R.I.P. (?) My Cucumbers

[Mr FootOfDavros]

Very disappointing this. I'd moved these into these larger pots whilst I still had them indoors, cooking away nicely in my daughter's south-ish facing window.

Anyway, they were just getting too big! I had bamboo support in their practically up to the ceiling, so decided I'd move them out with just a couple of 8c overnights on the forecast.

Anyway, they're now looking like this:-

Lots of dead, whitening leaves. The main stem actually broke in the middle plant. No signs of any growth over the past few days, despite some nice warm sunshine days.

I think we actually had a couple of lower (maybe 3/5c) nights as the weather changed once they were out...

Are they completely done for or is there any hope for revival if I leave them for a bit longer?

 

[Meadowlark]

Are they completely done for or is there any hope for revival if I leave them for a bit longer?

In my experience, they may very well survive, but they will never produce cucumbers as they would otherwise have done. Better off, starting a new batch...while either keeping or discarding the old ones.

 

[Mr FootOfDavros]

In my experience, they may very well survive, but they will never produce cucumbers as they would otherwise have done. Better off, starting a new batch...while either keeping or discarding the old ones.

Thanks - I got some more seeds on the go earlier today. They just shot up too quickly - maybe a couple of weeks behind and I would have been looking at three good plants to produce...

Anyway I'll keep them there for now and see what happens. Hard to see from the photo but there's actually a few mini cucumbers in place already which I guess may grow if they recover at all...

 

[DiggersJo]

They will recover , but forecast shows Edinburgh had x3 nights at 2c, far too cold without some protection.

 

[Meadowlark]

They will recover ,

Survive maybe but produce like normally...very low chance of that in my experience.

 

[DiggersJo]

Survive maybe but produce like normally...very low chance of that in my experience.

No, but here "normally" is not like there and a couple of cucumbers here is success!

 

[nao57]

When you transplant something its normal to see a little stress damage from the changes. But you can get them to pull out of it. When you transplant things, what you want to do is boost the watering cycles you do for the next 3 to 5 days. I don't mean more water but more waterings per day; this works very well to ensure they can pull out of it.

 

[Mr FootOfDavros]

When you transplant something its normal to see a little stress damage from the changes. But you can get them to pull out of it. When you transplant things, what you want to do is boost the watering cycles you do for the next 3 to 5 days. I don't mean more water but more waterings per day; this works very well to ensure they can pull out of it.

Funny thing is, I didn't really transplant them in putting them out. They were growing so fast and so tall due to the unseasonably extra sunny weather we had around Easter, that I'd moved them into the final pots and put my makeshift trellis in place at least a couple of weeks before they went out. I was also leaving the bedroom window open, so they were getting breeze, outside temps, etc as well.

I think we just got hit by a couple of extra cold nights which hadn't shown up on the forecast when I'd checked the ten day one.

But I'll give the extra waterings a try - I noticed today I had a couple of sucker / secondary shoots which had come from the bottom of a couple of them, so maybe I'll be lucky with them, even if the main part is stunted / dead...

 

[Meadowlark]

...I think we just got hit by a couple of extra cold nights which hadn't shown up on the forecast when I'd checked the ten day one.

That will do it!

 

[MiTmite9]

I guess no one else is going to address this, but ---- aren't those pots kind of small for growing cucumbers? The best success I've had with cucumbers is growing them in the ground.
Are those pots 30cm diameter?

 

[Mr FootOfDavros]

I guess no one else is going to address this, but ---- aren't those pots kind of small for growing cucumbers? The best success I've had with cucumbers is growing them in the ground.
Are those pots 30cm diameter?

I can't remember specifically but I grew one last year in the pot on the left. I'm sure it was the minimum recommended size when I looked it up but it produced a decent number last year...

The two on the right are just pots I'm re-using of a similar size.

Anyway, I think the one on the left at least may have survived - cucumber at the bottom has began growing. And as I was saying further up, the sucker shoots on a couple of them seem to be okay.

All being well, I'll get some produce from them before the replacement seeds I have underway get to size...

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I use this reference for minimum sizes and preferred sizes
https://sandiegoseedcompany.com/container-garden/vegetable-container-size-chart/
I would think you are way under, mind, when they talk gallons they are American gallons, a bit smaller, but I also thought they looked way under.

 

[Mr FootOfDavros]

I use this reference for minimum sizes and preferred sizes
https://sandiegoseedcompany.com/container-garden/vegetable-container-size-chart/
I would think you are way under, mind, when they talk gallons they are American gallons, a bit smaller, but I also thought they looked way under.

Thanks. That says 12" diameter, which is what that left hand pot I have is. But that chart also says 2-3 plants per pot, whereas I only have one.

Anyway, I'm sure I would have just googled "minimum pot size for cucumbers" at the time. Doing that again now, likewise brings up 30cm from the "AI" pull. Seems to be referencing the RHS' page:-

Cucumbers

Get growing cucumbers, with expert advice on choosing, sowing, planting, care and harvesting

www.rhs.org.uk

 

[DiggersJo]

The pots are on the minimum size, but okay for what you are doing. In the UK I reckon we need to extend the growing time by using cover early on. Where you are is far too cold until around mid-June.

 

[Walapini-Kid]

When you transplant something its normal to see a little stress damage from the changes. But you can get them to pull out of it. When you transplant things, what you want to do is boost the watering cycles you do for the next 3 to 5 days. I don't mean more water but more waterings per day; this works very well to ensure they can pull out of it.

I also like to add worm castings, compost and water well with soluable kelp powder. It's amazing to see how a transplant can thrive like this!
PS, don't forget to harden off plants a few days when introducing them into full outdoor sun.