2nd Farm 12XL (Cukes, Zebras) ENDED

[lynnee]

Like the Fairy Tale eggplants, the Mini Munch cukes like to hide away under the leaves. The one on the left is waaay past the "munch" stage. We'll have it sliced for dinner tonight.

[lynnee]

The extra-large Mini Munch tasted great after all. I really love these gals.

[Shawn]

Mini Munches are good! 

[lynnee]

The cuke is still producing cucumbers, but I'm baffled as to how it decides to direct its energy to individual fruits. Again today I discovered an extra-large cuke (the size of a giant dill pickle). It was certainly edible but much more bitter than the 3"-4" minis.

The fruits seem to develop at the sides of the Farm 12, alongside the vertical chrome supports. They also develop in tight places (between the supports and the wall), and underneath the leaves.

Is this a normal pattern for the Mini Munch?

[maskedsonnet]

I discovered a cuke growing wedged between the table my farm is on and the wall, and I actually had to move the table out a bit to get it out, it had grown around the table edge. After that I was more diligent about keeping the vines off the table/floor and forcing them all up in the trellis lines. I didn’t really notice much of a pattern on where they grew, but scrolling back through photos they did stay out on the edges. Maybe they need some air circulation to grow well?

[lynnee]

Mar 9, 2022 20:08:42 GMT -5 maskedsonnet said:

I discovered a cuke growing wedged between the table my farm is on and the wall, and I actually had to move the table out a bit to get it out, it had grown around the table edge. After that I was more diligent about keeping the vines off the table/floor and forcing them all up in the trellis lines. I didn’t really notice much of a pattern on where they grew, but scrolling back through photos they did stay out on the edges. Maybe they need some air circulation to grow well?

Could be that they're after air circulation--the big leaves really fill up a Farm 12XL! Next time I'm going to keep closer tabs on where the vine and its branches are going. My vine is so tangled now, it's hard to prune out the dead stuff without cutting something vital.

The giant cuke that I found today did something similar to your wedged one--it was resting atop the added wire trellis at the top back corner, and growing around the support post, wedged between the post and the wall.

[maskedsonnet]

Lol maybe they just like to make themselves into fun shapes!

[lynnee]

This morning, after finding another big, fat cuke, I decided to figure out exactly how the Mini Munch vine grows. The first thing I learned was that the leaf stems are actually bigger around than the supporting vines. That's why the vines are so hard to track unless you're really looking for them.

There is only one Mini Munch plant in this Farm XL. It's in a back row pod, at the far left. By feeling along a vine that had a lot of blossoms with fruit that was beginning to dry up, I was able to pull out a 6-foot branch.

The photos show the Farm XL with the pulled-out vine on the floor in front.







The closeups show the point where the branch starts (circle), the pod at the rear (arrow), and the growing tip of some other branch that is still in the tangle in the Farm 12 (arrow).





To be continued ....

[lynnee]

This 6-foot branch was removed to improve air circulation, and for study. The branch has a few blossoms that are just starting to develop fruit, but a lot of blossoms that are starting to dry up.

When a blossom (and its potential cuke) is done for, the blossom stem first turns dark in the middle of the stem that attaches it to the vine (see lowest blossom in third photo). When the blossom is completely dried up, it feels almost like wire, and needs pruners to cut it free.







It's still a mystery why the mature cukes develop at the left and right sides of the Farm 12XL. Seeking air? More trellis support? More shade/privacy beneath the leaves?

[Sher]

lynnee, that is textbook worthy!  Thank you for going to the trouble to photograph it.

[lynnee]

Mar 10, 2022 17:50:45 GMT -5 Sher said:

lynnee, that is textbook worthy!  Thank you for going to the trouble to photograph it.

Thanks, Sher! I wanted to document the way the Mini Munch grows, so that I can hopefully prune the next planting to get increased production. Those cukes are so tasty!

[Shawn]

I agree with Sher, thanks for the lesson

[lynnee]

Today I sorted out the cucumber-vine tangle. Removed a couple of spindly branches, and re-hung the vines with one main stem in front and one in back. We'll see whether the plant likes this or not!

 There are at least 3 growing tips left, all somewhere near the top. The air circulation should be better, and I should be able to spot the developing cukes more easily.

[Sher]

Good job, lynnee. No more impenetrable jungle! 

[Shawn]

OMG.  that looks amazing

[lynnee]

Today I did a "lazy" R&R on all the gardens. (I use a siphon that doesn't fully empty the bowl, because the grow bowls filled with water and grow decks filled with mature plants are too heavy for me.)

It's Day 77 for the cuke, and its roots are kind of amazing.  I credit the Aerovoir (blue tube at right) and the local water district for those roots!  

[maskedsonnet]

Those are some healthy roots!!

[Sher]

"Kind of amazing" is an understatement! 

[Shawn]

They sure do look healthy.

[lynnee]

Something maybe worth mentioning about the cukes, is that the water tends to become acidic. I finally started testing pH on gardens that aren't performing up to expectations. This General Hydroponic pH Control Kit turns out to be easy to use.

My tap water starts around 7.0-7.5 (basic) and nutes and supplements make the water more acidic. In a few days, the water will be at 4.0-4.5 (quite acidic), so I've started adjusting the pH upwards. The cuke seems to like this, though it's a little early to tell.