Zucchini plant grow and care – – herbaceous of the genus Cucurbita also known as Courgette, Zucchini plant annual plant, grow as shrub, semi vine, vine or creeping vine, can grow in mediterranean, desert, subtropical, temperate or tropic climate and growing in hardiness zone 4+, need to take care that there is enough hot days in order to bear fruits or to plant the right cultivar.
Leaves color green in round or heart shape with lobes.
Flower edible in yellow color with five lobs, female contain semi fruits that looks like a little Courgette plant, and male flower are smaller.
Zucchini edible vegetable
Fruit of Courgette plant picked up when it’s unripe before it’s fully grown, peel is green yellow, orange sometimes stripes, the shape can be oval, round or the structure rough sometimes cause incontinence to human skin, inside the fruit is light green.
How to grow Zucchini growing requirements and care:
Mulch keep the moist of the soil and also protect the fruits
How to care: watering on the ground and not watering on the leaves or the fruits, the vine species need trellising
What is the best way to start growing? Seedling / Seed (explanation bellow)
Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction? No, possible to graft for better base that will be resistant for virus
Difficulties or problems when growing: Attacked easily, when the plant attacked in the base if not treatment well it will die
Planting season: Spring to summer, but better in the spring and in hardiness zone 4-7 need to start in the middle of the winter indoor, the plant need enough hot days when mature to bear fruits without, if the plant won’t be with mature fruits in the autumn or the plant won’t bear fruits or the fruits will die before fully ripen, also better to choose cultivar that bear the fruits faster.
How to plant: Planting in well ventilated soil, dig bigger hole than the plant and put organic matter, humus and dead leaves
Pests and diseases: Powdery mildew, aphids, moth, virus, beetles
Pruning season: No need, but possible all the season
How to prune: Infected leaves needed to take out, also try to clean them
Difficulties or problems when growing: Attacked easily, when the plant attacked in the base if not treatment well it will die
Pests and diseases: Powdery mildew, aphids, moth, virus, beetles
Pruning season: No need. But possible all the season
How to prune: Infected leaves needed to take out, also try to clean them
Size of the plant: 0.5-1.5 m, 20-60 inches
Growth speed in optimal condition: Fast growing
Water requirement: Average amount of water
Light conditions in optimal condition for growing: Full Sun
Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant? No
Growing is also possible in a planter /flowerpot / containers: Yes, planting in containers need to be at least 10-20L (2.5-5 gallons), well-drained soil, the plant not react well to overwater, need to make enough holes in the container for good drainage also choosing soil for container important and need to be soil well ventilated, can be potting mix or peat soil with perlite, when use bottom for the pot need that it will dry in the same day.
Blooming information
Bloom season: Late spring to summer
General information about the flower Flowers are edible, yellow flower with five lobs, female contain semi fruits that looks like a little Courgette plant, and male flower are smaller
Thinning the bloom: Sometimes happened because disease or not enough water, or need hand poination
Pollination is done by: Bees and more pollinators, by hand
Fruit information
Fruit harvest season: Summer to autumn
Fruits pests or diseases: Powdery mildew
What can be done with big quantities of Zucchinis? Eaten raw, cooked, grilled, stir fry
Work requirements on the fruit: Sometimes to space it from the ground
How long does it take to bear fruit? 45-90 days
How to Grow from seeds
Sowing requirement: Easy to sow no special treatment, sowing temperature better to sow in 21-25C (70-77F)
Saving seeds until sowing: Room temperature, dry place
Sowing season: Spring and in cold climate start in the winter indoor because it’s need at least 3 month of hot weather
Planting spacing: Depend if trellising 40*50cm (8*12 inches), sowing to transplanting 5*5cm (2*2 inches)
Depth of Sowing: 1-2cm (0.5-1 inch) from the top
Conditions for seeds germinate: Moist soil, full sun
Watering requires for Seeds: Average amount of water
Germination time: 5-14 days
Condition of seedling: Warm weather, big amount of water, full sun, place to trellising
