Help Diagnose My Cucumber Problem!

UPDATE: See how I fixed this problem here!

Cucumbers were the very first vegetable plant I ever grew myself, back when the only outdoor space I had was a small balcony that only got 7 hours of sun each day. I started with cucumbers because they are versatile: eat 'em fresh straight from the vine, integrate them into summer recipes like cucumber yogurt sauce or salads, and pickle them in infinite ways to save for holiday gifts.

I've always had an easy time growing my cukes in the past, but this summer seems to be a cucumber blunder. The plants sprouted, vined, and flowered normally, but when they started to produce fruit, this is what I was getting:

WTF?

 

You can see the terrible progression from right to left: First, the cucumber seems to be growing a normal, consistent shape. The second cucumber from the right is normal at the tip, but it is beginning to bulge out and turn yellow at the other end. Finally, they all end up like the cucumber to the far left, spherical and bulbous. The longer I let them grow, the rounder they get.

Photo by Josh Roxas

My first thought was that I was letting them stay on the vine for too long before picking them so they were over-ripening. But when I picked a small nicely shaped cucumber, it was not fully formed inside, which you can tell by slicing it open and looking at the size and shape of the seeds.

When I sliced open the round yellow cucumbers, I saw a normal green color and seeds well on their way to becoming normal adult seeds. So the yellow cucumbers seem to be somewhat healthy at least- not full of bugs, not rotting, and not missing seeds altogether.

I used my old friend Google and found a lead that seems promising. Apparently cucumber fruit needs the nutrient Potassium in order to form correctly. A crop of misshaped fruit could mean the plant is lacking in Potassium. However, this puzzles me because I am using the exact same fertilizer that I've used in past years, one that contains a normal amount of Potassium along with Nitrogen and Phosphorous. So why would my nutrient levels be so drastically different this year?

It could be the soil I started out with. More likely, it could also be the pot. Cucumber plants don't like to get water on their leaves and flowers, so you're supposed to grow them in pots with good drainage and water the plant under the pot where the soil can suck in the water from below. I'm not growing my cucumbers in this type of pot because I ran out of them, and sticking to my "reuse and recycle" motto for FarmTina, I just drilled holes into a recycled plastic bucket with no water catch plate underneath. This is what I call "making it up as I go along". This time, I think it turned out to be a mistake.

It's too late to re-pot my cucumbers without traumatizing the plant, but I'm going to try a few other things. First, I'll make some ramshackle catch plates to put under the pots so I can start watering the plants properly. I'm also going to add a second Potassium fertilizer to go with the normal fertilizer I use on them regularly. The leaves are still growing and the vines are still wrapping, so I'm pretty sure I still have some time to fix my mistakes before the last of the fruit forms.

If you have any other ideas, I'd love to hear them. I'm frustrated with my cucumbers because I had already worked on perfecting them for years, so theoretically they should be a breeze this year. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

Comments

[Sharon]

Some other thoughts are over fertilization, and poor pollination. I would lean towards poor pollination, since the seeds are oddly distributed. And of course, cucumbers should be picked before they turn yellow.

I wish you luck. Cukes are so yummy right off the vine.

[Min]

Instead of adding commercial K, I suggest you cut up some banana peels and burry them around the plant.

Don't throw away yellow (ripe) cucumbers, you can make soup with it. Yellow cucumber soup can balance your Qi (chi) in the hot summer. The recipe is:
cut or whole yellow cucumbers, lean pork or spare ribs, two slices of ginger, put all in pot of water, let boil and then medium-low heat for 1 hour. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Better luck next time!

[Leif Sundstrom]

Another possibility is that you have a nitrogen deficiency. Plants become chlorotic and lose their green and go yellow when such a thing occurs. And this of course will augment the growth process and prevent physiological ripeness.

Also, is this the plain cucumber variety? Not a lemon cucumber plant? Because your inner flesh sure looks closer to that of most lemon cucumbers I've eaten.

