Cucumber question!

[realfood]

The RHS article is only talking about the all female, greenhouse type of cucumber.
Here is my take on the quite complicated situation at cucumber

[Demeter]

So.... are we saying that with the all-female F1 type we should remove any male flowers that appear (but hopefully they won't) but with the other types you leave them on? Isn't it weird and confusing that pollination can make all-female types bitter but not normal types?!!

I'm growing Konsa outdoors - or at least I will be once they are hardened off and planted out, in the next couple of days - so I guess I will leave the male flowers on the plants.

[sewer rat]

I only grow F1 all female plants (I have 60+ this year _ a mix of Pepinex 69 and Femspot). You should remove any male flowers that appear - though I have NEVER had any.
I also side shoot the plants to a height of 1m then above this let the side shoots develop to two leaves as they will produce cukes too. I always get bumper crops with my cukes - I was removing the bottom 5 leaves on my biggest plants today - this allows me to access the pots I water them through and let me see the cukes, the first of which should be ready for next week.

[Paulottie]

Demeter.

A 'frame' cucumber is a smoother skinned varietal grown indoors (and probably what you will see in the supermarket.) There are a couple of hybrid varieties available that don't have male flowers to remove...as I said. They are also a fussy crop, prone to spider mite and easy to make bitter through lack of attention and humidity.

A 'ridge' cucumber is generally prickly, smaller and intended to grown outdoors (often on mounds -hence the name) A classic example is 'Marketmore' there are also some in this category for pickling as gherkins. The selection of articles from the USA that you have selected to try and discredit my post appear to refer to these. You need not remove the flowers on these and bitterness is indeed solely down to poor cultivation.

There are now available a couple of Japanese varieties that are somewhere between the two sorts. (again no need for flower removal) They can be grown indoors or out and I am trialling 'Natsumikari f1' this year in both situations.

Neither of my degrees is in Horticulture nor biology; so I am no more qualified than a butcher to talk about pollination mechanics in curcubits. Yet, in my somewhat extensive library there are several manuals that confirm that the fertilized fruit of ordinary frame cucumbers is bitter. Perhaps you might try looking in the simple but excellent 'Veg and herb expert' by Dr. D.G. Hessayon if you don't believe me....he does, evidently, have a doctorate in the subject.

[Demeter]

Thanks Paul, I think I get it now
PS wasn't trying to "discredit" your post - just genuinely confused by the (apparently) conflicting information - as I say, I think I get it now, looks like I was comparing apples with oranges, so to speak, so no wonder the information was conflicting / different!

[grasser]

totally baffled now,i got marketmore cukes,[in greenhouse] do i take male flowers of or not;just want a simple yes or no,
thanks john
ps i will go with the majority

[Kristen]

Marketmore is an outdoor ("ridge") cucumber. Leave the male flowers on, they are needed for pollination. (It is only varieties of Cues bred for growing indoors that need male flowers removing - the fact you are growing an Outdoor Cucumber indoors is not a reason for removing the male flowers, its the variety that counts).

I don't imaging that there is any problem growing an outdoor Ridge cucumber in a greenhouse, but I don't know that for certain!

[vegnut]

totally baffled now,i got marketmore cukes,[in greenhouse] do i take male flowers of or not;just want a simple yes or no,
thanks john
ps i will go with the majority

Simple No