Why zucchini grow poorly and turn yellow in the open field, what to do, treatment
Zucchini is considered an unpretentious crop that is quite easy to grow at home. However, despite this, sometimes problems arise when growing this vegetable. Therefore, some are interested in why zucchini may not grow. Often the growth rate of bushes is influenced by temperature, since they instantly react to its change. For example, at high temperatures, squash bushes grow, but the fruits do not set.
8 reasons why zucchini won't grow or bear fruit poorly
Inexperienced vegetable growers do not know what to do when squash grows poorly. To understand this, you need to familiarize yourself with the main reasons for the violation of the growth of squash bushes. There are eight main reasons why squash grows slowly.
1. Insects disappeared
Often the fruits do not appear due to the lack of insects that should pollinate the flowers. Without timely pollination, ovaries will not appear on the bushes and zucchini will not begin to bear fruit.
What to do if the fruits do not grow in the zucchini in the garden? In this case, you will have to do the pollination of the flowers yourself. To do this, you will have to pluck several male flowers with stamens from the bushes. It is with their help that the pollination of female flowers will be carried out. However, before that, you should learn to distinguish female flowers from male ones. There are two guidelines to help you do this:
- Male flowers appear much earlier than female ones.
- The female flowers have a seal in the lower part, and the male ones are located on a thin stem.
It is better to pollinate one female flower with two male ones, so that pollination is likely to be successful. If the process is successfully completed, fruits will appear on the bushes after 5-7 days. If they are not there, you will have to repeat the procedure.
Some do not want to pollinate plants on their own and attract insects to flowers. To do this, they spray the bushes with syrup made from honey. During spraying, the leaves are pushed apart on the plants so that more honey liquid gets on the flowers.
2. Something is missing
Another reason why the zucchini grows, but the fruit does not set, is the insufficient amount of fertilizer in the soil. In order not to have a problem with a lack of fertilizing, organic and mineral fertilizers should be regularly applied to the soil.
Top dressing is carried out at least three times per season:
- The first is carried out before flowering, a week after the appearance of the first shoots. Organic fertilizers and drugs such as Effekton or Agricol are added to the soil.
- The second is carried out at the time of flowering plants. In addition to organic fertilizing, mineral fertilizers are also added to the ground.
- The last time fertilizer is added to the site during the period of fruit formation. The site is treated with drugs such as Bud and Agricol.
3. Bad seeds
A common reason why zucchini does not bear fruit well is poor-quality seed. If the seeds for planting are of poor quality or defective, then you will not get a good harvest. Therefore, before planting, you will have to learn how to select the crop seeds to plant them.
When choosing seeds, pay attention to their packaging.
Quality seeds are sold in tight packages made of durable paper. There should be no damage or poor quality images on it. Also, information about the seed producer is placed on good-quality packages and contact information is left, with the help of which any gardener can contact the producer personally and ask why their zucchini does not grow. If there is none of this on the package, it is better to refrain from buying such seeds.
4. Acidic soil
Increased acidity is another reason why zucchini grows slowly. Therefore, before planting this vegetable, the acidity level of the soil on the site is determined. To do this, use the usual litmus test, which is sold in special stores. For a sample, soil is taken from different parts of the site in order to accurately determine the acidity of the soil. Then the soil is infused in water for about two hours, after which a litmus paper is placed in it. If it changes color, then the soil is not suitable for zucchini.
There are several effective methods for reducing soil acidity. To stabilize acidity, slaked lime, flour, ground chalk, wood or peat ash are added to the ground. Only then will the planted zucchini grow normally.
5. Wrong location
Often, due to the wrongly chosen planting site for zucchini, it is not possible to get a high-quality crop. The yield of a vegetable deteriorates if it is grown for several years in the same place or if cucumbers, pumpkins, and tomatoes grew on the site before it.
What to do if the zucchini's yield is lost and they bear little fruit? To keep the vegetable yield from diminishing, you need to choose the right place to grow it. It is recommended to choose areas where crops suitable for zucchini were previously grown. These include carrots, beets, garlic, beans, and eggplant. If you do not follow the crop rotation, the development of squash bushes will slow down significantly. This is due to the fact that the seeds grow in an area with depleted soil, which lacks nutrients for normal plant growth.
6. Low low water table
An elevated water table is often the reason why squash does not grow during cultivation. Due to the high level of groundwater, the fruiting of vegetables is reduced several times. Therefore, it is safe to say that a lot of water for zucchini is also very bad.
In order to somehow deal with high humidity, high beds are made. When creating high ridges from wooden bars, a box is made into which soil is poured for landing. Then organic fertilizers to squash the bushes grew better. With a large amount of groundwater in the area, high beds are made necessarily, since otherwise the bushes will not grow.
7. Lack of heat and light
Sometimes zucchini do not grow, and only small ovaries form on the bushes. This happens if the plants do not have enough sunlight. Lack of lighting occurs when vegetables are planted under trees that shade the seedlings.Zucchini are considered light-loving plants and therefore do not grow well in shaded areas.
For planting, it is recommended to choose a place without trees or other plants that can shade the squash bushes.
8. Bad neighbors
A common reason why zucchini does not grow is due to inappropriate neighbors. Zucchini are planted near any plants and they will grow. However, their yield varies depending on where they are planted. For example, when planting zucchini near a pumpkin, the amount of harvest will be significantly reduced. Therefore, before growing, you should familiarize yourself with compatible neighbors. Zucchini bushes grow well around tomatoes, beets, corn and onions.
Tips from a seasoned gardener
Before planting squash, it is recommended to read the advice of familiar gardeners who are growing these plants:
- Correct fit. For vegetables to have high yields, they should be properly planted in the ground. In open soils, zucchini are planted spaciously at a distance of at least 90 cm from each other.
- Watering. To increase yields, experienced gardeners recommend regularly watering the bushes. At the same time, at least thirty liters of water is consumed per square meter of a plot with zucchini.
- Top dressing. Regular fertilization speeds up fruit formation and increases yields. When feeding the bushes, organic fertilizers and nitroammofoska are added to the soil to increase the number of fruits.
Conclusion
All gardeners who are fond of growing vegetables in the garden face the problems of growing zucchini. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the causes of poor growth of squash seedlings to avoid this problem.
