Do zucchini pollinate among themselves? Pollination issues

Candidate of Sciences, specialist in growing vegetable and fruit crops Oktyabrina Ganichkina answers questions from beginning vegetable growers

Question: How to care for zucchini planted in the garden?

Answer: The film is removed from the garden bed after June 12-15. Water the zucchini regularly, at the root, being careful not to wet the leaves. Before flowering, zucchini is watered once a week with 4-5 liters per 1 sq.m. During fruiting, plants are watered more often (1-2 times) up to 8-10 liters per 1 sq.m. Watering depends on weather conditions. Water temperature 22-23 °C. When watering with cold water, massive rotting of young ovaries is inevitable.

Frequent watering may expose zucchini's root system. In this case, it is covered with a soil mixture (humus with peat) in a layer of up to 5-6 cm. Loosening and hilling is not carried out in order to avoid damage to the root system.

Question: How to properly pollinate zucchini?

Answer: During flowering, pollination is done manually. To do this, pick a male flower, process its petals and apply pollen to the pistil of the female flower (in the center of the flower). With the help of one male flower you can pollinate 2-3 female ones. In addition, it is necessary to use bees, bumblebees and other insects. To attract them, you need to take 1 teaspoon of honey, dissolve it in 1 glass of water and sprinkle flowering plants with the resulting solution in the morning. Recently, many varieties of zucchini are self-pollinating, i.e. There is only female flowering without barren flowers, so manual pollination is not required. For example, in the varieties Iskander, Start, Kavili, Sangrum, etc.

Question: When is it time to harvest zucchini?

Answer: Zucchini harvesting is carried out 1-2 times a week. Pick greens that are 15-25 cm long. It must be remembered that overgrown fruits retard the growth and development of young ovaries. As the bush grows, the influx of sunlight to the center of the plant decreases, and to restore the light regime, 2-3 leaves are removed.

The first zucchini is obtained 50-60 days after germination. Harvesting begins when the zucchini reaches a thickness of 4-6 cm and at least 14 cm in length.

Question: What fertilizing does zucchini need during the growing season?

Answer: During the growing season of zucchini, it is fed several times.
The first fertilizing is carried out before flowering: 1 tablespoon of granular fertilizer “Agricola for pumpkin crops” and a tablespoon of liquid fertilizer “Agricola Vegeta” are diluted in 10 liters of water at the rate of 1 liter per 1 plant.

Based on materials from the magazine “My Favorite Dacha”

Activities such as watering, pollination, fertilizing must be carried out on June 12-15, by which time the film should already be removed from the zucchini.

Chapter 1. Watering

Zucchini must be watered regularly, at the root. It is necessary to avoid getting water under the root. You need to water the zucchini once a week until the flowering period. For 1 sq.m it is necessary to spend 3.5-4 liters. water. Up to 8-10 l. The amount of water per 1 sq.m should be increased with the beginning of the fruiting period. It should be taken into account that watering should be done with water whose temperature is 20-25°C.

If you use cold water to water zucchini, this can lead to rotting of the young ovaries. If watering is carried out too often, the root system of the plants may be exposed. You should sprinkle the roots with soil mixture if this does happen. The layer thickness should be approximately 4-5 cm. Loosening with hilling is not recommended, as this can lead to damage to the root system.

During the flowering period, zucchini are pollinated by hand. To carry out pollination, you need to pick a male flower, tear off its petals, and then apply pollen to the pistil of the female flower. To pollinate 2-3 female flowers, one male flower is enough. Pollination can also be carried out by attracting bees. To do this, you need to dissolve 1 teaspoon of honey in a glass of water and spray the flowering plant with it in the morning.

Chapter 2. Feeding

Feeding when caring for zucchini is very important and is carried out three times during the growing season.

