Why do zucchini blossoms fall off rather than produce?

Answer 1

A mid summer heat wave...high day and night time temperatures will cause plant stress. The tiny pollinated fruit may abort as a result. Extreme temperatures during flowering ( below 55 degrees or above 85 degrees), can reduce fruit set.

A heat wave can also deter bees from their job, making hand pollination more important. At the bottom of the blossom of a female is a tiny vegetable or fruit (ovary). If the blossom is male there is nothing there. Pollination will be more successful if several male flowers are used to pollinate one female flower. Pollination needs to be made to all segments of the female flower. Do this before 10 a.m. because pollination carried out at the end of the morning during warm weather has very little chance of success because the pollen will have heated up and fermented and will no longer be viable.

Make sure you don't water overhead early in the morning so the male flowers can have a chance to pollinate the female flowers.
Male flowers are short lived. They will open up before dawn and will close completely by mid-morning.The male flowers possess both pollen and nectar, the female flowers only nectar. If the plants are watered from overhead early in the day, that may prevent all further pollination for that day. Everything gets washed off of the short-lived male flowers. Replacement flowers do not open then until the following morning.

Too much shade or not enough light is another cause of poor fruit set. Most fruiting vegetables do best in full sun all day --- they need at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight. Other factors such as too much nitrogen can delay the setting of fruit on the vine.
Good luck! Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Zucchini have both male and female blooms. When both are present and female blooms with or without small fruit attached continue to fall off, a pollination problem exists. Pollination means the transfer of pollen, the male gamete, to the female's stigma where the egg resides. This task usually is accomplished by bees or insects visiting the flowers. If you lack a source of pollinating insects or kill them by spraying insecticides during flight periods, you get no pollination and fruit drop occurs. If pest insects are a problem during bloom, spray insecticides late in the evening when pollinating insects are less active or try to use alternate methods like integrated pest management offers. http://www.iserv.net/~wmize/insctd.htm

Try hand pollinating with a q-tip to help out the insects. Swab the male anthers then the female stigma to transfer pollen. The male flower grows directly on the stem of the Zucchini plant in the leaf axils, this is where the leaf meets the stem. The male flower is slightly smaller than the female.
http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/filelibrary/2193/228.htm

Answer 3

The might be male flowers. Boys don't make fruit, just pollen for the girls. The females have the little bulb at the back side of the flower. Also if it is too hot, the pollen dries before it gets to the female flower (pollinating insects). You might be the bee and take a small paint brush and remove the pollen from the boy flowers and tickle the pistil of the female flower with the pollen laden brush.

Answer 4

Those blossoms are the male. The female blossoms are the ones that produce. The blossoms that fall off can be dipped in beaten egg and seasoned flour and fried lightly. Absolutely delicious italian delicacy.

Answer 5

Not all do, it's the male or female I can't remember,(been losing memories) you can take those blossoms and stuff them they are delicious, you can find recipes on line like under google recipes then zucchini. good luck.

Answer 6

It's the male flower. Check your plants, if the flowers are dropping from the long stem without small fruit on the start of flower, it's male and only use is to pollen females then they will drop. Take a good look. lack of water will cause them to drop also.

Answer 7

Yes, there are male and female flowers. And you can increase pollination by hand-pollinating. You can use a small paintbrush, but you can also just use your finger. Diddle each flower in turn.

Answer 8

Must not be getting enough water. They must be drying up and falling off.