cucumber telegraph advice please

[compo49]

I have been given some telegraph cucumbers plants. do they produce male and female flowers and if so do you have to remove the male ones and if so how do you identify which is which? also i have heard if you don't remove the male flowers you get bitter  fruit is this correct?

[compo49]

[davyw1]

Yes they produce both male and female flowers the female flower has a baby cucumber behind it the male flower has just a stalk, you do need to remove the male flower other wise you will end up with bitter cucumbers

Male flower

http://completegarden.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/cucumber-male-flower-1.jpg

[compo49]

Thank's Davyw1 for your reply.
Off to lotti to day to check as my green house is there but  i noticed last time i looked i think most of  the flowers had  a bulge at the back as in the picture on the site you added so must be females.
I have tied the side trails/shoots on to horizontal lines but i read that some one advised that you should remove the flowers/fruit before the first two leaves on the trails is that right or can you leave them on?
Also should  you nip out the tops and ends of the side shots/trails is it to produce more fruits ?

[davyw1]

Compo it depends on which way you want to grow them, you can let the main stem grow on and nip out the side chutes after two sets of leaves have developed or let two or three side chutes (each side of the stem) develop and nip out the growing tip and grow them horizontal left side chutes overlapping the right side chutes, but this is very demanding for the plant so when i do this method i only let every other cucumber develop, even then you have to keep on top of taking of undeveloped fruit so the feed goes where it is needed, and don't let any  fruit develop for the first couple of feet so all the energy goes into the growth