Topic: sad little courgettes and squashes

[aquilegia]

My courgette and squash plants are tiny. help. The squashes keep flowering although they do not seem to be setting fruits and the leaves are virtually non-existant.

They were planted about one month ago in a newly prepared bed. Dug down two spits - removed worst of the stones refilled to one spit and then sieved top spit-depth. Dug in plenty of rotted compost (some of the compost wasn't totally rotted) and well rotted manure and watered well. Left a week, then planted. But they don't seem to have grown.

The leaves are small and pale. But the bed has sun from about 11am until it sets.

help - how can I encourage them to grow and give me something to harvest?

[tim]

Courgettes.
1. If flowering, are they all male flowers? Quite common for a bit. If both types, but no set, pollinate in 'the usual way'!
2. Water  - through a pot set in about 6" from the roots. Give a little general liquid fert.
3. Cold nights can have set things back.
4. The manure might still have been a bit strong, if in contact with the roots?
5. Below are our 2nd string plants. Sown 11/5. planted 24/5 & just starting to fruit. They are only about 2' across, each. A couple of other plants are quite yellow. Does that make you feel better? = Tim

[aquilegia]

No - doesn't make me feel better. I'd love 2ft plants. Mine are more like 6inches across. No exaggeration. No flowers on the courges yet.

I'm thinking the manure may have been the problem.

[tim]

Or, with hindsight, not properly hardened off? They are 'fancy' little plants! = Tim

[aquilegia]

Mum sowed them and had them in cold frame. Then they came to mine and were put in my mini greenhouse for a week, then straight out (this was during that very hot period). I've never had this trouble with them before.  :'(

[john_miller]

Perhaps you could trying digging (or even gently pulling) one up and seeing what the roots look like. If the roots are getting burnt by the soil additives then you may not have much to lose and it will answer one question. If this is the case then you emphatically do not want to add a liquid feed. If the roots seem fine then you probably do need to fertilise.

[allotment_chick]

Hi aqui - good advice from John.  It may be that the compost is robbing notrogen from the soil whilst it continues to break down, so as John says if the roots look as if they are breaking out of the root ball, I'd suggest you try a general purpose feed at first (Miracle Gro type) rather than high potash (eg Tomorite).  If you can, fleece them up - only for a wee while, just to see if that helps them along.  
AC x

[tim]

Sorry about the fert - John's SO right about the roots.

We had almost given up hope on ours - after so long - small & yellow. The photo makes them look great! But we're getting there slowly. = Tim

[john_miller]

While I was not thinking that there may be to much N becoming available from the manure breaking down AC may well be correct. My thoughts ran more along the lines of there being too many salts being released and burning the roots by dessication as they absorb water from their surroundings due to hydroscopy. This would include pulling water from the plant roots. If this is the case fertilising would only serve to exacerbate the problem. Transplanting into an unmanured area would be the best remedy in that case, with a small amount of phosphorous added to stimulate root growth. I would only add a general fertiliser when some new growth is seen. Definitely use fleece if it is available.
  The flowering might be a stress response and it would help if you pulled them off, if you have the time of course.

[tim]

Aqui - is this a bit better? Daughter's squashes are only just getting established. 8" or so.  Just turning green. A couple of  weeks ago, they were like yours. = Tim

[Jesse]

Aqui it could also be something to do with the weather? I usually have no problem at all growing lovely huge courgette plants and in the past have limited the number of plants I have as they produce far too much fruit for us as a family to eat. Usually end up giving away a lot to the neighbour who's guinnea pig likes them very much! But this year the one plant I have is rather pathetic, we have managed to pick only two small courgettes so far. I believe that the cool weather with a definite lack of sunshine is to blame, but of course I could be wrong, perhaps I'm also just having bad luck.

[Mrs Ava]

Curious really.  All of my squashes were planted in holes filled with fresh manure.  For a couple of weeks, they did nothing, in fact, some looked very poorly, but now, trifids is all I can say.  I have fruit set on every single one, so courgettes - green and yellow, marrows, butternut squashes, vegetable spaghetti, guords - 3 varieties, crown of thorns, turks turban and 5 other varieties of pumpkins, orange acorns, red kuri and cucumbers.  My melons on the other hand are all at home in the greenhouse, and altho are in flower, no fruit yet.  These didn't get the manure treatment.  Our allotment is quite sheltered and we do not seem to suffer from the cold too much there, but even so, I planted the seed in late April and didn't plant them out until the very end of May just to be sure of the weather.  I was feeling left out when others started commenting on their courgettes, now I have some and am a happy bunny.  If they are healthy plants Aqui, they will catch up, loads of time yet.  ;D

[aquilegia]

I've decided to move them. Didn't have time yesterday, so it'll have to wait until the weekend now.

Tim - my squashes are pretty much dead now. The leaves were very yellow, now they've shrivelled up and gone. The stalks have gone grey. Fortunately I have some more that germinated in my compost heap (note to self - don't put squash seeds in the compost!) I'll see if they work better in a different part of the garden.

[tim]

I shall send flowers!! = Tim