Reasons for the appearance of barren flowers
There is no single reason. There are many different unfavorable factors that influence the fact that a lot of barren flowers appear in cucumbers. What to do in this situation?
Cold weather
This vegetable comes from hot India, so at temperatures below 15°C you can’t even dream of ovaries.
To reduce the effect of cold on the plant, you need to stop watering until it gets warmer. You can also make a greenhouse or shelter with agrofibre.
Watering
This culture is very moisture-loving. With poor watering, not only barren flowers are formed, but also voids in the fruits. You also need to water wisely:
- only at the root;
- sprinkling is not allowed;
- in the morning or evening hours.
Watering with cold water
When watering with cold water from a well when the weather is hot, the plant experiences stress. The result of such watering will be not only barren flowers on cucumbers, but also diseases.
It is best to water with rainwater heated in barrels, or centrally settled water. You can make your own drip irrigation.
Five-liter plastic bottles (1 bottle per plant) with holes in the bottom are buried nearby when planting cucumbers.
With this type of watering, the water in the bottles will warm up during the day, the plants will not experience stress, the soil will not change its structure, and the roots will always receive life-giving moisture.
Pollination
Cucumbers are divided into two types - parthenocarpic (self-pollinating) and insect-pollinated. Parthenocarpic varieties can grow both in a greenhouse and in open ground. And varieties are pollinated only in the open rays of the sun.
Many summer residents make a serious agrotechnical mistake - they plant pollinated varieties in a greenhouse where there are no insects. To attract insects, flowers of pollinated varieties are sprayed with “Ovary” and water with added sugar or honey.
When spraying neighboring crops with insecticides, try not to get them on the greenery flowers.
Landing location
Cucumbers love a lighted place and fertilized soil. If they don’t have enough light and lack microelements, then you need to pinch the vine in the area of the 8th leaf. Then side shoots with female buds will begin to form.
Female flowers differ from male flowers - where they are attached to the vine, a cylindrical thickening is formed, similar to a small cucumber.
Poor quality seeds
If, with proper care and watering, for some reason there is only one barren flower on the cucumbers, it means that you purchased low-quality planting material. Nothing can be done with an already grown plant, but from now on, purchase goods only from trusted manufacturers.
Fresh seeds of pollinated varieties produce a lot of male ovaries. It is better to use three-year-old seeds. But if it so happens that there is no other material, then the seeds must be treated with Phytosport or a solution of potassium permanganate before planting. After treatment, wash the seeds, dry them and after two months they can be planted.
Fertilizer
If the plant is “fatten”, an excess of green mass is an oversaturation of nitrogen fertilizers. They can be fed only at the beginning of growth, then only with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, as well as humates. In total, there should be no more than 4 feedings during the growing season.
Lack of nutrition
The situation is exactly the opposite if there is a lack of microelements. This crop loves organic matter very much, so before planting the soil needs to be prepared:
- feed with complex fertilizers;
- add organic matter to the soil.
Landing frequency
Densified planting also leads to yield loss and the likelihood of fungal diseases. Therefore, planting should be done at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other, and up to 70 cm between rows.
Diseases
With dense planting, abundant watering and an excess of nitrogen fertilizers, the plant begins to hurt. Weeding and treatment with a solution of colloidal sulfur will help correct this situation.
Pests
If the leaves begin to curl, turn yellow, dry out, spots and dots, and cobwebs appear, then most likely these are pests attacking the greens. If measures are not taken in a timely manner, you may be left without a harvest.
A one-time treatment with insecticides, sprinkling with tobacco dust and spraying with a solution of water and tar soap will help cope with uninvited guests.
Boy or girl?
Firstly, it is worth saying that our division of cucumbers into male and female is not entirely scientific, but has practical confirmation. Thus, seeds from a “girl” cucumber grow into a plant with a minimal amount of barren flowers. Agree, this is good for the harvest.
But how to determine the sex of a cucumber in practice? Pay attention to the shape of the selected instance. Male fruits have three sides, while females have four. To determine the gender of a cucumber , you don't even need to cut it.
