Should I remove the male flowers from my cucumber plants and how do I know which is which?

Question

I have two burpless cucumber plants they have yellow flowers close to the stem at the bottom of the plant and what look like mini cucumbers with flowers on the end that havent flowered yet. I have been told I have to remove the male flowers or the fruit will be bitter but which is which as if I remove the wrong one there will be no cucumbers. Please help!

Answer 1

The male flowers have no mini cucumbers and carry pollen, the female flowers have mini cucumbers and no pollen.

If you allow the fruit to be fertilised and produce seeds, they tend to be bitter. On the other hand, in several places I have seen it said that the flowers have to be fertilised, or they will drop off!

Have you ever bought a cucumber that doesn't have soft white seeds in the middle? I think they do need fertilising and that, perhaps, older varieties of cucumber did tend to become bitter.

If you leave all the flowers on, you will certainly get cucumbers!

Answer 2

If you are really good at removing the male flowers you will get no cucumbers. They are an essential part of the equation, have nothing to do with bitterness which can be avoided by growing the right varieties. You must be thinking about something else where you do want to remove the male flowers and prevent pollination :-)

Answer 3

The female are the ones with the mini cucumber and they will only turn into cucumbers once they are pollinated. Bees usually do this by collecting pollen from the male flower and then going to the female flower. You can also pollinate it by using your finger or a Q-tip if you don't have alot of honey bees around. If you remove the male flowers, you will never have any cucumbers.

Answer 4

I wouldn't worry too much about removing the male flowers to prevent bitter cukes. That sort of problem is usually caused by the plant not getting enough water while the fruit is growing.

As long as you keep the plant well watered, this shouldn't be an issue. They need about an inch of water a week, possibly more if you're living in a very warm place.

Answer 5

The male flowers are the ones WITHOUT the mini cucumbers under the flowers.

Answer 6

the male flowers are on the end of stems with no swelling (fruit). with cucumbers, courgettes and marrows you would normally remove the male flower, if you dont you will still get the fruit but it may taste bitter.

Answer 7

Female plants generally have one larger reproductive body, known as a pistol, in the middle of them, which should be smooth and more or less free of pollen.

Male plants, on the other hand, should have multiple stamens, which are smaller than the pistol and are covered on the ends with a pretty solid coat of pollen.

If you want a better idea so you can make some visual comparisons, though, go here:

http://www.pollinator.com/hand_pollination2.htm

Answer 8

as usual you have to remove the male from the equation to get real results!!! Just look for the one doing nothing much but acting like they are doing it all shouldnt be too hard. good luck

Answer 9

Lift their little leaves, and look to see if they are an innie or an outie

Answer 10

they need the mail plaint to be pollenatid