Before the zucchini flowering period, the first feeding is carried out. You need to take a half-liter jar of mullein and 1 tbsp. nitrophoska. Instead of this composition, you can take 2 tbsp. “Rossy” and dissolve in 1 bucket of water. The consumption rate per plant is 1 liter.

During the flowering period, a second feeding is performed. 2 tbsp. "Effecton" fertilizer and 2 tbsp. wood ash must be dissolved in one bucket of water. 1l – this is how much the solution should be consumed per plant.

During fruiting, zucchini is fed a third time. In 1 bucket of water you need to dissolve 2 tbsp. nitrophoska or 3 tbsp. organic fertilizer "Effecton-O". There should be 2 liters per plant.

Two root feedings can be carried out during the fruiting period. To prepare the fertilizer, take the drug “Bud” 10g, which is dissolved in 10 liters of water. Instead of this drug, you can use Rossa liquid fertilizer with a proportion of 1 tbsp. for 10 l. Root feeding should be done at intervals of 10-12 days. The solution consumption should be 2 liters per 10 sq.m.

Chapter 3. Harvesting zucchini

The first zucchini will appear 50-60 days after germination. But only if you did everything correctly.

Zucchini should be collected at least 1-2 times a week. You need to remove fruits from the garden bed that are 15 to 20 cm long. It should be remembered that the growth of young ovaries is retarded by dried fruits. The flow of sunlight to the center of the plant decreases as the plant develops. To provide the best light conditions for zucchini, you need to remove 2-3 leaves.

If the plant is not self-pollinating and is grown in greenhouse conditions where there are no natural pollinators (pollen carriers) - wind and insects, this procedure must be carried out manually. Sometimes it is used in open ground conditions as an additional measure to increase the yield of certain crops. Often, plant flowers are selectively pollinated to obtain seeds of the desired varieties.

The best time for pollination is the morning from 9 to 11 a.m. The procedure should be carried out in dry weather, as the pollen sticks together due to moisture.

Sunflower pollination

One of the crops for which artificial pollination is recommended is sunflower. After all, the ovary of its seeds occurs on cool days, when there are few insects. So, for the sake of a good harvest, you will have to work for them. Put mittens knitted from fluffy wool on your hands. Walk through the rows of sunflowers, stroking first one or the other flower basket. This way you will transfer pollen from one plant to another on the wool of the mittens.

Corn pollination

Corn pollen is carried by the wind. And in calm weather, it falls from the panicles (apical male inflorescences) down, often not falling on the pistillate (female) flowers located in the cobs, which are located in the axils of the leaves in the middle of the stems. To help the crop pollinate, gently shake the pollen from the panicles into a paper bag. Then take a soft brush and use it to transfer the pollen from the bag onto the thread-like pistils with stigmas hanging from the cobs.

Zucchini pollination

Male zucchini flowers have thin, long stalks with spikes, while female flowers have short stalks, and a smooth ovary is visible under the flower. Take a closer look: bright yellow crumbly pollen is visible in male flowers, and stigmas in female flowers. Pick a newly opened male flower and carefully remove the petals, leaving the stamens with mature pollen. Gently rub them over the center of the female flower.

Pollination of cucumbers

Pollination of cucumbers occurs in the same way as zucchini. But if you want to get varietal seeds, wrap several female and male buds with a thin layer of cotton wool. This will prevent insects from getting to the flowers and bringing in pollen from plants of a different variety. When the flowers open, touch the stamens of 2-3 male flowers to the pistil of each female flower. Cover the pollinated female flowers again with cotton wool until an ovary forms.

Pumpkin pollination

When artificially pollinating pumpkins, touch each male flower picked to 2 female ones. If the petals on male flowers are in your way, bend them back. Carefully push the not fully opened petals of female flowers to the sides. It happens that there are not enough male flowers on the pumpkin vines to pollinate. They can be taken from the vines of a different variety of squash or even squash and zucchini (unless, of course, you are going to produce varietal seeds).

