Cucumber care

[Bluemchen]

Hi,

I am in my second year of growing cucumbers in my greenhouse. Last year, I just let them go, and did get a good crop from my four plants.

However, I remember someting about pinching out the sideshoots.... or something! What am I supposed to do with them? I have Prima top and Avanti, both all-female greenhosue varieties.

help appreciated!
Bluemchen

[easy]

Cucumber plants will produce too much leafy growth at the expense of fruit if they are not pruned. When the plant has produced six sets of leaves on the main stem pinch out the growing tip. This will encourage the quick growth of side shoots and therefore fruit. Train the side shoots which then grow over the ground or up a trellis.

As the plant begins to form cucumbers, pinch out the side shoots one set of leaves beyond the forming fruit. This will encourage quicker fruit growth.

[sewer rat]

If your all female cuke plants are F1's then the likelihood is that the fruits will all be produced off the central stem, as mine are - I grow Femspot and Pepinex 69 - both F1 All Female varieties.
I start them in 3" pots and when they get planted out in the tunnel, I sink the pot beside the stem - athis is used to water and feed through to ensure it goes straight to the roots and also prevents the stem getting wet and rotting.
I don't pinch out the growing tip - my plants grow up an 8 ft cane and side shoots are pinched out once or twice a week depending on time available.

[Bluemchen]

So Rat, so you allow any side shoots to grow at all?

[sewer rat]

So Rat, so you allow any side shoots to grow at all?

I grew five rows of cukes last year on the single pole method and I grew one row on netting suspended from crop bars in the tunnel. To be perfectly honest, I really didn't notice much difference in either quantity or quality - I just got scratched more with the ones with side shoots -so it's back to the single pole for me this year.

[crichmond]

I nver bother pinching out my cucs, the only pinching I do is to remove male flowers to stop the cucs being bitter.

The trouble with advice is that everyone will give different advice, I would find a method that suits you or the variety that you are growing and stick with what suits.