Why Do My Cucumbers Grow in Balls?
- Lack of Nutrients To have a bountiful harvest, proper nutrition is one of the critical factors. If you want to enjoy large and tasty cucumbers, you need to ensure proper nutrients. ...
- Lack of Water and Drainage When it comes to growing cucumbers successfully, proper watering is another important key that you should take into consideration. ...
- Hampered Pollination ...
- Diseases ...
Why are my cucumbers uneven?
The most common causes of uneven cucumber development are environmental stress (temperature or water) and poor pollination. A nutrient imbalance or even physical obstacles can cause cucumber formation, but those are easier for gardeners to avoid.
What causes cucumber fruit curl?
Cucumber fruit curl, properly known as crooking, is a common condition of cucumbers. There are many causes, requiring you to do a little detective work to correct the situation. Pollination Problems: Even when there are plenty of pollinators in your garden, conditions might not be right to ensure complete pollination.
What causes yellow spots on cucumber leaves?
Powdery mildew typically affects the foliage of cucumber plants. At first, small yellow spots appear across the surface of the leaves. As the disease progresses these spots become white and enlarge. Eventually, these spots grow to cover the entire leaves, and sometimes they can spread to the stems of the plant.
Are your cucumbers misshaped?
Well, not always. Once in a while you end up with misshaped cucumbers. Have you ever wondered what could be causing this to happen to the fruit? Read on to learn more. Deformed cucumbers can happen for a number of reasons.
Why do my cucumbers look like a ball?
Sometimes too much fertilizer can cause deformed cucumbers. As they mature, cucumbers require less feeding. On the other hand, deformities in cucumbers could mean there were insufficient nutrients in the soil right from the get-go. In this case, a side-dressing of fertilizer or compost will help.
Why are my cucumbers fat at one end?
Poorly pollinated cucumbers typically swell at the stem end but fail to grow to the expected length. The blossom end may twist or curl, resulting in fat, nubby cucumbers.
Why are my cucumbers round and fat?
Overwatering or Underwatering Cucumbers One of the most common problems with beginners is to underwater or overwater the cucumber plants when they are growing. Both of these can result in a lack of nutrients in the plant and as a result, the cucumbers could be deformed, short, and fat.
What makes cucumbers odd shaped?
Cucumbers distorted by poor pollination are perfectly fine to eat. Stressful growing conditions such as a drought can also result in misshapen fruit. Lack of water will also produce bitter-tasting cucumbers.
What happens if cucumbers get too big?
When growing cucumbers in your garden, don't believe “the bigger, the better” and keep the cucumbers on the vine longer than the variety is supposed to. . But you should NOT wait for it to grow even larger than it's supposed to! This is because it can begin rotting and halt the growth of new cucumbers.
Can you overwater cucumbers?
The answer is yes - you can overwater cucumber plants. In fact, overwatering is one of the most common problems that gardeners face. When you overwater cucumber plants, the roots are suffocated and the plant itself can't access the oxygen it needs to survive.
Can you eat round cucumbers?
Mandurian Round cucumber is, you guessed it, round. Its skin is variegated with green and white and has a fuzzy texture to it. The fuzzies wash right off when you're ready to enjoy the cucumbers with a meal. They are best consumed when they are no larger than the size of a baseball.
Can you eat curved cucumbers?
Even if you think you've done everything right, those perfect show cucumbers have just slipped the net again. Don't fret though, you can still eat curled cucumbers, and they'll be just as crisp and delicious as ever.
Why are my cucumbers growing round and yellow?
When cucumbers become over ripe, their green coloring produced from chlorophyll begins to fade, resulting in a yellowing pigment. Cucumbers become bitter with size and yellow cucumbers are generally not fit for consumption. A yellow cucumber can also be the result of a virus, too much water, or a nutrient imbalance.
Why do cucumbers not grow straight?
The most common causes of uneven cucumber development are environmental stress (temperature or water) and poor pollination. A nutrient imbalance or even physical obstacles can cause cucumber formation, but those are easier for gardeners to avoid.
What fertilizer is good for cucumbers?
BEST OVERALL: Miracle-Gro 2000422 Plant Food.BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Jobe's 09026NA Plant Food Vegetables & Tomato.BEST ORGANIC: Dr. ... BEST WATER-SOLUBLE: Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Plant Food.BEST FOR CONTAINERS: Jobe's 06028 Fertilizer Spikes Vegetable and Tomato.More items...•
How often should cucumbers be watered?
once a weekGive them full sun and plenty of space to grow, and train them on a trellis or fence. Cucumbers perform best with regular, deep watering once a week or so and with more frequency if the weather is very hot for a period of days. Inadequate or inconsistent moisture can cause oddly shaped or poor-tasting fruit.
Why are my cucumbers short fat and yellow?
Lack of pollination causes deformed cucumbers that are sometimes yellow. Unfortunately, a lack of pollination is a common cause of deformed, yellow cucumbers. If your plant sets a fruit which has and end that is smaller than the rests of the cucumber, poor pollination is likely a cause.
How often should cucumbers be watered?
once a weekGive them full sun and plenty of space to grow, and train them on a trellis or fence. Cucumbers perform best with regular, deep watering once a week or so and with more frequency if the weather is very hot for a period of days. Inadequate or inconsistent moisture can cause oddly shaped or poor-tasting fruit.
How do you know when cucumbers are ready to be picked?
However, cucumbers are generally ripe and ready for harvest anywhere from 50 to 70 days after planting. A cucumber is normally considered ripe when it is bright medium to dark green and firm. You should avoid cucumber harvesting when cucumbers are yellow, puffy, have sunken areas, or wrinkled tips.
Why are my cucumbers big and yellow?
Overripened. One of the most common reasons for the color change is simply leaving them on the vine too long. Over-ripened cucumbers will turn yellow and become bitter. If yours are also puffy, large, or have sunken areas or wrinkles, this is likely the problem.
Why so many little bulbous cucumbers?
I know it's probably because it wasn't adequately fertilized.......but how does that happen? I have so many small bulbous cucs with tails. What's up with that?
Comments (15)
Bugs around here, and the age of the plants relative to their season. We have tremendous pathogen pressure though. Are the leaves nice or are they mottled yellow? Do you have bug poo, or frass, in the tighter leaf areas?
Why Do My Cucumbers Grow in Balls?
Ball-shaped or round cucumbers can be a result of many causes. This can happen due to uneven pollination, improper watering, diseases, or other environmental effects. Let’s discuss them elaborately.
Why Are My Cucumbers Growing Curled?
Below is the list of possible reasons behind curled cucumbers. Take a look:
Why Are My Cucumbers Not Growing Straight?
Who wouldn’t love to take a bite from a straight, tasty cucumber? While store-bought cucumbers may be in quite the perfect shape, growing straight cucumbers in your backyard garden can be a little bit difficult. There are some reasons why your cucumbers are not growing straight. Check them out below.
Why Are My Cucumbers Round and Yellow?
We have already discussed some possible reasons why your cucumbers turn round. But why the cucumbers are turning yellow? Again, there can be several reasons behind this. Your cucumbers can turn yellow due to a lack of nutrients, lack of water, poor pollination, etc. Plus, some plant diseases can damage the natural green color of your cucumbers.
Why Are My Cucumbers Growing Round and Fat?
One of the most common reasons why your cucumbers are growing round and fat instead of straight and pulp is the lack of pollination. Other environmental elements like water, sunlight, and nutrients in the soil can also impact the growth of your cucumbers. Plus, imbalanced fertilizer application can affect the natural growth of your fruits.
Why Are My Cucumbers Big on One End?
If your cucumbers are big on one end or fat on one end; more like a bulb, the temperature can be the reason behind it. And like most other common cucumber misshaping problems, improper pollination, underwatering or overwatering, improper fertilization, diseases, etc. can also be among the guilty party.
Are Deformed Cucumbers OK to Eat?
Yes, they are okay to eat. Though you may not be that much interested after seeing their shape, they still taste fine. Looks don’t impact the taste of the cucumbers unless they are infested with disease, pests, or completely rotten inside.
1. Nutrients (too little or too much)
For proper fruit development, cucumber plants need enough nutrients, chiefly phosphorus and potassium. A lack of these nutrients can lead to malformed cucumbers.
