Check your cucumbers!

SallyForth_2

My Mum asked me the other day if I had a burpless variety of cucumber, and I thought she was pulling my watsits!

Any, it turns out that if you don't have this burpless variety, you must remove all the male flowers from your cucumber plants, otherwise the fruit will be very bitter.

Now I just need to a) hope my cucumbers do flower and b) know which flowers are male, to remove them.

ginvzt

Ok, again - my grandad used to grow cucumbers (to the extent that all the family had enough and he would even take some to sell), and he never bothered removing any flowers. It is if you underwater them that they used to get bitter...

SallyForth_2

ginvzt wrote: »

Ok, again - my grandad used to grow cucumbers (to the extent that all the family had enough and he would even take some to sell), and he never bothered removing any flowers. It is if you underwater them that they used to get bitter...

That's interesting ginvzt, I'll keep an eye on the watering situation.

Does anyone else have any thoughts on the flower removal thing - maybe it's only certain varieties.

Lotus-eater

As far as I am aware, you need to remove the male flowers on indoor cucs, but not outdoor, but best to check with the variety you have sown.

SallyForth_2

Lotus-eater wrote: »

As far as I am aware, you need to remove the male flowers on indoor cucs, but not outdoor, but best to check with the variety you have sown.

Mine are Telegraph, and it looks like not only will I need to remove the male flowers, they will need support stakes as well - glad I checked!

clarabell13

Oh dear I have no idea which variety mine are, my cousin gave me her surplus and she hasn't got them!

Farway

It does depend upon variety, the outdoor "ridgeless" type, which includes the Burpless are OK without flower removal, many indoor / greenhouse one are not

As Lotus eater says, check what variety you have

absfabs

A lot of the newer types of cucumber are all female, no need to pinch out male flowers. Telegraph is an older variety, and yes, it has both male and female flower, and pollinated flowers/cucumbers are supposed to go bitter.
Once you have a few flowers, you can easily see the difference between male and female: female ones have a mini-cucumber behind them, and male ones just a little stalk. Might sound very much the same, but you will see the difference, honestly!
I've only grown indoor/under glass cucumbers, so don't know about ridge and outdoor types.
Usually buy all female varieties these days, less hassle and supposedly easier to grow.

peter_the_piper

All the cues I grow are F1 and that includes the burpless ridge type so none need any flowers removing. Its not very likely that, unless stated, any commercial cues sold will not be F1. The most fruit I have heard of from 1 mini cue plant was 159, can anyone better that?