Question

bvoss · May 31, 2012

I am fairly new to gardening. Why are some of my squash and zuccini plants rotting before they even get to be four or five inches long? I appreciate any help or tips here.

Mausermeister · May 31, 2012

I'm going to guess blossom end rot. Usually caused by overwatering.

Nimrod777 · May 31, 2012

Do a close examination and make sure you aren't getting eaten up by cucumber beetles, or that you're not taking damage at the base of the plant by squash borers. Neither are likely to be your problem with the rot; Mausermeister probably made the right call there. But both of these issues are very common with squash/zukes. Just a heads up.

catman529 · May 31, 2012

could be what nimrod or mausermeister said.... BER is likely.... but also, if you aren't getting enough pollinating insects, the fruit could be rotting because they never got pollinated. You can do that by hand by picking a male flower (no fruit at base of flower), pull off the whole petals, then rub the pollen in the center of a female flower (has the fruit attached to the base). Do it in the mid morning when the flowers are open.

If it's BER then don't over or under water. Uneven watering is said to be the main culprit. BER is actually caused by lack of calcium getting to the end of the fruit, and some will say to supplement the soil with calcium, but inconsistent watering is the main cause of the maldistribution of calcium.

I don't grow summer squash but I get BER on a few of my tomatoes in the early season, and they outgrow it later in the summer. I never water my tomatoes - let their roots go deep into the clay and they are supplied with water for the season.

Dodge Man · Jun 1, 2012

bvoss said:
I am fairly new to gardening. Why are some of my squash and zuccini plants rotting before they even get to be four or five inches long? I appreciate any help or tips here.

Is it the whole plant rotting when it is coming up or the fruit is rotting when it starts to grow?

bvoss · Jun 1, 2012

Thanks for all of the responses. I usually water them about once or twice a week. That may be too much with the rain we are having. My peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and beans seem to be doing fine.

I have a zuccini plant that has several zuccini plants that are producing. One of the veggies has rotted on the end, but the other 6 or so on it look good.

I have a squash plant that has several smaller squash on it ( like 3 inches long) and a couple of them have rotted on the ends as well.

Thats interesting catman, I've never heard of doing that, may have to try it.