Cucumber - removing male flowers

[mrscorpio]

Hi all
I thought I would post a piccy of a cucumber flower, I have searched the net but never found a good photo of what a female flower looks like.

The uppermost flower ( it has water droplets on it ) is the female. You can see the tiny cucumber forming as part of the stem.

Below it is a Male flower which needs to be removed. Sorry this one is not in focus. However its stem is straight without the obvious bulge of a mini cucumber.

I hope this helps a first time cucumber grower like me ( who wishes he had bought an F1 all female packet of seeds.)

[binley100]

I read that you don't remove the male flowers on outdoor cucs..........

[mrscorpio]

I read that you don't remove the male flowers on outdoor cucs..........

Hi Binley100
the above cucumber is ' Telegraph Improved '
I know I must remove the males on this one, from the info I have read.

I should imagine you would need to research each type individually.

[binley100]

*goes off to check cuc packet

[mrscorpio]

*goes off to check cuc packet

My packet did not say to remove males. It was only when my dad said I would need to do this that I started looking into how, when and why.

Searching the net I came across many sites telling me to remove the male flowers. However the lack of decent photos showing me what to look for amazed me.
Thats why I posted this photo for virgin cuce growers like myself.