From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Stanwood, Washington

Does it benefit the plant at all to cut them off?

6/9/2011 2:54:56 PM

President - GPC

Doesnt have to grow and expend energy growing out the flowers IF one doesnt need them to pollinate.....it also keeps away the cuke beetles since they are drawn to the yellow flowers.......

6/9/2011 5:36:11 PM

Preston CT

Correct WIZ! But I did this the last 2 years to soon and ran out of flowers for pollination. I will make sure I have a pollination first before i pick all flowers this year!

6/9/2011 8:31:56 PM

Tinykinville

dumbest thing you can do is cut males before poll, you worried about affect on plant start earlier.

6/16/2011 3:43:28 AM

East Jordan, MI

Ive wondered if the male flowers blooming trigger some kind of "signal" that the plant is big enough to support a female. Some of my smaller plants started blooming and he next thing I knew I had a female, on a 7 ft plant, with 3 ft sides. If one were to remove the earliest males (closest to the stump on the main early) I wonder if the plant would grow more plant maybe even faster, before starting to throw females. Of course you can remove the unwanted females, but my curiosity wonders if you can effect he early growth. Too late to try this year for me...may try some test in the future.

6/16/2011 9:43:29 PM