Topic: wilting cucumber

[oubykh]

my first ever cucumber is wilting over the last week, although the fruits are nicely growing. I'm unsure if its over or underwatering, or if the greenhouse is too hot and i ned to ventilate more? any ideas??



its in a double grow bag, and sharing with a small but healthy aubergine so room is not an issue i would think.

[tim]

Could be a case of sunstroke. Does it recover in the evening?

If not, then lack of water. Does it recover within 2 hours of watering?

Has the stem broken or been eaten?

[oubykh]

hi tim

stem is fine, no nibbles there. I have not noticed any recovery after watering thus far but will watch for that. I have no shading in my greenhouse, so would sunstroke be it?

[caroline7758]

Try shading paint- cheap and easy- brush on with any brush (I use a broom for the roof glass) then wipe off with a duster in the autumn.

[valmarg]

I don't know what the technical term is, but the one we use is neck-rot.

You have germinated the seed, the plants are all growing well, you pot them up, and then all of a sudden they start to wilt.  Nothing seems to help them.

We have had good years, when we could have supplied the village with cucumbers.  Then we have bad years, like this year.

We had about 12 plants.  We are down to three.

It is so soul destroying.

I should be very grateful for any advice as to what we are doing wrong!!

valmarg

[cleo]

Valmarg has it-it`s neck rot. Now do as I say not as I always do :-[ It`s damp just where the stem is at soil level that is often the culprit.

put a cut up water bottle or some such in and water into that-that gets water to the roots and avoids it around the stem. One day I will take my own advice and not lose any more

[Tee Gee]

Build a little hillock of compost around the stem and don't water this area!!

Run the water into the moat formed by the hillock.

[Marymary]

Just noticed the same on two of my very big plants which look just like yours Ouby, checked the stem at the point where it meets the soil & it's brown & rotting - one worse than the other.  I have pulled the soil away at that point but don't have much hope.  Still another 6 or so coming along.  

I think I know what I did wrong.  I was out of bought compost so had to use our homemade stuff & it really does hold the water.  I usually mix it half & half.  Won't make that mistake again & will try the bottle method when I pot the rest up.  

[flossie]

Thanks for the tips - mine is wilting too and it's not thirsty

[davyw1]

Build a little hillock of compost around the stem and don't water this area!!

Run the water into the moat formed by the hillock.

Firm advice fro Tee Gee like he says grow them on a pyramid and only water round the the base of it

[mc55]

I agree with TG .. have made little moats around mine this year and have my fingers crossed.

[oubykh]

well when i got back from work just now i checked and they looked better, the leaves were much perkier than before,and  i hadn't watered either but i'm leaning towards sunstroke here.

reading the other entires now i will check the stem tomorrow and hope that its not that. i do have a sunken bottle to water in, but must admit to watering also a little at stem area. i'll stop that now!!

[cleo]

well it`s not a competion and I too agree with Tee Gee -belt and braces?

Once you see the symptoms it`s often fatal but if you earth up the stem there is just a chance that new roots will form. I remember when it happened to me on the old BBC days when we had no pics-I posted that the leaves were hanging like roosting bats :)

[oubykh]

well the cucumber stem was fine but i did notice the aubergine stem was brown and very thin. will take above advice with this one, thanks

[valmarg]

We are now down to one plant from 12.

We have done (for several years now) what  TG suggests, of building up the compost round the base of the plant, and leaving a moat round the top of the pot, so that when you water you are not watering the base of the plant.

The only change this year is that we have used a different multi-purpose compost.

Have sown some more seed, but it is very disheartening.  When all the plants were looking so well, to be left with such a high percentage crop failure!!

valmarg

[oubykh]

mine certainly sems better since i placed some shading next to it.