Hello, I’m a new gardener in zone 9b/10a and my cucumbers look like they are struggling. Can anyone help me identify if this is pest related, over/under watering or a nutrient deficiency? In the picture I had just watered them. Thank you for any help.
by SmoothTheDinglebot
9 Comments
That upward leaf cupping is a sign of herbicide. I have a few plants that look like that, after applying what I thought was composted horse manure. Did you apply compost? I’ve had herbicide in bagged products and a friend got it from local mushroom compost.
Oohhh following! Im in the same zone and mine look just like that and I planted them in early April.
We’re these sewn in place or transplanted? Also what’s the temps been like where you are?
I had some die off that looked like this but after digging a trench inbetween rows and sprinkling fertilizer and then covering back up and watering, most of mine got a new life and now they’re taking over the world.
This is the fertilizer I used.
https://preview.redd.it/nlj2jjdd310h1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=42a55156c04bd680ce4391954129a3f23134267d
My cucumbers did this the first year I started. The soil mix I got had too much wood in it. It gave me splinters when i ran my hands through it..Wood chips tend to tie up nitrogen and make it hard for plants to thrive. Very common in first year gardens because a lot of folks get “raised bed mix” from.a local place and it hasn’t really broken down and composted enough to support plants.
Good news: your plants will probably have an easier time next year.
What you can do now: apply a good, organic, higher nitrogen fertilizer. I like Down to Earth brand. Some people like liquid fertilizer like a fish emulsion.
More good news, this plant may eventually recover and still produce for you. Just fertilize, water and keep an eye on it.
If you can mix some top soil or “loam/loam mix” into your soil in the fall, that will help your next year garden as well.
Fertilize (I use fish emulsion once they’ve got 2 sets of true leaves) and water daily in this heat if your air is dry. Cucumbers like fertilizer and lots of water. I’m in 9b phoenix area and they also require sunshade here. When temperatures are above 90 most plants should be under a sunshade. Once we hit 100° like we did today, I mist the plants with water in the mid-afternoon and you can feel how much cooler the garden feels under the sunshade with the misting. I also get my vegetables in the raised bed end of January/beginning of February & cover at night until the nighttime temperatures are above 50° because our spring growing season is very short. My cucumbers are now 7’ tall & producing. Good luck!
I like to give curcubit seedlings a little bit of diluted nitrogen fertilizer. It helps them start off with some strong leafy growth and get established quicker/better.
It’s tough to say with Cucumbers, I planned to start them earlier this year (10a) but of course didn’t. Bought a couple transplants and seeded a couple. All of them are equally doing alright. Different varieties reacting the same. The leaves are green and healthy looking, just taking a minute to take off. I hit them with a bit of liquid fert a couple weeks ago even though I have some pole beans next to them which usually helps with some nitro. They are looking fine just slow.
I would say pop a couple more in the ground and maybe some in a cup to see if they catch up. I have some back ups looking almost ready to pop in ground. I’m going to plant them and potentially clip them if they others take off. Back ups are a must.
Move the wood mulch away from the plant and give it a nitrogen feed, the organisms that decompose the wood will sap nitrogen from the surrounding soil taking it away from the plants.