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Cucumber leaves

ChriscoreChriscore Posts: 155
in Fruit & veg
I have noticed some of my leaves are turning white at the edges and then gradually the rest of the leaf it then becomes dry and brittle. I have recently put them in their final pots and have been hardening them off the last 4/5 days here in south west uk.  I read somewhere it could be under watering but i have been watering daily does anyone know the cause? This isnt powdery mildew i have had that previous years and this is different. 
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  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    I'm going to bump this along as we have exactly the same on our indoor cucumbers - burpless or La Diva - can't remember which.  It is approx the same size as this one of Chriscore's, although we don't have straw in the pot, should we?
  • loveunrequitedloveunrequited Posts: 33
    It does look like some sort of fungal issue, not sure what the advice is with fungus sprays and edible plants though. Have the leaves been wet at all? ive has an issue lately with sun scorch and the edge of some of the leaves on my plant look like yours but the first picture looks fungal to me. Hope you figure it out! 
  • loveunrequitedloveunrequited Posts: 33
    Meant to also say, do you have them mixed with rotted manure? if the manure isn’t rotted sufficiently then excess nitrogen can cause weird issues. Could be a combination of issues.  
  • ChriscoreChriscore Posts: 155
    Guernsey Donkey2 said:
    I'm going to bump this along as we have exactly the same on our indoor cucumbers - burpless or La Diva - can't remember which.  It is approx the same size as this one of Chriscore's, although we don't have straw in the pot, should we?
    The straw is for two reasons : So that when it fruits the lower laying fruit wont rot when it comes into contact with the wet soil and also so that when it rains wet soil wont get on the leaves/stem as this can promote disease.
  • ChriscoreChriscore Posts: 155
    loveunrequited said:
    It does look like some sort of fungal issue, not sure what the advice is with fungus sprays and edible plants though. Have the leaves been wet at all? ive has an issue lately with sun scorch and the edge of some of the leaves on my plant look like yours but the first picture looks fungal to me. Hope you figure it out! 
    The leaves haven't been wet as i have not left them outside yet still in hardening off process. 
  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    Wet leaves - yes.  whilst I was growing the cucumbers in 3" pots I would have watered and sprayed from above.  Thanks for explaining the reason for the straw - we try not to let our lowest cucumbers touch the peat mix for the very same rotting reason.
  • ChriscoreChriscore Posts: 155
    Just as an addition to this post i was wondering if some of my cucumbers are beyond saving/success as if they are i will use the pots/supports for something else. Here is what one of them is looking like now.. 
    As you can see there is a couple of small green top leaves but the bottom ones are dead and i had to remove a few so its quite sparse right now. 
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    There are a number of fungal diseases that cucumbers are susceptible to, but I agree with Philippa, I think its sun scorch... paling leaves going dry and brittle is exactly what happens. Cucumber leaves are delicate and they need to be protected from direct light with shade netting or be in the shade of other plants, especially during the hardening off stage when they are young and tender. They like a continuously and consistently moist soil and I wouldn't have put straw on them at all at this stage, but just water carefully so you don’t splash the leaves (your inserted plastic bottles will do this perfectly) and lift the lower leaves off the soil with a few strategically placed sticks.

    There are pros and cons of using straw. Straw in direct contact with the consistently damp soil cucumbers need may go mouldy and start to decompose, hide all sorts of pests and potentially cause stem rot and the onset of fungal disease. If you want to use straw, it should not be in contact with the plant stem and you would be better placing it over your network of sticks to support the lower fruits, only when you have fruit and its grown large enough to need a bit of protection.

    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I can see you have a hi-tec watering solution for the compost :) and you give other reasons for the straw, but I'd be a bit concerned that the straw is keeping the crown of the plant humid (or wet if it rains), and cucumbers are prone to, and will succumb to crown rot, maybe an idea to keep a couple of inches clear of straw around the bottom of the stem.

    The leaves look like they've been scorched somehow and in the last pic, there's a bit of stem that looks very pale, which may be a sign of something fungal.
    The chilly nights we've had of late won't have helped, but forecast is for warmer nights, so if they're generally ok they may well pick up

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • ChriscoreChriscore Posts: 155
    Thanks for the advice guys, i have decided to move some of the straw away from the plant itself as suggested. Going to keep my fingers crossed for now that they recover.
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