[Jsy Lou]

Hi all

I need some advice please!

I purchased some outdoor cucumbers about a week ago and planted them out.  I checked today and they are not looking too good, droopy and some of the lower leaves completely dead.  They are in a sheltered spot, full sun and have been watered regulary.  Is there anything else I can do to try and perk them up? 

[savbo]

as you may have seen from other threads, cucumbers don't have a great survival instinct. Might be worth easing off on the watering as they rot easily...

[Lee1978]

I think you maybe a bit to early in planting out as we are still seeing some cold spells on a night time. i have several cucumbers to go out but i will wait a few more weeks. You could try fleecing them up but chances are they will die sorry.
Lee

[madcat]

I'm assuming in Jersey that you haven't had a late frost and it is warm enough for them to be out?

Next, did you harden them off?  They will have been cosy in the grower's polytunnel and without hardening off - the cool nights, bright sun and wind will have come as a serious shock.  They would need some protection to recover - a fleece wrap at night and some protection from the wind during the day.

Finally if you did all that - one of mine got badly scorched last year, when I put it in full sun, after nominally hardening off, but it had not had 12 hours of bright sun ....    Could it be scorched or wind burnt?  If so, I would put some shading round them until they recover a bit.

Then it is a good general feed (tomato would be fine) in water to give them the omph to recover.

[Jsy Lou]

Yes, we havn't had any frost recently and fingers crossed that we are over it, its usually a good 5 degreese at night. 

We got them from a garden centre where they were left outside along with other veg so i'm presuming (hopefully not sounding too clueless) that this is the equilvalent of hardening off and we havn't had any problems with our other veg.

I may try sheltering them to see if that has any effect. thanks for the advice  , never grown them before, could it be something in the soil for example that could be affecting them?

[DD.]

5 Degrees is not warm for cucumbers. I would suggest at least 10 C.

You don't know how long these had been out for they need at least a week of proper hardening off (out during the day, in at night), when the temps are suitable.

[madcat]

As savbo & DD say, cucs are like sheep - their whole life purpose is to die as inconveniently as possible!    The only thing I have had more trouble with is sweetcorn...    

Garden centres make their money by churning stock as fast as possible, so they probably had been plonked outside with the other, tougher, veg and hadn't had any tlc. The shock wouldn't show by the time you collected (and paid for) them.    I would work on the principle that they haven't been hardened off and give them some protection while they recover. I would also wrap them in fleece overnight if it is getting down to 5 degrees.   

I don't know that there is anything in the soil that would upset them and not something else   .......  take that back, my parents swear that cucs can't grow next to / in the same soil as tomatoes.  Don't know why, but they always separate them or plant the cuc in a planter.  Maybe someone else knows more?  

[Yabba]

Tropical Blackpool beats Jersey!

Our overnight temps for last 3 nights have been 6, 8, 10

Only just sown my cucs though, enough ways for them to die without me helping them achieve it early

¥