Barren flowers on cucumbers in a greenhouse and open field: reasons and what to do, how to increase the number of female flowers (ovaries)

You are probably looking for an answer to the question: "Why are there a lot of barren flowers on cucumbers?" Indeed, very often, after a seemingly abundant flowering, very few ovaries are formed.

Next, you will find out why this (the formation of a large number of barren flowers) can occur and what you need to do to fix it, what are the ways to increase the appearance of female flowers on bee-pollinated varieties.

Barren flowers on cucumbers: what is it

Let's immediately understand the concept of "barren flowers".

So, "barren flowers" are male flowers, which can be formed only in bee-pollinated varieties and hybrids of cucumbers.

A female flower (with ovary rudiments) cannot be a barren flower. If the ovary turned yellow, dried up and fell off - it does not mean that it was a barren flower (This is a female flower!).

The fact is that bee-pollinated cucumbers flowers are of 2 types:

• Mens - are formed exclusively for pollination of female, then fall off (usually located on the main (central) stem in the leaf axils).
• Womens - after pollination from future fruits are formed (most often formed on side shoots).

In general, they are easy to distinguish by their appearance: women always have the rudiment of an ovary (which in the future, after pollination, will develop into a full-fledged fruit), while men do not.

And there are also parthenocarpic hybridshaving only female flowers, which do not require pollination to produce fruits (they are also called "self-pollinated", but it is more correct to say "not requiring pollination").

Important! You should understand that the presence of a large number of barren flowers (male flowers), as well as yellowing and falling off of the ovaries (female flowers) are slightly different, but similar problems.

Is it possible to pick off barren flowers

No, in no case should you pick off male flowers (barren flowers), otherwise female flowers simply do not pollinate, the ovary will turn yellow, dry out and fall off.

Moreover, by removing male flowers, on the contrary, you can achieve the opposite effect - increasing their formation.

Why are there many barren flowers and few ovaries on cucumbers: reasons and solutions

The reasons for the formation of a large number of barren flowers (male flowers) on cucumbers and an insufficient number of female (future fetuses) may be the following factors.

Note! In addition to the immediate causes of the appearance more barren flowers (male flowers), will also describe the reasons why cucumbers (female flowers), in principle, are not pollinated, in other words, ovaries turn yellow and fall.

Fresh seeds

If you are used to independently collect and harvest cucumber seeds, you must know and not forget about one important nuance.

The fact is that freshly picked cucumber seeds are never sown next year, because from them, as a rule, bushes grow, on which too many barren flowers (male flowers) are formed.

For sowing, it is optimal to use - 2-4 summer cucumber seeds.

At the same time, the average shelf life of cucumber seeds is 5-6 years (maximum - up to 8-10 years).

Removal of lateral shoots (stepchildren)

If, in the case of parthenocarpic (self-pollinated) cucumbers, the pinching procedure (removal of side shoots) is a blessing, then In no case should you rush to remove stepchildren from bee-pollinated varietiessince barren flowers (male flowers) are just the same formed in large numbers on the main (central stem), and female flowers - on the lateral (stepson's shoots). On the contrary, you need provoke the formation of stepchildren (side shoots) — pinch (remove the tip).

Excess or lack of nitrogen

As you know, fattening bushes, plants with thick stems and a lot of leaf mass are reluctant to form fruits (female flowers).

What causes fat gain?

Right, overuse nitrogen fertilizers.

Accordingly, you must properly feed the cucumbers.

However! Cucumbers definitely need nitrogen (in moderation), because it increases the number of female flowers and speeds up their appearance (men always appear earlier).

Thus, nitrogen fertilization will have a positive effect on the number of female flowers and their pollination (it is guaranteed to happen, becausethere will be no time gap between the appearance of male and female colors).

But do not forget about phosphorus and especially potash fertilizers, without which there will be no active filling of fruits (zelents).

Advice! The site already has material about when and how to feed cucumbers during fruiting.

Improper watering

Cucumbers are a very moisture-loving crop (as you know, fruits are 98% water), respectively, you need observe the correct mode of watering cucumbers.

In other words, without a sufficient amount of moisture, cucumbers simply cannot grow, and the ovaries of cucumbers (female flowers) can begin to crumble.

At the same time, watering cucumbers can and should only be done with warm water (optimally + 20-25 degrees). Watering with cold water causes a strong oppression of the plant.

Advice! However, when growing bee-pollinated varieties, you can use one trick. Namely stop watering during flowering (water only before and after the formation of ovaries). Then, trying to survive, the plant will begin to form a large number of female flowers in droves.

Too hot or too cold

The problem is that at low temperatures (below +14 .. + 12 degrees), pollination often does not occur due to the fact that flowers do not open and / or pollen simply does not ripen, a with increased (above +30 .. + 33) - pollen becomes sterile.

The ideal temperature for good pollination is from +20 to +28 degrees.

What can be done?

• Reduce the temperature by more frequent watering and sprinkling (but only in the morning or evening hours). Alternatively, you can try shading the plants by throwing on a shading net.
• Raise the temperature by closing the greenhouse door, throwing on a covering material (spunbond) and stopping all watering.

Shaded area and thickened fit

The pollen will ripen well only under good lighting conditions. In other words, without a sufficient amount of sunlight, there can be no question of any normal pollination.

Therefore, in no case should you place cucumber beds in shaded areas.

Important! Exceptions are shade-tolerant varieties and hybrids (this should be written on the pack).

Accordingly, it is very important keep the correct distance between plantsso they don't shadow each other.

Optimal landing pattern cucumbers - 30-50 cm between plants in a row and 60-100 cm between rows.

It is ideal to plant cucumbers exactly staggered - for better illumination and ventilation.

