Alright, it's been 2 months, and leaves have been dying, and holes have been popping up in the middle of nowhere.
I figured it might be because of the fact that I didn't water it a few times when the soil LOOKED dry, but alas, I hath found another issue!
There are little tiny green ickle bitty GRASSHOPPER looking things all OVER my gosh dang cucumber plant!?!!?!?!?
What is this blasphemy!
I've never seen grasshoppers around my house before, and all of a sudden they're like, "I WANT THE LEAVES ON YOUR CUCUMBER PLANT! RAWR!"
Oh, and there are aphid looking things too... Tiny lil green things...
But I've got 3 cucumbers on one of my cucumber plants! They're getting REARRY big!
My other plant has none that are getting big, but a bunch of little tiny tiny tiny ones... I have a feeling the creatures from hell have something to do with that.
So, I need solutions! I would be ever the more humble if I could receive some solutions from the almighty organic gardeners here at helpful gardener forums.
Please please please, and thank you thank you thank you.
<3
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Sage Hermit
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 532
- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:20 pm
- Location: Finlaysen, MN Coniferous Forest
Cucumber are not mt specialty however The more of these insects you destroy the better. Some have begun to use mostquito net tee pees or covers made of breathable mesh material. What really freakin helps is a mulch layer. You want that mulch there to retain more moisture and to keep the plant from touching the soil or getting covered in mud. This helps in many more ways.
Plants that are fed ACT " aerated compost tea " build a resistance to insects and pathogens. Learn more about ACT in the sticky threads above. Also head to the Also check out the insect/pathogen lobby.
Certain plants are susceptible to infestations and you should try and learn about the specific plants you are trying to grow and make a check off list as I do sometimes.
Example:
Cucumber 65 - 75°F, pH 5.5-7, sow 1/2 - 1"
Beets 60 - 65°F, pH 6.2 - 6.8, 55 to 70 days, sow 1/2", row 12-18", full sun
Beets grow here in MN well so the weather conditions favor them. My friend planted a herloom white cucumber that really looked good but was infested.
Another thing I do is check the weather updates often so I can keep track of the amount of sun/rain possible sever weather damage.
Love, SH
Plants that are fed ACT " aerated compost tea " build a resistance to insects and pathogens. Learn more about ACT in the sticky threads above. Also head to the Also check out the insect/pathogen lobby.
Certain plants are susceptible to infestations and you should try and learn about the specific plants you are trying to grow and make a check off list as I do sometimes.
Example:
Cucumber 65 - 75°F, pH 5.5-7, sow 1/2 - 1"
Beets 60 - 65°F, pH 6.2 - 6.8, 55 to 70 days, sow 1/2", row 12-18", full sun
Beets grow here in MN well so the weather conditions favor them. My friend planted a herloom white cucumber that really looked good but was infested.
Another thing I do is check the weather updates often so I can keep track of the amount of sun/rain possible sever weather damage.
Love, SH
The aphids are probably aphids. You can buy lady bugs, and set them on the job, or try a mix of Neem oil and Dr. Bronner's soap 10 parts water/2 parts Neem/ 1 part Dr. B. Spray at night, as sun on a Neem treated leaf will burn it. I don't think the grasshopper is of too much concern, unless you find a swarm of them. I second the mulching idea, as well.
Is plain old dish soap (Dawn) and water ok? If I spray it on with a spray bottle?
Will it hurt the plant or the vegetables in any way?
Also: One of the plants is yielding no cucumbers yet while another already has 5 cucumbers growing...
Any idea what's up with that?
The one that doesn't have that any cucumbers has 3 cuc plants in it (so does the one with 5...)... But the leaves look like they're dying more than other ones...
Will it hurt the plant or the vegetables in any way?
Also: One of the plants is yielding no cucumbers yet while another already has 5 cucumbers growing...
Any idea what's up with that?
The one that doesn't have that any cucumbers has 3 cuc plants in it (so does the one with 5...)... But the leaves look like they're dying more than other ones...
How can I tell if it's actually detergent or dish soap? It says it's dish soap >_>;;;;
Will it hurt the plant or the vegetables in any way?
Also: One of the plants is yielding no cucumbers yet while another already has 5 cucumbers growing...
Any idea what's up with that?
The one that doesn't have that any cucumbers has 3 cuc plants in it (so does the one with 5...)... But the leaves look like they're dying more than other ones...
Also: When pruning leaves and cucumbers from the plant... Should I just take off the leaf or cucumber itself? Or the whole stem that contains the leaf itself or the cucumber? (Where it attaches to the bigger stem)
Will it hurt the plant or the vegetables in any way?
Also: One of the plants is yielding no cucumbers yet while another already has 5 cucumbers growing...
Any idea what's up with that?
The one that doesn't have that any cucumbers has 3 cuc plants in it (so does the one with 5...)... But the leaves look like they're dying more than other ones...
Also: When pruning leaves and cucumbers from the plant... Should I just take off the leaf or cucumber itself? Or the whole stem that contains the leaf itself or the cucumber? (Where it attaches to the bigger stem)
The label on your bottle of Dawn says "soap"? That's interesting! The label on mine says "Concentrated Dishwashing Liquid."Niveus wrote:How can I tell if it's actually detergent or dish soap? It says it's dish soap >_>;;;;
The Spanish wording on the label says "Detergente Liquido Concentrado" which I believe translates as "Concentrated Liquid Detergent."
Detergents are quite harsh and can burn the leaves of plants. Get some real soap. Any good Castile soap should do fine, either bar or liquid form. Just carefully read the label before you use the product. Look for the actual word "soap."
Oooh, I didn't know about the Spanish writing... It says soap in English though :Z But now that you told me that -.- I won't use it again -.-; It worked though. I haven't seen the grasshoppers since...
However, I've come to another issue...
I think that my plants are dealing with "too hot" of weather... My backyard is maybe 5 degrees hotter than the other parts of my house, and that's where they are... And they're in the sun ALL day, rather than just part of the day...
The leaves are wilting... One of the plants in one of the pots died already, or rather... Wilted away...
Can wilted plants recover??
Is it the heat that's doing it? Or is something else wrong?
I checked for cucumber beetles in the dirt, but I couldn't find anything...
I don't know what else could be causing the problem.
However, I've come to another issue...
I think that my plants are dealing with "too hot" of weather... My backyard is maybe 5 degrees hotter than the other parts of my house, and that's where they are... And they're in the sun ALL day, rather than just part of the day...
The leaves are wilting... One of the plants in one of the pots died already, or rather... Wilted away...
Can wilted plants recover??
Is it the heat that's doing it? Or is something else wrong?
I checked for cucumber beetles in the dirt, but I couldn't find anything...
I don't know what else could be causing the problem.
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stella1751
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1494
- Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:40 am
- Location: Wyoming
I have cucumbers in the direct sun this year. They get from 10-12 hours of hot, dry sun each day. Yesterday the temperature was 95. You might get hotter where you are.
They're doing fine. Variety might play a role. Mine are Bush Champion, Slicemasters, and something I don't remember except that it was a salad type that is supposed to be less than 2' tall.
They're doing fine. Variety might play a role. Mine are Bush Champion, Slicemasters, and something I don't remember except that it was a salad type that is supposed to be less than 2' tall.