Zucchini are popular candidates for the kitchen garden. Each plant bears male and female flowers. But what if only one variety is formed? How to recognize male flowers on zucchini.
In a nutshell
- Zucchini dioecious
- forms both male and female flowers
- males appear earlier
- Fruiting only on female flowers
- Length of flower stalks main distinguishing feature
Table of contents
- Identify male flowers
- Male flowers only?
- react correctly
- frequently asked Questions
Identify male flowers
You have to take a closer look to tell the difference between male and female flowers. How to recognize male and female flowers on zucchini:
- both orange-yellow with star-shaped petals
- different long flower stalks
- on male flowers distinctly longer and thinner
- have stamens with pollen
- Ovary under the petals missing
Male flowers only?
Male and female flowers on zucchini naturally appear at different times, which should prevent self-pollination. This often gives the impression that the plant is only developing male flowers, which is usually not the case. It is true that initially only male flowers are formed. Only when the temperatures are right and the time is right for fertilization do female flowers also appear. Despite everything, it can happen that plants almost exclusively form male flowers. This can have different reasons:
- frequent stress: especially with potted plants and high heat
- due to irregular watering: constant soil moisture is important
- due to too much or too little fertilizer: especially too much nitrogen
- insufficient or absent pollination
- often unfavorable weather conditions are responsible: above all too humid and cool summers
- Cultivation break may not have been observed
- heavy feeder Plant at the same location every three to four years at most
A notice: Like all cucurbits, zucchini feels happiest at temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees and sunshine. If the temperatures are permanently below 20 or above 30 degrees, there are usually significantly fewer female flowers.
react correctly
If, even after waiting a long time, almost only male flowers form on your zucchini, you could, for example, lend a hand with pollination. Of course, this assumes that there are also some female flowers. Or you can take a closer look at the conditions under which the plant in question grows and act accordingly:
- Pinch off excess male flowers
- stimulates plants to regenerate
- no guarantee of formation of female flowers
- if necessary, improve water supply
- Adjust fertilization to actual needs
- attract insects with other nearby flowering plants
- increases the likelihood of pollination
- second plant may be helpful
- Pollinate manually if unsuccessful
For manual pollination, pinch off a male flower and carefully expose its stamens. Then you look for a female flower and dab the stigma of the female flower with the stamens of the male flower. Since the flowers only open for a few hours in the morning, pollination should take place at exactly that time. As an alternative to cutting, you can transport the pollen to the female flower with a soft brush. If fertilization was successful, the ovary swells in the flower.
Tip: Zucchini should do better in cool and rainy regions in the greenhouse to be grown. Otherwise, one should prefer more robust varieties such as the climbing zucchini 'Black Forest' or 'Dundoo'.
frequently asked Questions
Both male and female flowers are edible and even a real delicacy. They can be eaten raw, fried, stuffed and baked. Male flowers are used most often. They should be harvested just before opening. The female flowers are harvested in autumn when the fruit is no longer ripe. A targeted harvesting of too many flowers would benefit the plants, because they would be relieved.
Affected female flowers fall off. In addition, small fruits after flowering turn yellow, dry up and fall off. This happens particularly often when it has been too cold or too wet, causing the pollen to stick together.
The first flowers usually appear in June. Then it comes in quick succession, first with male and later female flowers, provided that the conditions are right for it. Normally, a flower appears every two to three days, sometimes even a day. With up to 20 fruits per plant, that's a lot of flowers that can be harvested well into autumn.