Sad zucchini

[Anonymous]

My zucchini plant looks great...nice and full and green, lots of flowers. It keeps starting zucchinis which grow about 3-4 inches or so and then kind of shrivel up. I've never grown them before. Anything I can do for them?

[Anonymous]

It’s pretty hot out. Are you watering ever day? Maybe try some miracle grow too.

[Anonymous]

It’s not unusual for the first few zucchinis to stop growing before the plant starts producing well. Another reason could be a lack of pollination. Do you have lots of bees around? Make sure you’re watering well.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! Yes, I've been watering daily since it got super hot. And I added miracle grow a week or two ago.

Interesting to hear that the first few don't always grow. We have plenty of bees in the yard (tons of clover and flowers they like). I do have bird netting around the perimeter of the garden (to protect from deer) which should be find for the bees, but I noticed some butterflies thinking they couldn't get in and turning away.

[Anonymous]

It's a worm in the stalk (forget name). You can cut open the stalk and get it out. Or, pull the plant and start again in about 3 werks (worm won't be around anymore).

[Anonymous]

3 weeks (sorry)

[Anonymous]

The worm is a squash vine borer. If that is the case the stem near the ground will look hollow and you may see worm poop around. But the entire plant will also start to wilt and die.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not unusual for the first few zucchinis to stop growing before the plant starts producing well. Another reason could be a lack of pollination. Do you have lots of bees around? Make sure you’re watering well.

This is my first year growing zucchini and that’s exactly what happened to me. The first 2-3 zucchini just shriveled up and died, never fertilized. I was worried enough to go out early mornings to check on the flowers. Some female zucchini flowers just don’t open up so can’t get fertilized and don’t grow. But now there are others fully opened, fertilized, and the plants are producing gang busters - I have harvested two zucchini and many more coming up. Give it a bit of time, water, fertilize regularly (I use Tomato-tone on all my veggies, has a good balance and added calcium.) Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Try pollinating by hand.