Content
Why pick off cucumber ovaries: the secret of a big harvest from experienced gardeners
21.02.2023 05:30
Updated: 14.04.2023 04:50
Not everyone knows how to grow cucumbers to increase the yield by 2-3 times. It is done very simply.
You just need to resort to the secret that experienced gardeners always use.
Types of cucumbers
The principle of forming whips depends on the type of variety.
According to the type of fruiting, cucumbers are divided into two types.
- Bee-pollinated. The plant has a large number of both male and female flowers. The male flowers do not have an ovary, so cucumbers will not grow on them. They are needed only to pollinate the female flower, which initially has a small cucumber-ovary.
- Self-fertile. On such plants, female flowers appear in large numbers. And from each flower a cucumber grows. In common parlance, such varieties are often called self-pollinating, since they yield a harvest even in a greenhouse where there are no bees.
It is important to understand that bee-pollinated varieties have male flowers on the central stem, and then, when the side shoots grow, female flowers will begin to appear on them. Flowers and ovaries of such cucumbers cannot be torn off. To increase the harvest, it is necessary to pinch the top of the central stem above the fifth leaf. Then the side shoots with female flowers will begin to grow vigorously.
Why and when to break off ovaries
If you have cucumbers that are self-fertile, you will have to do it differently. On these plants, female flowers form immediately on the central stems. And this happens very early. The gardener's joy is great, since the first harvest is already on the way.
But experienced gardeners know: the first ovaries must be removed. All ovaries on the central stem up to the 5th leaf are pinched off.
Why is this necessary? Filling of fruits requires a lot of energy from the plant. It sends a lot of water and nutrients to the fruits. But the problem is that the small vine is not yet able to feed itself and the filling fruit. And there are usually several of them. This weakens the plant itself, it develops worse and will give less harvest in the future. Also, a weakened plant is more susceptible to diseases, pests and reacts sharply to unfavorable climate changes.
Often the plant itself sheds the first ovaries, because it cannot feed them. This scares inexperienced gardeners. They think that something is wrong with the plant. But everything is fine. Even plants have a self-preservation mechanism built into them by nature.
It is difficult to destroy long-awaited cucumbers with your own hands. But this is a necessary measure to increase the yield in the future. Also remember that such cucumbers have their side shoots pinched after the first or second leaf, since the main fruiting occurs on the central stems.
