Sometimes, we get a little impatient while waiting for our gardens to mature and provide us with fruit. It comes with the territory; all of that work done in anticipation of the exciting reward: a sweet, refreshing cucumber straight from the backyard, on a sweltering summer day. It's human nature. However, the problem isn't always a gardener's impatience.
Cucumbers can be plagued with many issues during the early growth stages- even if you've done your part to get them off on the right foot. Let's take a look at the various cucumber issues that cause the vines to grow slowly, delaying cucumber fruit production.
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| Young cucumbers just starting out- these are very healthy-looking plants. They're dark green, bushy, and have no damage. |
Take Note of Vine Health
When you look at your cucumber plants, is there anything that stands out, health-wise? If your plants look sickly, they could be afflicted with different problems.
If you see heavy insect damage, you have pests that are decimating your plants faster than they can grow. This prevents them from growing at a healthy rate.
If your leaves are yellowed, you're likely dealing with soil or fertility issues among your cucumbers.
If the plants are wilting or slowly dying off, there may be soil contamination (such as herbicide residue.)
If you see splotchy leaves, spots, areas that appear moldy or dusty, discoloration, and other symptoms, you may be dealing with disease (this isn't usually a problem among young plants, though.)
If the plants look green and healthy, you're likely dealing with young plants, cold mornings, or lighting.
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| Young cucumbers growing on a cattle panel trellis. |
How Old Are Your Cucumber Plants?
Cucumber plants can take some time to grow. If they're under 2 months old (slightly older if transplanted, to account for transplant shock) give them some more time to mature. There comes a point during a young cucumber vine's development where they go from slower growing seedlings, to ground swallowing goliaths. They'll seem to only grow an inch or two a week- then one day, overnight seemingly, they've gained another foot in length. This is a common pattern with many garden plants, especially annuals.
Insect Damage & Stunted Growth in Cucumbers
Insects can devastate cucumber patches, especially cucumber beetles. If the cucumber beetles are particularly bad in a given year, they will attack young cucumber vines and cause a lot of damage on the main stem. Once this stem sustains excessive damage, it may have a very difficult time growing; it could be permanently stunted. If your plants have excessive scarring around the main stem directly above the root system, consider replanting. These plants generally won't perform as well as a plant that was healthy as a seedling. Older cucumber plants have tougher stems, so they aren't as badly affected by cucumber beetles; rather, the beetles head for the foliage and flowers.
Other insects damage cucumbers as well; to determine whether there's insect damage, look for scarring, holes, or dried tissues. If you find damage, look for signs of insects on or around the plant. Once you identify the pest, you can use the pesticide of your choice that is effective against them. Low pest loads are a normal, healthy part of every garden. It's a great idea to avoid treatment unless you predict an infestation is going to happen soon. A handful of pests generally aren't going to slow a healthy plant.
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| This young cucumber has dark leaves, a sturdy stem, and is preparing to vine outwards and bloom. |
Soil Composition is Important
Soil composition can greatly affect a plant's health. If you used soil that's on the cheaper end, generally bagged topsoil, there's a good chance that there is no fertility to the soil. Complicating the issue is the high amount of wood waste that these products contain from forestry waste. Wood that is breaking down locks up nitrogen within the soil, which can be a big problem with soil that's already low in fertility. Low nitrogen tends to cause yellow leaves and slow (or no) growth. If this sounds like it may be a soil problem for you, try fertilizing with a balanced fertilizer, and adding compost.
NOTE: Another issue that may arise with soil is herbicide contamination. If you have an unusually low germination rate in a bed, and/or transplants that stall then slowly die (or put on strange growth), consider herbicide contamination. This problem has slowed in recent years, but it became a big issue during 2021 and it's still showing up for some of us on occasion.
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| First cucumber blossom on a juvenile plant that's about 8 weeks old. |
Type of Soil for Cucumbers
Cucumbers require soil that is fertile and well-draining. A decent garden bed mix will work wonderfully, as will a potting mix. The type of soil for cucumbers that you want won't contain excessive amounts of forest waste, like you see in cheaper bagged or bulk mixes usually labeled as topsoil.
Does Your Cucumber Plant Have Good Drainage?
If the cucumber plants are waterlogged, they might slow in development. If you're growing in a container, be sure that there are drainage holes. If you are watering daily, you may need to hold back on watering, especially if you receive rain once a week. Planting in low spots generally isn't a good idea, as water can pond in those areas. Cucumbers with wet feet may have issues with soil and root health; soggy soil can become anaerobic, and fungal infections love wet environments. Poor soil or root health can result in small, sluggish, and potentially sickly plants.
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| Cucumbers are vining plants, so it's important to build a structure for them to climb on. |
When to Fertilize Slow Growing Cucumbers
If your plants have well-draining, moist soil, and the plants have pale-colored leaves or other signs of deficiency, they likely need fertilizing. Other plants in the bed may have a pale color to them as well, and this would be evidence of poor fertility in the soil. If you have never fertilized the plants, this is a great time to do so. If you have used a poor quality of soil such as topsoil, you may consider mixing a couple of inches of compost into the top of the soil, while also using a slow-release fertilizer. You should deeply water these amendments in. You should see improvement in a week or so; you'll notice that the youngest, smallest leaves will have a darker green color to them.
Cold Weather Can Cause Slow Growing Cucumbers
Early in the season, most of us experience cold weather snaps. Sometimes, these snaps are enough to stunt development. There's not much that you can do about this; a few warm, sunny days will help to bring them out of this state. You can also delay initial planting by a week or two, but this likely won't make any difference in how long it'll be before you get a harvest from your cucumber plants.
Without full sun, cucumbers will not grow as quickly. A complete lack of sun (such as when planted in complete shade) may result in plants that don't grow at all it seems. If your plants aren't getting 6-8 hours of full sun per day, you're likely going to experience slower growth. If you cannot move the plants, try adding reflective surfaces to increase light exposure to the plant, and/or prune bushes, trees, or large plants that may be preventing the cucumber from receiving light.
If you have a trellis (you can diy a cheap cucumber trellis if needed), try encouraging the cucumber plant to grow up towards a sunny spot. If you're growing cucumbers in 5 gallon pots outside, or growing cucumbers in hanging baskets, move them to a sunnier location such as a south facing porch.
Best Place for Cucumbers to Grow
Now that we've talked about all of the ways to fix slow growing cucumbers, let's talk about the best place for cucumbers to grow. Your planting location is 90% of your success with cucumbers. You don't NEED fancy potting mix. You don't NEED a raised bed. You don't NEED expensive seeds or fancy gadgets. You simply need:
- A location with full sun, or at least 5-6 hours with a view of the southern sky to maximize sunlight.
- Soil that is both fertile and well-draining; I grow my cucumbers in native clay soil, with some compost. They thrive!
- A location without too many wood products, such as wood chip heavy topsoil; this can lock up nitrogen, causing issues with growth and development.
- Consistent and adequate moisture, you don't want to plant them at the top of a hill or beside a rocky area that may dry out quickly- you also don't want to plant them in a low spot where they'll become waterlogged.
- A location that doesn't have a lot of brush, weeds, or debris to prevent light competition and to keep pests from sheltering nearby (such as cucumber beetles and squash bugs.)
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| Cucumber plant blooming for the first time as a juvenile plant. |