I got a cucumber seedling earlier this summer and it grew exceptionally well at first. It produced a few cucumbers that were tasty by late June.
However, the plant has struggled to produce cucumbers recently. A timeline and notes:
- There was a heatwave for a while and it did not get much water while I was out of town for a few days. It was pretty wrecked when I got back. It bounced back but I suspect things could have started going downhill here, as it’s leaves never returned to their original deep green that usually signals good health.
- After it healed I arranged it so it would grow upward on one of those metal tomato supports as it was taking up a ton of space in the cage I have.
- The soil does not seem to be drying out. I am not overwatering it, it just doesn’t seem to soak up the water like my other plants anymore. I’ve poked some holes in the soil and drilled some of the side of the pot to increase airflow, but there have also been some intense rains. It makes me wonder if something is wrong with the roots, as all my other plants need to be watered every 1-2 days. It has yellowing leaves on the bottom.
- The plant has been producing cucumbers, there are probably 10 now over the plant, but they typically grow to the size of a small pinky then die out.
Any help here is welcome! I attached some pictures of the plant now, and when it was wrecked by the heat/lack of water
I had tomatoes that were struggling, and I just removed the yellow leaves, repotted them with more soil in a bigger pot, and they are happy. However as I understand it cucumbers are more sensitive so this is not an option.