Melon pollination

Female melon flowers differ from male ones by a small swelling (the bud of the ovary - a small melon) located under the petals. Pollination should be carried out when at least 4 female flowers and 1 male flower open on the melon shoots. Take a cotton swab. Slightly fluff the cotton wool wound at its end so that it becomes fluffy, transfer pollen from each male flower to 3-4 female ones.

Pollination of tomatoes

To pollinate tomatoes, walk between the rows of plants and lightly shake the inflorescences or tap the branches with your finger, causing a cloud of light pollen to rise, some of which will certainly fall on the pistils of the female flowers. Or carry a switched-on fan past the bushes, creating an artificial wind. It is advisable to do this in warm weather at a temperature of 16-29°, when pollen is most viable.

Read about how to pollinate fruit trees in the garden

E. Barbusova, Moscow region, Vladimir Yuferev, Kirov region.

Below are other entries on the topic “Do-it-yourself cottage and garden”

Zucchini is called one of the simplest and not capricious vegetables to grow, which can be seen in the beds of almost every gardener. The agricultural technology for growing zucchini is accessible and simple, and does not require the summer resident to have any special skills. This vegetable stands out among the rest with its ideal taste and completely unpretentious character.

The initial stage of agricultural technology for growing zucchini, like tomatoes, is choosing a suitable place for vegetables, since the harvest will depend on this in the future. Vegetables react negatively to sudden temperature changes, so spring frosts can have a detrimental effect on them. Compliance with agrotechnical rules for growing zucchini allows you to grow a tasty and high-quality product that is well stored throughout almost the entire year and is simply universal for preparing a variety of dishes. Today, these vegetables are in high demand due to their dietary properties, and they are also recognized as an ideal remedy for combating obesity. Agricultural technology for growing zucchini involves not only choosing the right location for the crop and purchasing the ideal variety of vegetable, but also following the rules for caring for them.

Preparing the soil for growing zucchini

The initial step in the agricultural technology of growing zucchini is the selection of a site where these vegetable crops will grow throughout the summer season. The site should be bright and sunny, and also reliably hidden from cold winds. Satisfying the plant's needs for sun is a decisive factor in the onset of timely fruiting in vegetables, and also determines the timing of harvesting.

Zucchini grows well in the garden after any vegetables, but has a particular dislike for pumpkin crops. In the area where crops from this family previously grew, it is worth abandoning the cultivation of zucchini for several years, and this measure will also avoid the concentration of many diseases in the soil.

The plant prefers to grow on fertile soil, in which the organic content meets all its needs. You need to prepare your garden space for planting zucchini in the new summer season in the fall. Such preparation consists of digging up the bed well and adding the required amount of compost or non-coniferous sawdust, chopped hay, superphosphate and ash to the soil. Zucchini prefers neutral soil, so if the acidity is high, powdered chalk or dolomite flour is used to reduce it.

After the snow melts, the selected area requires spring digging. It is recommended to simply loosen the soil slightly using a rake. A few days before the time when vegetable seeds will be sown, you need to prepare the holes and lightly moisten them with a solution prepared from humic fertilizers and ammonium nitrate or azophosphate.

Planting vegetable seeds

The agricultural technology for growing zucchini involves planting it in open areas without shelter, however, in the northern regions, some gardeners resort to the seedling method of growing this crop in greenhouses. The use of such a greenhouse breeding method is quite rare, since it is unproductive and requires forced pollination and periodic monitoring of humidity levels.

Zucchini does not respond well to frost, so the appropriate time for planting seeds in the garden is considered to be the end of May, when warm weather sets in. You can sow dry seeds in the ground, however, it is best to put them in damp gauze a few days before sowing and let them hatch. When growing zucchini properly, to speed up the process of sprouting from the seeds, you can soak them in solutions of mineral fertilizers or resort to the help of growth stimulants.

