what's wrong with my zuchinni?

These are about 3-4 inches. Found it today with the blossoms end still on and it was black.

This is the plant and it is in a raised bed.

Thank you for your help.

Christi

My first guess is incomplete pollination.

Is there anything I can do?

hand pollinate.

Well, guess that is another phase of gardening that I am about to learn. Have you already done a "hand pollenating 101" on another thread? I am always eager to read anything you have to offer because I know I am going to learn something.
Think I will check out your journal.

Thank you,
Christi

It is not a technique that I have had to resort to. Therefore I have no practical experience. It is discussed regularly on this site and probably some has written an artcicle or FAC on it. In the meantime, here are a few articles to get you started.
http://www.zetatalk.com/food/tfood09s.htm http://pollinator.com/squash.htm http://pollinator.com/hand_pollination2.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_(plant) http://lubbock.tamu.edu/ipm/AgWeb/videos/peopleplace/squashPollination.html

Thank you so much. We love squash and my yellow crookneck is not doing so good either. Apparently we are suffering the decline of the bees. Sure hope not.

I agree with 'Dill.

Read all of the links. Looks like he pin-pointed the problem right off the bat. Too late to try today but tomorrow morning I will out there with my artist brush.

You don't really need a brush. You can pick the male flowers, peel off the petals and it makes its own brush, covered in pollen... sort of like a big Q-Tip!

Thanks, I will try that.

Here's a picture I took when I was doing some controlled crosses. You won't need to strip the petals from the females like I did there.

This information will carry over to many other vegetables. The only circling my garden today is the dreaded white cabbage moth. Absolutely riddling my plants. I have scattered Sevin dust in some strategic places. Doesn't seem to slow them down.

Bt for cabbage worms and loopers. Brand names DIPEL or Thuricide. Sevin is for beetles.

Once again I thank you for helping me know what to do.

Christi

Farmerdill's knowledge is a great aid to all of us! Meanwhile I planted a rose garden next to my veggie garden hoping to draw and encourage the very few bees that are still available to pollinate my crops? I also suffer from a lack of pollination like we all do but can you imagine the concern of the professional farmer?

My main garden is for bird, butterflies and bees. Lots and lots and lots of blooming flowers. Watching the butterflies on the correopsis right now.

Bees are inavaluable to growers of cucurbits. One thing that frequently happens to backyard gardeners is that they only have a couple of plants. If there are other abundant nectar sources, the bee may not bother with them. Particularly honeybees like to work one type of flower at a time. I don't have a problem, but with watermelons, canteloupe, squash, and cucumbers I have a thousand plus plants out there.

More wonderful knowledge passed on. So you're saying that the flower garden may be distracting the bees from pollinating the veggies?

Quite possible if you have a mass of nectar plants and only a couple of squash blossoms hidden in the jungle. By the way, only the cucurbits among the many vegetables that can be grown, need bees.

Posted wrong picture above.

This from my desk window. Not even the tip of the iceburg.

Just beautiful!!! I would have a hard time getting any work done at that desk!!!

I fear that many gardeners, in attacking the bugs that attack the cucurbits, harm the bees.

Presently, I use no chemicals, especially bug killers. I know that they don't descriminate, kill the bad and the good at the same time. This is for the last 7 years. Hopefully, we have arrived at a fair balance.

Christie, your confusing me (not hard to do).lol
You said above that you "dusted with seven dust" a chemical pesticide that kills bees....did you mean diatomaceous earth?

You are right. The white cabbage moth has been riddling the cabbage and brussel sprouts. In desperation (turning over every leaf, looking for the cat) I used some of my neighbors seven dust. She uses it for everything. I put it only on the two mentioned. It didn't work. More reason not to go back to the chemical thing. Thank you for correcting me, Lynnea.

Christi

Not my intent to "correct you" just couldn't figure out what organic dust you used that didn't work on the cats.

I do use DE on cabbage and it works. An absolute brilliant person suggested to me using a feather duster to apply. What your neighbors will think of you when they see you out feather dusting your cabbage is an entirely different matter;0)

hahahaha. Sounds like a plan to me. My neighbors would dare not ask. Think I will try it.

Christi