Give cucumbers the right conditions–warm, sunny weather and consistent water–and they will be one of your top producing garden crops.
To keep ahead of cucumber problems, pests and diseases, here is a troubleshooting list of possible cucumber problems with brief control suggestions.
Cucumber Problems and Solutions:
Plants are eaten or cut off near soil level. Cutworms are gray grubs ½- to ¾-inch long that can be found curled under the soil. They chew stems, roots, and leaves. Place a 3-inch paper collar around the stem of the plant. Keep the garden free of weeds; sprinkle wood ash around base of plants.
Small plants turn yellow and break off. Southern corn rootworm is the larvae of the spotted cucumber beetle (See below). Cultivate the soil before planting to expose larvae and interrupt the insect’s life cycle.
Leaves curl under and become deformed and yellowish. Aphids are tiny, oval, and yellowish to greenish pear-shaped insects that colonize on the undersides of leaves. They leave behind sticky excrement called honeydew which can turn into a black sooty mold. Use insecticidal soap.
Leaves turn pale green, yellow, or brown; dusty silver webs on undersides of leaves and between vines. Spider mites suck plant juices causing stippling. Spray with water or use insecticidal soap or rotenone. Ladybugs and lacewings eat mites.
Leaves yellow; tiny white winged insects around plants. Whiteflies will congregate on the undersides of leaves and fly up when disturbed. Remove infested leaves and the whole plant if infestation is serious. Introduce beneficial insects into the garden.
Coarse white speckling or stippling on upper surface of leaves; leaves may brown. Leafhoppers are green, brown, or yellow bugs with wedge-shaped wings. They suck the juices from leaves and stems. Use floating row covers to exclude bugs; spray with insecticidal soap.
Trails and tunnels in leaves. The leafminer larvae tunnel inside leaves. Destroy infected leaves and cultivate the garden to destroy larvae and keep adult flies from laying eggs. Cover crops with floating row covers.
Water-soaked blotches on leaves–not enlarging past leaf veins; water-soaked spot can appear on fruits Angular leaf spot or bacterial spot is a waterborne bacterium which causes irregular geometric patterns on leaves. Spots may turn yellow and crisp. Avoid wetting foliage with irrigation. Prune off infected leaves and stems. Clean up garden. Plant disease-resistant varieties. Rotate crops up to 2 years.
Holes chewed in leaves, leaves skeletonized; runners and young fruit scarred. Spotted cucumber beetle is greenish, yellowish, ¼ inch (7mm) long with black spots and black head. Striped cucumber beetle has wide black stripes on wing covers. Hand pick; mulch around plants; plant resistant varieties; dust with wood ashes.
Leaves have yellow specks that turn brown, then black; vines wilt from point of attack. Squash bug is a flat, shield-shaped black or brownish bug with a triangle on its back; it sucks juices from plants. Trap adults beneath boards in spring, hand pick and destroy.
Round white powdery spots and coating on leaves. Powdery mildew is caused by fungal spores. Spores germinate on dry leaf surfaces when the humidity is high; spores do not germinate on wet leaves. Common in late summer or fall but does not result in loss of plant. Avoid water stress. Pick off infected leaves.
Irregular yellowish to brownish spots on upper leaf surfaces; grayish powder or mold on undersides. Downy mildew is caused by a fungus. Improve air circulation. Plant resistant varieties. Rotate crops. Keep garden free of plant debris.
Mottled, distorted leaves. Mosaic virus causes leaves to become thickened, brittle, easily broken from plant; plants are stunted and yields are poor. The virus is spread from plant to plant by aphids and leafhoppers. Remove diseased plants. Remove broadleaf weeds that serve as virus reservoir.
Knots, galls, or swollen beads on roots; plants wilt; poor yield. Nematodes are microscopic worm-like animals that live in the film of water that coats soil particles; some are pests, some are not. Root-knot nematodes feed in the roots and stunt plant growth. Most common in sandy soils. Rotate crops. Solarize the soil with clear plastic in mid-summer.
Plants wilt and die beginning with crown or older topmost leaves. Verticillium wilt is a soilborne fungus. Light brown streaks can be seen in stem split lengthwise. Rotate crops. Avoid soil previously planted in cucumbers and family members, potatoes, peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes.
Vines wilt suddenly and die starting with one or two leaves. Bacterial wilt clogs the circulatory system of plants. It is caused by bacteria that live in cucumber beetles and is seen often where the soil stays moist. Remove and destroy infected plants before the disease spreads. Control cucumber beetles with rotenone or sabadilla. Wash hands and clean tools with a bleach solution.