But in the process of turning the fetus into a testis, its shape becomes rounded. That is why it is important to determine in advance and independently which cucumber will be the seed.
Of course, “boys” and “girls” cucumbers do not differ in taste. Therefore, if you are not going to wait for the testes, then you shouldn’t bother with determining the sex of the cucumber . But for summer residents and gardeners this information will definitely be useful. Take note!
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Barren flower on young cucumbers
Young cucumbers are very sensitive to improper care. The result is a barren flower. Briefly overdried soil and temperature changes immediately affect the formation of ovaries.
Eliminating these causes and timely feeding will help the plant get rid of barren flowers. To prevent the earth from drying out and there are no sudden temperature changes, the soil is mulched with dry grass, straw, sawdust, and compost.
Under such shelter, a microflora favorable for cucumbers is formed.
It should be noted that it is strictly forbidden to loosen the soil in order to avoid damage to the root system.
Barren flower in adult cucumbers
Barren flowers are male flowers and should not be removed under any circumstances, otherwise the female flowers will not be pollinated and will also become barren flowers.
Male flowers are mainly located on the central lash, and if it is pinched, side shoots with female ones will begin to appear. And also use a complex of agricultural technology.
What kind of flower is in my garden? (see photo inside)
@
My zucchini blossomed like that.
Anatoly Pravednykh
it's a cucumber flower
Oleg Elizarov
Cucumber. but it is not visible whether the flower is male or female.
Kitty
Zucchini or pumpkin or paisson. do you fry or stew them? or do you just take pictures?
Darina Volnaya
Looks like a pumpkin, squash or zucchini flower. Eh, now I wish I had it in batter and in a frying pan! Yummy!
Irina Vakhraneva
Pumpkin
Alexander Kabeshov
LOOKS like a pumpkin flower.
IN.
no, not a cucumber. most likely a pumpkin
AlenaKat
Looks like a cucumber flower close up
***BolchenOk***
pumpkin or zucchini
Elena Belyaeva
Zucchini or increased cucumber….
Alaska
Pumpkin or zucchini
Alyona
It's a cucumber! I guessed it!! ! I guessed it!!! I got a prize for this!!!
BeloBryska
Have you already eaten the fruits?
Spraying to form ovaries
Spraying with store-bought preparations or folk remedies will help cucumbers cope with barren flowers.
Folk recipes
- Dissolve one teaspoon of honey or jam in one liter of water. Sugar is also possible, but it is less effective. Spray on the flowers.
- Dissolve one kg of sugar in one bucket and add aromatic oil. Place on substrates throughout the area.
- Spray the flowers with a solution of boric acid (1 g per 1 liter of water).
- Pollinate yourself - use a brush to touch from male buds to female ones. Or tear off the male flower and touch it to the female one.
- Plant flowers (petunias, marigolds, violets) between the rows to attract bees.
Preparations for barren flowers
Proven effective drugs will also help cope with this unpleasant problem:
- Borogum;
- Heteroauxin;
- Zelenets;
- Ovary;
- Bud;
- Kornevin.
Barren flower in greenhouse cucumbers
Why do cucumbers bloom like barren flowers in a greenhouse? There are many reasons for this phenomenon.
- Choosing the wrong variety.
- High humidity.
- High air temperature means pollen disappears.
- Lack of microelements.
- Incorrect formation.
Greenhouse greens need to be formed correctly:
- pinch the central lash - it is on it that the barren flower appears;
- pinch side shoots;
- pinch.
If there is a problem with the ovary on greens, you must first establish the cause and use the recommendations in this article.
Pollination process
The formula for the pollination process is simple. Pollen must get into the eggs, which are located in the ovules. After this, little time passes before the ovaries begin to form. The parthenocarpic species can form ovaries without pollination.
The pollen has ideal parameters for pollination only before lunchtime. After this period, she begins to lose her vitality. If the female inflorescence has a rich color, it means that it is completely ready for pollination. If the process does not occur, then after a few days the color becomes paler.