Cheers!

and PS I can see your hammock.

[Mama Bean]

last summer was super wet where we are, and we had similar bulby and sometimes yellow cukes. we didn't trellis or lift the plants off the dirt in any way, and i think the complete wetness etc made the fruit take up extra fluid or something. they still taste okay, never made us sick, so we just let it be. hope that helps!

[Farmer Bill]

Hi Martina,
I think you are on the right track with Potassium deficiency. If you can find potassium nitrate (13.5-0-44) try it at 1 Tablespoon/gallon water. Also use your internet talents to find out where you can get BioFlora organic fertilizers without paying too much shipping. http://bioflora.com/products I have been using the Dry Crumbles 6-6-5+8%Ca. I have never seen any fertilizer work so well! All I have given some have felt the same. They have a similar Home&garden product GO72 Dry Crumbles. See if you can find it. If not I will send you some from CA when I get home next week. Love to see you so into this project. Bill

[Holly]

I'm so glad I found you! I saw your pictures and thought 'There they - are MY cucumbers!' I have the same problem. I have been very bummed -I tilled over most of my garden because it has been so wet, but was hoping to salvage my cucumbers (your water comments helped me). I haven't done much in the past on soil prep, but maybe I need to pay more attention. At least I am in good company with yellow/round cukes! I planted mine right next to the tomatoes and even thought pollination with the tomatoes was making them round! There's always next year...

[nancy grimes]

I am also glad to find this site. Because my cucumbers look just like the picture. I was told throw them out! But belive I will try the soup. Thank -you!!

[Mike Houser]

My Cukes look Exactly like your pic. Has anyone had this problem and been able to solve it? I have 8 vines that are all producing these odd shaped veggies. I wanted to do pickles this year, but my hopes are sinking.

[Vera]

I don't know about the deficiency theory. I have the same problem with 2 rows of cukes in my garden, whereas another row produces regular long cukes?? Although its reassuring to know I am not the only one, I am still puzzled, since they all have the same soil, watering and nutrients...

[Martina Fugazzotto]

Guess what... it's fixed! I figured it out! Check it out... http://www.farmtina.com/2010/08/cucumber-problem-fixed.html

[jan]

i am having problems with my cucumbers all the plants that i have are growing they get to a few inches high then they die off when i pull them out there are no roots on them can some one help r give a solution to the problem thank you.

jan

[Rose]

I have lots of cucumbers vines,lots of flowers , but dare it, it seems the fruit grows without me seeing it, by the time i see them they are large and yellow, and i look very other day. and some i caught are almost normal size but pale, never seen this before! what going on??? and the tomatoe are nest to them and the leaves are all turning yellow and dieing. help.

[Darcy]

Little bubbles are fine, I have them in much of the stuff I can. You don't have to worry too much about aiicdc foods like pickles & tomatoes & fruits. The USDA standards for canning (the ones in the Ball Book) are super safe. There are some old recipes I follow and I process things for less time than recommended, the USDA standards are often overkill, they do that because they want to make it foodproof.If one of your jars doesn't seal properly you'll know it, usually the top will get moldy, then you simply throw out the contents. I think the scariness of home canning is partly a myth emphasized by food makers so you won't can your own stuff. So, keep canning and you'll get more and more bold with each batch of stuff.

[Dan]

Nice lemon cucumbers you have there. Looks like incomplete pollination is your only real problem. A Q-tip will help you on this problem in future. Take a Q tip push it into the boy flowers then go to the female flowers and let the pollen go into the female flowers. You will need to do this daily till the flower dies. Female flowers are the ones with what looks like a mini version of the cucumber under the flower. Potted plants should be fed at least 1 month especially prior to flowering with a good liquid potassium/nitrate feed.

[Alan Grossberg]

Doubtful that it's a potassium deficiency or any specific nutrient...more likely related to poor pollination and excessive rainfall. Very rainy season here in seacoast New Hampshire...I have the same cuke problem...and so do most local farmers within 30 miles.