Cucumber Problem

[Mikey]

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, my cucumbers are setting small fruit but they aren't getting any bigger. Is it something obvious. I've tried a vague hunt of the web but it brings back such varied opinions I thought I'd ask you guys.

I picked my first fruit about a month ago, but I've had nothing since. the second image is a fruit which is a little longer but taken 3 weeks to get that big a little smaller than my little finger.

What am I doing wrong, I don't recall having this problem before the variety is marketmore. Which I've just read is an outdoor cuc, is it worth keeping indoors or am I wasting my time?

[Hazel at the Hill]

I don't think that they are being pollinated properly, Mikey - I don't know if you can take a male flower just opening and 'dib' it into all the female flowers (those with little fruits behind)?

[taff]

Leave the door open so things can get in and pollinate it.

[vikkib]

I wonder if pollination is a problem if they're an outdoor variety but from the picture it looks like they are setting fruit fine.

Mine stalled similarly a couple of weeks ago... the fruit had set and got to about an inch to an inch and a half then nothing.

I bumped up the watering a fair bit and also watered the greenhouse beds a bit to increase the humidity in there (before I was just watering the roots direct through plastic bottles in the ground).

They've got going again but not sure was how much it was to do with the watering and how much the warmth which they seem to be enjoying.

[JoeDaStudd]

The ground looks a little dry I would try increasing the amount and/or frequency your watering them for a week and see if that helps.
Once they get going cucumbers drink a lot of water especially when its hot like it has been the last few weeks (and hopefully will be for weeks to come).

[Mikey]

I water twice a day at the moment, I fill the pots until it starts overflowing then move onto the next one, then repeat so the roots get lots of water. I have started damping down the floor and the surrounding mulch to increase the humidity but this tends to get lost when the door is left open to allow for pollunating insects.

I read somewhere that you should remove the male flowers as they make the cucumbers bitter? not sure if this is true or not?

[Potstubsdustbins]

Mikey,

If I am right and please check but I think that Market More is one of the few cumbers where you need both the male and female flowers.

Potty

[Bigmallly]

Have you tried a Potash feed Mikey?

How to Grow Marketmore Cucumbers in Containers | eHow

[Mikey]

No I haven't BM, before I filled the beds this year I added quite a bit of ash from the fire and a good handleful of Fish Blood & Bone. I've been consciously avoiding feeding with tomorite those tomatoes which are immediately around the cucumbers as I've read somewhere that they aren't keen on it. Oddly enough it doesn't seem to have affected the tomatoes at all.

I've got some seaweed feed which I use over the allotment so I could try that.

[Mikey]

Mikey,

If I am right and please check but I think that Market More is one of the few cumbers where you need both the male and female flowers.

Potty

Well if that true its worth a shot I'll leave the male flowers on and see if it makes a difference over the coming weeks.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Mikey one further point I use tomorite for my cumbers as soon as the fruit has set. The extra potash seems to work well.

Potty

[Bren In Pots]

Mikey,

If I am right and please check but I think that Market More is one of the few cumbers where you need both the male and female flowers.

Potty

Potty Market More cucs do need male flowers I've got one in my GH plus another outside and both get fed weekly with Comfrey tea now that they're fruiting.

[rustylady]

It is true about the pollination bit. Leave all flowers on.

It looks to me as if your plant has quite a bit of growing to do - maybe the plant is growing at the expense of the cucumbers at the moment?

[ancee]

We've not had any at all yet! But I was told the ones with a 'lumpy' bit were male and the ones without were girl ones! So to keep the lumpy ones and get rid of all the girl flowers! Am now mightily confused as I thought flowers with 'bits' were boy ones!

[leonmc0708]

Hard to tel from your pics but I find if I whip a few early flowes and cues off and let the plant grow it helps overall yield