Question:
Why don't all the flowers on my cucumber plants produce cucumbers?Answer:
- Cucumbers, squash, pumpkin, and melons have separate male and female flowers, while peppers, tomatoes, and beans have all the reproductive parts in the same flower.
- As we all know, male flowers are non-productive, but that doesn't mean they are any less important. The pollen must be transferred from the male to the female flower for a proper fruit set. The wind or honeybees do this.
- If you look closely at the flowers, you should be able to identify which structure is male or female. The male flowers have a long, skinny stem with the pollen forming at the end, while the female has a tiny, immature fruit on a shorter stem.
- When they are in the same flower, the males(s) surround the female reproductive structure.
- Cucumbers can set fruit without fertilization. The resulting fruit is called 'seedless,' although they often contain soft-sided, white seeds. Seedless cucumbers occur naturally under reduced light, cool nights, and shorter days, usually at the end of the growing season.
- Plant breeders have successfully developed all female or Gynodioecious, hybrid cucumbers, and seedless watermelons. These varieties are generally earlier and more productive. However, the term all-female is somewhat of a misnomer, as five percent of the flowers are a male under most conditions.
Question:
Is it better for an Easter Lily to be transplanted into a larger container or into the ground? Also, when is the best time to transplant them?Answer:
- Easter Lilies could be transplanted now; however, I'd leave them in their current container and transplant them next year. They're not evergreen, so they'll go dormant in four to six weeks.
- Easter Lilies are forced into bloom for Easter. Their standard blooming period is June through July.
- First, I'd water and feed the lily like any other blooming plant. When the foliage turns yellow, stop watering them and let it go dormant. Next, I'd store the container in a dry location where the foliage easily separates from the soil. They are transplanted it into the open ground or an eight or ten-inch container next February or March.
- Easter Lilies like a semi-shady location and amend the soil generously with organic matter. They're a good companion plant with Blueberries, Azaleas, Camellias, ferns, and other shade plantings.
- Unlike a Poinsettia, forcing an Easter Lily into bloom is challenging and impractical for most gardeners. A Poinsettia is an evergreen plant, while an Easter Lily is a dormant bulb. Day length triggers the flower with a Poinsettia, while an Easter Lily requires a lighted, heated structure to awaken the dormant bulb. In addition, Easter is never the same date; Christmas is always December 25, so your schedule is different each year. Next year, Easter is very early, March 31, and it's late in 2025, April 20.
- The biggest issue with planting lilies in the ground is that the bulbs may rot in between growing seasons, so I'd keep them in containers.