Agricultural technology for growing zucchini involves placing it in the garden according to a diagram. This is because the plant is a branching crop that requires a lot of space to grow. Many gardeners claim that the best option is to place no more than 3 vegetable crops per square meter. Before planting vegetable seeds, dig holes 4-7 cm deep throughout the garden bed and pour a little ash and humus into each of them, which are carefully mixed with the ground. Sprouted zucchini seeds must be planted in well-moistened soil, because in dry soil they will simply die. 2-4 seeds are usually placed in a small hole and after germination only the healthiest and most persistent of them is left.

Those gardeners who want to enjoy an early harvest of zucchini can resort to another agricultural method of cultivation - the use of seedlings. A special purchased soil that has a neutral reaction and contains a sufficient amount of humus is well suited for this.

For growing young zucchini seedlings, medium-sized containers or peat cups are suitable, where the seeds are sown 20-30 days before the date of their intended planting in the garden. The suitable temperature for the appearance of sprouts in vegetables is considered to be 20 - 22 degrees, and on about 5 - 6 days it is recommended to reduce it to 14 - 16 degrees at night and no more than 15 - 18 degrees during the day. This helps to avoid stretching the seedlings and obtain an evenly formed bush of the plant.

You can feed young seedlings for the first time on the 10th day after sowing and this is done using a solution of mullein or mineral fertilizers. At the age of 30 days, the seedlings are transplanted into the garden and this is usually done in early June.

Features of care when growing zucchini

The appearance of young shoots in a garden bed or planting pre-grown zucchini seedlings requires further adherence to the agricultural techniques for growing them:

Watering zucchini

The best time to water zucchini is considered to be the evening before sunset. To moisten the soil around them, water from reservoirs or ordinary water, which is heated in advance in the sun, is best suited. It is worth refusing to use ice water taken from a well just before watering. This can negatively affect zucchini plantings, lead to the formation of rotting on the ovaries and even cause the death of the vegetable crop.

Proper agricultural technology for growing zucchini involves the root method of watering, during which water does not fall on the leaves of the plant. Before the flowering period begins, it is recommended to moisten the soil around the plantings once every 7-9 days, pouring about 4-5 liters of water per 1 square meter of planting area. Frequent watering of young vegetables can lead to exposure of the root system.

Feeding zucchini

Proper soil fertilization plays an important role in growing zucchini. When young seedlings develop slowly, fertilizing is done using nitrogen fertilizers. Then, when the development of zucchini plantings meets all agrotechnical standards, the very first fertilizing is carried out before flowering with the help of complex fertilizers, and then fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus can be used.

As the first feeding, you can prepare the following solution: dilute 10 grams of nitrophoska and 500 ml of mullein in a bucket of water, or stir 20 grams of Rossa fertilizer in 10 liters of liquid. Young zucchini are fertilized with the resulting solution at the rate of 1 liter of liquid per adult plant.

The period for the second feeding, subject to the agricultural practices of the grown zucchini seedlings, is the period of their flowering and for this you can prepare a special solution from two tablespoons of wood ash, the same amount of Effekton fertilizer and 10 liters of water. The consumption of the prepared liquid should be 1 liter per young zucchini. A solution of the same composition is suitable for the third fertilizing, but it is recommended to replace the organic fertilizer with Effekton-O. The third feeding of vegetable plantings is carried out during the ripening of their fruits, and the consumption of the prepared product is already 2 liters per young plant.

When using dry fertilizers, they are simply added to the soil before watering the zucchini, and prepared fertilizers are usually combined with drip irrigation.

Zucchini pollination

Even if all agrotechnical rules for growing zucchini are correctly followed, a good harvest is unlikely to be achieved without sufficient pollination of female flowers. For these purposes, it is recommended to free the flowers of the plant from green leaves, thereby facilitating access for insects. To attract insects to planting vegetables, many gardeners spray young crops with a special sweet solution made from honey and water.

