Pollinating- Is there something I can do to help my garden this year?
by
Donna
+5
Last year my vegetable plants had dozens of blossoms yet I got very few vegetables from any of them..the plants were big and healthy as well. I was told I must not have bees to help with pollinating. Is there something I can do to help my garden this year?
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Which plants are you having trouble with?
It may sound very time consuming but using a feather actually works. If it is vines such as zucchini or cakes just cut off a male flower and brush it against the female flower. It really goes much faster than you would think. I hope this helps. Ah, if you happen to have a bad back use a stool during this. It helps me a lot.
Your plants are not getting enough pollination. www.growgreatvetables.com/plantinggrowing/pollination.html With that if you have given them fertilizer with touch nitrogen and not enough phosporous all the energy in producing leaves and no fruits.
If you had trouble with most things, I would just get a soil sample and bring it to the local nursery so that they can test it and make sure that's not an issue. Good luck!
If it's just a pollination problem, consider adding a couple bee friendly plants like milkweed, borage, or weeds that bloom. Maybe even a home made bee house for solitary bees (non-agressive bees such as leaf cutter/orchard bees) Build it and they will come...I promise. :)