Zucchini is a favorite vegetable crop of many gardeners from the pumpkin family. It does not require special care, frequent watering and bears fruit abundantly. However, it happens that vegetables in our gardens suffer from unfavorable weather conditions or errors in agricultural technology. Not only beginners, but also experienced gardeners have to wonder why zucchini rots in the garden and what to do to preserve the harvest.
It all starts with following planting rules
You can prevent possible losses even when planting seedlings or seeds.Since zucchini is a light-loving and heat-loving plant, it is better to plant them in an open, unshaded place. It is important not to thicken the plantings; a distance of 1-1.5 m will allow the development of a strong, healthy bush. It is useful to mulch the soil with hay or grass clippings (but not weeds from the garden).
Disease problems cannot be avoided if you plant vegetables in the same bed every year. It is better to change the place for growing zucchini, since there are not enough nutrients in such areas, and the soil takes at least 3-4 years to recover.
You should not plant where melons, watermelons, pumpkins, cucumbers or squash grew. Close relatives impoverish the land, and planting zucchini in the same place will not bring a good harvest.
If a month after planting the first 2-3 embryos of zucchini rot, the ovaries are simply torn off, but when the disease spreads, it is better to remove the wilted flowers and sprinkle the tips of the fruits with ash.
Causes of rotting
Common causes of zucchini rotting in the garden are high humidity, lack of sunlight, or unsuitable soil when the soil on the site is excessively rich in organic matter. A lack of essential microelements (boron, iodine or calcium) reduces the plant's resistance. The decay process can be caused by fungal diseases - powdery mildew or white rot.
Excess moisture and nutrients
When there are too many nutrients in the soil, a powerful bush grows with an abundance of large leaves that do not allow sunlight to pass through and create a microclimate inside that is favorable for the development of putrefactive processes.
Small zucchini may begin to rot, then all the fruits will begin to rot, and the harvest from this bush will be lost if emergency measures are not taken.Plant nutrition is necessary, which means it must be given to zucchini in a strict dosage.
With frequent watering or rainy weather, the entire bed is saturated and saturated with moisture, this creates a greenhouse effect, which also contributes to rotting.
The problem lies in the flower
An unpollinated peduncle is more likely to rot. To attract bees, it is better to plant plants with white or yellow fruits. In cloudy and rainy weather, insects do not pollinate, so you can do it artificially (pluck a male flower and transfer the pollen to the female).
Zucchini can rot immediately after flowering. Normally, the flower fades, dries out and falls off on its own. If this does not happen, rot affects first the flower and then the fruit.
It is important whether you water the bush correctly. If you pour water from a hose or watering can from above, the flower accumulates a lot of moisture, dries out for a long time and begins to rot, the embryos also rot; Why do grown zucchini turn yellow? - most likely due to a lack of microelements. Fertilizing with complex fertilizers can help the health of zucchini.
Powdery mildew infection
Zucchini is often affected by powdery mildew. Signs of a fungal infection are a whitish coating and depressed spots on fruits and leaves. First of all, young leaves and fruit ovaries are affected. The development of the disease is facilitated by sharp fluctuations in temperature (cool nights and daytime heat) and watering with cold water.
Fungal diseases often cause rotting; Of course, it is better to prevent infection or start fighting at an early stage of the disease.
It is necessary to regularly inspect the plants; zucchini can suffer from powdery mildew and with an excess of nitrogen fertilizers, for example, ammonium nitrate or urea, which are used to increase productivity. Potassium and phosphorus fertilizers increase resistance to the disease.
To prevent fungal diseases, you can spray the plants with garlic water (3-4 heads of finely chopped garlic per 10 liters).
Help zucchini: your actions
To prevent zucchini from rotting, you need to deal with excess moisture. Proper watering is rare, no more than once a week, but abundant (about 20 liters of water for each bush). The roots of zucchini are powerful, and water should penetrate to a depth of 30-40 cm. You should not pour water on the leaves and stems - only under the bush, without eroding the roots. Then the soil needs to be loosened well so that a dense crust does not form and the root part of the plant can breathe.
If zucchini rots from excess moisture, it is recommended to water them along the furrows and feed them monthly with an infusion of rotted manure with the addition of ash.
An important factor is ventilation of plantings. It is necessary to remove the lower old leaves, which lie on the ground and suffer more than others from diseases, pests and dampness. It is better to cut them off with a sharp knife 3-4 cm from the lash. The next day, it’s good to spray the trunk and leaves with a solution of brilliant green (1 teaspoon per bucket of lukewarm water). You can regularly rejuvenate the bush as the vine lengthens, thinning it and prolonging fruiting.
Experienced gardeners recommend covering young plants in rainy weather. For this, a piece of polyethylene on pegs or an old umbrella will do (water from above does not fall on the bush, but air circulation is maintained).
Zucchini pollinate poorly and rot when the central leaves are tightly closed. In this case, you need to cut off several leaf blades, leaving the petioles - they are needed to feed the plant. In addition, the sun's rays, penetrating deep into the bush, dry out the mycelium of powdery mildew.
Cut leaves and rotten fruits should be burned and not placed in a compost heap; this will help preserve the harvest for next year.
If zucchini plantings need to be treated, it must be treated with “chemistry” strictly according to the instructions. The lack of iodine can be replenished by spraying with a 0.02% solution of potassium iodide or alcohol tincture (30-35 drops per bucket of water).
To prevent zucchini from rotting due to a lack of boron, use boric acid at a dilution of 1 g per 5 liters of water or complex fertilizers with microelements.
Zucchini can also rot from damp soil; you can also try to save them by adding planks or straw. At the same time, do not forget that slugs will accumulate there - they need to be collected regularly.
The best method to ensure a bountiful harvest of zucchini and cope with any diseases is to purchase seeds of hybrid varieties that are not susceptible to fungal infections or easily cope with such problems.
