Your comments and tips

09 Mar 09, jenny (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I have three lovely healthy cucumber vines with lots of flowers but I never get any fruit, what should I do?

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10 Mar 09, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Hi Jenny, Cucumbers have male flowers and female flowers. (females have a mini cucumber behind the flower. Sometimes the bees are too few to get the pollen from the male flowers to the female flowers, so you can use a little paintbrush to take pollen from the male flowers over to the female flowers. If you don't yet have female flowers then wait a bit - the male flowers seem to come first. Applying a soluble complete fertilser with potassium seems to help bring on female flowers - or maybe this is coincidence.

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16 May 09, Jeff (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

We have successfully grown long cucumbers with over 2 doz picked in last month or so. But all of a sudden, we have these small black crawling insects attacking our bushes which are growing on a trelis. Any thoughts please

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17 May 09, Amanda S (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

An organic farmer handed me an old cucumber of his and said I could use it to grow my own. Being completely new to this I just dug a small hole and buried it. Should I have taken out the seeds and dried them or do you think this will work?

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27 Sep 09, Steph (Australia - temperate climate)

I've had cucumber seedliings that germinated with quite abstract looking seed leaves, though further growth was slow but normal in appearance. I'm wondering whether cucumbers dislike fertiliser in the soil at germination. I've been told beans dislike it at germination as well. Does anyone know about this or can offer any advice?

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02 Oct 09, Kate (Australia - temperate climate)

Why do my cucumber plants keep dying as seedlings. I'm lucky to keep one alive this year where as last year i couldn't give enough cucumbers away. They just seem to wilt and shrivel up. Any suggestions?

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11 Oct 09, Liam (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

What time is the best time to buy cucumbers?

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12 Oct 09, Wayne (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Hi Liam, I would buy cucumbers after the last frost. When the soil warms they are more profilic.

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02 Nov 09, Katja (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I have 2 cucumber plants growing quite well with lots of flowers and some cucumbers starting to grow. The older leaves are starting to get what looks like white bits of mould on them, and some of those 'mouldy' leaves are starting to turn yellow. Overall the plants still seem quite healthy but I don't seem to be able to control the mould. I always water them from the bottom and they are growing on mounds. They don't have full sun all day so their growing position isn't ideal. The same type of thing appears to be happening to my zucchini and squash plants (even those in pretty much full sun). Is there any way to stop the mould? Any tips much appreciated! : )

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04 Nov 09, SP (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi Steph, I just planted the seedling from the tray to the ground. I was using seasol to develop its roo. I have heard the fertilisers are strong and tender plants like cucumber doesn't like it.

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