Courgettes growing okay, but paling on the tips

[MrsCordial]

Hello. I have just three courgette plants. One's a bit feeble - it's put out a decent courgette and seems to be spent - but the other two are going well. Thing is, a couple of the courgettes are going distinctly pale green on the tips. they're 2.5-3" long, too small yet to pick really but I'm concerned they're going to shrivel or something if I leave them. Does anyone know what the problem is here (apart from rank ignorance!)? Thank you.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Possibly that the flowers were not pollinated. The fruits tend to shrivel up and drop off.

Don't worry too much - more will follow. I tend to help mine along if I see a male and female flower open at the same time (even on different plants of different varieties). I don't help all of them and some will come good with insects.

[rustylady]

Picture of your plants would help Mrs Cordial. Also where are you growing them?

[MrsCordial]

Thanks davidetc. I did wonder, but they've grown a bit longer than I thought they would if they hadn't been pollinated. Hand-pollinating is new to me, but I've had a go with the marrows as the male flowers are racing ahead of the female.

rustylady I'll sort out a photo later. I'm growing them in a very sunny spot.

[petep]

So this is what's probably happening to mine. They grow to about 4-5" then start to yellow and shrivel from the end. I thought the fruit only grew at all if they were pollinated, but this would explain why I'm getting some but not all of them grow properly.

Is it best to remove the dying fruit or just leave it alone?


Sent from my iPad using Grow Your Own Forum

[Potstubsdustbins]

I remove the dying fruit it only goes rotten anyway.

[petep]

Not a very scientific observation, but I've noticed that after not picking a large fruit off each plant, and then seeing them grow to excessive sizes, the reasonable sized fruits started to yellow. I'm wondering if larger courgettes just take too much of the nutrients and water.


Sent from my iPad using Grow Your Own Forum

[veggiechicken]

The plant is only interested in setting seed so that it can reproduce itself next year. Once one courgette has been allowed to set seed, the plant will put its energy into that one and shed the rest.
So pick them young and fool the plant into producing more courgettes.