Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Growing in Greenhouses & Polytunnels => Topic started by: hubballi on June 28, 2011, 18:55
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I have a greenhouse cucumber in a large pot which is fed and watered with comfry. The top of the plant always looks healthier but towards the bottom the leaves just got yelling, curly and dry. Then the forming cucumber that are minuscule end up going very thin where it comes off the stalk and withers. Please do9n't say I am not watering as I do every day. The greenhouse gets very hot over 40oC in the sun but with shading there is nothing more I can do.
courgettes are similar. The forming fruits go thin where it comes off the plant and the whole thing withers. Fed and watered as above.
Very discouraged :-(
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Any sign of mites?
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No, no mites. Plenty of aphids and whitefly but not on the cucumber.
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I suspect that it's simply too hot in the greenhouse - 40*C will stress out any plant. Courgettes are frequently grown outside so might be even more susceptible to the heat?
As this is greenhouse growing I'm going to move it over to the growing in greenhouses forum for further info :)
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When very hot, open as many doors, windows etc as possible. If a greenhouse perhaps you could remove some of the glass.
In previous years I have installed a circulating fan to keep the air moving, hubby wired up a computer fan with long cylinder of plastic to draw up some cooler air from base of greenhouse.
Also I spray down the floors etc with cool water to add to the humidity.
I have also used shading netting to shade the plants. All a hassle I know!
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If its in a pot maybe you can move it to a cooler spot.
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I've never grown courgettes in a greenhouse, they do OK outside in most places.
I always grow cucumbers in the shadiest part of the greenhouse. Are you watering too close to the stem? I've found that cucumbers easily rot-off if the water gets to the bottom of the stem. I plant them inside a bottomless pot and water outside the pot so that the water doesn't get to the stem
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I have a yellow courgette and for the last 10 weeks I have had the same fruit the same size not getting any bigger. Also, why do other fruits develop only to rot at the tip ? Very frustrating :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
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Have you tried hand pollinating them?
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Out of about 7 plants I have had one successful courgette and that was the yellow type that stayed the same size on the plant for over 2 months. I thought they were supposed to get bigger. All my other plants have produced promising fruits only to either shrivel before they get going or go soft at the tips and rot, even without the flower. It's like they are cursed.
The cucumber again has produced nothing so far and it's season is over. Good quality compost + comfry feed + correct watering = bad results=not bothering with them next year :mad: :(
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You didn't answer DD's question. Did you hand pollinate them? They sound as if the were not pollinated, same as the ones on mine and everyone elses that produced fruit that shrivelled. They are not cursed, just starved of male attention. ;) As for the courgette that stayed the same size for two months I don't believe that this is possible. You must be mistaken, just like I said when you mentioned this before.
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hubballi,
I've sent you a PM to arrange a home visit from one of our members to advise you. It's in mid August. Please answer the PM. :)
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Ok Sally, that sounds good.
I don't need to hand pollinate them. They are outside and we have plenty of bees and hover flies. I can assure you the yellow courgette was there for that time the same size.
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Hubballi, courgettes that shrivel before they get growing and get soft at the tip havn't been pollinated. You ignore any attempt to help and do what you want to do anyway. What is the point of asking if you ignore the advice given about hand pollinating?
Photos would help to determine absolutely what the problem is.
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But they are outside so surely they don't need hand pollinating if the hover flies and bees are coming in, Or am I wrong ?
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(http://bestsmileys.com/fainting/1.gif)
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If your courgettes aren't setting properly then obviously the bees are not doing the job are they?
They may be there, but they're not doing what you want them to do! or you would have courgettes by now.
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I always pollinate my squashes by hand because although I seem to have a reasonable number of bees and hoverflies they don't seem that keen to crawl around inside my particular squash flowers, and I hate to see nice females going to waste. ::)
An unpollinated fruit will initially start to grow but will eventually rot off (how quickly depends on how wet the conditions are.)
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Ok, point taken. I shall have a go at that.
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Well I do hope it works for you -- it does for me :D
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No, it hasn't worked ALL fruits are still rotting. Still not a single successful fruit in all the plants. Pots, in the ground, different compost >:(
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Do you keep soaking them well?
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I water every day to keep moist.
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I would suggest you keep the leaves and fruit dry and just water the soil
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Yes, that's what I do. The leaves are very yellow. I did feed with liquid chicken manure a while back so they should be greener. They are in deep pots in good B and Q compost (though I fail to see the great benefits of this brand from all my results this year)
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The thing about growing in compost is that it has completely run out of nutrients after 6 weeks growing. so containers need regular weekly feeding with a liquid feed or regular dosing with slow release fertiliser like Growmore or Blood Fish and Bone.
The occasional feed just won't be enough for things to grow well.
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I tried growing courgettes in the greenhouse with no success but now I have an allotment I grow them there and have more fruit than I know what to do with. I haven't had problems with cucumbers in the greenhouse but I do keep the door and windows open during the day.
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Yes, that's what I do. The leaves are very yellow. I did feed with liquid chicken manure a while back so they should be greener. They are in deep pots in good B and Q compost (though I fail to see the great benefits of this brand from all my results this year)
What size are the pots ?
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No, it hasn't worked ALL fruits are still rotting. Still not a single successful fruit in all the plants. Pots, in the ground, different compost >:(
Sometimes even when I hand pollinate it doesn't work, the fruit still rots off and sometimes even after its got quite big. I blamed it last year on the nasty weather (up here - whilst the rest of the country baked) but the same has happened this year too.
Was giving up on pumpkins/squash this year too but have seen today two fruit appear to have set, without my assistance, as I haven't had time this week, and its been a damp week. I am now wondering if the plant aborts the first few fruits, pollinated or not, as it knows it isn't big enough to get all the energy it needs to feed the fruit. My pumpkins have had a real growth spurt this week so may now be big enough to support the growing fruit. Its probably a completely incorrect theory, but what I guess I'm saying is don't give up, things may come right yet! :)
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I like that theory 1st timer.
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But they are outside so surely they don't need hand pollinating if the hover flies and bees are coming in, Or am I wrong ?
I gave up with cucumbers in the greenhouse and now grow Marketmore outside - it seems to do well with little attention in a south facing bed. I have never considered courgettes in the greenhouse they are best outside too even in the North East.
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i planted three plants in the ground in the polly tunnel.they done so well ive had to give away loads .we have had hundreds.next year it will be one plant :blink:
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I have yet to have a single cucumber on my greenhouse plant. In a 5 ltr pot with good compost, feeding and watering. Tiny tiny cucumbers start to form and then wither patheticly :wacko:
As for the yellow courgette. One more has formed and has stayed the same size for 2 weeks. It's about 2 inches long.
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Cucumber now withered and died :(
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Cucumber now withered and died :(
What kept you?
Mine died two months ago! :( :(
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We have courgettes coming out of our ears, as for cucumbers the traditional ones have done OK ish?? But we had 1 Crystal Lemon plant and that has been amazing!! Never had much luck with cucumbers before, but we have had about 8 of this one plant and plenty more coming :D :D
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Our Crystal Lemon (2 plants) have been extremely productive this summer (3 more cucs picked today). :D Just as well really, as we have suffered weather-related great lack of success with other crops. :( The Marketmore plant has only just started cropping, so we're not likely to get too many cucs off it now, so late in the season. ::)