Your comments and tips

31 Jan 17, Norm Colless (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Hi, I have apple cucumbers growing vigorously and with heaps of male flowers but no female flowers. What can I do please

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04 Feb 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)

I don't know of anything that will induce cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, etc to produce female flowers. Male flowers are always produced first but it is very frustrating. Female flowers generally appear as the season becomes consistently warmer. Trust this helps.

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23 Feb 17, Pete (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

You can encourage pumpkins to put out more female flowers by snipping the growing end off after about 1.5 to 2m of vine. This made side shoots, which tend to make more females.

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29 Jan 17, Len Olley (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate)

When my cucumbers are young fruit the get stung in the middle and then start to bend. Those that are not stung grow well. I have tried researching to what is causing this but to no avail. What can I spray?

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05 Feb 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)

Crook Neck, as it is called is mostly caused by uneven pollination which could be attributed to lack of pollinating insects or low humidity. It is a very dissappointing condition and if you cut the cucumber longways you will find the inside of the curve not properly formed. You could try hand pollinating by pickig off some male flowers, removing the petals and rubbing them inside the female flowers. Trust this helps.

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27 Jan 17, Sue Barnes (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Could you please tell me when to plant Suyo Long Cucumber in Brisbane, should i put in jiffy pots to start or straight in ground where they are to grow.

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05 Feb 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)

Direct sowing is always the best but Jiffy pots are OK. (They do not like root disturbance that can occur with transplanting from trays). They don't like frost but that shouldn't be a problem in Brisbane and as they are very mildew susceptible they don't like overhead watering. Good air circulation and ground watering are good ways to reduce mildew problems. Trust this helps.

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26 Jan 17, Harry (Australia - tropical climate)

How do you tell the difference between a female and male flower

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28 Jan 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)

On all cucurbits which include cucumbers, melons, squash, pumpkins and zucchinis the female flower has a small fruit behind the flower. the male flowers, which contain pollen, do not and are generally on longer thinner stems. If the female flower is pollinated (fertilised) by pollen from the male flower the fruit will continue to develop to maturity

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08 Jan 17, Lynda Allan (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

My cucumbers start to develop then yellow and die off?

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