[BabyStar]

After a rocky start my cucumber plants are looking quite healthy and are shooting up the canes. They are in the greenhouse in growbags. Just wondered what I need to do to stop them growing? I'm guessing pinch them out? But at what stage do I need to do this and whereabouts? Is it below or above a leaf? At least one of them is almost touching the greenhouse roof now!
Also a quick question about the male/female flowers. I know the female ones have the cucumber behind the flower and the males ones don't. Should the male ones be pinched out? At the moment there are no flowers, and although I can see what looks like is going to be male flowers I'm a bit loathe to get rid of them if I'm wrong! I thought the seeds we used were hybrid for all female plants but guess I got this wrong!

[stompy]

Pinch off the growing tip at any point that you want to stop it, no need to do it to a specific leaf or point.

If you have an all female plant there will be no need to pinch out the flowers. (unless the plant has been stressed as even all female plants can produce male flowers if this is the case).

If its not an all female plant then you will have to pinch out the male flowers only.

There is a big difference between the male and female flowers, the female has an obviouse minni cucumber behind it even before the flower has opened.
The male does not.

[BabyStar]

Thank you, yes, I can see the ones with the mini cucumbers behind. There are others coming out of the stalk which look like they are going to be flowers. I think these are going to be male flowers, is it important when I pinch them out? When I've searched for pics of male flowers it shows a lot of them opened out still on the plant?
How tall do you generally let a plant get before stopping growth?
Thanks for all your help!

[mumofstig]

leave the flowers until you are sure which sort they are, but before they open, that way there's no mistake
You could pinch them out when they reach the top of the canes or grow them along the greenhouse ridge on some strings

[BabyStar]

Thanks. I didn't know if you let it grow too high whether the plant would be able to support the cucumbers when they grow big (here's hoping!). Do you have to support each individual cucumber when they start growing?

[mumofstig]

I tie my cucumber plant to the cane and strings as they grow so they can't collapse.(just like you do with toms) and then the cukes  just dangle

[sunshineband]

and the plants grow strong enough to support them too 

[BabyStar]

My tallest one is prob around the 3 foot mark so may stop him growing up any more. And just to double check when I pinch the top off, I just get rid of the whole thing? As it looks like a ball that the new leaves keep growing out of!

I tie my cucumber plant to the cane and strings as they grow so they can't collapse.(just like you do with toms) and then the cukes  just dangle

Mine are tied to canes with string, what else do you do to support them? Tie string lengthways and attach as well?

[mumofstig]

I have string from one end of the greenhouse frame to the other, and ties from this hold the cane in place. The cuke climbs up the cane and then turns and goes along the string, being tied as it grows

[aqua]

so i don't have to take the top out of the plant at all - only if I want to

[mumofstig]

I don't bother, it's up to you what space you want to use

[stompy]

The positive thing about topping off is that you usually get several other stems that you can wind up the same cane or string.

[JayG]

My neighbours have grown all sorts of cucumbers in their greenhouse for many years; they are planted in growbags on the staging at one end and are trained along wires - when they get to the other end the shoots are encouraged to turn through 180^o and then they head back to where they started! (It's an 8X6 greenhouse by the way.)

Was hoping to do the same with mine this year but...............................................

[mumofstig]

I've had 1 good year when they reached t'other end....but never back again as well