Content
Irregularly shaped zucchini is a defect that occurs quite often when growing this plant. It does not affect the quality and taste of the crop, but it entails loss of marketability, and for farmers who plant crops for subsequent sale, it is very important. Therefore, vegetable growers are wondering why the fruits take the wrong shape and whether there are ways to prevent this.
Zucchini is an unpretentious, fortified vegetable to grow, cultivated in all regions of Russia.
Reasons for the appearance of irregularly shaped zucchini
The main reason for crooked zucchini is improper preparation of the site and organization of planting. It is not difficult to determine why exactly the fruits were deformed; you just need to carefully examine them and determine what they look like.
Important! If the vegetable resembles a pear, then it lacks potassium and has a thin tip - nitrogen.
In addition to a lack of minerals, zucchini may be irregular in shape due to low lighting or unfavorable weather conditions; this is also worth taking into account when deformation appears.
Sometimes zucchini fruits become irregularly shaped due to poor-quality seeds. Therefore, in order to prevent modification of the vegetable, planting material should be purchased only in special stores, and you should pay attention to their expiration date and manufacturer’s warranty. In addition, many farmers add the necessary elements to it in advance when preparing the soil: organic and mineral fertilizers, plant infusions.
It is also recommended to choose the right place for planting zucchini; it plays a very important role in the development and ripening of the crop. The area should be bright and not over-moistened.
Attention! In order for zucchini to meet its characteristics, the beds for them should be changed every two years.
Irregular types
Typically, zucchini grows in an irregular shape due to a lack of certain microelements in the soil. To specifically find out the reason for this, you should visually inspect the fruits and, based on their deformation, crooked, pear-shaped or with a thin tip, draw conclusions.
Comment! Even high-quality planting material and compliance with growing rules do not provide a 100% guarantee of the ideal shape of the vegetable.
Curves
If you choose the wrong soil for planting zucchini, then already at the stage of growth of young fruits you will notice that their shape is different from ideal; they are not as smooth and even as they should be. The vegetable changes and no longer meets its characteristics. Zucchini grows crookedly, crookedly, and develops more slowly. The reasons for this may be different, but they are always associated with incorrect preparation of the site for planting.The crooked shape of zucchini can occur due to inconsistency in climatic conditions in the growing area, lack of light, and low mineral content in the soil. Experienced vegetable growers advise choosing a place for planting that is well lit by the sun, with fertile and fertilized soil. The soil is well dug up three weeks before planting and organic and mineral fertilizers are applied at the same time.
In order for the culture not to change, it needs to be provided with long daylight hours.
Pear-shaped
If the zucchini resembles a pear in shape, this indicates that the plant needs potassium. In this case, it would be wise to treat the plantings with Uniflor-bud. It is diluted in an amount of 1 tsp per bucket of water. In addition, it is useful to feed pear-shaped zucchini with such a folk remedy as wood ash.
The lack of potassium in the soil can be replenished using ready-made industrial mixtures
Fine tip
Sometimes it happens that the irregular shape of zucchini resembles a cone, while the tip of the fruit relative to the entire volume of the vegetable becomes thinner and lighter. In this case, the defect indicates that the crop is experiencing a lack of nitrogen. Nitrogen-containing preparations, organic fertilizers or folk remedies come to the rescue.
How to feed irregularly shaped zucchini
Since changes in zucchini occur for various reasons, the methods that should be resorted to in order to correct the situation depend on them. Since zucchini fruits generally grow crooked due to missing minerals, the first step is to try to replenish their amount in the soil. Most often, ready-made mineral complexes, cow dung, zala, and herbal infusions are used for this. If the zucchini acquires an irregular shape, then the addition of components is adjusted depending on the deficiency of one or another element.
To prevent distortion of zucchini or correct the situation, you should provide the plantings with nutrition and properly fertilize them. This needs to be done in several stages:
- The vegetable does not tolerate heavy soil with a high pH level. Therefore, in order to make the soil neutral, sifted river sand mixed in a 1:1 ratio with quicklime is added to deoxidize it at the time of digging.
- At the time of preparing the place for the beds with zucchini, the ground is covered with a nutrient solution consisting of 5 kg of rotted manure or compost, 0.2 kg of superphosphate and 0.3 kg of wood ash (the proportion is calculated for 1 square meter of plot). When adding such a composition, the threat of irregular fruit shape will be minimized, and additional nutritional complexes will no longer be required until the first harvest of zucchini.Advice! The same composition can be added when the growth of bushes and fruits of the crop slows down.
- Zucchini does not require frequent and abundant watering, especially in cool weather.Heavy wetting of the beds can contribute to rotting of the tips of the fruits, as well as the occurrence of fungal diseases. But with a lack of moisture, the plant slows down its growth, and its fruits may take on an irregular shape, so it is advisable to mulch the zucchini beds and loosen them regularly.
- After harvesting from the first ovaries of the crop, repeated feeding should be done. Phosphorus-potassium mixtures are ideal for this, but if the tips of the fruits become thin, they are replaced with nitrogen compounds or organic matter.
- In rare cases, zucchini may become spherical. Then they need to be watered with a solution of the Uniform-bud preparation. It is diluted in an amount of 50 g per bucket of water.
The root cause of spoilage of the marketable appearance of a vegetable and its irregular shape lies in the lack of microelements
Tips for growing zucchini
Despite the fact that zucchini is considered an undemanding crop and does not require special care, in order to obtain a rich harvest, certain rules must be followed, and certain conditions must be provided for normal development. If you want to get a bountiful harvest with an attractive presentation, you need to control the watering of the beds, the condition of the soil and the illumination of the area. The secret to good zucchini is this:
- Small fruits that have not entered the ripening stage are not recommended to be picked. Such zucchini contains in its pulp undecomposed nitrates obtained from the ground.
- It is advisable to collect fruits in the morning, at dawn. In this case, they will remain fresh for a long time.
- You should pay attention to the color of zucchini at the time of ripening. Yellowed specimens contain a lot of carotene, and dark ones are maximally saturated with vitamins.
- Even if there are no zucchini of irregular shape on the bushes, fertilizers must be applied.
- During feeding, the instructions are strictly followed and the dosage is observed.
Conclusion
Irregularly shaped zucchini is not a global problem for ordinary gardeners, since this defect does not affect the taste of the vegetable. Crooked fruits are also processed, delicious dishes are prepared from them, and they are stored for the winter. But if the crop is grown for sale, then it is better to study all the nuances in advance in order to prevent the occurrence of deformation.
