What is wrong with my Zucchini plants?

Question

My plants were beautiful, they started bearing fruit, the zucchini are about 7" long and the plants are turning yellow and wilting. HELP please. or is it too late? I know gardening but not much on zucchini.

Answer 1

it is very possible that insects and small animals are destroying your crops. if you water them normally then insects must be the problem. sadly the only way to stop this si chemicals, and im sure you dont want to put chemicals on your food

Answer 2

you are over watering, or the snails/slugs are eating them

check your plants well. if you are watering them too much you need to check the soil before re-watering. if it is damp 2 inches below the surface, you do not need to water as much

Answer 3

Oh I really feel for you. I've been dealing with the same thing myself. BUT I found a natural spray that has worked for me. It's called Sharp Shooter. It's made from clove and peppermint oil and totally safe.

Here's a link to my blog posts where I've described in painful detail my battle against squash vine borer that is attacking my golden zucchini and another one with recipes for homemade remedies. Maybe these will help you.

http://myskinnygarden.blogspot.com/searc...

http://myskinnygarden.blogspot.com/2008/...

Good luck!

Answer 4

over-watering perhaps?  Or some pests have got at them.

Answer 5

You are probably watering them from overhead..they should be watered from underneath avoiding splashing water on the leaves..squash are suceptable to many fungi type diseases such as powdery mildew etc...They also do not need a high nitrogen fertilizer when blooming ..such as all purpose miracle grow..they need phospherous and pottasium content...

http://www.vivagarden.com/veggies/tips.h...

Answer 6

Normal wilting on hot days is normal, but this doesn't sound good.  

Yellow leaves are often indicative of overwatering, but other factors could also be playing a key role in your plants' current health.   They may have bacterial wilt or a pest dug into the plant.

Have you checked the stems of your plants for the squash/cucumber borer/beetle?  This beetle feasts on most cucurbit-family plants.  They borrow into the plant and suck the plant dry.