My courgettes were growing exceptionally well and then disaster struck. I noticed the ends of the baby courgettes started to wither and die off.
The rest of the plant is perfectly healthy so the only thing I can think of is that the wet weather meant the bees were not pollinating the flowers. Maybe I planted them out too early?
(We live near the sea and have been told the marks on the leaves are from the salt humidity)
I have now planted some more courgette seeds to see if this variety fares any better.
I left the withered courgettes on my garden workbench overnight – at least someone had a meal from them!
Does anyone have any suggestions what could have caused the baby courgettes to wither at the end?
Piglet in Portugal 
Lack of regular watering. I have them when the courgettes are formed but small and When it’s dry for a long time, the courgettes can’t finish their growth
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Thanks, Fred 🙂 But could over-watering also be the problem? The ground is soaked and has been since many of the baby courgettes have formed and then died. I suppose time will tell. We had a lot more rain overnight.
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Yes it gives rot. Find the just middle, not easy.
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Yes, excessive irrigation, or normal irrigation alternating with lapses of irrigation, can cause such problems. Watering late in the day rather than earlier should not cause this problem, but can make it worse once it starts. Until you solve the problem, you should water only on the ground, without getting the foliage wet. (Actually, it is best to keep the foliage dry anyway.)
Excessive application of fertilizer, particularly nitrogen, can, on rare occasion, cause this problem. However, if excessive nitrogen was a problem, you would likely have already noticed overly vigorous foliar growth, and inhibition of fruit production. I have been told that deficiency of calcium causes end rot, but have never actually seen it, just because there is no shortage of calcium.
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Thanks, Tony. Yes, I think watering is the problem. The earth is still soaked. It’s a raised bed so maybe one of the drainage points is blocked. As for fertilizer, I’ve not applied anything extra other than what was there. At the beginning of the year, my Gnome dug in all the rotted compost and added some bags of commercial compost to the whole bed of existing soil, which was horse poo based and other nutrients.
I did add membrane collars to the base of the plant as the courgettes were resting on wet earth but the babies were already starting to wither then. Maybe I take one off and see if that makes a difference.
As long as the plant stays healthy I don’t mind experimenting
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If the soil is saturated enough to rot the fruit, it can eventually rot roots too. It is still early, so as the weather gets warmer, they will draw more moisture, and will not be so susceptible to rot.
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Hi if the bees hadn’t pollinated..you wouldn’t get the courgettes…
Generally this type of wither is caused by lack of water or irregular watering..
Kind regards
Wendy
Sent from my iPad
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Thanks Wendy. The ground is soaked so could it be too much water? I have a water meter that you push into the soil and it is off the scale
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