Topic: Pale edges to seed leaves on courgettes & cucumbers

[Crystalmoon]

Hi everyone, my courgettes & cucumbers have between 2 & 4 true leaves on them now but the seed leaves are going very pale around the edges, is this normal?
They have been in a plastic greenhouse for a couple of weeks now. 

[Tyke]

I got this on my 3 cucumber plants i planted indoors in February. The paleness made the leaves progressively papery and it spread onto 4-5 leaves. I potted them up to 10" pots and removed the bottom leaves. There is still a little on a few lower leaves, but it does not appear to have harmed the plants. All 3 have survived and are 4 foot tall now with loads of yellow flowers and even a couple of  small fruits starting off.

I definitely thought they were going to die at first (1st cucumbers i have grown) but they pulled through.

[Crystalmoon]

Hi there Tyke glad your plants are doing well despite the pale leaves, gives me hope for mine  ;)
How big were the plants when you removed the damaged leaves? 

[gunnerbee]

if it would only heat up just a bit, it would make all the difference.

[Crystalmoon]

Hi Gunnerbee I did wonder if it was due to the cold snap we've had lately.
I think I will pop the courgettes under a fleece tunnel for a good few weeks once I plant them out on the lottie - am hoping to plant them out in a weeks time. But maybe that is way too early? Any advice most welcome. 

I'm going to keep a couple in pots in the plastic grenhouse too - just incase  ;) And I think i will keep the cucumbers in pots too.

[gunnerbee]

my stuff was o.k, but had a move about in the greenhouse and put the tomatos on the floor and they look a bit sad today! covered them with fleece also, lack of sun dosnt help, things will perk up when we get sun, next thursday its supposed to get warmer!

[Trevor_D]

Yes, I think it's the cold. Even in a normal year, I wouldn't think of sowing them until next week (& I'm in the sheltered south). Leave it until late next year - they grow very quickly if the weather's warm enough.

In the meantime, keep them warm & out of draughts; and if they still look poorly, sow some more on the first week in May.

[gunnerbee]

weve had much colder nights here though, its just dull weather dont help.

[Crystalmoon]

Yes I think I was a bit too keen to get going & sowed these too early  ::)
I will sow some more in May to be on the safe side

[gunnerbee]

dosnt matter, most of my stuff is thriving, i keep planting stuff every day!! got four big allotments to fill!!!

[Tyke]

Mine looked healthy until they becmae about 6-12 inches high - when i started training them up a cane. Kept on growing fast though. I grow mine on the kitchen windowsill!

Not sure if seed leaves are meant to drop off anyway - anyone know? the problem occured on several true leaves as well for me - still there on bottom 2 leaves of each plant, bu not getting worse.


I have read that fast changes in weather can harm them and we did have that snowy weather last week so that might have been the issue.

[Crystalmoon]

 :o four allotments  :o Wow I'm well impressed  ;D
I've only got a small plot because there is such a big waiting list round here that as soon as a plot becomes empty the council carve it up into 2 or 3 little plots. My little lottie is a third of a much larger plot. I'm chuffed to have it but I am finding it hard to plan how to maximise my space (like planting new crops straight after harvesting others).    

[allaboutliverpool]

It is definitely the cold.

I can hardly believe that I planted out my courgettes last year on the 22nd April, and this year they have just germinated, and I think they are still too early as there is no sign of warmer weather.

The proof is the photograph on :

http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments_Vegetables_courgettes.html

[Tyke]

My cucumbers have really perked up with the sunshine in the last week - i got about 8x20cm long cucumbers developing. I think i planted too many!

[Robert_Brenchley]

I just planted my squashes today.