Hydroponic Cucumber help!?
I am having a little trouble with my indoor hydroponic cucumbers (Boston pickling). Heres the info…
Room temp. is 79-83 I’m using a 10g recirculating bubble-ponics system with 30mins on 30mins off feeding cycle on using GH nuits in the "transition to blooming" cycle. Lighting is tube florescent 1/2 65k 1/2 27k. If the picture below wont work heres whats happening… Some of the lower leaves are starting to turn light green and spotting w/dry brown spots. the more sever leaves are dry and brown in large spots curing up and eventually dieing… It resembles heat stress or not being watered enough…. however I cant believe this as the new growth is CRAZY! these plants are growing and climbing at about 6in a day, and the new growth is lush and green. Roots are healthy looking and very large. I may be feeding them too much as cucs don’t really like too much water, however bubble-ponics are usually on all day…
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Filed under: Hydroponics
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If the new growth is healthy and vigorous, and the vines are flowering and setting fruit, what’s the problem? Cucumbers and other cucurbits like squash naturally drop lower leaves as the vines grow. They’re often overshadowed by top growth and more susceptible to powdery mildew and other diseases, so the plants "quarantine" them by shunting nutrients to newer growth. This prevents fungal diseases from entering the vascular tissues and infecting the entire plant. Once the plants start fruiting heavily, they stop defending lower leaves and you’ll see more bacterial spot and other diseases. Just cut off the offending leaves, if you don’t want to look at them.
You may also want to check the undersides of the leaves for spider mites, aphids, or thrips. These sucking insects often pave the way for bacterial or fungal infection of the leaves.
For more information on growing cucumbers, see
http://www.grow-it-organically.com/growing-cucumbers.html