Help !! Our zuchini plant has huge, green leaves and yellow flowers that fall off and its just a stem?

Patricia M
by Patricia M
  21 answers
  • Patricia M Patricia M on Jul 06, 2012
    PS..this is one of the veggies we planted in straw bales. The cherry tomatoes are about to ripen (albeit they are small) and we are going to have quite a few cucumbers.
  • Laurie B Laurie B on Jul 06, 2012
    Patricia, I had the same thing happen and when I researched it I was told that the Male flowers start first and will fall off, it is the female flowers that will produce the fruit, but bee's are a main key and they are what pollinate the female flowers (from the males), they actually said if you don't have bee's you will have to pollinate yourself, but now I am getting fruit on them. Good Luck.
  • Walter Reeves Walter Reeves on Jul 06, 2012
    Laurie hit it right on the head! Just be patient....if bees are present pollination will take place.
  • Patricia M Patricia M on Jul 06, 2012
    Tx Laurie and Walter. Is there something I can lure bees with? We have a lot in our front yard; in fact, one stung me several times before I could get away.
  • Evelyn W Evelyn W on Jul 06, 2012
    I had the same problem last year with pumpkins. Mystery solved!
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Jul 07, 2012
    Patricia, plant things that attract bees. I've found salvias to be particularly good in this regard, as are the agastaches. Also, asters, sunflowers and zinnias.
  • Kristina K Kristina K on Jul 07, 2012
    Conserving bees is a very good idea! Especially if you like variety in your foods. "Queen of the Sun" is a great movie about bees and providing them with attractive flowers; you can get it on Netflix , or maybe on iTunes. Here are a few links to some site that maybe helpful in cultivating bees: http://www.themelissagarden.com/plants.html http://www.localharvest.org/happy-bee-heirloom-farm-M37126 I can't find the link to this lovely diagram, but I think it is on the Queen of the Sun links>
  • Patricia M Patricia M on Jul 07, 2012
    Thanks everybody....we will def. try. I guess I need a lesson on the 'birds and the bees' even tho I'm 62 !! I never learned any of that before!! Do you think I wasn't paying attention in class or hmm, maybe I forgot... :( Whatever, thanks for your help!!
    • Fra42152 Fra42152 on Jul 24, 2014
      @Patricia M I've been using a very small paint brush to pollinate. It is working but I do miss those bees.
  • Sherrie S Sherrie S on Jul 07, 2012
    Patricia M, I think we are all beginning to learn about the importance of beneficial insects - Bees being among the most important.
  • Laurie B Laurie B on Jul 09, 2012
    haha, No Patricia., it wasn't that you were not paying attention in class, that is so cute., It is just such a coincidence that your post came up basically hours after my panic as to why my plants were doing the same thing. So guess what? It is wonderful at 46 to learn something new everyday......I have had gardens for years? But each year because of limited space, I try something new and this year was lettuce and zucchini as well as yellow summer squash. Lots of luck to you!!!!
  • Laurie B Laurie B on Jul 09, 2012
    Oh and Thanks Walter!!!!!
  • Patricia M Patricia M on Jul 09, 2012
    Laurie, thanks for helping me feel better :)
  • Patricia M Patricia M on Jul 13, 2012
    We put the only red flower we could find near our zucchini plant :) There have been some bees in the zuke plant so we are hoping we will soon have baby zukes. Thanks for all the advice everyone.
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Jul 14, 2012
    Good luck, Patricia. Keep us posted.
  • Patricia M Patricia M on Jul 16, 2012
    Guess what ?? We have two tiny zucchini coming -- and a lot of bees visiting. Thanks to all of you...we will have zucchini after all :)
  • Laurie B Laurie B on Jul 16, 2012
    Yeah!!! I have one yellow summer squash I already picked and I have lots of baby zuc's as well, but they are still little. Wondering if it is our blistering heat here in Michigan?
  • Patricia M Patricia M on Jul 16, 2012
    Laurie, it may be this heat. Whew, 100's for us in St. Louis again till Thurs. Hope both yours and my zukes grow bigger tho. We did have a baby cucumber this evening. They aren't growing lengthwise too much, but are rounded? It tasted good tho.
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Jul 17, 2012
    Great news, Patricia. Thank goodness for bees!
  • Sheila Sheila on Jul 23, 2012
    Your flowers need to be pollenated. If you see the flowers with a thing sticking up out of the center, that is the male flower. You can take that thing off and rub it into the center of the female flowers by hand. This will pollenate the female flowers and then you will begin getting zucchini.
  • Laurie B Laurie B on Jul 27, 2012
    Patricia, that is crazy about your your cucumbers, mine are doing the same thing. We did just get some much needed rain!!!
  • Patricia M Patricia M on Jul 27, 2012
    Laurie, glad you got some rain; we still haven't and are in the triple digits. lol, our few cucumbers are round?? We have 4 zukes that will probably be ready in another 5 days at the rate they are growing. They are also covered with ants...only where the stem/flower grows into a zuke? The ants don't appear to be eating anything; I've tried cinnamon, spraying water, etc. the ants leave and soon return? Its probably this intense heat and drought. I'm hoping for snow tomorrow...I promise I'll buy some zucchini from one of you :)