ornamental gourds

[discovery]

Has anyone any ideas as to why my ornamental gourds wont set fruit, they have masses of flowers, and are stood between sweet peas and nastursuims, so they get visited by bees.I have also tried pollinating them by hand.The flowers open for a while close up and then drop off.

[discovery]

[jennym]

I have grown ornamental gourds in previous years without problems - in fact they went wild, and I had dozens and dozens! I didn't pollinate, but if you are, make sure you are pollinating a female flower with a male one. The female will have a small bulging fruit behind it. Take a male flower (thin stem attaching flower to main stem) off the plant, insert into female flower and rub the stamen of the male flower gently against the carpel of the female flower. Also keep them well watered.

[campanula]

my gourds are still only producung male flowers - I find that the females come a bit later and are recognisable by the swelling mini gourd behind the flower. I don't sow my gourds till mid June so they are always a bit slow in getting going - could be that yours are just a mite late. Good Luck, I have never needed to do any artificial hand pollinating.

[discovery]

Many thanks for your replies,I have looked carefully at the flowers and they all look to be male, so I wont give up hope just yet!