Cucumber Problem - Ask Extension
All of my cucumber plants died. The main vine split at the ground level and there seems to be a scale on the outside, then over a 2 week period the l...
Knowledgebase
Cucumber Problem #878808
Asked July 25, 2024, 8:02 PM EDT
All of my cucumber plants died. The main vine split at the ground level and there seems to be a scale on the outside, then over a 2 week period the leaves all yellowed and the plant died. Thinking Squash vine borer I dissected a vine and found the portion above the split was normal. The issue does not appear related to weather. My first set of plants, I started from seed in my greenhouse and transplanted to the garden Memorial Day. By the end of June they were all dead. I replanted seeds directly in a different part of my garden. The same thing is happening. Help!
Summit County Ohio
Expert Response
William,
While I agree with Cindy that early growing conditions may have caused your stem split, it is more likely that your ongoing symptoms are caused by a pest such as cucumber beetle or slug. I’d check after dark to see what is chewing on the stems.
If you’d like to identify any potential diseases, you could get a plant to the Ohio State Diagnostic Lab to be tested (for a fee):
https://ppdc.osu.edu/submit-sample
Please let me know if you have further questions.
While I agree with Cindy that early growing conditions may have caused your stem split, it is more likely that your ongoing symptoms are caused by a pest such as cucumber beetle or slug. I’d check after dark to see what is chewing on the stems.
If you’d like to identify any potential diseases, you could get a plant to the Ohio State Diagnostic Lab to be tested (for a fee):
https://ppdc.osu.edu/submit-sample
Please let me know if you have further questions.
