Help me grow cucumbers

[maverick451]

Hi guys

Not having very good luck with my cucumbers, this is my first year growing them from seed and need some help.

I started the first lot off way too early in february, they were doing amazing under the grow lights but every time I potted them on they flopped over and then turned yellow and I had to get rid of them wasted alot of money on expensive F1 seeds

I started a second batch using a free pack of marketmore which again looked great and ive transferred them 10 days ago and now they just dont look that great, they seemed to have stopped growing completly (in my heated greenhouse)

So Ive just sowed my 3rd lot direct into larger pots to try that.

So I take it they dont like being transferred? I want to eventually put them in 10L pots so would it be best in future to wait until late may time and sow direct? or maybe use root trainers?

[Moopmoop]

I've never had any problems repotting cukes but I guess it depends on how much you disturb the roots, have you tried the jiffy pellets, that way you don't have to disturb the roots at all when potting on. I wouldn't pot straight in to 10l pots, from my experience that's when they keel in. Are there any other things that could be bothering them, is the greenhouse too hot if it's heated? Are you watering them too much/not enough? Have you fed them?

[busman43]

Try adding a small amount of feed.

[Lisasbolt]

lots of people have leggy cukes and don't realise and these can easily keel over and die when the stem gets too wet etc
Have you got any pics?

[Moopmoop]

these can easily keel over and die when the stem gets too wet etc

OP do you know that you need to water cukes from the bottom and not the top of the pot? If your pot is large enough you can water from the top but make sure it is well away from the stem.

[maverick451]

Hi

This is a pic of the last 2 of the remaining feb ones, the picture makes them look better they are but in real time they look more yellow and weak.

When I have pulled the other ones out I did noticed the roots seems all rotted so possibly overwatering but If I dont water them when transplanted they flop over and wilt away.

I think next time I should keep them in the shade for a few days after potting them on.

It does get hot in my greenhouse, been 45C last few days at peak.



This is my second sowing, put two in heated greenhouse and 2 outdoors in cold frame all look the same, very stunted growth



Im basically treating them the same as tomatoes but my tomatoes are great and all my cukes are rubbish

[maverick451]

OP do you know that you need to water cukes from the bottom and not the top of the pot? If your pot is large enough you can water from the top but make sure it is well away from the stem.

No no-one told me that!

[WendyC]

Cucumbers are like sheep, they look for reasons to die and keel over. Agree with all that has been said about watering. The base of the stem is the vulnerable point. I try to sow seeds singly in small pots, perhaps with a bit of perlite mixed in. I don't repot until there are lots of roots showing and then only into a slightly bigger pot. I also try to mound the compost so the stem in the centre of the pot is slightly higher than the edge. Even then there are no guarantees. Sow more than you need. Not sown mine yet.

[maverick451]

When do you sow yours wendy?

[WendyC]

Just checked and last year I sowed on the 26th April and the year before the 28th. I start them in the heated propagation but they soon have to go in the unheated greenhouse.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I agree with everything Wendy said. I will be starting mine end of this month in 3" pots then work my way up slowly when potting on.

You could of course try putting the ones you have through the milk bottle as per tomato plants there is a reasonable chance you will gets some plants. This is a F1 Baribal I had to do a couple of years back when the original plant committed suicide.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I agree with everything Wendy said. I will be starting mine end of this month in 3" pots then work my way up slowly when potting on.

You could of course try putting the ones you have through the milk bottle as per tomato plants there is a reasonable chance you will gets some plants. This is a F1 Baribal I had to do a couple of years back when the original plant committed suicide. You will note the pot is in a saucer to water from the bottom.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Bloomin plumbers thick fingers

[Jungle Jane]

As I tie the vine with string to bamboo,as it gets taller,I gently cut the tendrils off the plant,they're not needed. The plant uses some of it's energy to produce these tendrils,so removing them makes the plants energy go into growing instead. Has anyone else heard of this? I think it's a good tip,I had the biggest cucumber I've ever seen last year,it was a carman or telegraph (I'm not very good at labelling pots)

[snakeshack]

I use flower buckets with no bottoms on top of the soil,I fill these with mpc and direct sow 3 seeds in the top ,then I mulch around the buckets to the top with straw or wood chip.the buckets are covered with bell cloches untill the seeds break surface then th 2 weaker ones are culled.the only time the pots are watered is when the seeds are sown,after that its onto the mulch surrounding.Ihave found that only by keeping the stem base dry do I have any chance of cucumbers