[julietmaria]

Hi again,  Sorry to ask so many questions, but very new to all this and desperate to get some crops this year!  I have a cougette plant under envoromesh on my raised bed.  It is not flowering yet but almost there, the female flowers need to be fertalised right?  So I am assuming this will be a problem under enviromesh?  I really don't want to take it off as I have cabbages and cauliflower under it too, (cauliflower will probably not work as I don't think I planted it in deep enought, but he ho that is another subject )   Can I fertailise by hand?  Or do I have to remove the enviromesh completely for the courgette to produce any fruit?  If I can fertalise by hand do I break of a male flower and just touch it onto all the female flowers?  And how do I tell the difference between male and female?

Many thanks for all your help, much appreciated.
Juliet

[compostqueen]

I wouldn't cover the courgette 

[Elcie]

Hi Juliet, never worry about asking too many questions, that is what this place is for!  As you have realised, the problem with covering courgettes is that they need to be pollinated, there isn't any need to cover them as once they are big enough the slugs don't really make any difference.  Is there anyway you could arrange the mesh so it covers your brassicas but not your courgette?  If that is too much of a job then you can hand polinate in the way that you suggested.  The female flowers are the ones with mini courgettes behind them and the male ones are the ones without the courgettes, just a thin stem.

[JayG]

Yes you can pollinate by hand; needs to be done during the day when the flowers are open. The male flowers have no embryonic fruits immediately behind the flower so are quite easy to spot as long as you have both on the plant at the same time!

Carefully remove the petals from the male flower and transfer the pollen to the stigmas of the female flowers (looks like a miniature yellow brain!)

Not a great idea to grow under environmesh as that will increase the humidity and therefore the possibility of encouraging mildew, which courgettes are rather prone to.

[compostqueen]

why do they need hand pollinating? I've never heard of anyone having problems growing courgettes

Heard lots of problems with folks growing too many courgettes 

[mumofstig]

why do they need hand pollinating? I've never heard of anyone having problems growing courgettes

Heard lots of problems with folks growing too many courgettes 

because julietmaria is growing them under enviromesh 

[fatbelly]

There is no such thing as too many questions. I always  learn from the posts of others and others ask what I as thinking as well .
As away 

[julietmaria]

Thanks for all replies.  I have moved the enviromesh today to just cover brassics and beetroot.   Cat has of course now done a poo over my lettice and chard, which are next to courgette,  as no longer covered by eniromesh  so just set up an elaborate barrier of coctail sticks and bamboo poles.  Fingers crossed the slugs and the cat leave the crops alone now they are not covered
Julietx

[compostqueen]

It's a game int it, keeping stuff off the produce. Drives me mad at times