Reversed Zucchini Patterns
 

I've been growing the same two varieties of zucchini for several years now, Striatto D'Italia and Green Tiger. Both are bush plants, both produce similarly flavored and striped fruit, but Tiger, the hybrid, is usually a bit earlier and a bit more productive.

However, they've always shared the same frustrating habit of pumping out a ton of male flowers for weeks before a single female flower appeared!

This year I'm seeing the reverse in both, for some reason. I have female flowers on the verge of blooming, with the first male flowers just barely starting to show a little yellowing on their still tightly closed petals. For the past three days I've been picking and ripping open the most developed male flower and trying to hand pollinate a blooming female. The first "took" and I have a quickly developing baby zucchini. Still waiting to see what the other two are going to do.

I wish they would get themselves more on synch some year! And I wish I knew what caused a reversal in their flowering pattern..,

I just looked up Green Tiger. That is a cool looking Zucchini. Looks like a skinny watermelon. I don't know how to help you.

[QUOTE=AlittleSalt;653926]I just looked up Green Tiger. That is a cool looking Zucchini. Looks like a skinny watermelon. I don't know how to help you.[/QUOTE]



And they can get really big as the season goes on, and can become very firm which makes it perfect for pickling and preserving in oil.

I chose it and the other becausethey are similar to the striped variety my dad has always grown, and both are bush plants instead of vining plants, so they do great in the small amount of space I leave them at the end of my tomato bed.

Where my garlic had been, I just started some seeds for Cocozelle (from Victory) which sound very similar to Striata D'Italia (from Franchi). I want to see if they are really the same with different names.

And I'll have to see what order its flowers arrive in.

This is also happening to me, on all three varieties of summer squash I'm growing (caserta, dark green zucchini, and yellow zucchini). Last year, the males led the squash parade. Maybe it's environmental? It's definitely been wetter than usual here in the Northeast. Dunno, really. Let's hope we see synchronized squash blossoms very soon!

I also grow Green Tiger and although I never paid attention to flowering order before, this year I did pay attention and I noticed that the female flowers opened first and then the males. It was only about 3 days difference and I only lost 2 unfertilized female squash but now I am getting plenty.

I am making refrigerator zucchini pickles today.

I always thought it made a lot of sense to start with male blossoms. They're less of an investment for the plant, and it takes a while for pollinators to realize there are squash in bloom. So they work to alert/attract pollinators before the more resource-intensive female blossoms are put out.

But there are some cucurbits that put out female blossoms first. That's always a head-scratcher for me. I always thought that maybe those species have some strong incentive to seek cross-pollination.

But now I learn that they can flip according to conditions. Nature is obviously not interested in making sense to me.

FD,

About 50 miles south of you and the same thing, female flowers only. The first ones opened today. I'm trialing Rugosa Friulana.

The boys finally arrived to the party yesterday, so the pollinators can now take over.

Two of my hand pollinations were successful and the jury is still out on the third--no yellowing yet, but little to no growth.

A friend of mine in MD also reported first blossoms to be female this year.

Boys are showing up on the squash here, too, and in large numbers. I think I lost 3 or 4 because I did not hand-pollinate them. One green zucchini is growing with the blossom fused to the end. Weird, but I'll eat it. The cucumbers seem to be following the normal pattern, thankfully.

I sowed late, so no blooms yet. My cucumber and melon plants are following the expected order: male blossoms first.

[QUOTE=Tormato;654593]I'm trialing Rugosa Friulana.[/QUOTE]

Growing Rugosa Friulana for the first time as well. Seed from Franchi. No flowers yet, as I sowed late. But any day now on the first plant I sowed.

Caserta blossoms after heavy rainfall:

Rugosa Friulana is really seriously good tasting.

[QUOTE=imp;654842]Rugosa Friulana is really seriously good tasting.[/QUOTE]

Good to hear! I looooove summer squash, so I'm looking forward to them.

How do you pickle zucs? Like cucumbers?


[QUOTE=Father'sDaughter;653931]And they can get really big as the season goes on, and can become very firm which makes it perfect for pickling and preserving in oil. .[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Salsacharley;654988]How do you pickle zucs? Like cucumbers?[/QUOTE]



I use this recipe, except I substitute dried basil and oregano for the mint -- [URL]http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/zucchine-sottolio-zucchini-preserved-in-oil-with-hot-peppers-garlic-and-mint-1970921[/URL]

Addictive and excellent a served up with a slice of good Italian bread and a glass of wine, or as part of an antipasti plate. Traditionally, though, they're served as a side dish with a meal.

You need "baseball bat" zucchini (the ones you didn't around to picking for a few days...) to make them as they need to be dense and with a bit of snap. Tender, young zucchini will just get mushy.

I use a similar recipe for eggplant, and last year I tried it with mushrooms.

The younger zucchini make a good refrigerator pickle. Works really well with a bread-and-butter brine. Great on sandwiches. I cut them lengthwise into long ribbons for this.

I make regular pickles from older squash, cut into medallions, boiling water process, etc.

[QUOTE=imp;654842]Rugosa Friulana is really seriously good tasting.[/QUOTE]

OMG, they're amazing. Sweet, nutty, dense, no chalkiness or grittiness at all. My only complaint is that I'd love to be inundated in them, but I only planted 2, and one got cucurbit yellow vine decline from squash bugs, so I had to pull it. The other is healthy but only setting one squash at a time right now.

I re-sowed to replace the other plant, but they're slow to get going. I think because they're moschatas. Next year, I'll start them much earlier.

[QUOTE=Father'sDaughter;653931]

Where my garlic had been, I just started some seeds for Cocozelle (from Victory) which sound very similar to Striata D'Italia (from Franchi). I want to see if they are really the same with different names.

And I'll have to see what order its flowers arrive in.[/QUOTE]


All four Cocozelle plants are just starting to produce a bunch of male flowers with no females in sight, so I guess things are back to normal.

The two Green Tiger and one Striata D'Italia are still pumping out more zucchini than I know what to do with... what the heck was I thinking when I started four more????


Does Rugosa Friulana grow on a bushy vs vining plant? If a bush, I may need to try it next year.

The Cocozzelle plants have kicked into high gear and are producing giant sized zucchini! If I leave them just one or two days too long, they explode.

[IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170904/c7a508da71532200ce120e0168bb4463.jpg[/IMG]

That's one of my cherry tomatoes sitting on top. Great for using in the pickling recipe I posted earlier in this thread.

Whew, glad it wasn't a Brandywine! :twisted:

Honestly, very pretty squash! Glad to hear they are so tasty!

[QUOTE=PhilaGardener;663371]Whew, glad it wasn't a Brandywine! :twisted:

Honestly, very pretty squash! Glad to hear they are so tasty![/QUOTE]


Not a Brandywine, but a bit bigger than your average cherry. My Franchi cherry circa 2012 on the left, a Sweet Million off my neighbor's plant on the right.

[IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170904/9efe483fa4ade3d077aec98bb97bbcc3.jpg[/IMG]