Help-my courgettes are giving up!

[choufleur]

Hello - I am new to the vine and vegetable gardening in general. I over-enthusiastically planted 6 courgette plants (a mix of yellow and green - mmmmmm!) and was looking forward to a bumper crop to supply family and friends. They have shot up over recent weeks - and I have had a few lovely courgettes. Over the last week or so I have had only two courgettes - the rest seem to go brown and shrivel at the very tip whilst they're still only an inch or so long, and a few of the lower leaves are turning yellow

Can anyone help with what I'm doing wrong? I haven't given them plant feed or anything, but they are well-watered

thanks lots

[zazen999]

The lower leaves turn yellow anyway; so nip them off as they do.

I'd nip them off, give them a feed and just take the courgettes really small for a few days to try and spur them into action. And possibly hold back on the watering for a few days to see if they recover. I only just started watering mine the day before the rains came...and the lottie ones get no additional water at all.

[choufleur]

Thanks Zazen - I didn't realise they turned yellow anyway. I was worried cos some of the upper leaves have a silvery coating but looking online it seems this is normal, too.

Is it ok to give them tomato feed, then not water at all for a few days do you think?

thanks

[zazen999]

Yup, try that and see what happens. Don't forget to nip the small ones off before they get too big; it does help to spur them into action.

[choufleur]

Super thanks- I shall attempt a harvest in the morning!

[rustylady]

The courgettes that are shrivelling at about an inch long haven't been pollinated.

[Florence Fennel]

This has been happening to me too this year, to the courgettes in builders buckets. The response from Rustylady explains why I have had some really healthy courgettes and some shrivelled. It doesn't seem to be a problem with the courgettes in the ground. I'll take Zaz's advice too, thanks both!

[choufleur]

thanks rustylady I didn't even think of that, I was worried they had some kind of blight. Mine are all in the ground and I have had some really lovely ones so far before the shrivelling. Is there anything I can do to encourage a higher pollination rate? I got confused by how to "manually" pollinate the flowers.

They've had their tomato feed this morning so fingers crossed!

[lacysue2]

choufleur that is because where over thinking it. not uncommon with newbie growers. but you need to relax a bit.

[choufleur]

Aww lacysue - I'm just excited! Its the first time I've grown anything. I shall chill out and wait for them to come to me - sounds like a good idea.

[StephenH]

The courgettes that are shrivelling at about an inch long haven't been pollinated.

You took the owrds out of my fingertips. Courgettes need a bit of help to get their act together. Just transfer some pollen from a male flower to some female ones on your fingertip.
Six plants? You'll be eating courgettes from now till doomsday!

[choufleur]

That sounds manageable even for me! - thanks for the tip Stephen. The females are the ones with the fruit behind, right? Also I've been taking the flower off the tip once it starts to wither incase it was that causing the tip to turn brown - maybe I should just leave them to do their own thing.

I know six is a little excessive! I lost my first two to the late frost and I think I over compensated! But there are lots of yummy recipes to try (spinach and courgette tartlets are the best) and lots of people at work who will help to eat once they start growing again

thanks for the advice

[Topcat36]

6 is fine i have 10 . I lost my first few as well , not to the frost tho just didn't make it, so got new seeds and sowed more . Mine also did that last year then i realised what was wrong so hopefully i will get even more this year with a little bit of help

[zazen999]

The thing with courgettes; is that they don't seem to like being watched. As soon as you turn away they seem to romp away and you can trip up over the growing fruits as you leave the garden, even though you swear you took all the useable ones off an hour earlier.

[choufleur]

TopCat you are my hero! Ten plants - Wow!
When I gave them their tomato feed this morning I could see a few tiny baby courgettes just starting on some of the plants - they do grow so fast. Last week I picked all I could find to give to friends, and the next day went back and there were two more beauties that I am sure hid under their leaves whilst I was looking. Cunning little things ...