Why does my zucchini start to fruit and then die? I am growing it in a pot.

Question

My zucchini plant looks healthy with many flowers. I am growing it in a lagre pot on my patio.  It gets full sun most of the day. However flowers are not turning to fruit and if it does the squash is stunted and discolored with yellow streaking.  Why does it not fruit? Why is my squash stunted and won't grow?

Answer 1

Zuccs take a huge amount of water and nutrients.  Make sure you are watering sufficiently in the morning. Can you side dress the plant with some vegetable fertilizer/food?  The male flowers have to pollinate the female flowers otherwisethe little fruit that developes on the female flowers will turn brown and die.  You can use a small paint brush to take pollin from the male flower and put it on the pollin covered portion of the female flower to assure pollination.

Early in the season it is usaually a matter of female and male flowers not being ready for pollination at the same time.  A few weeks into the season and nature takes it's course.

Answer 2

I would plant it in the ground.