Why do my zuchinni's grow to about 3 inches, then the end turns brown and it rots?

Question

i am growing them in a container. The plant itself is doing great but the fruit gets a few inches long and goes brown.

too little water? too much water?

any thoughts would be great.

Answer 1

Your squashes are not getting pollinated by bees. you will have to hand pollinate until the bees find your zukes.

To do this identify the male and female flowers. The female flowers have a tiny squash under them, the males have a stem. Get a small paint brush and stick the tip into a male flower and grab some pollen from the stamen (the fallic thing in the middle of the flower) and tranfer the pollen to a female flower by gently brushing the pollen onto the pistil (the bulbous thing in the middle of the flower). Voila, you have just pollinated your squash. Do this as early in the morning as possible

Answer 2

Sounds like blossom-end rot (I'm assuming it's the blossom end of the zucchini, not the stem end, that is rotting). This is a pretty common problem that's caused by too little calcium in the soil. Don't add nitrogen, that will just make it worse.

If you add lime to your soil, it should solve the problem. I can't estimate how much lime you'll need, as I'm used to outdoor gardening, not containers: but try a little to start with & then add a little more if the problem doesn't correct itself.

There are other factors which also can contribute to this problem: I've attached a URL w/ more information.

Answer 3

Gordon, you said "the fruit gets a few inches long and goes brown."
The "fruit" is really the ovary of the female flower & it didn't get pollinated.
" Zucchinis produce both male and female flowers (the female flowers are the ones with
the tiny zucchini at the base of the flower). If the bees are not pollinating the female flowers, the flower will brown and fall off and the
tiny little zucchini at the base will shrivel and die."

Early in the day, take one of the male flowers (the ones without the little zucchini at the base) and peel off the petals. Use this flower like a paint brush to brush pollen into the female flowers. If you do this every couple of days on the newly opened female flowers, you should start getting squash.*

Answer 4

regrunion is right,, zukes get huge!! you have too much moisture in the ground.. the fruit droops and the flower end sits on the wet ground,, they should be planted on a hill so the water can drain off,,,and your container may not be big enough to allow the plant to sustain itself and fruit!! get a huge container or plant outside!!!

Answer 5

Try using a fertilizer or plant food with high nitrogen content - veggies don't do well in a pot. Especially zucinni - they need a LOT of room to spread out.

Answer 6

I know when that happens with tomatoes it is because of low nitrogen. Try giving them a fertilizer made especially for veggies.

Answer 7

I don't know why, but your question made me laugh...hahahah...good one!