Zucchini Black Beauty
A classic and tireless courgette, with elegant fruits featuring dark green skin and greenish-white flesh.
About the variety. Black Beauty produces long, slender fruits, especially flavourful when harvested small to medium. The flowers are edible — an extra bonus on the plate. Determinate habit, with compact plants of around 60 cm.
Itinerário técnico
Um guia de cultivo passo a passo, da sementeira à colheita.
Usually started in trays and transplanted when the plant has 2 to 3 true leaves. Since this crop is somewhat sensitive to transplant shock, the process should be carried out as carefully as possible to minimize root damage. Plants can be grown in rows, spacing them 30 to 60 cm apart with 1.5 to 1.8 m between rows.
This crop thrives in fertile, well-drained, heavy-textured soils. The pH should be between 6.5 and 7.0.
The crop thrives in locations with good light, avoiding areas prone to cold winds and late frosts. In summer it prefers daytime temperatures between 22 and 32°C and nighttime temperatures no lower than 20°C. The crop benefits from a south-facing position.
It is a somewhat demanding crop; some compost should be incorporated into the base fertilisation.
During the initial phase, adequate soil moisture is essential, as well as during pollination and fruit set. Drip irrigation is a great option for this crop: in addition to precise water delivery, it also prevents water from sitting on the leaves, which can lead to disease development.
Mulching is an interesting option for this crop, whether with organic materials or plastic, as it helps prevent weed competition, keeps the zucchini from touching the soil, and can also increase soil temperature in early crops.
Mites, aphids, whitefly and thrips are pests of this crop. For mite control, biological control with predatory mites can be used, as well as applications of azadirachtin and sulphur dust. For aphid control, attention should be paid to moderate fertilisation without excess nitrogen, natural limitation with border hedgerows to encourage beneficial insects, biological control with parasitoid or predatory hymenoptera, weekly sprays with nettle slurry, and applications of potassium soap and azadirachtin. For whitefly control, attention should be paid to moderate fertilisation without excess nitrogen, avoiding transplanting infested plants from the nursery, placing yellow sticky traps for detection, and biological control with parasitoid hymenoptera and predatory mites, in addition to the use of azadirachtin. Finally, thrips should be controlled through the use of suitable border plants that are favourable to anthocorid beneficials (such as marigolds) and biological control with predatory mites and anthocorids.
Fusarium wilt, downy mildew, powdery mildew and grey mould are diseases affecting this crop. To control fusarium, adequate crop rotations, biofumigation and soil solarisation are recommended. Downy mildew is controlled through adequate crop rotations, wide plant spacing, avoiding excess soil moisture and the use of copper-based fungicides. Powdery mildew is controlled through wide plant spacing and moderate fertilisation without excess nitrogen; dusting or wettable sulphur powder may also be applied (as an alternative, sulphur powder + lithothamne (1:1) used as a dust is less phytotoxic than sulphur alone).
The fruits can be kept for about two weeks at a temperature between 5 and 10°C and a relative humidity of 95%.
