In Sydney, first cucumber plant was grown in the 1700’s by Reverend Richard Johnson. These watery plants play an important part in our daily diets and they are so easy to grow. To grow these plants, all you need is some seeds and soil.
Everyone seasonal vegetable grower knows that cucumbers are
- Easy to plant
- Delicious and healthy fruit (yes, botanically speaking, cucumbers are fruits)
- Prolific Producers
Cucumbers vines indeed grow fast but time to time we face common cucumber plant problems. Here are some reasons why your cucumbers are turning bad. You can also apply the following solutions to any gourd family like pumpkins, melons, squash, etc:
Lack of Nutrients
As discussed above, Cucumbers vines are always thirsty, but do you know that they are always hungry as well? If your soil has less amount of vital nutrients, your vines will turn pale and yellow. The fruit will be tasteless and badly formed.
Solution
- Use only liquid organic fertilizers, once a month.
- feed composts that have nitrogen in good quantity
Lack of Water
Like many plants in the gourd family, cucumbers vines are always thirsty. Cucumber normally grows in summer season and it requires water every day. Lack of water causes slow growth of the vine that leads to unhealthy fruits.
Normally we use splash and dash irrigation techniques which may be good for other plants and grass but not for cucumber plants.
The water hose used for irrigation should be put right onto the soil until it drains on its own.
Ugly Looking Cucumbers
Sometimes cucumber fruits look like they are not cucumbers at all. Following is an example of not fully formed cucumber.
To avoid getting these fruits you have to look for the thing that is causing this issue. And expert’s gardeners say this is due to pollination – or more like due to lack of pollination. To see why pollination is important for your garden, you have to check out our blog.
Related: 5 Landscaping Ideas For A Pollinator-Friendly Yard
To simply solve the issue, use all the techniques to invite back pollinators.
- Stop pesticides
- Use organic fertilizers
- Plant native flower plants and herbs near vegetables
Powdery Mildew Problem
Sometimes this problem is regarded as an aesthetic issue but it can also limit the photosynthesis and growth of cucumber vines. The problem is called powdery mildew. It is a fungus that grows on vines with big leaves and cucumber vines is its favorite victim because of wet foliage. Powdery mildew can be recognized by white slippery powder on plants.
Solution
- Water in morning so foliage is dried up by the end of the day
- Use organic fungicides
Use Disease Free Seeds
We should only buy those seeds who have resistance to virus and bacteria. This information is written onto the seed packet. Always read the resistance codes (CMV) to avoid diseases like cucumber mosaic, fusarium, and bacteria.
Expert suggests buying healthy and tested cucumber plant seeds e.g. Boston Pickling Improved, Eureka, Little Leaf, Straight 8 And Salad Bush.
Learn More
These were some common cucumber plant issues solved in this article. For a healthy harvest of cucumbers or of any gourd vine, try to adopt solutions discussed above. If still unsure what is making your plants not look right, hire a nature doctor to take a look.
If landscaping Sydney, ask us about any plant issue. We are a landscaping company operating in Sydney who love plants more than anything. For any plant issue or landscaping related questions, call Whitlam Landscapes for a quick help. Also, keep reading our gardening blog to check out what’s up with plant’s world nowadays.
