▷ 4 Reasons Why Cucumber Blossoms Drop

There are several reasons why cucumber flowers drop. However, this does not always mean that something is wrong with the seedling: cucumber flowers fall due to the biology of the plant itself. Let’s find out the reasons and what to do.

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Why do cucumber flowers fall?

Flowers can fall not only from cucumbers, but also from other plants belonging to the same pumpkin family (Cucurbitaceae): courgettes, melons and, of course, pumpkins. It is important to note that all these plants grow so-called male and female flowers on one seedling. The male flowers do not produce seeds and fruits on their own, but serve to pollinate the female flowers.

Usually the male flowers grow first on the seedling. They fall after spreading their pollen into the environment. Then, both male and female flowers begin to grow and fruits are formed from the pollinated female flowers.

Male and female rings are visually different, so it is easy to distinguish them:

If there is a flower growing on the peduncle and under it you see an elongated shoot, then this is a female flower on which a cucumber will grow.
If several flowers grow on a thin peduncle without any growth, then these are male flowers. They will not bear fruit on their own, but you cannot collect them, because without them there will be no cucumbers.

So, if you notice that male flowers are falling off your cucumbers, you don’t have to worry too much – it’s natural.

However, if all the rings fall out, this could indicate some problems, which we will talk about in a moment.

The flowers have not been pollinated

If cucumber flowers are poorly pollinated or not pollinated at all, they fall off before they begin to produce fruit.

Pollination is usually carried out by nearby bees and other pollinating insects. Their activity may decline due to extremely hot or cold weather, pesticide use, or natural population fluctuations.

If the cucumber flowers are not pollinated, there are several ways out. First, you can increase the population of pollinating insects by growing plants that attract them: coriander, yarrow, clover, spearmint, etc.

You can spray greenhouse cucumbers with a sweet solution that will attract pollinating insects.

You can also try pollinating cucumbers yourself. Gardeners use the following methods, you can try:

Choose the male flower and open the petals to reveal the pollen. Then place it in the center of the female flower so that it touches the top of the pistil and rotate it gently until the pollen comes out.
Collect the pollen with a cotton ball and transfer it to the female flower. Maximum precision is not needed here, because the pollen will spread around the flower on its own, it is only important to help them get to it. Others use a brush for this.

Keep in mind that some cucumbers are self-pollinating, so they pollinate themselves. If the cucumbers are self-pollinated, this will be written on the seed package.

Weather too hot or too cold

Cucumber flowers can also drop for many other reasons related to growing conditions.

Temperature is very important for ring formation. Cucumbers develop best when the temperature is around 23-25 degrees Celsius during the day and around 20 degrees Celsius at night.

In warmer weather, cucumbers tend to produce more male flowers. After reaching a temperature of 27 degrees Celsius, they are sterilized and can no longer pollinate the female flowers.
When it gets cooler, growth slows and female flowers stop forming. In this case it is necessary to cover the seedlings and not water them for a while.

If the temperature is too high or too low during growth, this can also affect flower formation. photo Pixabay.com

Prolonged wet weather can prevent pollinating insects from doing their job. So there will be fewer pollinated flowers and fewer fruits will grow.

The variety of cucumber also affects how the plant reacts to different weather and temperature conditions. The variety is important in terms of when to plant the seedlings, how long it takes to flower, and how long it takes for the fruit to ripen, so always read the variety descriptions.

Calcium deficiency

Another reason why cucumber flowers fall is the lack of calcium or its poor absorption from the soil.

In most cases, garden soil contains enough calcium, and its absorption can be disturbed by lack of moisture and irregular watering.

Try watering your cucumbers abundantly, but less often. On cool days, water at least 2 times a week, but during the most active period of cucumber growth, especially if it is hot, water every day. Give at least half a bucket of water per plant and sometimes a full bucket can help.

Also, mulch the soil to conserve moisture. So the need for watering is slightly less.

Excess nitrogen

Nitrogen is essential for cucumbers, but sometimes it can be too much. Excess nitrogen can slow the growth of female flowers.

The nitrogen stimulates the growth of new shoots, but then the plant does not produce female flowers until later in the season. In other words, you will have more green mass, but fewer flowers and fruits.

Excess nitrogen is usually caused by fertilizing with manure or concentrated fertilizers that are high in nitrogen. Be careful with homemade fertilizers, such as grass clippings – they are very high in nitrogen. Such fertilizers are a good choice, but it is impossible to dose them precisely: how do you know how much nitrogen you gave to the plants and how much it absorbed. It also increases the risk of excessive nitrogen fertilization, while in the meantime a complete lack of other minerals can be felt.