Is It Possible to Encourage More Female Blossoms on a Zucchini Plant?

Question

I have found that my squash plants (zucchini and patty-pan) have far more male than female blossoms and are yielding very little. Is it possible to encourage more female blossoms? Is this normal and what might the cause be?

Answer 1

I have this problem also (supposedly they start with the girls after 2-3 weeks, but mine are 3 months old & I’m still getting overwhelmingly male). I have read that low soil pH can be a factor; my soil’s mildly acidic so I tried mixing bone meal into soil & dissolving some baking soda & calcium carbonate granules into water.
Results: um….3 weeks into treatment, 2 out of 3 plants decided to succumb to the powdery mildew they’ve had all summer, which also wouldn’t respond to treatment. Remaining plant is weak & weenie one, producing few flowers of any gender, so….inconclusive. pH treatment might help healthier plants

Answer 2

This is typical behavior for a squash plant. They will produce mostly male (non-fruiting) blossoms early in the season and will gradually start to produce more female blossoms as the season progresses. The male blossoms typically drop from the plant and seemingly disappear. Give it some time and you will see it start seeing additional fruiting.