If there is prolonged cloudy or rainy weather, you can use the manual method of pollinating plants. To do this, you need to pick the male flower (where the stamens with pollen are located) from the zucchini, tear off all the petals and apply its pollen to the female flower (and this is where the small ovary is).

Since zucchini is characterized by a superficial location of the rhizome, it is not recommended to carry out such agrotechnical procedures as loosening the soil around these vegetable crops and hilling; So, use a wire hand rake to slightly stir the land, make a groove around the perimeter for water for young plants and that’s it.

Harvesting

For the complete formation of zucchini fruits, 15 - 20 days are enough, which must pass after the start of the flowering period. Harvesting begins when the vegetables reach a length of 15 - 17 cm and can be easily cut with a knife.

When maintaining favorable growing conditions, it is possible to harvest up to 15 - 18 fruits from one adult crop, since zucchini stands out among other vegetables for its rapid growth rate. It is recommended to pick fruits a couple of times a week, since overripe fruits no longer have the same taste as vegetables picked on time. In addition, the presence of such fruits on the plant significantly slows down the formation of new ovaries and the growth of already formed fruits.

The ripe fruit makes a hollow sound when struck on its surface and has a hard skin.

Zucchini diseases

Zucchini is no exception to those plant crops that are susceptible to various diseases during their cultivation. Agricultural technology for growing these vegetables involves taking timely measures at the initial signs of disease development, which will help save the plant and maintain a good harvest.

Diseases that most often affect zucchini include:

Anthracnose

Zucchini is susceptible to infection with anthracnose throughout the growing season and this occurs under the influence of the causative agent of this disease, the fungus. Signs of the disease are the formation of round spots on the leaves of the plant without clear boundaries, which over time transform into one single spot. The disease affects most of the leaf blade, and it takes on the appearance of a burned plant. Zucchini fruits take on a wrinkled appearance and rot over time, acquiring an unpleasant bitter taste.

With proper agricultural cultivation techniques to combat anthracnose, carefully inspect the plantings and remove the affected crops. For processing, you can use specially prepared solutions of Bordeaux mixture and colloidal sulfur.

Gray rot

This unpleasant phenomenon mainly affects zucchini grown in greenhouse and greenhouse conditions. The causative agent of gray rot is a fungus that attacks the ovary and flowers. In bright sunny weather, browning and death of the affected tissues are observed, and during rainy and cloudy weather, a gray coating forms on the tissues. The disease spreads very quickly on vegetables and one of its active carriers are insects that participate in pollinating plants and transfer the fungus to new ones.

To prevent the development of gray rot, agrotechnical rules of crop rotation are used, when the crop can return to its previous place of cultivation again in a few years. With the greenhouse method of growing zucchini, the soil is changed annually, and during illness, upon careful examination, the affected ovary and flowers are removed from the diseased plant.

Powdery mildew

With the development of this disease, the upper side of the leaves is affected by white spots. Gradually they become much larger, merge into a single spot and become covered with a white coating in the form of flour. Infected zucchini leaves begin to turn yellow, shrivel, and fall off completely. Fruit ripening on damaged plants occurs very quickly, but they grow underdeveloped and with poor taste.

To treat vegetables from powdery mildew, solutions of mullein, colloidal and ground sulfur are used, and they are also sprayed with an infusion of hay.

Although zucchini is an unpretentious plant, the agricultural technology for growing it requires gardeners to follow certain rules. Following simple recommendations and proper care of this crop will allow you to harvest tasty fruits of good quality.

People have been growing zucchini on their plots for a long time. The vegetable bears fruit well, is quite unpretentious, and is often used in cooking. It has dietary qualities, while being tasty. Zucchini can be stewed, fried, stuffed, canned, or cooked with caviar. But still, when growing zucchini, it is worth considering some factors so that they please you with a good harvest.

Perhaps this is where we should start growing zucchini. After all, the success of the harvest largely depends on the choice of variety! Not every variety is suitable for a certain climate and soil.

