Kitchen Garden Forum

I bought a cucumber plant from the garden centre and I dont know what type it but it is one of those that has baby cucumbers on it, so I put it in a 10" pot with a mixture of compost and well rotted manure. Four days later it is looking really sick. I have taken it out and planted it in compost and have put it in the polytunnel. What have I done wrong?

Dear Catherine, Cucumbers can often be a little temperamental when being replanted, could be a sudden change in temperature or the compost too wet.

Or it might even be something else.

As OH says cucumbers can be a bit difficult at this stage - melons are even more so. What seems to happen is that a rot sets in around the stem just below soil level. Once this has happened they may well struggle on for sometime but never fully recover into well grown productive plants.
I'm afraid to say that the best thing to do is keep an eye on it for a short while, go very easy on the watering and avoid low temperatures - if it is still looking unhappy after a second chance, bin it!
Might be an idea to invest in a couple of stand-by plants now while they're still available in the centres.

John

Thank you for your advice OH & John but the cucumber is now deceased. Found it tonight. It has given up the struggle and has been laid to rest. I will have to try and get another one from the garden centre this weekend. Are they very difficult to grow because this one looked really well till I transplanted it and it even has some little cucumbers starting to show on it. But it had rotted below the soil level. At lest I am now aware of it now.

Hi Catherine,

Could you have maybe planted it a bit deep so the water rotted the stem? Could be worth planting one a little bit raised up so the water runs away from the stem. Hope I'm right on this

Thanks PJ I will try that and see if it works as I would really like a cucumber in the plot. Have you been walking on the beach again. Sooo jealous.....

Hi Catherine,

Yes, it was glorious over there this afternoon. No wind for a change which was nice. We have rain forecast for this weekend though, which will be good for (a) It will keep the tourists away, and (b) it means I won't have to water my neighbour's garden as he is away on holiday again

Cheers, PJ.

Not sure about PJ's advice. I sow them in half full pots and fill up the pots as they grow and when I pot on or transplant I always go deeper. I still get the odd collapse but not often. Have you got Bernard Salt's "Growing under Plastic"? He has lots of warnings about chilling ("cucumbers are easy to grow; they are also easy to kill") and talks about the part filled pot sowing however he agrees with PJ about final planting "leave the surface of the root-ball 4 or 5 cms higher than the soil or compost. This prevents a pool of water from collecting around the stem and reduces the risk of stem-rot."

Have tried at local garden centres to get another cucumber but none left Is it too late to start a seed off or should I just give up till next year? I have copied all the advice into my computer and next year will try harder.

PJ we've had no rain since the 1st May so I am now watering like mad. My mother in law has a tiny plot in her back garden and religiously grows cabbages, she always states that she doesn't water once she has planted them in the ground she gives them a good water when planting then nothing and she says that the roots go down to find water. It always works for her, but not for me. What does anyone else think?

Catherine

If you sow cucumbers now they will be ready for planting out by about 20 June and should start cropping in August (given a good summer).

Have a go

Thanks for that Alan. I am off up to the plot now so I will do it straight away.

Catherine, how much watering is needed depends on so many things, some soils naturally retain water better than others, some drain quickly others seem to remain moist at depth for most of the summer. the size of the cabbages on planting out will have an effect as will the weather. most transplants suffer when the leaves are getting shot of water faster than the roots can supply it, if the plants have been fed "well" and grown a lot of leaves they will suffer cos the roots wont be developed enough to cope. watering on the surface encourages root growth in the top dry soil once the water you have added has gone the surface roots cant find anymore.
planting without watering encourages the roots to spread and search for the soil moisture so the plants are able too look after themselves. if watering is then needed in a really dry spell its better to flood occasionally rather than to sprinkle frequently

Thank you for that Richard P. Its all these little snippets of information which I am saving in a file so I can look back and hopefully have a better garden next year. I have given everything a really good soaking tonight and they are looking quite good but rather bashed as it is very windy here today.

Hi Catherine,

According to the BBC weather, it has been raining in Romney Marsh all day. I've driven right through the area today and haven't seen a drop of rain. Some high hazy cloud and high winds, but no rain. So, like you, I'm still watering. They reckon it will rain again tomorrow, so we'll see if they're right for a change.

Cheers, PJ.

Hi PJ Cant understand the weather at the moment. I hope that it doesnt just go really bad next month and then we lose everything again. I am hoping to plant out my sunflowers tomorrow. They are needing so much water at the moment I am watering heavily twice a day. I have a real love of sunflowers and I have planted about 20 plants of different types. My grand daughter took a fabulous photo last year of my sunflowers and I have them on my laptop screensaver. I havent been able to put them on here as my avatar!! But it has to be my favourite photo. She is very clever and only 9.

Hope you have a good weekend.