Unhealthy cuke seedlings? - Ask Extension
Why do my cucumber seedlings appear unhealthy? They have some yellow on them.
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Unhealthy cuke seedlings? #868967
Asked May 17, 2024, 9:18 PM EDT
Why do my cucumber seedlings appear unhealthy? They have some yellow on them.
County District of Columbia
Expert Response
Hello Brianna,
Thanks for sending in your question. It's a bit hard to see what the problem is because your seedlings are still so small. Still, it's important to get a headstart on resolving any issues.
Things to consider include
- Making sure not to over or under water them
- Cucumbers need a lot of potassium and phosphorous, and an NPK fertilizer with a 2-4-6 ratio works well for them. Applying liquid fertilizer every two weeks can help.
- As far as the spots go, I'm not seeing any bugs in your pictures, but check the backs of the leaves carefully with a magnifying glass for spider mites or aphids. Both can just be rinsed off with a gentle spray from your kitchen sink sprayer if they are there. That's the most common source for spots like that on leaves. Rinse a few times in the next week or so if you do find bugs. One shot doesn't usually take care of all the bugs because there will be eggs present after the adults are washed off and they will hatch into a whole new problem if you don't repeat rinsing.
Here's a great resource for diagnosing what's wrong with cucumbers, from UMD.
Let us know if you still have questions.
Lesley
DC Master Gardener