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

Encouraging Courget and cucumbers to produce male and female flowers

JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
in Problem solving
Is there any trick to this? I am getting loads of female flowers, but no males. I have two plants of each but so far not a single pollinated flower. It’s very disheartening to have all these baby fruits which just shrivel and drop off.
Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.

Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I thought you don't need male flowers on cucumbers to produce fruit, hopefully someone else will know for sure. Can't answer for courgettes l'm afraid. 
    Are you growing the cucumbers outdoors as opposed to a greenhouse ? 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Most courgettes need fertilizing, although there are one or two new self pollinating varieties. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I grow greenhouse mini cucumbers - they produce only female flowers and fruit prolifically 

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • floraliesfloralies Posts: 2,718
    Which are dropping off @Jacquimcmahon the cucumbers or the courgettes? I grow an all female cucumber, but the courgettes need pollinating unless there is an all female type. Are there enough insects on your balcony?
  • KiliKili Posts: 1,104
    Pete.8 said:
    I grow greenhouse mini cucumbers - they produce only female flowers and fruit prolifically 

    @Pete.8

    Which cucumber Variety did you grow this year Pete?
    I've not had much success with Telegraph (Powdery mildew) and another variety which I cant remember the name of.

    'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.

    George Bernard Shaw'

  • Tortoise19Tortoise19 Posts: 13
    I find cucumbers don’t need pollinating - modern varieties and bought as small plants. Watering, feeding and temperature all have a part to play in fruiting. Sometimes if this is out of balance the fruits start, turn yellow and drop off. I have found that more flowers come and fruit sets properly. Courgettes seem to have lots of male flowers to begin with - no swelling at base of flower, then have a few female flowers that fruit small fruits and then plants settle. This year yellow courgettes are better than green in my pots. Heat of last week won’t have helped.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Kili said:
    Pete.8 said:
    I grow greenhouse mini cucumbers - they produce only female flowers and fruit prolifically 

    @Pete.8

    Which cucumber Variety did you grow this year Pete?
    I've not had much success with Telegraph (Powdery mildew) and another variety which I cant remember the name of.
    I'm growing Mini-Munch for the 3rd year.
    The best I grew was Cucino, but I can't find seed for them anymore.
    I've usually had around 100 by now from one plant, but I tried adding quite a lot of mushroom compost to the mix this year and the plant didn't grow at all for about 8 weeks and was looking quite poorly. So far I've only had 9 this year, but at last the plant has taken off and I can see lots of flowers and new growth - I guess the mushroom compost was too strong for them (even though I stored it for 1 year).
    I won't use mushroom compost for them again but will use bagged rotted farmyard manure which I've found works wonders with them.


    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I'm growing Picolino (from a plug plant). So far l've had around 6 from it and there are 2 more coming at the moment. This is ideal as there's only the two of us. To be honest it could really do with a bigger pot, but it seems okay with plenty of water and a weekly feed.
Sign In or Register to comment.