Question:
Why don’t all the flowers on my cucumber plants produce cucumbers?
Answer:
Cucumbers along with squash, pumpkin, and melons have separate male and female flowers while peppers, tomatoes, along with beans have all the reproductive parts in the same flower. As we all know, the male flowers are non productive but that doesn’t mean they are any less important. For proper fruit set, the pollen must be transferred from the male to the female flower. This is done by the wind or honeybees. If you look closely at the flowers, you should be able to identify which structure is the 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 are 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 been successful in developing all female or Gynodioecious, hybrid cucumbers as well as seedless watermelons. These varieties are generally earlier and more productive. The term all-female is somewhat of a misnomer, however, as five percent of the flowers are male under most conditions.
Question:
I have a beautiful grapefruit bush but the grapefruits are extremely bitter. It is fed regularly with Citrus Food? What else do I need to do to sweeten up the fruit?
Answer:
It is commonly assumed that all citrus matures within a twelve-month window. This is not the case with grapefruit and Valencia Oranges. These varieties take eighteen months to mature under normal conditions. The nutrients from Citrus Food is an aid in the sweetening process but heat is the critical sweetener for all citrus. There are no artificial sweeteners available. All citrus require at least six hours of direct sunlight per day preferably during the heat of the day, April through October. In the Bay Area, we have a variety of microclimates that make growing grapefruits and oranges challenging. Near the coast, getting grapefruits and oranges to sweeten up is very difficult because of the summer fog and mild temperatures. But inland, gardeners are very successful but they run the risk of losing their plants from the winter cold. In addition, there are in between areas like San Ramon, parts of San Mateo, Martinez, Fremont to Pinole that are impacted by the summer, marine influence. Here, you need to be patience. The crop takes longer to mature so let the fruit hang on the tree to sweeten up. Periodically, you taste test one for the sweetness after the maturity date has passed. In my yard, naval oranges can mature up to four months late. And finally, don’t be concerned that the plant is flowering with last years crop still hanging on the tree.