With proper care, any of the varieties will delight you with their harvest. The main thing is to follow some simple rules.

Proper preparation of beds

This vegetable can be called demanding on soil fertility. You will have to apply different fertilizers based on the composition of the soil.

If you need to develop a new area for zucchini, then remove any roots from the ground at the time of digging, and remove the larvae of the cockchafer, if any are found. In the first year after planting, three kilos of humus, a spoon of nitrophoska, and two of wood ash are added. Compost will be suitable instead of humus. Next, dig up the area and water it with liquid fertilizer.

Seed preparation

It is important to properly treat the seeds before planting. First, warm them up so that the seedlings grow more smoothly and the yield increases. To do this, just leave the bag of seeds on a warm radiator overnight. Don't forget to discard the ugly, empty seeds!

After this, soak the seeds in warm water - they should swell. Place it between layers of fabric, after slightly wetting it. Just don’t use gauze - the nimble roots of the seeds will simply get tangled in it!

After 4-5 days at room temperature, the seeds will reach a length of several centimeters. At this stage, they need to be planted in open ground so that the roots do not intertwine with each other!

Sow seeds correctly

Planting seeds for seedlings is usually carried out in two periods (depending on climatic conditions). If you live in the west-east region - May 1-10, and in the south - in the second or third ten days of April. After 5-30 days, the seedlings can begin to be planted in the prepared soil.

Note: it is advisable to start sowing in cloudy weather!

Landing is very simple:

Proper planting of seeds is already half the battle, which will provide you with high yields! These rules should not be neglected.

Video - Planting zucchini seedlings in the ground

How to water

Regular watering is required - avoid getting liquid on the foliage, pour it under the root. Before flowering, water once a week (five liters per square meter). When the fruiting period begins, increase watering - twice a week with ten liters of warm water. You can’t do without watering completely, otherwise you can’t count on getting a bountiful harvest. And during drought, the leaves and inflorescences will quickly dry out and fall off.

Note: avoid watering with cold water, otherwise there is a risk that the young ovaries will begin to rot!

Growing zucchini does not require hilling and loosening - this harms the root system, which is located quite high!

Don't forget about fertilizers and pollination

Feeding should be regular.

In addition to these feedings, provide foliar nutrition during the fruiting period: sprinkle the above-ground part with a ready-made solution of 10 liters of water with 10 g of the drug Bud. Frequency: once every ten days.

Female flowers require pollination. In the morning, spray the flowers with a honey solution (a glass of plain water + a spoonful of honey) to attract bumblebees and bees. If insects are not pollinating your flowering squash due to bad weather, do it yourself. Pick off the male flowers and use them to pollinate the female flowers. The strength of one such flower is enough to pollinate three female ones.

Video - Pollination of zucchini

Getting rid of pests

This crop needs to be protected from pests and all kinds of diseases. Of course, when growing tasty fruits in open ground, there is a risk of encountering many common diseases and pests. Perhaps powdery mildew, melon aphids and sprout flies can be called the most common pests. But you can also encounter white or root aphids, whiteflies, and mites.

Diseases can be prevented by following the rules of crop rotation. Remove affected fruits and plant debris in a timely manner. Treat diseased plants with sodium phosphate, colloidal sulfur, mullein solution or hay infusion. And effective insecticides can help you: Confidor, Iskra.

Collecting fruits

Early, mid or late ripening vegetables differ in their ripening time. Fruits can begin to be harvested on the twentieth day after flowering. They will be small in size, but such zucchini are often canned, and zucchini caviar is already prepared from large ones.

Don't miss the moment when the zucchini is completely ripe; if it gets too ripe, it will lose its flavor. Determine the degree of ripeness yourself: tap the fruit, if the skin is hard enough, dense to the touch, and the sound is dull, then the vegetable is ripe.

You can store zucchini for up to five months in the cellar; during this period they do not lose their consumer characteristics!