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Hi, I am very new to GYO. I have some cucumbers (don't know what type) growing in a gro bag in a plastic walk in greehouse. They seemed to be ok but yesterday I checked on everything & the leaves are yellow & wilted, no sign of disease but they look very ill. The courgettes that are in the same gro bag are healthy,

What can I do? Should I move them out the gro bag in case they affect t5he courgettes? please help!!

sorry, yes, I bought them as young plants.

We have grown cucumbers for a few years now ver successfully, last year we had 15 cukes off one plant. Yes we had the same problems at first, sorry but we found that grow bags were just too shallow as they became waterlogged very easily. Is there any chance you could put them into tubs.

I am just guessing here: "Fusarium wilt and verticillium wilt both cause leaves to turn yellow and look wilted. The yellow leaves turn brown and the disease usually starts from the bottom of the plant and works its way up, eventually killing the plant. Fusarium wilt is the most common form, and is more prevalent in warm climates. Verticillium wilt is more common in cooler regions. Both fusarium wilt and verticillium wilt can be spread by cucumber beetles" Growing Cucumbers: VegetableExpert

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LadyVeg, what sort of time scale are we talking about here for 15 cukes. All at once - or a short period or over a season. Only I have never grown them before and I bought a little plant in Wyevales which said outdoor cuke (although having said that the damn thing tonight appears to have died as it has collapsed and it wont be worth the petrol money to take it back and complain.) I have sown some in the greenhouse but no show so far. Any advice welcomed. Would one plant have been enough for a season? Many thanks

I would wait for your home-sown cucumbers to come good - at least you know that they have been given some TLC.

It may be that the cucumber has been over-watered, or just in its pot too long. If you are at all worried, take it out. It could be a virus, so if the courgettes are healthy perhaps you should err on the side of caution.

By the way, when you say the courgettes are in the same bag, do you mean literally altogether in one bag, or just the same kind of bag?

I ask because I am concerned that you are growing so many plants in a grow-bag - courgettes are massive consumers of both water and food. Try not to over-do what you plant in a grow-bag.

If they are all in one bag, I would remove the cucumber and leave the courgettes.

Hi, I moved the cucumbers into a large container by themselves but they died anyway :0(. At the moment my courgettes are very healthy & growing rapidly........would you recommend I move them out the grobags into containers? I don't have a plot so everything is limited to grobags or containers I'm afraid.

Sorry to hear of your loss - how frustrating!

How many courgettes have you put in the grow bag?

2 in one, 3 in another........thank you for your advice.

Was it properly hardened off before you put it outside? A sudden change from being warm indoors to going out in the cold won't do it any good at all.

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Don't know if it's true, but people around here - Somerset - are saying that it is a poor year for cucumbers, a lot of people are having problems with them dying

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A bad year? They shouldn't even be outside yet, it's still midwinter round here

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Two Sheds

When the summer is here, can the cuces go outside? as i have loads in the greenhouse and its getting crowded in there, or shall i leave them in the greenhouse?

Thanks so much SS x

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Yes, if they are outdoor (ridge) types. Some are meant to be grown in the greenhouse...check your packet/label.

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Don't be put off - it's way too early to tell. Many people have only just sown their cucumbers. If you started indoors in March you probably had a slow start as it was very cold. They are tender, heat loving plants so its not surprising that they haven't enjoyed the cool spring. Plenty of potentially great cucumber growing months left, though

Mine are, I have to say, looking pretty good. I have three indoor plants (Rocky) sown in April. They are in their final positions now and are flowering well with plenty of fruits forming.

Sow some more seeds now if yours are looking a bit dodgy. Don't overwater.

i found one of my cuces dead this morning, so i whipped it out the pot, i got another 6 looking really healthy and also got some i was gonna put on freecycle, but i may go and get another could of pots today and plant them up, just in case.

I think i may have over watered, i have mine in troughs, do i need really deep ones? they are pretty deep, but i think they are defo over watered, so not watering them for a couple of days and hopefully that should be ok !!

SS

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Gardening - A labour of love that begins with daybreak and ends with backache!
http://clarkiesveggieblog.blogspot.com/

Thanks Two sheds. As the cuke was outside at Wyevales and it said that it was an outdoor variety it didn't occur to me to protect it. I assumed that it wouldn't need hardening off. Silly me. I put it in the greenhouse as soon as I noticed it looked poorly but then we had a really strong burst of heat and sunshine and I think it just polished the poor thing off. I have bought another two this morning but having got them home I find that they are really indoor ones (F1 Females) and as I have never grown anything like this before (and it really is the fault of all you other grapes for encouraging me with all your knowledge!!) I shall probably end up killing these off too. I certainly manage it very well with house plants. Ah well, nothing ventured as they say. Sanjo

Weather the last 10 days has been terrible for cucumbers, i.e. very wet and cold. I would say that most of the cucumbers have died from the roots rotting due to wet cold conditions. I have lost a few especially those not in the greenhouse. Ideally they need temps above 12 deg which we certainly have not had over the last few weeks. Still not to late to plant a few seeds.

Ian

gojilottie updated 27 May 08

The foliage of cucumbers is relatively soft and easily damaged - this is a good indication that that they need protection from the worst of the weather. A wind break is a good idea - just make sure the air can still circulate.

Together with courgette and squash, (outdoor) cucumbers do fine outside in most of the UK, but a nasty shower of summer hail can really do damage. Usually, a healthy plant will recover from weather damage as long as it hasn't been snapped along the main stem.

I have a trick whereby I jam two short pieces of stick in the soil next to the main stem. As long as these are on each side of a couple of good strong leaf stalks, it prevents the plant from rocking in the wind. Within a month of planting the stems become more like wood, and the problem of wind breakage (of the main stem) lessens. By this time, losing a leaf or two is not an issue either.