Plants are stunted and yellow; runners gradually die. Fusarium wilt is a fungal disease which infects plant vascular tissues. Fungal spores live in the soil and can be carried by cucumber beetles. Plant disease-resistant varieties. Rotate crops. Remove and destroy infected plants. Fungicides are not effective
Water-soaked spots–sunken, brown or black–on fruit. Belly rot or bacterial spot or blight. Remove and destroy infected fruits. Remove all plants and plant debris at the end of the season. Promote good drainage adding organic materials to planting beds. Avoid over-head watering. Rotate crops. Stake or cage plants to keep fruit off ground.
Water-soaked or pale green spot on leaves that turn white; fruit cracks. Scab is caused by soilborne bacterium. Disease can be cosmetic. Plant resistant varieties. If scab occurs, change varieties next year. Sulfur may be worked into soil to make it slightly acid and reduce disease.
Early flowers don’t set fruit. A couple of possible reasons: (1) the first flowers to appear are male; female flower appear next. Fruit is produced by female flowers. Wait until female flowers appear and are pollinated. Plant all-female (gynoecious) cucumber hybrids–a few male plants will be added to the seed mix. (2) There may not be enough pollinators, mostly bees, to carry the pollen from male to female flowers. Pick off male flowers and dust the pollen into the female flowers.
Plants produce few fruits, mostly foliage. Plants are likely spaced too close together. Space plants at recommended distances, 8 to 12 inches apart. Plant spaced too close or too far apart yield fewer fruits as a result of poor pollination.
Plant fruit but then stop fruiting. Pick fruit as soon as it is the right size to use. This will allow the plant to put energy into additional fruit production. If you fail to pick mature fruit, the plant will quit producing.
Fruit tastes bitter. Uneven watering will cause plants to produce bitter compounds that affect taste. Uneven temperatures–swings of temperature by 20° or more–will do the same. Keep the soil evenly moist and mulch to conserve soil moisture. Grow varieties that do not turn bitter: Marketmore 70 is a bitter-free cucumber.
More tips: How to Grow Cucumbers.
If you’re new to growing cucumbers (Cucumis sativus), you might be shocked to find that the cucumbers on your plants don’t look like the ones you see in the shop.
Cucumbers range in size and shape from long and thin to short and blocky, depending on the kind. So, it can be a surprise when you expect to be eating fresh cucumbers of a regular shape.
Slicer cucumbers, also known as long slender cucumbers, reach 8 inches and a diameter of 2 inches in the grocery shop. Pickling cucumbers grow small and blocky, ranging from 5 to 6 inches depending on the variety.
Pickling cucumbers are plump and crisp, and they can be eaten raw or pickled. Other cucumber types provide spherical cucumbers around the size of a baseball. Cucumber plants can produce undersized or fruits of a peculiar shape because of weather, bee population, or stress.
Pollinating insects handle the activity of plant pollination in the growing season, and lack of it can lead to fruits not being at the expected length and not being dark green as usual.
In our guide, you can learn why do cucumbers grow round without too much length? By the end, you’ll know more about why you get short, fat cucumbers that are funny shaped rather than the slender ones you are used to, and what you can do to help prevent short and fat cucumbers.
What Kind of Cucumbers Are Short and Fat?
Unless you know right from the start what cucumbers you are growing, there are a couple of types that are distinct shapes. (Read Cucumber Leaves Turning White – What To Do)
This tennis ball-sized cucumber has a peculiar shape; lemon cucumber is round and yellow and makes a great serve for one or two people.
Lemon cucumbers do not possess a lemon taste. Rather, they have thin, tender skin with a milder flavor than ordinary cucumbers. This is a cucumber that is commonly found in ethnic Indian markets.
A short and fat cucumber could be a pickling cucumber. Pickling cucumbers can be grown for raw eating, but they taste bitter, although you can put them in salads.
The type of cucumber plant you’re growing has a significant effect on the size and shape of the fruit.
Slicers cucumber fruits reach 8 inches and a diameter of 2 inches. They’re the long, slender cucumbers you’ll find at your neighborhood supermarket. But, as we’ve seen, there are even types that yield round cucumbers.
However, there are a few other reasons why cucumbers produce misshapen fruit.
Watering
Cucumber plants require a lot of water to thrive. And if they don’t get enough, the size of the cucumbers will be affected. You’ll see cucumbers beginning to wilt in the sunlight, which is the most evident sign of a lack of water and will lead to misshapen fruits.
- Water your plants at least twice a week.
- With your finger, feel the top inch of the earth. It’s time to water them again if they’re dry.
