Problems Growing Zucchini: Issues When Growing Zucchini Plants (2024)

The zucchini plant is one of the most common vegetables grown in the home garden. One of the reasons is that it is relatively easy to grow. Just because it is easy to grow doesn't mean that the zucchini is without its problems, however. Many people have problems growing zucchini. Let's take a look at a few of these issues when growing zucchini plants and how to fix them.

Zucchini Pests and Insects

One of the most common zucchini problems is insect pests. The zucchini plant basically looks like a buffet table to a great many insects. Some common zucchini pests include:

• cutworms
• cucumber beetles
• squash bugs
• vine borers
• spider mites
• aphids
• whiteflies

Most zucchini pests can be controlled with regular applications of insecticidal soap or pesticides. Since these different pests can affect the zucchini plant at different times in the growing cycle, it's best to start a pest control regimen as soon as the zucchini plant is in the ground to avoid these pest problems on growing zucchini.

Zucchini Diseases

A zucchini plant is also susceptible to a wide variety of diseases. These include:

• powdery mildew
• bacterial wilt
• downy mildew
• yellow mosaic virus
• botrytis blight

Once the zucchini plant is infected with any of these disease problems, it's nearly always fatal to the zucchini plant. The best way to fix disease problems with growing zucchini is to make sure that the zucchini plant doesn't get them in the first place. This can be done mostly through appropriate care of the zucchini plant. Making sure that the plant gets plenty of sun, the right amount of water every week, avoiding top watering, and good airflow through the proper spacing of plants will go a long way towards helping the plant fend off many of these diseases. Also, keeping common zucchini pests away from the plant will help curb the diseases that these insects often carry with them.

Additional Zucchini Problems: Blossoms Falling Off Plant

Zucchini blossoms falling off plants is often an issue gardeners see. While many people think that their zucchini has a problem because the blossoms are mysteriously falling off the plant, this is actually not the case. This is very normal for zucchini plants and is part of their development process. If the ends of your zucchini get soft before they are fully grown, this is caused by squash blossom end rot and is a symptom of a calcium deficiency.