[FRUITFULL]

We strung our cucumbers up in the greenhouse yesterday,they are full of flowers and baby cucks some about 1in long!The plants are only about 12 - 18in high.I think we should take the flowers off to give the plants a chance to get strong.Hubby says to leave them to nature.They are his cucks and the toms are mine!
Who is right here and whats best for the plants?

[mumofstig]

The baby cukes sound like the ones that always form behind the female flowers and don't always grow and make a cucumber.
Is the plant an all female variety or an ordinary one? Cos different varieties get treated differently

[FRUITFULL]

they are f1 all female.Loads of baby cucumers.

[Kristen]

Cucumbers are, IME, self-regulating.  When they have more maturing fruit than they can handle the little cues turn yellow and drop off - then when you pick a mature cue another flower grows to maturity.  Worth picking as soon as they are "big enough" therefore.

[mumofstig]

Also if you do get any flowers without cukes forming behind nip them off..cos they be male flowers and there fore not wanted ....aaaaah :blink:

[FRUITFULL]

So if these are fi hybreds (i think that means all female)and they have baby cucumbers growing,although the plants are small 12in aprox should we leave the baby cucks and flowers on or pinch them all off to let the plant grow?

[Yorkie]

I don't grow cukes so can't answer your specific question, but F1 means that the plant has been specifically bred from two different parents, to produce certain stable and predictable outcomes (size, flavour, etc) - it might or might not mean all-female in cukes, but is a general term used in all flowers and veggies

[FRUITFULL]

opps i told OH they were all females but we do have alot of real cucumbers trying to grow.
I hate to say it as i know cucumbers are a problem but we sowed 25 in 4 varietys i think they are swing,cuchin,burpless and tasty somethings and we have 22 plants from about 8ins to 18ins all healthy at the moment 

[Eatyourgreens]

I hope you like Cucumbers or better still pickled Gherkins 



Bob

[mumofstig]

That's just what i was going to say...you beat me to it

3 plants are usually enough for most families as they are nearly as bad as courgettes for fruiting so i hope you like them ...a lot

[FRUITFULL]

They will be given to family friends neighbours and work buddies