Courgette flowers

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by Victoria Plum, Jun 29, 2011.

  1. Victoria Plum

    Victoria Plum Gardener

    Joined:
    May 6, 2009
    Messages:
    1,569
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Zone 8b/9a
    Ratings:
    +43
    Can anyone advise me on what is correct?

    My Dad came over on Saturday and after he left I noticed that my flowers on my courgette plants had been removed.

    I asked hubby and he said my Dad had removed them as 'you don't need the male ones'

    Well forgive me if this sounds ignorant, but isn't it a simple case of the birds and the bees? Don't we need the male flower to pollinate the female flower?!

    I'm really cross, but I'm more than prepared to be wrong!
     
    Victoria Plum, Jun 29, 2011
    #1 Quote in Conversation
  2. Spruce

    Spruce Glad to be back .....

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2009
    Messages:
    8,779
    Gender:
    Male
    Ratings:
    +12,370
    Hi same as you I thought you needed to polinate at one point it reminded me when I was little, Italian lady lived next door used to pick the flowers to make omlettes


    Intresting .... lets see what others have to say

    Spruce
     
    Spruce, Jun 29, 2011
    #2 Quote in Conversation
  3. Phil A

    Phil A Guest

    Ratings:
    +0
    Hi victoria,

    You do need the male ones with corgettes, he might be thinking of cucumbers, which I had to ask about the other day, having not grown them before.

    Next time you visit him, show him the front door & take his key of him, saying we don't need the male one:heehee:
     
    Phil A, Jun 29, 2011
    #3 Quote in Conversation
  4. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2008
    Messages:
    32,430
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Surrey
    Ratings:
    +49,899
    I'm growing 'Parthenon' courgette variety again this year, it doesn't need pollinating but thats the only variety to my knowledge that doesn't need male flowers (but there is no need to actually remove them though). I think your Dad is getting mixed up with cucumbers (some varieties of cucumber it is recommened to remove the males), with courgettes he has done the wrong thing. I wouldn't worry I'm sure it will recover from it's emasculation very quickly!
     
    JWK, Jun 30, 2011
    #4 Quote in Conversation
  5. Victoria Plum

    Victoria Plum Gardener

    Joined:
    May 6, 2009
    Messages:
    1,569
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Zone 8b/9a
    Ratings:
    +43
    Thank you everyone.

    He is still adamant that he's right. He says everyone he knows does it and he gets courgettes no trouble. Most odd.

    So glad I'm right :WINK1:

    I am sure there was a thread on here last year or maybe year before, about polinating the flowers yourself with the male flower. And I'm sure we joked about it being garden porn!!
     
    • Like Like x 1
      Victoria Plum, Jun 30, 2011
      #5 Quote in Conversation
    • shiney

      shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

      Joined:
      Jul 3, 2006
      Messages:
      63,557
      Gender:
      Male
      Occupation:
      Retired - Last Century!!!
      Location:
      Herts/Essex border. Zone 8b
      Ratings:
      +123,958
      Yes, you do need the male flowers BUT early in the season you sometimes only get male flowers on the courgettes as the females sometimes come out a week or two later (probably getting dressed :heehee: - whoops, I'd better duck :loll:). In the cases where ther were a lot of male flowers and no female flowers some of the old timers used to remove some of the earliest male flowers to try and encourage it to produce more.
       
      • Like Like x 1
        shiney, Jul 1, 2011
        #6 Quote in Conversation
      • Spruce

        Spruce Glad to be back .....

        Joined:
        Apr 10, 2009
        Messages:
        8,779
        Gender:
        Male
        Ratings:
        +12,370
        mine must be triple xxx :heehee::heehee::heehee:


        Spruce
         
        • Like Like x 1
          Spruce, Jul 1, 2011
          #7 Quote in Conversation
        • JWK

          JWK Gardener Staff Member

          Joined:
          Jun 3, 2008
          Messages:
          32,430
          Gender:
          Male
          Location:
          Surrey
          Ratings:
          +49,899
          • Like Like x 3
            JWK, Jul 1, 2011
            #8 Quote in Conversation
          • Victoria Plum

            Victoria Plum Gardener

            Joined:
            May 6, 2009
            Messages:
            1,569
            Gender:
            Female
            Location:
            Zone 8b/9a
            Ratings:
            +43
            That's brilliant John. Great thread!!!
             
            • Like Like x 1
              Victoria Plum, Jul 1, 2011
              #9 Quote in Conversation
            • shiney

              shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

              Joined:
              Jul 3, 2006
              Messages:
              63,557
              Gender:
              Male
              Occupation:
              Retired - Last Century!!!
              Location:
              Herts/Essex border. Zone 8b
              Ratings:
              +123,958
              Be careful, courgette porn can keep you awake at night! :rolleyespink: :yawn: :yawn:
               
              • Like Like x 1
                shiney, Jul 2, 2011
                #10 Quote in Conversation
              Loading...
              Similar Threads - Courgette flowers
              1. TheMadHedger

                Courgettes - should spent male flowers be removed as soon as they fold up and wilt?

                TheMadHedger, May 29, 2023, in forum: Edible Gardening
                Replies:
                4
                Views:
                904
                TheMadHedger
                May 30, 2023
              2. Aldo

                Cucumbers - Is it advisable to pinch of the first fruits and flowers, like with courgettes?

                Aldo, Jun 9, 2018, in forum: Edible Gardening
                Replies:
                3
                Views:
                1,227
                Aldo
                Jun 10, 2018
              3. "M"

                Courgettes and ... male flowers!

                "M", Jun 22, 2017, in forum: Edible Gardening
                Replies:
                32
                Views:
                2,869
                Marley Farley
                Jun 27, 2017
              4. AJ34

                Female only Courgettes flowers

                AJ34, Jul 19, 2013, in forum: Edible Gardening
                Replies:
                2
                Views:
                868
                AJ34
                Jul 19, 2013
              5. TAL

                Courgette Flowers Question

                TAL, Aug 25, 2009, in forum: Edible Gardening
                Replies:
                11
                Views:
                900
                Kristen
                Aug 27, 2009

              Share This Page

              1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
                By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
                Accept Learn More...
                Dismiss Notice