The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: Jukes Mum on June 26, 2015, 08:40:57 pm
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As the title suggests! My courgettes are pathetic this year and now they are flowering profusely, but all male flowers. Should I start removing a few of these so save energy or just let things be?
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I was told that the male ones will take all the goodies from the plant. So was told to remove... I have got females coming on nice..
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Thanks Quirkygirl- I'll nip a few off
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Well, I have all female flowers and no males to pollinate them ::)
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Mine have only reached the bud stage but they are all male. Sounds like I will be down there with the secateurs tomorrow.
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The 2 plants in the greenhouse have been prolific, the 2 in the field are pathetic but just starting to show growth.
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Just ensure you rub the male flowers onto the female... Happy females then :roflanim:
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Well, I have all female flowers and no males to pollinate them ::)
i'll send you some males!
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Well, I have all female flowers and no males to pollinate them ::)
i'll send you some males!
;D
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have never bothered removing male flowers or hand pollinating. Courgettes quite often get things a bit skewiff when they first start off - give them time, it'll settle down in a few weeks and they'll be off, after which you'll start wondering when they'll ever stop... :innocent:
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First year growing vegetables so hope this isn't a silly question - how do you know which are males and which are females? We've got big yellow flowers growing on the courgette plants and I can see little courgettes growing, but I didn't realise there was an issue with male and female bits?!
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Female cucurbit flowers have a tiny courgette, squash or whatever just under the flower, at the top of the flower stalk. The males don't, just a flower coming straight from the stalk. The males carry the pollen, the females are the flowers which need the pollen to grow properly. The bees normally do the pollination, unless it's too cold for them to fly :bee: :bee: :bee: :bee: :bee: