Produce > Pests & Diseases

Unshapely cus

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tim:
Cus in grow bags. Would appreciate ideas on why, as the season goes on, one gets more 'dumbells' than 'batons'?

Same plant, same position, same watering. Can I prevent it? = Tim

john_miller:
I generally call these wasp-waisted, Tim. Obviously it is a result of incomplete pollination. There are a couple of factors that can promote this. Too few visits by bees- too many other flowers out there so the flowers are visited fewer times. Not enough water- you would need to increase your water volume as the season progresses, not maintain the same level. Too low fertility, this could also be a factor in a constant watering regimen if you use liquid fertiliser. Cucumbers also experience periodic root death as the season progresses so they may simply not be able to find sufficent nutrients at certain times.  

tim:
May be through having the 'house shut for most of that rainy period?

Or - I did run low on feed for almost a week without realising it.

Watering - yes, I do. I meant that each of the cus (which I forgot to include) had the same amount.

Thanks for the choice, John!! = Tim

john_miller:
Any cucumber crop, indoor or out, will get wasp waisted cucumbers eventually. It is one reason why we grow 4-5 crops outdoors annually as this helps overcome the root death problem and may provide pollen more attractive to bees than that from older plants. Leaving your greenhouse open will not guarantee a reduction as, with so many other plants in flower, potentially with pollen more attractive to bees, may not result in enough visits from bees to result in uniform pollination. As I mentioned before, bees are more likely to seek out flowers with higher sugar content (more food for the same effort) and then, for any individual bee, it will only visit that plant specie throughout the rest of its life.

tim:
Pity you weren't my biology teacher!! = Tim

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