Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Growing in Greenhouses & Polytunnels => Topic started by: JayG on July 13, 2017, 10:41

Title: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: JayG on July 13, 2017, 10:41
First time growing 'La Diva' all female cucumbers this year, and although the growth is satisfyingly rampant, both plants are producing nearly as many male flowers as female.  :ohmy:

As soon as I started noticing them I've been picking off the male flowers - looks as if the female flowers are setting OK, but whether they had a 'dalliance' with male flowers beforehand only time will tell I suppose.

Grew Picolo all-female cukes for the previous 3 years, and never noticed any male flowers at all - has anyone else found this to be more of an issue with La Diva?
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: mumofstig on July 13, 2017, 11:32
I've never picked off the male flowers, my packet doesn't tell me to, either.
They seem to make more male flowers when it is hot in the greenhouse, but the female flowers will still set fruit on their own, provided they have enough moisture at the roots. They can be grown as ridge cucumbers so it would be pointless removing their males when other plants were about  :wacko:
Thinking about it, the parthenocarpic courgettes are the same, they do set fruit without male flowers - but you don't have to remove any males that do appear.

So I just let them get on with it  :D
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: JayG on July 13, 2017, 13:13
Thanks Mum!  ;)

I don't think I'll ever reach the stage where I completely understand the distinction between outdoor/indoor/ridge/all-female cucumber varieties, and therefore how to manage them, and that's mainly due to advice like this from victoriananursery.co.uk (this is specifically about La Diva but other websites seem equally conflicting when you compare their advice.) :

Quote
As this is what is known as a 'Ridge Type' it is suitable for outdoor growing, frame growing or growing in a polytunnel or greenhouse. Being an all female variety, it is best to remove the male flowers (identified by not having a tiny fruit behind the flower). If male flowers are left on these may pollinate the flowers causing the fruits to become bitter to taste.

My best guess is that because the female flowers can set fruit without pollination, this usually happens before they are subject to pollination by any male flowers there may be about, but if pollination occurs before they have set fruit by themselves there is a risk that the fruits could be bitter.  :unsure:
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: oldgrunge on July 13, 2017, 21:46
I have grown La Diva on and off for quite a few years, and never encountered male flowers. This year, however, I am growing two plants, side by side in my greenhouse one is producing nothing but female flowers, the other plant is producing nothing but males ???
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: JayG on July 14, 2017, 09:28
Oh dear - an extreme case of gender diversity there!  :lol:

Gives you more of a dilemma than the one I'm facing - hope they sort themselves out soon.

Despite Mum's encouraging words, having not grown this variety before (and really looking forward to my first cuke this year) I think I'll play safe and continue to remove the male flowers - much as I like to experiment I'd prefer to do it on someone else's cukes on this occasion!  ;)
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: Lardman on July 14, 2017, 10:55
Quote
Being an all female variety, it is best to remove the male flowers

Sigh....  :nowink:  ::)

I've grown it for a few years Jay and here it kicks out a few male flowers when starting or when stressed (most days and twice on Sundays).  I pinch them off for fear of bitter fruit.

Other than it's N.B.G.D. issues it's a decent cuke - I made ML a sandwich from one this morning, pick them early around 4-5" and before they get too fat otherwise they tend to be a bit watery.
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: JayG on August 08, 2017, 10:59
Been picking them for a couple of weeks now - no bitter fruits despite the plants still producing at least as many male flowers as female, and me no doubt not managing to remove all of them.

They certainly do deliver the goods (:ohmy:) - I'm composting a couple of lurkers which weren't far off being as broad as they were long!  ;)
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: oldgrunge on August 08, 2017, 20:27
Further to my earlier post re my La Diva producing all males. Having allowed it to produce a couple of side shoots, female flowers are now appearing on the shoots!
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: sunshineband on August 08, 2017, 21:37
Further to my earlier post re my La Diva producing all males. Having allowed it to produce a couple of side shoots, female flowers are now appearing on the shoots!

Good!
Ours have a mix of male and female flowers but all the cucumbers taste just fine. I leave the males on and they seem to do no harm, maybe because of the parthenogenic nature of Divas, as MoS suggested  :nowink:
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: Lardman on August 09, 2017, 09:54
They certainly do deliver the goods (:ohmy:) - I'm composting a couple of lurkers which weren't far off being as broad as they were long!  ;)

 :) Don't suppose you could have a word with mine could you. Having sung their praises earlier they have done nothing this year at all. I think I've picked 3 cukes from the 2 plants in the bottom GH.  :(  They just yellowing and falling off - lack of pollination in a parthenogenetic plant ?! there are no males flowers appearing either.  :unsure:

It may just be a pants year for them though as I have 6 more plants (a mixture of iznik and passanda )in the top GH which steadfastly refuse to produce anything either.
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: oldgrunge on August 09, 2017, 10:31
Mine are not setting the world alight, either! My other Diva in the GH has produced one fruit so far, the others, like yours Lardman, are yellowing off. I have two Marketmore outside which have produced a few though. As the toms, chillies and peppers have also slowed down, personally, I think it could be the cool, damp, weather we're having.
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: JayG on August 09, 2017, 11:16
The only difference that I'm aware of between 3-4 years of failure followed by 3 years of success is liquid feeding with a far greater frequency than for anything else I grow.

Not sure I've done too much right this year apart from that - in the attached pic there are 2 plants in one ex chicken poo tub, and they have grown so rampantly that in warm weather they need watering twice a day. One plant would have been ample.  ::)

Wasn't prepared for the number of side shoots either, all of which carried both male and female flowers but have now been pinched out.

Only very immature fruits showing in the pic because I picked 8 cukes yesterday, and put 2 other lurking giants in the compost bin.
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: sunshineband on August 09, 2017, 15:07
Those divas do like a good nitrogenous feed  :nowink:
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: Redcoat on May 29, 2021, 07:15
I'm growing some La Diva and wondering how tall they will grow both outside and under glass, I came across this thread.   

What height support should I give them outside do you think? 

I also noticed this plant being described as 'rampant'.  Some videos on line have shown cucumbers being managed by taking out every shoot and just growing them as cordons.  Has anyone used this method?
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: JayG on May 29, 2021, 08:37
I've grown them every year since last posting about them in this thread, and can confirm they are very vigorous given the right conditions (easily growing the length of my 8' greenhouse, then taking off up into the adjacent tomatoes!)

Every side shoot will try to grow into another leader, flowering and bearing fruit as it does so, so I suppose it's a question of how much space and support you have available, how many cukes you want, and how much productive weather remains in the season.

I suppose you could describe mine as semi-cordons - I let each side shoot set a couple of fruits before removing the growing tip - this stops the plant becoming too unwieldy and also possibly running out of oomph sooner than it otherwise would (they tend to abort new fruits if they're already carrying several maturing ones.)

(I've stopped trying to remove all the male flowers - no way of knowing whether they pollinate the female flowers or not, but it doesn't seem to affect the flavour of the cukes either way.)

Not tried growing them outdoors - obviously their growth will be more dependent on the weather, but I guess the same general principles apply.
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: Lardman on May 29, 2021, 08:41
I've tried growing as cordons for a few years - it keeps the plant in check but reduces yield and I feel plant health dramatically.

As for height under glass in a good year I've had 8ft vertical and 10ft horizontal growth along the ridge of the GH, in a bad year they've struggled to make 4ft. I find cukes in general are very fickle here.


Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: mumofstig on May 29, 2021, 10:54
Quote
I find cukes in general are very fickle here.
It's not just where you are, honest!  ::)
Title: Re: Quite a few male flowers on La Diva cucumber plants
Post by: Redcoat on May 29, 2021, 14:30
Thanks for the replies. I have several small plants, sown late because of the weather and my latitude.  I've a 6'x8' greenhouse at home and a similar one on the allotment but of course they are filling up with tomatoes and the one at home has the bench down one side as well.  If enough of the plants resist committing suicide, I'll try both inside and out as well as cordon or not.  Luckily I do like to eat cucumbers.   :D