Link below is a good explanation of cucumber types and terminology from Johnny's selected seeds. I found this interesting:
Many newer cucumber varieties are gynoecious, which means they have mostly or only female flowers (the ones that make the fruits). In a regular cucumber plant, the first 10-20 flowers are male, and for every female flower, 10-20 male flowers are produced. Plants with all female flowers are earlier and have higher yields. With some gynoecious varieties, the female flowers need to be pollinated by male flowers; in such cases, up to 10% of the seeds will be a pollinator variety that produces male flowers.
I did not know that they could select for cucumber types that produced predominantly male flowers.
Johnny's cucumber info
FAQs
Other stresses, such as damage from insects or blowing soil, low light intensities, or water stress, can result in the production of fewer female flowers.
How to increase cucumber female flower? ›
Application of Ethylene increases the number of female flowers in cucumber plants, thereby increasing the final yield. Hence, Ethylene can be applied by the farmer to increase the number of female flowers in the cucumber plants.
Why do I have all male cucumber flowers? ›
When properly pollinated and fertilized, the female flowers develop into fruit. The first flowers to appear on cucumbers and other vine crops are predominantly male. As a result, fruit production is poor when the vines begin to flower.
How long does it take for cucumbers to produce female flowers? ›
2. After germination the first male flower would be seen within 35 to 55 days roughly, which will be later followed by developing a female flower in one or two weeks (i.e., 42 to 62 days). 3. The fertilized female flower will take 10 to 12 days to produce fruits.
Which PGR promotes female flowers? ›
It is a gaseous PGR. It plays a major role in the senescence and abscission of leaves and flowers. It also helps in early fruit ripening. Ethephon is commonly used ethylene it promotes female flowering in cucumber and helps in improving the yield.
What hormone induces the female flower in a cucumber? ›
Ethylene is a simple gaseous natural plant growth hormone. Cucumber has separate male and female flowers. Ethylene increases the number of female flowers in cucumber and thereby enhances the yield.
What promotes male flowers in cucumbers? ›
Gibberellins promotes the production of male flowers in Cucurbits.
What is the ratio of male to female flowers in cucumber? ›
The ratios of the male to female flowers were 7:1, 17:1 and 13:1 at 28, 35 and 47 days after planting, respectively (Table 2). The male flowers started appearing on the plants between 24 -36 (34.09 ±0.88) days after planting. ...
Why am I only getting male flowers? ›
If after a month or so plants are still producing only male flowers or very few flowers generally, despite plants looking healthy, then the culprit is likely an imbalance in nutrients. Excess nitrogen will encourage lots of leafy growth at the expense of flowers.
How do you tell if a cucumber flower has been pollinated? ›
This is the female flower on a cucumber plant. See the immature fruit at the base, a clear indication of a female flower. This one has probably already been pollinated and the flower is starting to close.
Gynoecious cucumber plants produce only female flowers. These breeds have large numbers of female flowers but over a shorter period of growing time.
Do you remove female flowers from cucumber plants? ›
Removing flowers
Many varieties have both male and female flowers on the same plants. Both should be left on outdoor varieties, but pinch off the male flowers when they appear on indoor varieties to prevent the fruit from becoming bitter.
What causes poor pollination in cucumbers? ›
High humidity creates sticky pollen which does not transfer well. Plants in the cucurbit family rely on honeybees for pollination, and honeybees do not fly in cool, cloudy weather. Diseases have dramatically reduced the honeybee population and the ones that are still active remain very susceptible to insecticides.
