Re: [gardeners] Male & Female flowers/New biointensive list
Sharon Gordon (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Thu, 22 Apr 1999 12:27:15 -0400 (EDT)
One male flower can pollinate more than one female flower.
It may be that you only had one female flower or that the male and
female flowers were open at the wrong times for each other.
Recently there has also been a reduction in the number of bees
which has affected lots of crops. Flowers just aren't getting
pollinated enough. The bees have been dying from a mite.
If you need to you can pollinate the female flowers, by taking a male
flower and removing its petals, then rubbing it on the inside of
the female flower.
Sometimes plants fail to pollinate when it is too hot or too cold.
Sometimes heavy rains will make it impossible to for the bees
to do their job when the flowers are ready.
Also, sometimes really odd things happen. I had one year
where all my zucchini plants only produced male flowers.
The other squash flowered normally.
Sharon
gordonse@one.net