While cucumbers are a popular and easy crop to grow, gardeners may face troublesome issues with this vine vegetable. It can be frustrating to patiently wait for cucumbers to mature, only to discover that the produce longed for, is deformed. What went wrong? How do you prevent it from happening again? The following are causes of misshaped cucumbers.
Weather Conditions
The most common reason for a deformed cucumber is because the weather is either too hot or too cold. Cucumbers are a popular and enjoyable summer vegetable, however too much heat can stress the plant and kill the pollen, causing deformation.
Evenly moist soil at temperatures above 16°C (60°F) are ideal for straight fruits to grow efficiently.
Cucumbers also tend to be stunted and more misshapen towards the end of the season when temperatures start getting colder.
Pollination Problems
After environmental stress, the next reason for malformed cucumbers is inadequate pollination. Pollen is at its best in semi-humid and warm conditions. If conditions are too dry or too wet due to rain, the pollination success rate can suffer and negatively affect cucumber development.
Hand transferring pollen can be done by taking a small paintbrush and gently swirling inside a flower, then move the brush to another flower. This is tedious but worth the time if natural pollinators are not available.
Insect Pests
Aphids, whiteflies, mites, thrips, and mealybugs are sap feeders that cause cucumbers to be deformed. Plants require honeybees, however low insect activity interrupts the pollination process, causing deformed fruits. Avoid using insecticides on food plants that rely on pollinators and start utilizing bug controls instead.
Insufficient Watering
Cucumbers are 95% high in water content thus requiring a lot of water to develop properly. Misshapen cucumbers will produce if watered inadequately or inconsistently throughout the growing season.
When plants do not receive sufficient watering, cucumbers may even develop a dark discoloration on the end, called blossom-end-rot.
Poor Nutrition
Cucumbers are heavy feeds and require a balanced diet to fruit properly. Deformities in cucumbers could be from insufficient nutrients in the soil from the start. Before planting cucumber seeds, amend the soil with mature compost a few weeks ahead of time, then add a side dressing as needed throughout the season. As cucumbers mature, they require less feeding.
While fertilizer is important to cucumber development, too much fertilizer can also cause deformed cucumbers. A long deep watering helps move fertilizer, from the surface where delicate plant crowns and tender roots can be damaged, into deeper layers where roots are not penetrating.
Tips when Growing Cucumbers
To prevent this vegetable from deforming, here are some effective solutions to implement when sowing:
Choose a site that has adequate drainage and fertile soil
Do not crowd your cucumbers too much – as a vine crop, cucumbers are not static and require a lot of space
Utilize a fence or trellis to reduce space and to lift the vegetable off the soil – vertical growth can help improve cucumber development
With the proper attention and care, cucumbers should develop its long, cylindrical shape, ensuring a supply all season long.