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Cucumber Buds

inolan22

inolan22

This is my first time growing cucumbers. My plants are about 6" tall and they appear to be growing something other than leaves(I'm assuming they are budding). Should I be pinching off these "buds" to let the plant get bigger?

I'll try to get some pics here in a bit.
 
Here is the best pic I could get! And by the way, there is not just like one or two of these popping up. There is at least 10-15 (as you can see in the pic)! I also have some smaller cucumber plants like only 4" tall with maybe 6 sets of leaves that are starting to create the same thing!

CucumberBuds.jpg
 
I don't see a reason to pinch them - they are not going to hurt a thing. At the worst, when you transplant them, they will fall off (most do anyway). Not sure what part of the Hoosier State you are from, but you shouldn't have more than a couple of weeks until you can stick them outside in the dirt.

Mike
 
I have left mine ? I have about 3-4 cucumbers about an inch long on about 6 plants flowering profusely I was going to let them go and see what happens when I plant out next week
 
I say leave them. Without pollinating insects, they will abort and fall off. If by some sick twist of fate they do pollinate, then I'd pinch them, as cukes need to be visited many times by pollinating insects to produce nice fruit. If not visited enough times, they will make curly or curvy cukes.

Anyhow, I guess it doesn't matter really.
 
Ok! I did pinch a couple of the big ones. My next question was going to be asking if I should try to pinch all the small ones too, but I think you have all answered that :). I will leave the rest go and see what happens.

I am planning to plant them outside mid May as that is our last "frost" date in central Indiana. I also have to get the garden area ready :doh:
 
Well, I have been in the process of hardening off my plants and to my surprise I came home from work today and found a lil cucumber popping out of one of the plants (was like 3/4" long). This plant is only about 4 inches tall so yea I should probably pinch it. I still have a bout 1-1.5 weeks until they hit the great outdoors (in the garden).

Is it normal for these plants to be budding this much at such an "early" stage? They seem so small.

Just a question, how do you tell the difference between male and female flowers on these plants?
 
Man, cukes are crazy. I say pluck the fruit and eat it, and plant those puppies. Just my 2 cents. As far as male and female, cucumbers are monoecious, meaning "one house." This means both male and female parts are housed in every flower, like most plants. There are dioecious plants, the most notrious of which is Cannibis, in which there are male plants and female plants.

I think the big issue with cucumbers and pollinating is that plants must be visited by several pollinators in order to assure nice straight fruit. If they don't get all their carpels fertilized, fruits develop in a curly or bent form.


Long story short, your flowers have boy parts and girl parts, and thus can pollinate themselves if you give them help, eg. gently run a Q-tip inside the flowers and visit several with the same pollen covered q-tip.

Once they're outside, they'll do their thing. Bees, wasps, and other pollinating insects will likely give you more Cukes than you'll know what to do with. If not, use the above Q-tip trick, and you'll have so many cukes, you'll have to learn to make pickles to use them all!

Enjoy!
 
haha! I must be drunk, cause I already went on the "not enough pollinators you get curvy fruits" rant a couple of weeks ago!


I still stand by the rest of my previous post!
 
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