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.

cucumbers

WinniecatWinniecat Posts: 100
in Problem solving
I am growing cucumbers in my greenhouse for the first time and getting very confused about whether I should pinch off the end of the shoots. It is a female plant as all flowers appear to be bearing fruit, so do I just let it go or do I need to pinch the stems off that have 2 leaves (this is what one of my books says). Can anyone help please?
«1

Posts

  • chickychicky Posts: 10,409
    Winniecat - i grow cucumbers and have never pinched anything out - not sure what it is meant to do image
  • WinniecatWinniecat Posts: 100
    Thanks Chicky. I may just leave them be then.
  • Steve 309Steve 309 Posts: 2,753
    Never grown cucumbers but am trying to learn to grown melons, which I believe work the same way (since they're closely related). I think they bear their fruit on side shoots so pinching out the top will encourage those to form. And then (with melons) you're supposed to pinch out the side shoots two leaves past any developing fruit, to stop it making more there so it can put its resources into developing the ones it's formed.

    But someone will be along in a minute who knows.
  • Orchid LadyOrchid Lady Posts: 5,800

    I'm growing cucumbers for the first time this year and have also read about pinching them out, but then other sites/books don't mention or say not to do it, so I too am confused and up to now haven't pinched anything out image

  • UnknownUnknown

    This is one of those jobs that is much easier to do than to explain.

    The idea is to train the main stem up a vertical wire or cane.....I make up a framework of two or three canes & cross canes....but netting will do. 

    Pinch out the growing point when it reaches the top of their support.

    Meantime, pinch out the tips of sideshoots two leaves beyond a female flower (recognisable by tiny fruits behind flower).

    Pinch out the tips of flowerless sideshoots once they reach 2ft (60cm) long.

    I know that will sound double dutch, but take a good look at your plants & it may make sense.

  • WinniecatWinniecat Posts: 100
    Thanks David, yes it makes sense now.
  • UnknownUnknown
    Winniecat wrote (see)
    Thanks David, yes it makes sense now.

     

    Oh good....I didn't know if I had made it clear enough. image  Books can sometimes over-complicate simple jobs....can't beat a bit of practical stuff. image

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    David, I am growing cucumbers for the first time as well but I just cannot make them climb, they just concertina down the cane however many ties I put on them. At the moment they are sprawling about 4ft long along the greenhouse benches.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • UnknownUnknown

    Hope you didn't sow the seed upside down, Lyn image....it is strange though and something that I haven't encountered. I just tie mine in, as above.

    What is the variety?

  • Orchid LadyOrchid Lady Posts: 5,800

    Very well explained David, I will take my iPad along to the GH and have a look shortly image

Sign In or Register to comment.