[Yana]

Apologies if there is already a thread for this, however, I have been battered about the ears (metaphorically speaking) by fellow 'experienced' plot holders for not removing the male flowers from my courgette and squash plants. I did this the first time i grew courgettes (two years ago) and was convinced that this reduced the number of fruits produced so last year didn't remove them. Didn't seem to make much difference and given last year was not the best year, I am now unsure of what to do.
What do you recommend? 

[surbie100]

I don't see the benefit in removing them. Why do they suggest you do it?

[Yana]

I don't see the benefit in removing them. Why do they suggest you do it?

The rationale seems to be that the male flowers do not produce fruit and take energy from the plant that could be better used in giving bigger fruit that grows behind the female flowers.
I'm not great at biology, but I thought that you needed the male flowers cos the pollinating insects take the stuff from the males and put in on the females to produce fruit? Or is that not the case and the fruit will grow without the need for the male flowers?

[BabbyAnn]

I'm not great at biology, but I thought that you needed the male flowers cos the pollinating insects take the stuff from the males and put in on the females to produce fruit? Or is that not the case and the fruit will grow without the need for the male flowers?

You are correct.  Unless you are growing a parthenogenetic variety (that means the fruit will appear regardless of whether pollination takes place or not), then take no notice of your neighbours as you will need both male and female flowers or the fruit won't develop if the seed are not viable!  As courgettes are normally prolific generally, as long as the soil was well prepared beforehand, they will cope with producing both with very little detriment to the plants.

[mumofstig]

They're having you on! You must leave the flowers on, or get no courgettes 

[simonwatson]

But if you've got lots of them, you can take off a few fresh ones and eat them in a salad or deep fry them in tempura batter. mmmmm.

[compostqueen]

I never touch mine and I get gazillions of courgettes 

[Growster...]

I take the silly view that if there are too many male flowers, there's not enough TLC going on for the girls, so they get extra attention and feeding!

But then that's not scientific enough is it...

[Yana]

I take the silly view that if there are too many male flowers, there's not enough TLC going on for the girls, so they get extra attention and feeding!

But then that's not scientific enough is it...

Who cares if it is scientific or not Growster, I like it. 

I've not tried eating the flowers so could placate fellow plot holder by taking a few male flowers to eat and then leaving some to do their 'man stuff'. 

[Fairy Plotmother]

  My advice, for what it's worth is don't mess with Mother Nature too much or she may bite back!

[DD.]

Absolutely bananas advice.

There's that many sob stories on here about rotting fruit because they've not been pollinated, female flowers out when there's no males and then some dipstick tells you to whip all the males off.  Unbelievable! Tell them that's for indoor cucumbers only.

[seaside]

A few years back I was told that 'indoor' greenhouse chilli peppers needed pollinating with an artist's paintbrush. I had a lot of plants and all Summer I was doing it.
Just wait until I catch up with the artist, and his little brush, who told me that one.

Parthenon courgettes have confused the matter still further for the layman. Guys, we're about to become history if some boffins have their way. 

[gavinjconway]

My advice, for what it's worth is don't mess with Mother Nature too much or she may bite back!

Yup... leave them to do their own thing!!

[Yana]

Absolutely bananas advice.

There's that many sob stories on here about rotting fruit because they've not been pollinated, female flowers out when there's no males and then some dipstick tells you to whip all the males off.  Unbelievable! Tell them that's for indoor cucumbers only.

Thanks DD. I've removed the male flowers on greenhouse cukes before cos I read somewhere that they can make the fruit bitter. I'll try to avoid said plot holder and as the plants are getting quite big it is going to be easier not to see the male flowers so much so unless he gets up close, he won't know if I've removed them or not probably. 

[DD.]

You could fool him by removing them, having first stuffed them into a female flower.

Then take them home and deep fry them!