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[quote=Anonymous]Home gardeners across much of the U.S. include zucchini in their summer garden. This summer squash thrives in sunny frost-free areas, producing abundance of cylindrical fruits within 60 days. One or two plants typically produce more fruit than a family of four can eat. When this plant fails to produce fruit many gardeners are left confused and wondering what they did wrong.
Male Blooms
Unlike other common vegetables such as beans and peas, zucchini produces both male and female blossoms. Because the male blossoms appear first to attract bees, your zucchini plants may produce blooms for a week or more that do not set fruit. The male bloom contains the pollen necessary to pollinate the female blooms, but does not produce fruit on its own. Male blooms appear on a long slender stem.
Female Blooms
Female blooms appear several days to a week or more after the male blooms. These blooms contain a swollen ovary at the base of the bloom that looks like a miniature zucchini. These blooms must be pollinated before the young fruit can grow.
Pollination
Bees visit the male bloom where pollen sticks to their bodies. When they visit the female blooms, the sticky anthem inside the blossom attracts the pollen. When the pollen is deposited in the female bloom, the young fruit swells and begins to grow. If the female bloom is not pollinated, the flower shrivels and the tiny fruit drops from the vine.
Lack of Pollination
Sometimes, a lack of pollination occurs and the zucchini plant fails to produce fruit. This can occur for several reasons. Lack of bees due to environmental factors such as the use of pesticides that has killed beneficial insects, prolonged rainy weather, which reduces bee activity, or high temperatures which also inhibit bee activity and cause pollen to degrade. All contribute to lack of pollination.

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/zucchini-flowers-but-not-produce-26167.html[/quote]

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