Forum home› Fruit & veg
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Cucumber question

JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
in Fruit & veg
My cucumbers are producing well but a few of them fill out at the top of the cucumber but don’t develop all the way down, resulting in something looking like a v shape. Any ideas and advice how to get them nice and evenly shaped ?
Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.

Posts

  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    Which variety? Some are more uniform than others - Burpless and Passandra are often misshapen.
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    Unfortunately I have no idea as I got them from a friend who had too many. Some of them are lovely long fruits, others just seem to grow unevenly, I was wondering if it could be due to uneven watering?
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
  • sthlndngrowersthlndngrower Posts: 160

    Outdoor cucumbers must pollinate, but indoor ones must not.-the old fashioned ones had female and male flowers so you had the joy of picking off all the males before they opened (these cultivars are parthenogenic).

    All female cultivars are better, but even those throw male flowers when under stress in a hot environment. The pollinated fruits are swollen and bulbous at one end-called 'stung' and will be bitter to taste

  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    The cucumbers have developed and actually taste great, so it’s not the male female thing. They just turn out short and pointed as the bottom does not swell evenly with the top
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    That's an outdoor variety so needs to be pollinated.  What you are seeing is the effect of 'partial pollination'.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    Thanks Bob that sounds about right. I have loads of bees so assume it is the second reason, too much heat causing sterile pollen... I have had really hot days and struggle to keep everything watered, as well as all the flowers only lasting a few hours in the sun, so less chance of multiple visits from the 🐝 
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
Sign In or Register to comment.