2. Environmental stress
It’s almost impossible to give cucumbers their ideal growing conditions outdoors (which is why greenhouse cucumbers look impeccably straight and plump), but extreme environmental conditions can negatively impact fruit development.
3. Poor pollination
After environmental stress, the second most common reason for your cucumbers not growing straight or being misshapen is poor pollination.
4. Physical factors
Even if your nutrients are balanced, weather is ideal, and pollination is complete, you can still end up with cucumbers that are not straight.
General Cucumber Care
Before we get into the problems you may face when growing cucumbers, let’s go over how best to care for them.
1. Little to No Cucumbers
Cucumbers, like most fruiting plants, need to produce flowers before they fruit. They have both male and female flowers that have different jobs. The former produces pollen, while the latter eventually become the tasty green vegetables we know and love.
2. Target-shaped Spots – Alternaria Leaf Blight
Alternaria leaf blight is a well-known fungal disease that commonly affects cucumbers, melons, and other members of the gourd family.
3. Sunken Spots On Leaves And Fruits – Anthracnose
Anthracnose is another fungal disease. Unlike alternaria leaf blight, however, anthracnose can be far more devastating. This destructive disease commonly latches on to cucumbers and several other vegetables, fruits, and even trees.
4. Holes In Leaves And Fruits – Cucumber Beetles
As the name suggests, cucumber beetles are common pests that plague these summer vegetables. Despite these pests being common, they’re unfortunately one of the hardest to get rid of.
5. Colored Spots On Leaves – Angular Leaf Spot
Angular leaf spot is another disease that can leave your cucumber plants riddled with strange, life-threatening spots.
6. Wilting Vines – Bacterial Wilt
Bacterial wilt is a devastating disease that tomato gardeners might be familiar with. It attacks several other vegetables too, including cucumbers.
Why are my cucumbers shaped?from gardeningknowhow.com
Reasons for a Deformed Cucumber. Deformed cucumbers can happen for a number of reasons. Poor pollination – If your cucumber is funny shaped, you might have a problem with pollination. If there is a lack of insects in your garden area because you have been so diligent in removing or destroying them, you might find that there is nothing ...
Do cucumbers grow well in a garden?from gardeningknowhow.com
Every garden should have cucumbers. They grow easily and usually don’t give anyone any trouble. They simply require fertilization, good soil, water, sunshine, and lots of space. As you provide these things you would think you would have a good crop of cucumbers, right?
Do cucumbers need fertilizer?from gardeningknowhow.com
Cucumbers require plenty of water throughout the growing season. Fertilizer – Fertilization is needed in every garden. However, if your cucumber is funny shaped, you might need to back off your fertilization. Sometimes too much fertilizer can cause deformed cucumbers. As they mature, cucumbers require less feeding.
In This Article
Cucumbers ( Cucumis sativus ) are one of the less finicky producers in a summer garden. With the right conditions, they tend to grow rather quickly and will be ripe and ready to eat within six weeks. Obtaining the right conditions for a long cuke over a stunted, rounded or crumpled one isn't that difficult if you pay attention to the details.
Know the Type of Cucumber You're Getting
You can choose vining cucumbers, perfect for container gardening or small gardens, or bush cucumbers. A vining cucumber loves a trellis to hold onto as it searches for higher ground with tiny tendrils. These are easier to pick and can be more prolific in their production than the bush variety.
Why Cucumbers Become Round
If you notice your cucumber becoming misshapen before it's ready to pick, there are a few ways to remedy the situation. Cucumbers need a lot of water, as well as good drainage, to keep them perky and perfectly formed over the weeks of growing.
How to Grow Great Cucumbers
You can start cucumbers by seed indoors three to four weeks before you plan to put them in the ground. Once the soil is above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, you can transplant your seedlings or put seeds straight in the ground. Don't crowd your cukes. Sow seeds 36 inches apart at least as they like to spread their umbrella-like leaves.
The most common diseases of cucumber
Cucumber has a lot of diseases. Let’s look at the main problems and emergency ways to deal with them.
Wilt of the plant: wilt or root rot?
Sometimes there is a wilting of the entire plant. Either this is a viral disease ( wilt, then the plant should be removed so that the insects do not transfer the disease to others), or the wilt is caused by root rot. In any case, you must first carefully scrape the soil from the roots.
