Topic: Cucumbers

[botanicman]

I lost about 80% of my cucumber seedling to compost flies. The seeds germinated, looked healthy and then wilted after about a week.
I was using Wickes multipurpose. This is the first time I have had this problem. Any suggestions for a good seed germinating medium for next season?
Thanks.

[pigeonseed]

Sorry to hear about your cucumber disappointment  :(

Their eggs hatch after a couple of days, so I shouldn't think they're in the bagged up compost, sounds more like they're laying them in your soil, when you sow your seeds. So preventing the flies laying eggs might be the answer.

This website http://www.just-green.com/Article/181/Scarid-Flies-or-Fungus-Gnats.html
suggests a layer of perlite or grit to prevent the flies getting to the soil to lay eggs.

And it also suggests sticky traps, which might be an option if you're sowing in a greenhouse. Maybe not if you keep your seedlings in your bedroom  ;D

[botanicman]

Thanks, I germinate them in the greenhouse. There may be a few weeks of summer left, so I might experiment with a few seeds and vermiculite or perlite and see if it makes any difference.  :)

[pigeonseed]

Good luck!