What to do if there are a lot of barren flowers on cucumbers: how to increase the number of female flowers and improve their pollination

Let's take a look at all the main ways to increase the number of female-type flowers in bee-pollinated cucumbers, as well as improve pollination and ovary formation in general.

Warming up the seeds

It has been experimentally proven that heating cucumber seeds before sowing (optimally at a temperature of + 50-55 degrees for 2-3 hours) significantly increases the number of female flowers.

How and where to warm seeds?

Place on a battery, pour hot water (in a thermos) or heat in the oven (at a temperature not higher than +60 degrees).

Create stressful conditions

To stimulate the formation of female-type flowers, it is necessary to create short-term stressful conditions for cucumber plants:

Keyword - short-term (short-term).

• reduce watering and allow light overdrying of the soil (until the leaf slightly wiggles and slightly lowers down):
• lower the temperature (for example, you can open the greenhouse door at night).

In a stressful state, almost all plants begin to try to continue their genus (give offspring), in other words, this makes them start laying female flowers.

Pinching

Because female flowers are formed mainly on lateral shoots, and male flowers are formed on the central (main) stem, then if the bush itself does not form a sufficient number of lateral shoots (branches poorly), you need to yourself pinch his point of growth (top after 6-8 leaves). Then the plant will direct all its forces to the growth of stepsons - lateral shoots, on which female flowers will form (= your future greens).

Advice! The site already has an article about how to form cucumbers correctly (pinch and pinch).

Video: the formation of bee-pollinated cucumbers in the greenhouse

Attracting pollinating insects

As you know, bee-pollinated cucumbers set fruits only after pollination by pollinating insects (bees or bumblebees).

Note! The presence or absence of wind (for example, if you have calm weather) does not affect pollination cucumbers, which means their not necessary specially (with your own hand) shake.

As a rule, in open ground, bee-pollinated cucumbers are pollinated quite well.

However, if the weather is unfavorable (rainy, cool, so to speak, "non-flying"), then some problems with pollination may indeed arise.

If you have planted bee-pollinated cucumbers to the greenhouse, then for their normal pollination it is imperative leave doors and vents openand also additionally sprinkle the bushes and the flowers themselves with honey solution or sugar water (1 teaspoon per 1 liter) to guarantee the attraction of bees and bumblebees.

Self pollination

If, for some reason, pollinating insects fly around your cucumber garden or do not want to fly into the greenhouse, then you can try work independently as a bee (or bumblebee), namely to produce manual pollination.

Alternatively, you can pick a male flower and poke it on the female flowers.

Or use brush or cotton swab.

At the same time, it is necessary to pollinate cucumbers. early morning (before the heat).

Video: pollination of cucumbers

Use of stimulantsfruiting

To ensure the setting of cucumbers under unfavorable weather conditions (heat or cold, drought or rain) and in the absence of pollinating insects, as well as to reduce the shedding of the ovaries, you can use special means (stimulants of fruit formation), namely, to carry out treatment (spraying) on ​​the leaves with the preparation Ovary or bud (according to the instructions).

Also, to reduce the number of male flowers (barren flowers) and stimulate the formation of female flowers, you can use the drug Zelenets.

Advice! Moreover, before flowering, it is better to use Zelenets, and at the beginning of flowering - Ovary.

Thus, these funds can be used both for parthenocarpic (self-pollinated) cucumbers and for bee-pollinated ones.

Boron fertilization (boric acid)

Boron also helps to increase the number of female flowers on the cucumber plant. To do this, you must prepare and spray the bushes boric acid solution.

Think! The host of the Procvetok channel Ivan Russky recommends spraying cucumbers to increase the number of female flowers in the first half of the growing season with boron, and not with preparations based on gibberellic acid (Bud, Ovary), which, on the contrary, can increase the number of male flowers, not women.

Respectively, Bud and Ovary better use in the second half of the growing season, when, on the contrary, there are fewer male flowers (barren flowers) and there is a problem of pollination of female flowers (there are too many of them).

Dimexide

Ivan Russky, the host of the Procvetok channel, also suggests using the pharmaceutical drug Dimexid to increase the number of female flowers. To do this, 10 ml of Dimexidum (an incomplete tablespoon, but more than half) must be dissolved in 10 liters of water and sprayed at the beginning of flowering.

Pollinator plant

All bee-pollinated hybrids can be roughly divided into 3
groups:

• female flowering type;
• predominantly female flowering type;
• mixed flowering type.

So, if you have a bee-pollinated hybrid with a female flowering type, then for its high-quality pollination you should definitely plant a pollinator nearby.

Moreover, for 10 female plants there should be 1 pollinator plant (i.e., the ratio is 1 to 10).

As a rule, in packs with seeds of this sort there is already a seed of a pollinating cucumber, and you just need to remember to plant and plant this "male" plant.

Or you will have to additionally purchase seeds of pollinating hybrids, for example, Nectar F1, Bumblebee F1 (all from Manul).

Planting parthenocarpic cucumbers

If you can't get a decent harvest of bee-pollinated cucumbers, then you should probably try to plant a self-pollinating, more precisely, parthenocarpic hybrid or variety.

Advice! The site has a separate a review article about the best hybrids and varieties of parthenocarpic cucumbers.

Barren flowers on cucumbers grown on a windowsill

Parthenocarpic (self-pollinated) varieties of cucumbers should be grown on the windowsill or balcony.

After all, you will hardly be happy if bees or bumblebees fly to your window or balcony. However, most likely, they, in principle, will not arrive.

As for the other reasons, they are still the same.

Advice! The site has overview material on the best hybrids and varieties of cucumbers for home growing.

Thus, we hope that you understand that you do not need to fight with barren flowers on cucumbers, let alone break off. On the contrary, you should provide favorable conditions for the formation of female flowers and their subsequent pollination by insects (bees and bumblebees).