Ok...so this is so typical for my luck with cucumbers. They start out great...they get large enough that they start producing...and then some sort of blight hits. This happens to me every year.

Can someone tell me what I am lacking...what I should do? The new growth is still healthy and I think I can save my patch still....I hope.

Help! TIA!

Ouch, I'm sorry I don't know anything about cucumbers but that looks painful. I hope you get the information you need to help you.

Are you watering at night? Has it been hot (eh, Florida) and raining overnight?

I water in the evenings about 3-4 nights a week. I use bloom buster fertilizer on the ground only (not the leaves.) It does rain a good bit here lately...probably another 2-3 days a week. Sometimes a sprinkle, sometimes a deluge. All told, the plants only go without water maybe 1 day a week, 2 at the very most.

Most of the rain storms are afternoon time...although we have had some rainy days lately too where it just drizzled or stormed all day long.

GiraffeMSW,
I would have to say a couple of things...
#1. If you could start to water in the mornings,
that would be so better for your plant...
***I have a very long post here somewhere's in the Archives about watering plants at night..
My Catlover is the one who usually digs out my
post, but she's not been feeling well, if I have a wee~bit of time at lunch, I'll hunt it down for you***
#2. Is there any way you can get your plants to climb up something and stay off of the dirt???
Like a fence, or chicken wire, or poles????

What I believe happens is you're watering at night, which keeps in the moisture over night, your plants are laying on that and aren't happy, the dirt is splashing on the leaves, making your plants unhealthy..

Also try some Epsom Salts, and sprinkle on dirt, and or use as a foliar spray....

Only water in the morning.

Avoid the use of Ammonical Nitrogen (check the label) once the plant begins to flower. Ammonical Nitrogen can inhibit a plants ability to take in Calcium.

Discontinue Ammonical Nitrogen and add Lime (Calcium) and/or add Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulfate) which helps the plant take in Calcium.

Woooooooooooooo~Hooooooooooooooooo,
I found it without Karen's help!!!
Yayyyyyyyy, sorry Karen, this new search thing
is awesome!!!

Anyhow......
Here's the little schpeel I wrote a while ago..
**it's on a rose page, but the watering concept
is the same for most plants. Especially one's
prone to more disease's...

Watering at night!!!!!

That was a good post Weezie.

Just to clarify, there is no dirt on the leaves...the discoloration is browning of the leaves, not dirt.

I will start watering in the mornings...but I don't know what to do about the afternoon/evening rains. It's FL and that is par for the course.

I have a few extra bamboo stakes I can set up for the plants to get them off the ground (they are "U" shaped that you turn so the legs stick into the ground and it ends up being a stable stake rather than a pole.) The stakes aren't very tall...maybe 2.5 feet.

How do you dose Epsom salt also? I have some and can add it tomorrow morning first thing if I can be told how much to use.

Yep, we can tell....
But when the water splashes down onto the dirt
it then splashes back up and onto the plant..
Which then cause's reactions....
ie; Powdery Mildew, or Wilts, etc...

Here's some info PAPITO sent...

Epsom Salts
That's the main page...
But there's 3 links on the left...
Click on those for more info..
The one that says: Garden Usage Tips
is the one with the chart for what to use it on.

I just grab a handful and sprinkle..
Or a foliar feed/spray..

More info on Cucurbits Pest Management Guidelines at:

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/selectnewpest.cucurbits.html

Okay, I'm going with this one from there!!!!
Cucurbits/Verticillium Wilt

I'm praying it's the Downey mildew:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/P/D-CU-PCUB-FO.001.html

Cause the other stuff looks untreatable Weezie.

Don't loose heart....
If you follow some of those basic rules..
You should still always get a crop in...
Just maybe not a whole bunch..

Water in the morning..
Don't splash plants with dirt..
Don't water leaves..
Keep plant off of dirt surface..
Keep plants airy between, give them space
and air circulation...

And you should have cucumbers...

Without being a total scholar,
all dirt has the stuff in it as disease,
and all plants are susceptable to it,
especially when the wrong growing conditions
are given..(*or right ones, for the disease,
geesh, which is it?? *)

But keep positive..

I have it in my soil..
I have limited space, try to get in as much
as I can, water late, from a busy or hot day,
so, just know and prevent..

And for gosh sake, keep me posted,
love to hear how you make out..

I bet you have time for another crop...
**I'm just putting mine in now !!!!!!

Ok...I'm off to Homedepot to by more bamboo stakes (my yard will soon look like a croquet court!) I will also pick up some lime to use with the epsom salt. I am going to see if I can find a mild fungicide to have on hand. (I hate the idea of chemicals on veggies tho...so I am hoping the stakes and nutrients will work without chemical assistance.) I will also get the right fertilizer. All this for veggies that are 4 for $1.00 in the grocery right now! geesh! :lol

The wet ground is definitely an issue. I went out this morning to water and found the ground, under the leaves, holding a good bit of moisture from the rain over the last few days (rained again last night.) I am hoping the stakes will help.

I am also going to pick up a few more plants to supplement the losses I have had thus far. I'll keep you guys posted. Thank you so much for the help.

Ok, so a trip to the store produced:

6 bamboo "u" trellises
Vigoro plant food (12-5-7 I think)
50lbs of lime (I was going to skip this one, but on my way out, the 75% off rack had a torn/patched 50lb bag...for $0.98)
Jobe indoor plant food stakes (the ONLY plant food I could find with no ammonicial nitrogen (sp))
1 package of Cucumber seeds that are Downy mildew resistant specifically (season for buying veggie plants here in February to March so I couldn't get new plants)

I feel like I might be forgetting something because I also picked up some training/staking items for my bougainvilla and two new (yellow) hibiscus...I can't remember if I got anything else for the cukes.

So, my current plan of action:
- Put all 6 mini trellises out in the yard, forming about 3/4 of a circle around the patch
- Sprinkle about a 32oz cup of epsom salt on the ground in the patch
- Sprinkle about a 32oz cup of lime on the ground in the patch
- Water in (all additives and watering will be tomorrow morning before 10)
- Place Jobe plant spikes throughout the patch (they don't have the bad nitrogen)
- Remove damaged leaves, and 2 large cucumbers currently in the patch so the plant can focus on healthy growth.


Am I missing anything or should I alter anything?
TIA for your help and patience.

I am not sure about the lime..
Hopin' Longy can slide thru or Papito
and give you a yes/no answer on that..

All sounds good.

I did two methods, before I just used landscape fabric and place it on the ground..
It's okay, there's at least 3 different kinds/types I've found or used before, and just as a lark I found another one, so far this one type rules, but still experimenting...

any how, this year, I went and bought those types of fencing you get to keep rabbits out of your garden, it's called rabbit fencing..
and I'm using those in hoops in my raised beds.
I would also think the same system could be used.
****I am still testing this, actually still setting it up, I'm so far behind****
But it looks great so far!!!!
(NO pictures yet, broken camera)

Wish I could see your's stuff, but sounds good!!!

And another thing I forgot to add in the
basic rules to follow;
Don't touch the plants while they're wet.....

I have garden fabric left from my jasmine bed plantings....should I lay that down in areas and encourage the plants to move in that direction?

Just as an aside...in order to even break even at this point I will have to grow 200 cucumbers....:lol

lol I understand the expense thing. I've been very lucky so far but the herbicides/pesticides really up the cost of gardening. My lovelies have pretty much has to fend for themselves and I've been lucky. Although those minosa trees are really asking for it. They are suseptible to cold and i'm contemplating one of those fire extinguishers with the cold stuff in it. I can't remember what it is called. But I'll think of it someday and when I do.....

Am I somewhat gruesome when it comes to weed trees? Maybe so. But they are threatening my garden.

Hmm.. I'd hate to think how much stuff needs to grow to make up for how much I've spent...lol. It's not pretty. I buy all my compost, at about $3.00 a bag. I bought probably 60 or so bags this year. That's *just* compost. Let's not get into the fertilizers, the oil sprays, the soap sprays, the spray bottles, the new hose, the sprinkler (cuz I got tired of standing so long with the hose), the insect barriers (that ripped while we were away), the trellisssss, the seedsssss, topsoil, plants, flowers, and I'm sure there's a few other things there too somewhere. I'm sure to have blown a good lotta money this year, for gardening. And likely my veggies won't come out ok, and I'll end up spending more money to buy them in the store, ready to eat. :rolleyes: Oy.

Meg

*sigh*

Yep....and all this started as a simple way to become self sufficient with veggies, for my fish of all things. LOL I love cucumbers, but I knew I wouldn't eat enough of them to justify a whole patch...but I figured I would slice them and freeze them for the aquariums and have enough for an entire year (2 slices x 3 tanks x 4 days out of the week)...I'd be rolling in cucumbers.

Instead....I'll be lucky if I get any more than the 2 (probably bitter) ones that I have grown so far. *sigh*

Well...at least my pepper plants are happy (15 peppers currently on 4 plants...yellows, purples and greens!) and my herbs have been very rewarding.

Worst case scenario, I will have learned how to prepare for the cukes better next year.

Giraffe,

Hahahahaahhahaahaha!!!
Know that feeling..
$400.00 greenhouse, um, er......


But, you just can't beat that feeling of
needing something for the dinner table
and having it in the garden, and you just
walk right out there and pick it..
just that first time sticks with you,
like forever...
It was so nice to go out and get a cucumber for dinner, or a tomato, and not having to buy those
tasteless things in there..not having it in your refrigerator... but you still have it....

And the fun, the excercise, the fresh air, the great excitement of it all, the sweat, the bugs, the draggin' the hose, ohhhhhhhhh, er, uh, um
I guess I shoulda quit while I was one or two of those back there huh!!!

The landscape fabric works pretty good keeping it at bay, but not completely....but waaaaaay better
than nothing at all...

Ok....so I will add some of that and use the trellises to pin it down.

And I do understand the joy of running out and grabbing ingredients right out of the backyard. The first time I made spaghetti and grabbed a cup and ran out and cut fresh sage, thyme and basil was an absolute joy....and that was only about 6 weeks ago. I have been able to do it several times since then with my herbs in various dishes. I even grilled salmon a few weeks ago and added fresh basil inside the foil we were cooking them in.

This next week I will finally get to harvest my peppers and I have enough to share with friends at work.

Now....if those cukes will just start behaving all will be right with my little world!

Fish eat cucumbers?????????
Seriously?????

I have a betta, catfish, frog, placasomus??**(sp)

Your catfish and Pleco would ADORE cukes or squash. (They also will eat sweet potato, green beans, broccoli (although it will stink things up a bit), and many other veggies...the more types you try the more types you will discover they love.)

Your betta would love green peas that have been boiled soft and shelled...but ultimately he is a carnivore who prefer his veggies only as an occasional snack.

Your frog...well, frogs like worms. LOL

Veggies for aquatic critters need to be blanched or microwaved until soft...the soggier/mushier the better. Just be careful not to overdo it and foul the water. One 1/4 inch slice is plenty for starters. Leave it in the tank for 24 hours and then remove any leftovers. It's best to feed the day before your regular water change day to start with until you get a feel for how much they will eat and how much they will leave on their plates.

In the wild, fish eat a lot of vegetation. They get nutritients that way and get keep themselves "regular" that way (in a metamucil kinda way. )

Ok...so progress from today:



It looks so sad. I am hoping I have made a difference in time. I removed a lot of the damaged leaves and started moving the vines onto the weedblock. I have a couple more of the trellises I can put in the center section once the plants kinda lay down and figure out which direction they want to head.

On a positive note, I thought I would post a couple pics of my peppers....they make me feel like a little less of a failure:







(If I could just figure out why the plants have stayed so short...although I don't suppose it really matters much.)


Oh! And my herb plants: (with the cucumber patch in the background)


There are several containers there...the two tiniest ones on each end contain cinnamon trees, and the ugly black pot has a blueberry plant, the ceramic pot on the back left has sweet basil, sage, thyme, pineapple mint and chocolate mint and the green container on the right holds a jade plant, with spearmint planted in all the holes (it's a strawberry pot.)

I use a tomatoe basket for my cucumbers, it sems to work well. They grow up the basket and stay off the ground.

This year I used rabbit fencing,
and used it as a hoop in the dirt in my
raised beds..from one side to the other,
planted the plants at one end.. and in
the direction the sun would grow, so they
grow towards it...

**I wish I had my camera, I'm just doing it
now and when I get a camera, I'll take some pic's.

BTW~Those peppers look very nice....
I had forgotten to post about those!

Morning All!
I planted Burpee "Bush Champion" Cucumbers and they seem to be thriving well. I made my own stakes out of old branches. Stuck the wood in the ground to keep the "Fruit" off the ground. Seems to work. I will take some photos and post.

Happy Day!