- Cucumbers require about 1-2 inches of water every week to thrive.
- Soak the region around the plant’s base with enough water to soak the top 8 inches of soil, which contains most roots.
Insufficient water is one of the significant reasons for malformed cucumbers. In addition, moisture stress from improper watering takes its toll throughout the growing season as a cucumber starts developing fruit.
Nutrients
Cucumber plants require a lot of food during the growing season. Cucumbers that lack crucial nutrients might become short and stubby; cucumbers who receive too much fertilizer can become misshapen. In addition, cucumbers require less nourishment as they grow older.
If you’re growing in rich soil, fertilizer may not be required first. Instead, a few weeks before planting, add compost and organic mulch to the soil to help it absorb the nutrients needed.
However, if your plants aren’t developing with a regular cucumber’s shape because of nutrient deficiency, give them a suitable fertilizer like you have yellowing leaves.
Cucumbers require phosphate, potassium, and nitrogen to reach their maximum potential. As a result, look for a fertilizer with NPK values of 5-5-10. You can also add some used coffee grounds to add more nitrogen. (Read Do Cucumbers Need To Be Refrigerated)
Growing Environment
It’s also crucial to consider where you’ll be growing cucumber plants. Cucumber plants thrive in light, well-drained soil that receives lots of sunlight.
You can quickly end up with deformed cucumbers because of a lack of sunlight and temperatures below 50°F.
Besides this, hot temperatures above 95°F can be harmful and lead to deformed cucumbers. Fruit size, quality, and yield are all reduced by too high temperatures.
What Makes Cucumbers Grow Round Instead Of Long?
Pollination issues can arise from various sources, and if cucumber flowers aren’t completely pollinated, it might lead to disease.
Hot weather during blossoming can destroy pollen, resulting in poor pollination. In addition, the cucumber can become asymmetrical or stunted if the female bloom does not get enough viable pollen.
Poorly pollinated cucumbers swell at the stem end but cannot reach the desired length. Cucumbers with insufficient pollen the cucumber may deform when the blossom end may twist or curl, resulting in fat, weird-shaped cucumber fruits.
Bees are the principal pollinators of cucumbers; therefore, a shortage of them could cause problems with pollination. In addition, pollination may be intermittent without a sufficient bee population, resulting in deformed or stunted fruit output.
If the female flower does not get enough viable pollen, the cucumber may become asymmetrical, or the fruit may be stunted. Cucumbers that haven’t been pollinated well swell at the stem end but don’t grow fully.
Most cucumber plant types are self-pollinating, meaning they produce both male and female flower heads on the same plant.
Alternatively, you can hand-pollinate your cucumber plants to ensure effective pollination.
Similarly, why aren’t my cucumbers growing? You can use the small cucumber at the base of a female flower to identify it. These are not present in male blooms. If fruit does not form despite female flowers, it may be because of a lack of pollination.
When cucumbers get overripe, the chlorophyll-based green hue diminishes, resulting in a yellowish tint rather than the dark green you usually see, and your cucumber may develop lopsided.
Cucumbers get bitter as they grow, and you should not eat yellow cucumbers. In addition, a virus, too much water, or a nutrient imbalance can cause a yellow cucumber.
The cucumber plant may generate both male and female flowers since it is self-pollinating. Cucumbers can form once pollen from the male flower reaches the female flowers.
Male flowers are frequently the first to bloom on cucumber plants. Therefore, attract pollinators such as bees, moths, butterflies, and birds to transfer pollen from male flowers to female flowers. (Read What Makes Cucumbers Bitter)
The issue arises when pollen is not transferred from the male flower to the female bloom throughout the growing season because of improper pollination. Before the fruit can set, the blossoms will twist or die. Cucumbers will develop lopsided and plump, resulting in fat, nubby cucumbers. Poor pollination could cause a thick fruit near the stem but a tiny fruit near the tip.
Disease and Pests
Diseased plants cause reduced fruit production and misshapen or stunted fruit. For example, cucumber plants with the cucumber mosaic virus have limited development and malformed fruits.
Aster yellows, a virus-like disease, also cause malformed cucumber fruits. Both are spread by insects like aphids, leafhoppers, spider mites, and cucumber beetles and are challenging to treat once symptoms appear.
If there aren’t too many insects, hand-picking them from the plants and hosing them off the vines can help. Apply horticultural soap or neem oil to keep them away.
Fungal diseases like Anthracnose and Belly Rot, for example, thrive in warm, humid environments. Prevention is the best option because it’s tough to heal the plants once they’ve been infected.