[ausma]

Hi!

I'm new on here and have been looking for some answers on a courgette growing problem I have had. This is the first year we are growing the tromboncino climbing courgette. The plant grew fantastically and is not about 2m or more long and climbing up a pole and along our balcony ceiling. The plant also started producing courgettes, but the first two yellowed and wilted way before the flowers were going to open. The courgettes were only a few cm long. It's definitely not a pollination problem, as these courgettes are supposed to get a lot bigger than that before the flowers open. All I've read in forums are pollination problems, but I don't know what's wrong with our plant. The foliage is looking great and the plant is growing well. The soil is not too wet and I have been watering the plant enough I think, so it doesn't dry out. I have also been using a tomato fertilizer (liquid), which says it's suitable for courgettes as well. The only thing I can think of is, that it is the very high temperatures we have had here in southern Germany...It went upto 35-40 degrees celsius for a whole week. The plant itself didn't wilt at all though.

I would be very very keen to hear any advice from any of you! The plant is still producing lots of baby courgettes and I would like to solve this problem before we loose them all!  Has anyone had this problem before???

Thanks in advance for any advice! 

Ausma

[Lesley Silvester]

I've had the same problem but only when there have been no males flowers on the plant to pollinate them so it is obviously a pollination problem.

[Greenerlife]

You may find that it is just the first few that do that.  Every year I think I am going to have a bad year for courgettes because the first few rot away, then hundreds come!  Hopefully this will be the case with yours!

[Lesley Silvester]

This year I just hope I actually get some. The plants are small and only have male flowers.

[ausma]

Hi,

Thanks all for your comments! Unfortunately the problem is still persisting, with more courgettes wilting just as they reach a length of few centimeters. Argh!!! I really don't know what the problem is. Maybe it is the extreme heat here? Continuing to be 36 to 38 degrees C.

Any more help on this topic would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!!!

[Lesley Silvester]

That's quite warm. Do you give them plenty of water? Courgettes are very thirsty plants.

[Carse Goodlifers]

To me it sounds like a stress reaction.
The heat is likely to be a contributing factor. 
You mentioned what the temperatures are during the day but what are the temperatures at night like?  If there are big diurnal temperature fluctuations, then that may be the cause.

I'm also not doubting that you are keeping them well watered but I would really give them a good soak last thing at night so the water has a chance to penetrate down into the soil and then any water that hasn't been taken up by the plant can be utilised the following day by the plant from deep down.

This link doesn't really shed any light or anything different to what's been suggested.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=676

[devonlady]

You could also try keeping the roots shaded? you could use slates, flat stones or low growing plants.

[ausma]

Hi all again,

Thank you for your input on my courgette plant. Upto now I didn't have any more luck but then suddenly the plant has taken off and has produced several courgettes, which have now flowered. I pollinated them manually this morning just to be sure. There are more small courgettes to come now as well... So the only thing I changed was to water even more, as some of you suggested. I also fertilized the plant with some liquid vegetable fertilizer. The temperatures have been very varied. Went down to mid 20 and now again to mid 30 degrees C. Watering more seemed to do the trick. Fingers crossed the pollination worked and we will get full size courgettes now.

Hope you are all having gardening fun as well! If any of you are interested, I am recording my gardening endeavours on my own website here. Trying to make it informative as well as fun to look at and read:

www.farmonabalcony.com

Hope this may be useful and fun for some of you too.

Best wishes,

Ausma

[Lesley Silvester]

Still waiting for mine to produce female flowers. 

[cloddopper]

Ours started to grow  only males which resulted in several finger long  fruits that never got any bigger.  then like has been said a female arrived and suddenly the plant kick off big time.

[Padge]

Ours were a total disaster ...think I picked only 3 good ones all told.....lots as above finger length then yellowing and rotting...my worst season ever with them       took them up and composted to find very poor root system on them despite watering and feeding....heyho...always another season

[cloddopper]

Putting that beneficial microbial fungi stuff  under each plant planted  has paid off for me big time.
The root systems I'm getting are astounding ,not on the curbits but toms ,beans, leeks onions garlic , celery & cabbages etc etc.
The harvested crops whilst late are very very good as well.