Stock Zucchini - Big harvest & no powdery mildew
I love summer squash, don't you? I don't think I've ever had a garden without a zucchini plant. why no? Zucchini and summer squash are so easy to grow that getting rid of them in mid-summer often becomes a joke and almost impossible. One summer we passed a neighbor who had piled up zucchini on a stone wall by the road, with a sign that said Free. On our way back, we saw a woman parked on the side of the road with her car door open.
"Oh good," I said, "someone's taking that zucchini."
No.
As she hurried back to her car, she realized the pile was huge. Apparently, he added his abundance of squash to the pile. But zucchini jokes aside, this summer cucumbers have a tendency to invade the garden, hiding fruit roughly the size of your average toddler in their leaves. When the summer heat and humidity really kick in, mildew occurs. Suddenly, your once thriving plant is now hanging on for dear life.
Plant care tips for you 👇
| Plant care tips 1 | Plant care tips 2 | Plant care tips 3 |
|---|---|---|
| White spot tomato | Make compost tea | Plants for container |
| Beautiful flowers winter | Secrets of weeding | 11 plant compos |
| Rose cultivation tips | Anti pollutant house plants | seed without soil |
How to prune?
We prune tomato and pepper plants; Why not summer squash? We know that pruning leads to higher yields, and it's no different with zucchini and summer squash. Instead of pouring energy into total garden dominance, your plant will focus on fruiting.
Let's face it, some of this summer squash really needs to be curbed. It only takes a few weeks for them to be huge. I see you, Grandma Pan.
Improved yield
As I mentioned earlier, when we prune off extra heads or leaves, we allow the plant to focus its energy on producing more fruit. With a few snips of your hand pruners, you'll be well on your way to more zucchini. wait Is that a good thing? You will need it.
More space for other crops
We always encourage our vegetables to grow, rather than out, freeing up space in our garden for other plants. When you have zucchini and grow it vertically, you only need about one square foot of garden space per plant. Alternatively, after pruning our mature zucchini plant, we reclaimed an additional twelve square feet of soil to plant cool-climate crops or some beneficial zucchini companion plants this fall.
House plants pest control tips 👇
Slow or late powdery mildew
One of the biggest problems with most summer squash is powdery mildew. It always appears overnight. All is well, and suddenly your zucchini leaves look like they've been blasted with talcum powder. By getting your plant out of the dirt, you reduce the chance of contracting powdery mildew from spores in the soil.
Granted, it still leaves airborne spores, but with regular pruning, your plant will receive more light and better circulation, which will help prevent powdery mildew.
Better immunity
With less powdery mildew, you can generally expect less disease. Most horticultural diseases start in the soil or are spread when rain splashes soil on the undersides of leaves. When you train your zucchini to grow, you rid it of pathogens that live in the dirt.
Fruits are easy to spot
Don't hide in the jungle of tiny zucchini leaves. Growing zucchini vertically and pruning the lower leaves creates a more open and airy plant. It's much easier to find squash growing on plants this way.
Improved pollination
Likewise, pollinators benefit from the plant being open if you can easily find pumpkins. Pruning the lower leaves makes it easier for pollinators to find squash blossoms. In the end, the more flowers are pollinated, the higher the yield.
Let's take a quick look at how to prune and stake summer squash. The best time to start this process is when your squash is a seedling. However, this can also be done later in the season. It requires a little more effort and cares.
Aphids control tips 👇
Pruning
It is essential not to cut blindly. I'm guilty of reaching into my summer squash plants and cutting off any leaves that get in my way.
So far I have seen the error of my ways. Prune only the leaves that grow below the fruit. The fruit depends on the leaves above it for energy and nutrients to grow. (Oops.) By trimming the leaves under the current fruit, you allow the plant to focus its energy on squash production instead of maintaining those leaves. It is also essential to pluck the leaf stalks from the stem. Leaf stems are hollow, and leave a few inches of stem attached to the stem, creating the perfect place for insects to hide and hole and water to collect and accelerate rotting.
Stocking & Pruning in season
If you didn't start the process in the spring, and you decide how to transform your squash, go slow and get a partner to help you. Adjusting which direction its leaves grow will give your plant a little fun for a few days. Within a week, it should have recovered from its big transformation and continue to produce more zucchini than you know what to do with.
Now that you know how to prune zucchini to prevent them from taking over your garden, what do you do with that extra squash? If you want to drop some off, I hear my neighbor has another pile in his stone wall for free. I will not tell you.
Comments
Post a Comment