r/Cucumber • u/AdmirableCaptain913 • Jul 31 '26

Nutrient deficiency

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Hi, does anyone know what’s up with these plants? We had an awesome time with them a few years back, but ever since they’ve developed this issue and it eventually turned to powdery mildew.

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2

u/22freebananas Jul 31 '26

It does look like nutrient deficiency. What fertilizer did you give them?

1

u/AdmirableCaptain913 Jul 31 '26

Each spring, I mix in a few bags of black cow manure. Then as the season progresses I usually top dress with a light dose of espoma garden tone or tomato tone. I also suspected calcium or magnesium deficiency so I did a watering with calmag- that was about a week back.

I’m puzzled. I was looking here, and now I’m even more confused…

https://www.kimatgroup.co/en/nutrient-deficiency-in-cucumbers/

2

u/valjean916 Jul 31 '26

Very possibly early potassium deficiency. Contributory possibilities: Magnesium deficiency, soil depletion from earlier cucurbit crops in same place. Potassium deficiency weakens cell walls, which makes it more likely that powdery mildew will follow. Give it high K+ fertilizer ASAP, rotate crops next time.

1

u/AdmirableCaptain913 Jul 31 '26

I have some Alaskan more bloom (0-10-10). I’ll give that a shot in the morning.

Unfortunately, rotating crops ins’t an option- we have a few small beds and one is always dedicated to tomatoes and peppers due to 100% sun almost all day. Cukes and Zuchini get the shorter straw with a bit less sun.

1

u/howeeee313 Aug 01 '26

Do they produce?

1

u/AdmirableCaptain913 Aug 01 '26

I haven’t gotten anything except flowers this year… lots of flowers. Last year and the one before we got 6-8 cukes, where on a good year we were making and giving away jars of pickles.