Cucumber transplanting help

[vixylix]

Hello all - love these forums

I have been rather silly (novice and all) and planted two cucumber seeds in one pot as I was running out of pots - and left both to grow as I wanted two plants. They're currently both doing well and starting to flower and are being hardened off outside as I type.

Two questions:

1. What is the best way to separate them or am I now best leaving them together? I was considering splicing them, but worried the roots might be too delicate. Also considered planting as one root ball and training the vines onto different bamboo canes - so room to breathe even though the roots will be as one. Any advice?

2. I have lots of one inch baby cucumbers which are now flowering wonderfully - but I have searched and searched and cant find any male flowers (unless I'm being a bit dim I was looking for flowers with no cucumber behind - there is actually one but no stamen or pollen that I can see - the inside looks exactly the same as the other female flowers)

As bees are becoming rather scarce and my garden is somewhat enclosed - I was prepared to hand pollinate - but now worried how I can with no male flowers?! Will the cucumbers die before any male flowers form??


Thanks all

[Jungle Jane]

Most cucumbers are female only & self pollinating I think. I never want to see a male flower on a cucumber plant. I think it makes the fruit bitter if I've remembered correctly. I grow one in my kitchen with no pollinators. What variety are you growing & how tall are they?

[vixylix]

Most cucumbers are female only & self pollinating I think. I never want to see a male flower on a cucumber plant. I think it makes the fruit bitter if I've remembered correctly. I grow one in my kitchen with no pollinators. What variety are you growing & how tall are they?

ooh interesting I didnt know that. They are burpless - I think F1 variety but could be wrong. They're probably 2.5 - 3 foot tall - lots of leaves and vines everywhere!!

[Jungle Jane]

Ive only ever grown indoor cucumbers,outdoor ones like burpless are different sorry for the confusion. Don't take off any flowers.

[Scarlet]

What size pot are they in now and how big are the plants? I wouldn't splice them but you may be able to tease them apart if you are very careful. You will need a very big pot if you are going to keep them together as they need plenty of water. I wouldn't worry about male flowers, it's early days yet for cucumbers.

[starloc]

I often plant 2 seeds and always just leave the 2 growing together if both grow, just get 2 plants.....maybe I would get more cucumbers from 1 plant in that space?, but I dont think i get less on them than I should

[maverick451]

I wouldnt seperate them

I would either

Plant them in a really big pot together

Cut off one at the base and then out in in a jar of water to re root (maybe too big for that)

Cut one off at the base and bin it and then you are left with a single plant

[muddled]

I sow in two's and let them both grow....but then mine are outdoor Qs so space is less of an issue.

[AaronP]

In February I planted 2 in a pot and separated them at the 4 leaf stage - they all died. I repeated the same process in April and again they all died. For the third time I double planted but I will no longer touch the roots!

I would advise keeping them both together...

[Penellype]

Cucumbers need little excuse to curl up and die. I'd be very reluctant to try to pull them apart. My plan would be to give them a good big pot and plenty of water.

[vixylix]

Thanks

Thanks everyone for your help!

I decided to gamble (ish) and seperated one of the pots into two separate plants and kept one as the two plants together. All four are doing really well and I ate my first cucumber off one of the separated ones yesterday - yummy!

Maybe fluke but thought I'd share!

[Philthy]

Just make sure the pots never dry out. Tomatoes, peppers, no doubt lots of other veg, they have a degree of tolerance for erratic watering ie. the crop will still develop even if the end result is a little misshapen / undersized etc. In my experience once the soil is dry at the roots any developing cucumbers, regardless of size, will shrivel and die, and then that section of the plant is wasted. Worth considering if you're short on space.