Gadenin日本語Get the appLeaning over is normal, not a failure
Zucchini grows a thick stem with short internodes, and as it rises the head gets heavier until, by the time you are picking regularly, the stem lies over on the ground. That is the structure of the plant, not disease and not a feeding problem.
Left lying, the lower leaves against the soil sit humid and become the starting point for powdery mildew and gray mold. Planning for it and having a support ready adds weeks to the picking season.
- When it starts About a month after planting, once the plant is sixteen inches (40 cm) tall, it starts to lean. Put a stake in then and you do not have to force the stem upright.
- If it has already gone over Do not lift a stem that is already down. Support it where it lies. Forcing it up splits the crown and rot gets in and takes the plant.
- Earth up as well Draw soil over the lower part of a leaning stem and it roots from the nodes, which steadies the plant. With a stake as well, the crown stops rocking altogether.
One thick stake, well set
A single stout stake per plant is all it needs, but it has to be thick enough not to bend under a plant carrying fruit, and set deep enough not to lever out.
- Where to put it Not right beside the crown but four inches (10 cm) out, on the side the plant is leaning. Driven through the rootball it cuts roots and stops growth.
- How to tie Twist the twine into a figure of eight, tight to the stake and loose around the stem. Wound directly round the stem it cuts in as the stem thickens and it snaps.
- Retie every fortnight Move the tie up as the plant grows. When the growing point passes the top of the stake, add a longer one alongside or lay the stem over at an angle.
| Part | Size | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Stake length | 6 to 7 ft (180 to 210 cm) | 12 to 20 in (30 to 50 cm) goes in the ground |
| Stake thickness | About 3/4 in (16 to 20 mm) | It must not bend under the plant |
| Tie spacing | Every 8 to 12 in (20 to 30 cm) | Add one each time the weight rises |
| Slack in the tie | About half an inch | The stem thickens, so do not cinch it |
One leaf off for every fruit picked
Every time you cut a fruit, take off one leaf from just below it. That is the one-fruit-one-leaf principle: it keeps the leaf count steady while replacing the oldest leaves. It disturbs the plant far less than removing a batch at once.
- Which leaf Work from the oldest, faded, hardened leaves below the node you picked. Leave anything still deep green: the young upper leaves do most of the work.
- How many to keep Keep ten to twelve leaves below the growing point. Fewer and the fruit fills slowly. More and the crown sits humid and disease moves through it.
- How to cut Cut the stalk leaving an inch or so. Cutting flush against the stem wounds it and rot gets in. Do it on a dry morning so it seals.
- Take the leaves away Do not drop them on the bed. A mildewed leaf left at the base of the plant is next week's source of infection.
Wipe the blade between plants. Virus travels in the sap on a cut, so one blade through a whole row spreads one plant's problem to all of them.
Feeding and watering intervals
The first fruit you pick is the signal to start feeding. From then on keep it up for as long as it is cropping, every ten days to a fortnight. Running short of food shows clearly as fruit that thins at the tip, so feed before the symptom appears.
| Stage | Feeding | Watering |
|---|---|---|
| Two weeks after planting | About 1 oz (30 g) per plant | When the surface dries |
| Around the first picking | About 1 oz (30 g) per plant | A good soak every two or three days |
| Peak picking | Every ten to fourteen days | Once in the morning, more in a heatwave |
| In extreme heat | Halve the amount | Split between morning and evening |
Reading the common problems
Leaf color and the state of the crown tell you most of it. Zucchini changes quickly, so two visits a week is enough to stay ahead of anything.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Lower leaves yellowing and dying back | Short of food, or simply old | Resume feeding and remove the old leaves |
| Leaf stalks stretched and floppy | Too little light and too much nitrogen | Feed less and open up the crowding |
| Crown rocking, wilting at midday | The roots have lifted | Earth up and retie to the stake |
| White markings between the veins | The variety is naturally marbled | Not a disease. Leave it |
To tell variegation from disease, rub it with a finger. If it comes off like powder it is powdery mildew.
Thinning fruit to keep the plant going
Deciding to rest the plant is only worth it while there is still enough season left. Cut it back too late and the temperature drops before it can recover.
- Two or three fruit at once Carry no more than two or three swelling at a time. More than that and all of them fill slowly, so you end up picking fewer overall.
- Take off misshapen fruit early Curved or thin-tipped fruit still draws on the plant. Remove them and the next fruit comes sooner.
- Rest a tired plant When the fruit start coming small, take every fruit off and rest it for ten days. Keep feeding and watering and it recovers and crops into autumn.
- Feed as soon as you strip it Give about an ounce (30 g) straight after taking the fruit off, and wait for two new leaves before pollinating again. Setting fruit immediately means it never recovers.