Forgetting that she’s not a vegetable gardener, I was recently lamenting to my daughter Lucy that at least a couple of my zucchini plants end up flopping over each growing season.
“Oh, are they just being dramatic?” she asked, humorously.
If only that were the explanation! Homegrown zucchini, Cucurbita pepo, will droop, fall, or sag for various reasons, and none of them are the least bit entertaining.
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In this guide, I’ll cover a few of the most common reasons zucchini may flop, along with some preventive measures and potential treatments.
Learning the causes of this particular ailment will help you this season, sure, but it will also make it possible to enjoy a prolonged harvest of this popular summer squash for seasons to come.
Whether you’re storing the knowledge so you can spot problems if they occur or you’re already staring at drooping plants, here’s what could be at issue:
Though renowned for their fast growth and prolific yields, zucchini is not entirely carefree in the garden.
For the most part, once a plant has collapsed or fallen over, it’s too late to do much to revive it.
That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to these potential causes before the damage is done, and also to take steps to prevent them from flopping over in the first place.
Here are the top reasons your C. pepo might slump over and what to do to prevent or combat each one:
1. Damping OffDamping off afflicts newly germinated seed, usually because it’s too wet and the soil contains one of the many oomycetes or fungi that cause this disease, including Pythium, Rhizoctonia, and
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