Dead and dying cucumber plants

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EdieJ
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Location: North AL Zone 7

Dead and dying cucumber plants

#1

Post: # 27438Unread post EdieJ
Wed Aug 05, 2020 12:15 pm

In the space of a week, one right after another of my cucumber plants (grown in a 10" tall X 12' long planter box) wilted and died. The last one is on its last legs. :cry: It wasn't that they were too dry, nor was it bugs; I cut the stems open thinking it might be borers. What could have caused this and could I have prevented it somehow? Due to our longer growing season I think if I get more planted somewhere else I might still get more cukes. I am thinking clear on the other side of the house!
North Central AL (mountains)
Zone 7

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Labradors
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Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: Dead and dying cucumber plants

#2

Post: # 27441Unread post Labradors
Wed Aug 05, 2020 1:02 pm

Are you sure about the bugs? I'm thinking that those little tiny cucumber beetles transmit a wilt virus to cucumbers. I have them and they are BEASTLY! :(.

Linda

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pepperhead212
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Location: Woodbury, NJ

Re: Dead and dying cucumber plants

#3

Post: # 27442Unread post pepperhead212
Wed Aug 05, 2020 1:13 pm

Sounds like bacterial wilt. Almost every variety I have grown succumbed to this. County Fair is a variety available for years that has been resistant to this; little leaf is another, but it does not do well for me. This year, I tried another that has not succumbed to it, despite the fact that cucumber beetles - the carrier of the disease - are present: Wisconsin 58.
Woodbury, NJ zone 7a/7b

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ponyexpress
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Location: Mass, 6b

Re: Dead and dying cucumber plants

#4

Post: # 27443Unread post ponyexpress
Wed Aug 05, 2020 1:17 pm

At the community garden, I have 7 different plantings of cucumbers. 2 of them died with bacterial wilt that [mention]pepperhead212[/mention] gets. I think that's what it is. The plant looks healthy and then it looks like it's parched for water. The other 5 are still doing ok at this point.

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pepperhead212
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Re: Dead and dying cucumber plants

#5

Post: # 27449Unread post pepperhead212
Wed Aug 05, 2020 2:26 pm

[mention]ponyexpress[/mention] What are the varieties in the 5 surviving plantings? Are they producing well? I'm always looking for new resistant varieties!
Woodbury, NJ zone 7a/7b

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ponyexpress
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Re: Dead and dying cucumber plants

#6

Post: # 27455Unread post ponyexpress
Wed Aug 05, 2020 3:06 pm

pepperhead212 wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2020 2:26 pm @ponyexpress What are the varieties in the 5 surviving plantings? Are they producing well? I'm always looking for new resistant varieties!
I'll have to look at the tag when I get to the garden again. I think they are Marketmore, Straight Eight, and Lemon. The other two plantings, I don't know as a different community gardener did them.

THe ones that did not survive were Palace King Hybrid & Suhyo Long (both are similar Asian cucumbers). My friend has great luck in Suhyo Long. He picked 15 from his plantings this week. No diseases. This is a backyard garden with no nearby gardens. He's also out there constantly hunting/killing colorado potato beetle & cucumber beetles.

Next year, I'm going to try the beds at my house. Some community gardeners tell me that it's almost impossible to grow cukes in the community gardens because there are so many gardeners and diseases spread easily. Not sure how much truth is in that.

EdieJ
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Location: North AL Zone 7

Re: Dead and dying cucumber plants

#7

Post: # 27457Unread post EdieJ
Wed Aug 05, 2020 3:20 pm

OK the beetles are probably the culprit then. The only thing I was looking for was a sign of borers. We did not spray the plants with anything as they are interplanted with parsley and basil. Thank you for this info! Where I intend to plant the next round there won't be anything I need to worry about spray hitting as they will be in grand and glorious isolation. As long as the *#!$@%! feral cats leave them alone. They will be climbing up the front porch lattice for support.
North Central AL (mountains)
Zone 7

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