Broken courgette stem - repair, removal, problems for the future?

[drf]

I'm growin courgettes for the first time. I noticed this morning that after some very heavy rain last night, that one of the stems has snapped. It's still attached by about 1/3 of its circumference (I also learned that the stems are hollow - something new every day!). The plant is still quite small but has got other well growing stems. I'm wondering
a) if I 'splint' it somehow would it reattach itself (I inderstand tomatoes are rather good at this)
b) if not, would it be a good idea to remove it at the break point (at the moment the leaf on the end is touching the compost and the hole in the stem is on the upper surface)
c) if I remove it, or leave it as it is am I going to have a problem with the inside of the stem being exposed (e.g. with water/insects getting in and running all the way down to the main body of the plant).

TIA

Chris

[Cutecumber]

Splint and bind it - definitely worth trying.

A cucumber plant of mine snapped a couple of days ago - the main stem was just about attached when I found it. The top part was still ok, so I ran for the masking tape and twine. A couple of short sticks to support it and it was upright again.

Two days later and the plant is growing faster than ever. There has been no sign of wilt.

Go for it!

[drf]

I should've done it this morning, but I didn't have the time. Hopefully it'll survive a few more hours!

[Cutecumber]

It's always best to do it as soon as you find it, obviously, but fingers crossed it will still be perky when you get to it later. Another pair of hands can be useful to hold the top while you are doing the repair work.

The good news is that you can still sow some more seed - courgettes & cucumbers will romp away at this time of year.

[drf]

I've got three plants in seperate pots at the moment (including the broken one) - the intention is to move them into a grow bag at the end of next week. I have another couple in one pot that I've semi-abandoned but was keeping in case anything happened to the other ones. I don't have much space available, and even two plants might be plenty if they are as productive as some people have said they can be! I might remove one of the pair in a single pot and put some fresh compost in so I've got a healthy back-up if I need it!

[vicpivo]

My squash seedling was attacked by slugs and left some strands just about holding up the plant. When I transplanted the squash into the ground, it took a little while to recover. Now it is growing well and is showing no side-effects of damage to the stem.

Go for it! It has to be worth a try!

[shaza114]

courgette problem

Hi

i found one of my courgette plants completely unearthed by the strong wind and rain. There's not much root to it but I shoved it back in the ground. I hope it recovers as there were lots of flowers ready to come out. Any tips would be appreciated.