[Boobaloo]

Hi Folks

All three of my courgette plants (Dundoo F1) are poorly. They look like this:



Can anyone suggest why this might have happened?

Nathan

[DD.]

They look very dry & pot bound. The need a lot of space, water and would benefit from a good feed.

I'd try and move them into bigger pots, or at least fill up the ones you've got.

[Boobaloo]

Thanks, DD. Thing is, they were going great guns until recently. Could their recent blackfly infestation explain it? I will top up the compost and feed as you suggested.

[DD.]

Could well have run out of nutrients in the compost.

[Boobaloo]

For nutrients, I tend to rely on a carrier bag stuffed with comfrey, infusing in my water butt. Is this sufficient do you think?

[Snoop]

DD is to John (or should I say 'Sir John' these days?) as cleanliness is to God in my book. So I'd go along with anything he says.

But just another question, how did you deal with the blackfly?

And another, is your carrier bag porous?

[Boobaloo]

Well, I gave them a few doses of strong Fairy solution from my sprayer. I punched a few holes in the comfrey bag before chucking it in.

[Christine]

Water copiously once a week and feed copiously once a week my the basic rule for courgettes. Unless it's very hot and sunny in which case I water more often or it's very wet in which case I only feed.

I don't think that courgettes in tubs will have enough root room. Mine are sprawling over a rather large compost heap that I made last year. I don't do daleks or containers but build and keep under plastic. And always find room for a nice large compost heap for courgettes and marrows. Compost heap pays for itself in the crop and then as a soil improver on my nice brick making clay.  

[DD.]

I did say they looked pot bound!!!!

[Ropster]

all of the above, and also if your fairy mix was to strong it could have damaged the leaves, i have seen that happen

[Boobaloo]

Thanks for the sound advice, folks!