Should I pick off male cucumber flowers?

Question

I have 2 Cucumber plants, 'Marketmore' growing in 6inch pots inside the house. They now stand 18inches (46cm) tall. They are in flower and a few flowers have wilted and dropped off.

Do I need to pinch off the male flowers on these cucumbers?

Do I need to hand-pollinate? There are no bugs/bees inside the house to do the job.

Should I plant them outside now? I live in South-East England.

Answer 1

Cucumber plants have both male and female flowers, but only the female flowers will produce fruit. However, in order to do so, they must be pollinated by pollen from the male flower. This important transfer is usually conducted by bees, but the gardener can increase the quantity of fruit by carrying out some judicious hand pollination. The female flowers are easy to identify because each has a tiny cucumber at the base. Use a small brush to remove some of the pollen from the male flower and gently brush it onto the centre of the female flower. Sowing Outdoors
For the outdoor varieties, you have the choice of starting them off indoors or you can plant them directly into the ground where they are going to grow after the threat of frost has passed. Generally cucumbers are best sown directly where they will remain, but to start off your outdoor varieties indoors you now have the opportunity of avoiding root disturbance by planting them in bio degradable pots – such as Jiffy Pots. You can plant both pots and plants directly into the soil ... no mess, no problem ... no root damage ... and they get well established quickly.
Your cucumber plants will thrive best in a well protected, sunny spot with them spaced about 18” apart. You should dig down between 8-12” into the soil before planting, enriching the soil with loads of organic matter before planting ... and keeping your plants topped up with fertilisers when the fruits start to set.
Or, you can grow your outdoor cucumbers on little ‘hills’ or mounds of soil, compost and organic matter combined.
Dont plant out-doors if there is still frost on the ground
If cucumbers drop off the vine just after they start to develop, it's usually because they haven't been properly pollinated. Good growing conditions — watering and fertilising — will also improve the size and quality of a cucumber crop.
www.vegetable-gardening-club.com

Tina

Answer 2

It is not necessary to pluck the male flowers. If the last frost has already taken place in your area and the cucumber beetles are gone; you can plant them outside. Provided that they have not gotten to tall. Just remember to pick an area that does not get too hot during the day. A place where the morning sun should do nicely. Before you plant them add fertilizer to the soil. If you put some post on both ends of the garden and string some lines across, you can train your plants to grow upwards. Instead of having them growing on the ground. During the hottest months of the summer water them after the sun has gone down. This way they will not be shocked and they will have had time to absorbed the water. If you do this you will have the cucumbers that are like the ones in the supper markets. The ones that are fat and green.

Answer 3

No. Plant out side if possible, water cucumber plants freely, using a fine spray to avoid washing away the soil from the shallow roots. Take care that the water doesn't gather round the stems, thus causing rotting. Mulch with rotted manure to retain moisture and stimulate rapid growth and fruiting. Cucumbers must be pollinated for the fruits to develop. So do not remove the males. If there is a dearth of pollinating insects, you must hand pollinate, to do this spray the flowers with a fine mist of water and pollinate using a fine artists brush. Repeat as necessary if fruit fail to set.
Feed weekly with a dilute liquid fertiliser rich in nitrogen when fruits are swelling. Outdoor cucumbers should be protected from heavy rain and unseasonable frosts with glass cloches or plastic sheeting.
If you cant put outside try and put in larger pots.
Good luck.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Should I pick off male cucumber flowers?
I have 2 Cucumber plants, 'Marketmore' growing in 6inch pots inside the house. They now stand 18inches (46cm) tall. They are in flower and a few flowers have wilted and dropped off.

Do I need to pinch off the male flowers on these cucumbers?

Do I need to hand-pollinate? There are...

Answer 5

No - leave the male flowers on. They may well need hand pollinating if you keep them in, but they are really an outdoor cucumber.

SO - plant them out, don't worry about them, (OK - keep them watered!!) then find LOTS of friends that need cucumbers ;-p

Answer 6

Yes I would plant them outdoors now. It would be good if you could get them out in the rain that is expected, that will give them a good boost. And yes again to pinching out the male flowers, as the plant can put more into producing the female ones, and putting its energy into swelling the fruits after pollination of the female flowers.

Hope this helps.

Answer 7

If these are outdoor cucumbers do not pinch out the male flowers as they are required for fertilisation to allow the fruit to form.
If they are greenhouse variety you can pinch them out. If you wish to pollinate them yourself you should take a feather and gently touch one flower and then touch the next.
You should be able to safely put the outside now.but watch the weather carefully if you are not keeping them under glass, and ensure they are not in a windy area of your garden.

Answer 8

Yes you should and use the male flowers to hand pollinate. It promotes further foilage & cucumber growth.
Also keep your cucumber plant in the semi-shade, not in the direct sunlight as this may damage the leaves

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