If your cucumber plant is hardened off properly and is still wilting, it could also be due to damage during transplant. There are several ways to damage cucumber plants during transplant. It is possible that your plant is wilting as a result of this damage. One type of damage that is easy to see upon closer inspection is bent or broken vines. If a vine is bent or broken, then all of the leaves on that branch could wilt and eventually die.
In this case, the plant may or may not survive. It is easy to damage the roots of a plant when you move it outdoors. This is especially true if the root system is well-established. Another reason that root damage occurs during transplant is overcrowded plants. When the roots of nearby plants get tangled together, it is almost impossible to pull them apart without damaging some of the plants.
To avoid overcrowding, thin your cucumber seedlings after they germinate. For more information, check out my article on thinning seedlings. When you leave enough space between seedlings, you reduce competition for water and nutrients. You also reduce the chance of disease and prevent the roots of nearby seedlings from getting tangled together.
Remember that you do not need to brush the soil off of the roots when you transplant a cucumber plant outdoors. Doing so only increases the chances that you will damage the root system.
Under watering may also be a cause of wilting cucumber plants. This wilting looks bad, but it serves to protect the plant during a dry spell.
This reduces exposure to sunlight, and reduces the water lost through evaporation. Usually, this happens after a prolonged drought. At that point, your plant is in real trouble! Under watering is more likely to be a problem if you live in a dry, sunny climate. It is also more likely if your garden soil drains quickly for example, sandy soil tends to drain fast. If your soil is dry, mix in some compost to help to retain water. Adding a layer of mulch over the soil will also help to retain water.
You can learn more about treating dry soil in my article here. Over watering is a common cause of wilting in plants. In fact, it may be even more common than under watering. But why does this happen? When the soil stays too wet for too long, the roots of the plant stay wet.
They cannot get enough air, and with too much water, they start to rot. Properly diagnosing the cause and treating it quickly can revive the cucumber and prevent many cases of wilt from turning into a death sentence.
Feel the soil near the base of the cucumber. Water immediately if more than the top 1 inch feels dry.
Provide the cucumbers with about 1 to 2 inches of water weekly, which is enough to keep the top 6 inches of soil evenly moist. Water more frequently in warm weather if the soil dries more quickly. If the soil feels wet or soggy, overwatering may be the wilt cause. Reduce watering and allow the soil to dry slightly.
Infected plants initially show wilting and drying of individual leaves. As the leaves wilt and shrivel, stems may dry out suddenly. Later, wilting spreads to entire branches and vines. Wilting will occur during the middle of the day during periods with high water stress. The vine may recover at night. Eventually, however, the entire vine will wither, collapse, and die. In partially resistant plants, symptoms appear as dwarfing, excessive blooms, and branching.
A good diagnostic test for this wilt is to cut a wilted stem near the base. Touch a knife blade to the cut and draw away from the cut. White to clear strings of the bacterial ooze will be strung out from the cut made on the infected plant to the knife blade. Further investigation may be necessary. The bacteria overwinter in the digestive system of the cucumber beetle. In the spring, bacterial wilt is spread from plant to plant through both the striped and spotted cucumber beetles that feed on cucumbers and other relatives of this family.
The bacteria are released through the insect excrement and move into host plants through the stomates and wounds, most likely the ones made when the insects feed. Insects ingest more bacteria as they feed on infected plants, and the cycle is repeated. Protect plants with netting. Prevent cucumber beetles from feeding and infecting plants by covering them with netting or porous fabric. These beetles can also spread the cucumber mosaic virus.
The spotted cucumber beetle is a similar yellow-green color but has 12 black spots. Spotted cucumber beetles feed on cucurbits cucumbers, melons, squash, pumpkins, and gourds and other plants. The larvae of both beetles are white with dark heads and posteriors and can be found in the soil under your cucumber plants.
The eggs are a bright orange-yellow. The best way to prevent bacterial wilt is to keep your plants healthy. Cucumber beetles prefer feeding on wilted plants, and wilted plants are already more prone to infection. Make sure your plants are well watered and well cared for. The bacteria need a wound, such as from a deep beetle bite or a tear, to enter through, so be careful not to damage your cucumber plants.
Other tips for controlling bacterial wilt include:. Unfortunately, if your vines become infected, they will need to be pulled and removed. There's no cure for bacterial wilt.
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