Cucumbers producing flowers but no fruit (2024)

FAQs

Cucumbers producing flowers but no fruit? ›

However, if you see the female flowers on your cucumber plants, but they are not "setting" fruit, then the problem may be that you do not have pollinators. In the past several years we have had various problems affecting the honey bee populations. However, bumblebees are good pollinators for these plants.

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. The cucumber vines should start producing a good crop within a few weeks as the number of female flowers increases.

Finally, you begin to see your first cucumber fruits. Cucumber fruits begin very tiny but grow quickly. A fertilized female flower takes approximately 7 to 12 days to produce ripe fruit. You don't need to do anything special during this time.

You also can remove male flowers and touch the anther (in the center of the male flower) to the female flower's stigma (also in the center), or shake the male over the female, to transfer the pollen. Hand-pollination can help you have a great harvest of cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, and squash. Happy growing!

Most cucumber varieties are monoecious with unisexual flowers—have separate male and female flowers within the same individual— and thus require animal pollination for reproduction. However, some varieties are mostly or totally gynoecious (produce only female flowers) and can produce fruit through parthenocarpy.

A: Pinch off the flowers if you want more stem and leaf growth – especially if the plant is young. You can remove flowers on the bottom so the plant will focus more on the top cucumbers (this will also keep cucumbers off the ground).

Removing flowers

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. The flowers are easy to tell apart - the female flower has a swelling beneath it that will become a cucumber.

Poor pollination can cause cucumbers (Cucurbita) to be misshapen and stunted. Plants in the cucurbitaceae family such as squash, melons, and cucumbers fail to produce fruit when pollination does not occur.

This allows insects to easily cross-pollinate while seeking nectar at the pollen tube. This phenomenon is also known as heterostyly. Many plants, such as cucumbers, have male and female flowers located on different parts of the plant, thus making self-pollination difficult.

However, as soon as the first flowers start to appear the cucumber plant requires a higher level of potassium to encourage further flowering and subsequent fruiting. A high potassium fertiliser, such as tomato feed or a balanced fertiliser mix including potassium can be used as per the instructions.

What happens if cucumber flowers are not pollinated? ›

This lack of pollination results in either the fruit aborting (no fruit at all) or only developing partially around the seeds that did become fertilized, producing a small malformed fruit. Researchers have found that it takes at least eight honeybee visits per flower to pollinate cucumbers and/or squash adequately.

A: Pinch off the flowers if you want more stem and leaf growth – especially if the plant is young. You can remove flowers on the bottom so the plant will focus more on the top cucumbers (this will also keep cucumbers off the ground).

Cucumbers will grow quickly with little care. Be sure they receive an inch of water every week. Make the most of your food growing efforts by regularly feeding plants with a water-soluble plant food. When soil is warm, add a layer of straw mulch to keep fruit clean and help keep slugs and beetles away.

Cucumber crop matures within 40 - 50 days and harvesting starts 45 - 55 days after planting. Harvest during summer to early fall depending on planting time, and variety.