Limp Cucumbers

[Bagpuss]

Hi Grapes

I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. My cucumber seedlings are in need of potting on. I have them in my heated propagator at the mo, with the vents fully open.

Every time I take them out of the propagator they simply "flop" over, I assume because of the change in air temp. Can anyone offer any advice as to the best way to get my babies out of the propagator without killing them off with the cold ? Do I need to wrap them in something or keep them in the propagator until they are more established?

Thanks in advance grapes

BP

[SarzWix]

I would either; leave them in the propagater but take the lid off, or, leave the lid on, but turn the propagator off. That way they get a kind of halfway house. I think I'd favour the first option though. To be honest, I've never seen that happen - where is your propagator? And where are you trying to move them out to? I wouldn't have thought that normal daytime room temperatures would be cold enough to have that happen?!

[sewer rat]

I agree that the best option would be to start weaning them off the propogator - quite often plants started in a heated propogator can be left in there a bit too long, and they will go from nice sturdy seedlings to long leggy seedlings in no time at all. I never start my cukes in a propogaor - just sow them into 3" pots in the tunnel and they all do fine - I sowed 25 Pepinex 69 this year - 100% germination, all looking in the rudest health - well chuffed. Will be sowing some Passandra and Iznik next week, as the mini and midi cukes are prolific fruiters.

[Bagpuss]

Gggrrr the site just ate my reply !!

Thanks guys.

@SW It is very odd, I grew my cukes like this last year and didn't have this problem. The propagator is on a sunny windowsill. I've just taken them out of of the propagator and put them on the windowsill sans heat.

Great idea with the keeping heat on but with the lid off, I'll do some shifting around and give it a go.

@SR Too true about the speed of germination, it's great coming home from work to see a couple of extra green shoot that were not there in the morning, perhaps a bit of a cheat, but I only have a little postage stamp garden so I don't have enough room for tunnels (trying to get Mr BP to be to agree to one when we move house !)

[SarzWix]

It might be the sunny windowsill that is the problem, daft as that might sound - the propagator lid will be holding some humidity, even with the vents open. Whereas just sitting in the hot sun will be causing the leaves to transpire more quickly with no surrounding humidity to help out. So maybe a less sunny position, or keep the lid on, but turn the prop. off altogether?

[Snadger]

Nowt worse than a limp cucumber!

[JerseyJimbo]

time for some viagra drops in you feed water...

[Bagpuss]

@SW mmmm might try the turned on but lid off tomorrow to see how I get on, if the same thing happens, I'll move them and see how I get on.

@Snadger - If all of the above fail, I'm going to track down little blue pills !!!!