There are many posts about zucchini pollination and flowers and all that, but with my zucchini, the fruits always form before the flowers. For instance, I have two zooks on one plant that are about 2 inches long, and the flowers are just now opening. I have many 1/2" long with no flowers at all. So how is it that they appear to fruit first and flower second?

Maggie

Parts of a flower include the ovary, sepals, corolla, stigma, and in complete flowers, stamens. The female blossoms of squash will not have stamens which is the pollen producing part of the flower, but the stamens will be found on the male flowers.

The ovary is the part that develops into the squash. Yes it will be present before the flower opens. It is part of the flower. After the flower opens and is pollinated, then the squash (ovary) will develop.

Yes, Maggie, what James says is true. If the flower opens and isn't pollinated, the "ovary" or "zuke" will die or rot. It's not a true "zuke" until it's into development.

Oh, I bet some garden zukes have been hybrid to have a larger ovary to blossom ratio, so the fruits appear to be pretty well along just as the blossom is opening.

M

That doesn't make any sense Maggie - what would the point of that be?

Well, the point would be more fruit production, as most hybridized vegetables have, but that doesn't mean it has to make any sense, sometimes my imagination just gets off on it's own and I watch it from a distance.

For example, I can't for the life of me even rationalize why someone would hybridize zucchinni to produce more fruit, because it seems to do that without all on it's own. I guess I was trying to compare my zuch experiences with those who have had some trouble with blossoms dropping and or little fruit.

I once picked commercially grown zuch's and crooknecks, only for a few hourse, but I can tell you that was no fun. And no, none of this is intended to make sense, but BG, I'm not any kind of expert, just an observer of the mother at work.



Maggie

LOL, Maggie, imagination...watch from a distance...good one!

I get what you're saying, Maggie. I'm growing a bush zuke and Costata Romanesco zuke. The Costata has oversized blossoms and its sad to see those unfertilized "fruits" that are the size of medium cucumbers shrivel away.

I'm told the blossoms of this variety are excellent for cooking.

Wayne