Zucchini do take up a lot of space, and are prone to fungal diseases and powdery mildew. Is growing them vertically a way to help prevent this?
Zucchini do take up a lot of space, and are prone to fungal diseases and powdery mildew. Is growing them vertically a way to help prevent this?
Most common zucchini and summer squash varieties are bush varieties, which mean they are not a vining plant. But there are climbing varieties available, although more rare.
Bush zucchini and summer squash varieties, do not need a trellis of any type to grow.
Pruning some of the excess leaves off of the plant, can be advantageous.
You can use a smaller trellis to help provide better air flow to bush zucchini plants, but you would need to help train it to grow vertically by pruning off the lower leaves and tying it to a support, it will not climb naturally
Many other similar plants such winter squash, pumpkins, cucumbers and melons do have a climbing/vining nature and are easy to grow on a trellis, unlike a bush variety of zucchini.
If you decide not to grow your zucchini on a trellis, it is still a good idea to remove any leaves that are laying on the ground, or laying on each other near the bottom of the plant for better airflow.