Cucumber

[cariann88]

Just been in my greenhouse and noticed that my cucumber stems have all died and my one and only cucumber has started to go funny at the end of it. Could anyone tell me why this is?




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[Potstubsdustbins]

My first guess would be 'stem rot and black rot' both are caused by the same fungus.

[Mr Gardener]

My Cucumbers have done terrible this year, not sure if thats down to conditions, my treatment or just the fact I experimented with a different variety.

[cariann88]

Do you know what this could be from? Why its gone like that.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I am not an expert but think it as something to do with damp conditions.

[Bill HH]

When you say stem do you mean the main stem or just the stem to the cucumber? Cucumbers do have a way of deciding if they can support the fruit and if not they will abort it, this can be caused by just too many fruit, stress from heat/ cold or lack of / too much water. Subsequent fruit are usually ok.
If its the main stem "tings is lookin bad".

[teakdesk]

Fret not (for long!).

By the shape of the cuke I'd say it wasn't fertilised... a big issue with early cukes but the next ones are likely to be fine.

When a cuke isn't "serviced" before growing it often goes soft at the end and dies. Dead material is susceptible to botrytis or other moulds which I suspect is why it is discoloured.


Just keep to normal cuke conditions and ensure lots of ventilation and the final crop will be great.

[cariann88]

When you say stem do you mean the main stem or just the stem to the cucumber? Cucumbers do have a way of deciding if they can support the fruit and if not they will abort it, this can be caused by just too many fruit, stress from heat/ cold or lack of / too much water. Subsequent fruit are usually ok.
If its the main stem "tings is lookin bad".

The stem is fine, it's where the cucumber are ment to grow that don't look to well.

[ChrisMath88]

Yep I had a lot of small cucumbers go yellow and fall off on me earlier in the season now I can't eat them quick enough! I do have about 20 plants in the poly tunnel though :-/


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[cariann88]

I only have the one. If it's happened to us both and we from the same town, could it not be the weather? I don't know, just a guess really.


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[Bill HH]

Fret not (for long!).

By the shape of the cuke I'd say it wasn't fertilised... a big issue with early cukes but the next ones are likely to be fine.

When a cuke isn't "serviced" before growing it often goes soft at the end and dies. Dead material is susceptible to botrytis or other moulds which I suspect is why it is discoloured.


Just keep to normal cuke conditions and ensure lots of ventilation and the final crop will be great.

Well none of mine are ever fertilised, I pull the male flowers off otherwise the cucumbers go bitter. Neither are all female varieties fertilised. So I don't think that is the cause.

[ChrisMath88]

I only have the one. If it's happened to us both and we from the same town, could it not be the weather? I don't know, just a guess really.

Mine are flying now after a slow start I just pulled the yellow fruit off and eventually they started to get the hang it and now looking good




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[teakdesk]

Well none of mine are ever fertilised, I pull the male flowers off otherwise the cucumbers go bitter. Neither are all female varieties fertilised. So I don't think that is the cause.

The OP didn't specify variety so difficult to be precise.

All Female F1 types don't need pollinating and any male flowers should be removed.
Some cool greenhouse types, such as Telegraph, produce both male and female flowers but again the females don't need pollinating and male flowers should be removed.
Ridge type cucumbers for growing in cold greenhouses or outside, such as Marketmore, do need pollinating and male flowers should not be removed.


The picture looks like an un-pollinated cucumber to me and is common in ridge types in early season as male and female flowers are not there in abundance. The problem goes as more flowers are produced.
A similar effect happens on courgettes and squash where male flowers are not available to pollinate early in the season.