Why My Zucchini Plant Is Huge? (8 Reasons Explained)

Sometimes, zucchini leaves can get huge and shade other surrounding plants from receiving adequate sunlight.

Other times, the zucchini fruit can get huge and have a tough outer covering.

All these signs could positively mean that the zucchini is doing well or negatively mean that harvesting is overdue.

When you notice huge zucchini plants in your garden, most of the time, it means you are doing everything correctly as it should.

When the zucchini plant is huge, it could be because of certain underlying factors.

Here, we will answer this question that most homeowners ask. “Why is my zucchini plant huge?”

The Normal Size Of A Zucchini Plant

An average zucchini plant measures 3-4 inches in diameter.

However, if a zucchini fruit is left on the plant, it can reach up to 22 inches long and weigh between 9-11 pounds.

Farmers often start to harvest the zucchinis when they are about 7-8 inches in diameter.

Reasons Why The Plant Is Huge

When the plant gets huge, it means that it is receiving adequate care, and does not lack the necessary growth factors.

1. Enough Nutrients

When a zucchini plant receives enough nutrients, it will mature productively.

Good soil nutrients include nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.

The zucchini plant should receive enough amounts of these nutrients from the soil throughout its lifespan.

These three nutrients help in growing big and healthy zucchini plants.

If the zucchini is not harvested when it should, it will continue to grow huge each day.

2. Late Harvesting

The short growing season and ease of seed growing make zucchini plants popular.

You’ll start to notice blooms 45 to 55 days after planting, and these are quickly replaced by fruit.

You can begin harvesting the young zucchinis when they are about six inches long.

Ripe zucchini can be either dark green, yellow, or white, depending on the variety.

During the harvesting season, most farmers intend to pluck all the ripe and mature zucchinis.

However, if zucchini is not harvested at its correct time, it will continue to grow bigger and harder.

Even over the course of a single day, unpicked zucchini grows incredibly quickly.

So, if you come across a huge zucchini in your garden, it could probably have missed its harvesting time.

Be sure to look under the large leaves for any fruit that may be hiding there.

When zucchinis are harvested late, the squash will contain too much fiber and will not be as tasty as it should be.

3. Constant Pruning

When you continuously prune your zucchinis, the plant will have enough energy required to grow bigger and healthier fruits.

Also, when you prune the zucchinis, you are allowing sufficient light to reach the plant.

Additionally, if you repeat this process frequently, you may grow particularly large zucchini.

But before pruning your zucchinis, you should understand the recommended procedures and steps to follow.

A clean prune guarantees successful results, while a rough/poor pruning technique can cause unhealthy plant growth or even plant death.

4. Species

Today, there are a lot of zucchini species have been discovered.

Some of these species will mature earlier than others.

Other species will be larger and unusual even if the growing conditions are the same.

Zucchini species can also vary according to their productivity and resistance to pests.

Today, these pest-resistant species are common in many gardens and farms.

The summer green tiger, for instance, is a species that produces among the best-tasting and attractive fruits that mature fast.

When left without harvesting, it becomes a huge plant faster than the ordinary varieties.

The common species will reach their maximum maturity size and stop to grow.

5. Successful Pollination

When the female plant is well-pollinated, it will produce healthy fruits.

These fruits will not only look green and attractive but will grow to extended sizes and contain plenty of nutrients.

Well-pollinated zucchinis produce larger fruits.

To tell if your female zucchini flowers have been well pollinated, you should notice color changes in the pistil hairs and the formation of the seed a few days after pollination.

If you are not sure whether the pollination of your zucchini was successful, you can hand-pollinate your squash plants. (There are many online DIY guides from reliable sources that can help you understand)

Without pollination,  fruit deformation is common or it dies prematurely. Others will mature, either small or medium.

6. High Organic Matter Soils

If you have planted zucchinis in soil that has high levels of organic matter, it will grow healthy and produce huge plants.

However, zucchinis can still grow in bare soil conditions.

Planting them in soils that have small living soil organisms and humus (stable organic matter), helps them to grow a healthy structure and bigger fruits.

A high organic matter soil should contain small (fresh) plant residues and decomposing (active) organic matter.

These are also other necessary factors that boost healthy plant growth.

When you notice a huge zucchini plant in your garden, then it means that the soil properties are favorable for plant growth.

7. It Is Probably Receiving Enough Water

Water, just like sunlight and good soil, is a crucial ingredient in boosting zucchini growth.

These particular plant species require enough water to produce huge fruits and grow strong stems.

Maintaining a strict watering pattern will cause successful plant growth.

Enough water in the plant’s structure also helps in nutrient transportation from the roots to the leaves and the fruit.

Thus the formation of huge fruits.

Without water, the plant’s health remains at risk.

Underwatered zucchinis will never produce huge fruits.

8. No Pests, Stress, Or Infections

Because zucchinis are delicate plants that are easy to maintain and grow, they are not resistant to pests, diseases, and stress.

If any plant is stressed in any way, it will not be productive.

To produce huge fruits, a zucchini plant needs to grow in the appropriate environment.

Types of stress

Bacterial wilt is an infectious disease that causes the zucchini plant and other related plant species to wild and die prematurely.

Cucumber beetle spread this, which makes healthy plants suddenly wilt and die.

You should try trapping them on yellow sticky cards and secured to stakes just above the tops of the plants to prevent future issues.

A severely infected plant will also never produce healthy fruits.

The squash bug is a tiny destructive insect that causes leaf and plant damage.

The stippling, yellowing, and browning of the leaves is the result of these brown, shield-shaped insects sucking out plant juices with their needle-like mouthpart.

Its toxic saliva can cause your zucchini plants to wilt and die.

A stress-free zucchini should produce huge zucchini fruits.

Conclusion

The correct caring practices applied to your zucchini often help it produce huge fruits.

If your plants are always small, it indicates that you are not doing enough.

Water your zucchinis on a regular basis, prune them frequently and keep them stress-free.