This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Courgette Flowers
MadBartman
Posts: 5
in Fruit & veg
I seem to have an abundance of male flowers on my cougette plants and only a couple of females, should I be doing something to encourage more females.
0
Posts
There are usually more males than females at the start of the season. Give it time and it will balance.
Thanks for that fidgetbones - I will look forward to the females later - Is there any special food that I should be giving them
Courgettes like a rich, humus laden soil. Asssuming they are already planted in whatever you already have, a feed once a week with phostrogen or tomorite or seaweed meal would be good. They like plenty of water so if it hasn't rained all week give each plant a bucket full of water.
Male flowers usually have a little blob behind the flower. A female has a definite baby courgette behind the flower. If you google "courgette flowers" there are some pictures to illustrate.
I feel I should be telling you about the birds and the bees
but don't worry, I won't 
except ............each courgette plant will have both male and female flowers - they look pretty much the same as each other except that behind the male flower the stem is sort of long and thin, whereas behind the female there will be a baby courgette waiting to grow. Insects will go into the male flower and come out covered in male pollen - the plan is that they will then go into the female flower and the pollen will brush off the insect onto the 'female parts' of the female flower and fertilise it - the little baby courgette will then begin to grow - it's great fun, all this vegetable sex 
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Dove
I feel I should look the other way
In the sticks near Peterborough
And I used to think it all happened under the gooseberry bushes
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Dove..........love your story of how the baby courgette is made,
vegetable sex before the watershed