Yellowing leaves on my cucumber plants

[Breeann1221]

Hello!
I am super new to gardening... I just got my garden put in last weekend. All of my plants are transfers. And they all seem to be doing very well except my two cucumber plants... the leaves around the edges seem to be turning yellow...
I was reading that it could be over watering, under watering, or a nitrogen deficiency... I was hoping if I posted a picture maybe someone on here could point me in the right direction and help me save my cucumbers!!
Just for some background that might help, I live in Iowa... last year we tilled in a bunch of compost into the soil, and when we dug out the holes for our transplants we used garden soil we bought from a compost facility to fill the holes in... I have watered my garden every other day since last Monday with a sprinkler system for about half an hour. Is that to much?
Thank you so much!

 

[Chuck]

Hello!
I am super new to gardening... I just got my garden put in last weekend. All of my plants are transfers. And they all seem to be doing very well except my two cucumber plants... the leaves around the edges seem to be turning yellow...
I was reading that it could be over watering, under watering, or a nitrogen deficiency... I was hoping if I posted a picture maybe someone on here could point me in the right direction and help me save my cucumbers!!
Just for some background that might help, I live in Iowa... last year we tilled in a bunch of compost into the soil, and when we dug out the holes for our transplants we used garden soil we bought from a compost facility to fill the holes in... I have watered my garden every other day since last Monday with a sprinkler system for about half an hour. Is that to much?
Thank you so much!

A sprinkle system is just about the worst way of watering ever invented. Have you put down any cat food or tuna fish cans to actually see how much water the root system of the cucs are getting? If you keep on watering this way I guarantee your plants will be affected by some type of fungal disease. If I were to bet I'd say that the amount of water each plant receives is very small and that is why the leaf margins are drying out and turning a pale color. When you water, water slowly, deeply and thoroughly. I would guess from the size of the plants that the root system is fairly large so when you water MAKE SURE you are really SOAKING the ENTIRE root system. When the top 2 or 3 inches of the soil is DRY it is time to water again.

 

[Breeann1221]

A sprinkle system is just about the worst way of watering ever invented. Have you put down any cat food or tuna fish cans to actually see how much water the root system of the cucs are getting? If you keep on watering this way I guarantee your plants will be affected by some type of fungal disease. If I were to bet I'd say that the amount of water each plant receives is very small and that is why the leaf margins are drying out and turning a pale color. When you water, water slowly, deeply and thoroughly. I would guess from the size of the plants that the root system is fairly large so when you water MAKE SURE you are really SOAKING the ENTIRE root system. When the top 2 or 3 inches of the soil is DRY it is time to water again.

Thank you for your reply.
So, I should get rid of my sprinkler then? It mimics actual rain. It's not like a sprinkler that just goes back and fourth. It's a continuous rain over the entire garden...
If the answer is yes, that I should get rid of my sprinkler, what is a better alternative watering system? Just a hose?

 

[Chuck]

Thank you for your reply.
So, I should get rid of my sprinkler then? It mimics actual rain. It's not like a sprinkler that just goes back and fourth. It's a continuous rain over the entire garden...
If the answer is yes, that I should get rid of my sprinkler, what is a better alternative watering system? Just a hose?

Yes, get rid of it, QUICKLY. The very best watering system is a drip irrigation system. You can water any portion or all of your garden. Search DripWorks.com. The next best, if you don't have much calcium in your water is a drip hose. Third best is slow watering with a hose. If you do get drip irrigation you can set it up cheap or expensive. I am cheap. My entire garden of slightly less than 1/4 acre is entirely on a drip system and I have about $300 total over about 12 years. After the initial setup the only thing I have to buy are extra emitters. I bought the hose in 1000 foot rolls and keep it covered up with dirt so it has basically an unlimited life. You don't really need all the bells and whistles. Just google drip irrigation and learn all about it.