Cucumber pollination

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Nelsi Aug 20, 2008

I have 2 cucumber vines in a large galvonized wash tub. They are doing great, looks like Jack in the bean stock. There are at least 100 healthy blossoms on them that not seemed to have changed in the past two weeks. I live in Hawaii (Zone 11) which does not have honey bees that I am use to back in Ma. There are brown beas that you rarely see. However there was one today that was going from flower to flower. Should I polinate them with a brush or is this natures way of not stressing the plant. Should I pick off some of the flowers? I use to do that with eggplants. Thanks for any ideas. Elsie

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LenaBeanNZ Brisbane, Australia(Zone 10b) Aug 21, 2008

Hi Nelsi,
Im not sure about removing flowers, prehaps someone else knows. Are most of them male flowers? One of mine last summer had alot more males than females.
I usually help my cucumbers along with a brush. I had the same problem, lots of blossoms but no fruit forming. After playing pollination fairy for a few weeks I had plenty of cucumbers forming. I dont often see honey bees in my garden, but bumble bees are frequent. I hope you het some cucumbers soon.

Lena

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Nelsi Aug 21, 2008

Lena, Thanks for your help. We don't have bumble bees either. I did see some fruit starting today. I will try the brush method. Do you think that coulod be from the brown be being here yesterday? I know the female flowers are the yellow flowers but am not sure of the male. I'll let you know how things go. Thanks again. Nelsi

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melody Benton, KY(Zone 7a) Aug 22, 2008

Both male and female flowers are yellow. They look just alike except that the female flowers have a tiny fruit at their base. The male flowers only have a thin stem.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/97328/

This link is for a melon cultivar, but I knew the images were there, and I could find it quickly. If you will look at the flower images, you will see the male and female flowers.

when you are pollinating with a brush, you need to dab the pollen from the male flowers, into the female flowers. Dabbing within a single gender won't get any fruits.

hope this helps.

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