think I'll have to hand pollinate the plants. One plant has all
kinds of blossoms and has had them for several weeks but no fruit.
That plant grew from seed from last year's harvest. Is it possible
that it will only produce male flowers? When I do hand pollinate, do I
have to do it from one plant to another or can I do it within one
plant?
Another plant that did produce one zucchini has another problem. It
keeps looking very wilted. We have had 5 or 6 days of about 90 degree
temps and at one time, it looked so bad I thougt the vine borer did get
it. After watering, it seemed to come out of it but looked bad the
next day. Also, some of the stalks seem to be dying off with the
leaves turning brown. I noticed that some of the dirt around the base
had eroded it away. Would this cause the wilting problem?

The wilted plant got blight. Take it out and burn it or throw it in the
trash. It got infected by cucumber beetles, which next year you can
control with an occasional pesticide spray (I started using rotenone
this year, and so far no damage).

You can see yourself if the plant is producing male flowers only. Males
are on a thin stem, females are on a thick bulbous stem. If you see
males only, eat the blooms with abandon since the flowers are so much
better than the zucs. If you see females as well, you got a pollination
problem. You can pollinate within the same plant.

sorry: flowers not lowers



" Netter" wrote in message
...
Eat the lowers raw or cook them somehow?



"simy1" wrote in message
oups.com...

rile wrote:
Once again the dreaded zucchini has stumped me. I did an all out
effort to thwart the vine borer and might have succeeded. Now, other
problems are cropping up.
I think I'll have to hand pollinate the plants. One plant has all
kinds of blossoms and has had them for several weeks but no fruit.
That plant grew from seed from last year's harvest. Is it possible
that it will only produce male flowers? When I do hand pollinate, do I
have to do it from one plant to another or can I do it within one
plant?
Another plant that did produce one zucchini has another problem. It
keeps looking very wilted. We have had 5 or 6 days of about 90 degree
temps and at one time, it looked so bad I thougt the vine borer did get
it. After watering, it seemed to come out of it but looked bad the
next day. Also, some of the stalks seem to be dying off with the
leaves turning brown. I noticed that some of the dirt around the base
had eroded it away. Would this cause the wilting problem?

The wilted plant got blight. Take it out and burn it or throw it in the
trash. It got infected by cucumber beetles, which next year you can
control with an occasional pesticide spray (I started using rotenone
this year, and so far no damage).

You can see yourself if the plant is producing male flowers only. Males
are on a thin stem, females are on a thick bulbous stem. If you see
males only, eat the blooms with abandon since the flowers are so much
better than the zucs. If you see females as well, you got a pollination
problem. You can pollinate within the same plant.

Netter" wrote:

sorry: flowers not lowers



" Netter" wrote in message
. ..
Eat the lowers raw or cook them somehow?

Thanks for clarifying that. Here's how I deep fry the blossoms-

I use a simple batter of 1 cu. flour, salt, pepper, 1 Tbl olive oil &
water enough to make a runny batter.

Cut cubes of mozzarella & stuff with a cube of mozzarella and a basil
leaf. Dip in batter and fry until golden.

I leave a piece of the stem on as a handle.

Jim

thanks

"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message
...
Netter" wrote:

sorry: flowers not lowers



" Netter" wrote in message
.. .
Eat the lowers raw or cook them somehow?

Thanks for clarifying that. Here's how I deep fry the blossoms-

I use a simple batter of 1 cu. flour, salt, pepper, 1 Tbl olive oil &
water enough to make a runny batter.

Cut cubes of mozzarella & stuff with a cube of mozzarella and a basil
leaf. Dip in batter and fry until golden.

I leave a piece of the stem on as a handle.

Jim