Depending on who you ask, a healthy cucumber plant can be expected to produce 10 large cukes or 15 small ones within a harvest period of about three weeks. These optimistic averages are based on large, field-size plantings managed by pros, but gardeners can match or better these numbers by using cultural methods that maximize the productivity of cucumber plants.
More than 30 years ago, American horticulturalist H. Hanna observed higher productivity when growing cucumbers on a trellis. Hanna proposed that when the vines are trained upward, so that the leaves form a mound or hedge of layered foliage, cucumbers benefit from improved overall photosynthetic capacity and make more energy from the sun.
Since then, field trials in several locations have shown that when properly managed, trellised cucumbers can produce two to three times more cucumbers than plants allowed to run over the ground. A partial explanation is that trellised cucumbers are easier to harvest because you can see them more easily, and you are less likely to miss big overripe fruits.
Compost tea is a good powdery mildew control so is milk. Combine 40 percent milk to 60 percent water, mix well, and spray both the upper and lower parts the leaves. I have cucumbers growing in a container. Unfortunately I have no idea what kind they are. They are growing nicely, many misshaped. Really large at the stem some turning yellow and thin at the flower end. Any ideas?
Currently they look like Kirby cucumbers. It may be too late for this season, but place a tomato cage in your container next time you grow cucumbers and train the vines up. Gravity will help cucumbers hanging from a cage or trellis grow straight. The misshape you see may be the result of uneven watering; too much then too little then too much; the fruit may have taken up moisture in fits and starts resulting in the misshape.
Any suggestions mate. When temperatures rise above 32C 90F most vegetables including cucumbers retreat into dormancy; they halt growth. Growth will resume when temperatures fall to about 30C. In the meantime, protect the plants by placing shade cloth over the plants. Set four or more posts at the ends of the planting bed and drape shade cloth over the posts.
Also, keep the plants well-watered. Create small earthen basins around the plants and fill them with water; evaporation will help cool the plants. I am growing lettuce from seeds and they started very good however, they have stopped growing. I think i may have replanted them too soon.
What can i do to get healthy lettuce from this point? Plants will often stop growing when temperatures are too cool.
If you replanted your lettuce to the garden place a plastic tunnel over them or cut off the bottom of plastic milk jugs and place one over each plant. This will protect the plants from chilly nights and days. Protected the plants will resume growth as temperatures warm.
Check the seed packet of the variety you planted. It will likely tell you how long the vine will be, and how large a trellis you will need. You can let cucumbers grow across the ground, but a trellis is the best strategy. Train the vine up the trellis; this will keep the fruits off the ground and prevent rot from soilborne diseases.
Pests are more manageable grown on a cucumber trellis height that is comfortable for the gardener than when the plant grows along the ground as you can see them clearly on the flowers or the developing cucumbers and remove them.
It is easy to see beetles that may ordinarily remain hidden inside the flowers and then just shake them off into a bowl of hot soapy water; this would be almost impossible if the vine were on the ground. When the vines are trained to grow up a trellis, the leaves create an umbrella of foliage so that the cucumbers benefit from improved overall photosynthetic capacity and produce more energy from the sun.
Some varieties of cucumber develop male and female flowers on the same plant. These need cross-pollination, and this is usually carried out by insects, commonly bees. If insect cross-pollination is not occurring then by having your vines growing on a trellis, you will be able to carry out this task yourself more easily.
Use a soft, clean artist paintbrush to wipe the pollen from the male flowers onto the female flowers. There are many designs and styles of cucumber trellis, and the form you choose will depend on the position and size of your garden which will, in turn, determine the cucumber trellis height. If your garden bed is against a fence or wall, you can stretch wires or cucumber trellis net along the face of the wall.
Keep the wires or netting at least 4 to 6 inches high of the fence to allow the vine to wind itself in and out as it grows. Growing cucumber vines in an open area can also have the benefits of having a cucumber trellis installed. An open garden area trellis can be a variety of designs; the simplest form is to erect a pole at each end of the cucumber bed and stretch wires or cucumber trellis net between them, although this is not a stable design for supporting the vines at any great height.
Use this style for low height varieties of less than 3 feet. Build an A type frame that completely covers the cucumber bed to a height of 5 feet and stretch the wires or cucumber trellis net on each side. So, how high will cucumbers climb? Some cucumber varieties can grow as high as 6 to 7 feet tall, while other varieties will be less than one foot tall. However, any cucumber can only grow as tall as the trellis or support that it uses to climb. Without support, cucumbers will crawl along the ground, spreading out to take up a large space in your garden.
Cucumbers can grow as high as 7 feet tall, or stay shorter than 1 foot, depending on the variety and whether they are climbing with a trellis or other support. You can grow either vine or bush cucumbers, depending on your garden, the space available, and your preferences. This is the default type of cucumber, unless otherwise indicated in a catalog or at a nursery or garden center. Vine cucumbers will take up lots of space if they are allowed to crawl and sprawl across the ground.
However, if you support vine cucumbers with a stake or trellis, they can grow very tall and use garden space efficiently. Some vine cucumbers can get as tall as 6 to 7 feet. Bush cucumber plants take up very little space, needing only a few square feet per plant. You can also use grow bags for your cucumbers. For more information, check out my article on grow bags.
Whether you plant bush or vine cucumbers, you can grow them more easily by providing support. There are lots of ways to do this, but the most popular for cucumbers is probably a trellis. A trellis is one of the most popular ways to support cucumbers, and for good reason.
A well-placed trellis can improve the visual appeal of your garden, while also allowing your cucumbers to grow tall and take up less garden space. You can buy a trellis or make your own from any number of materials, including wood, plastic, or metal. An angled trellis allows your vines to grow to their full height without making it difficult for you to harvest the topmost cucumbers. As an added bonus, an angled trellis with cucumbers growing on top will provide natural shade to plants growing underneath.
If you like to grow shade-tolerant plants in your garden, they could be good companions to grow underneath a cucumber trellis.
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