Mini Munch Cucumber 10 days old and looking iffy

[luzrana]

The cotyledons have been getting more and more pale spots (feels too soon for them to be like this and only one true leaf out) and the young true leaf already has some yellowing on the edges (also feels too soon). Roots look very healthy. At the moment I’ve only used one cap of AG nutrients, and was going to do 2 when it hit 14 days. Ph is 6.5 and ec is reading .5. I have calmag and dyna bloom I can use to supplement. Any recommendations?

[scarfguy]

Looks fine to me!   

The yellowing on the leaf edges is normal and can occur even on young leaves. The dark purplish color of the cotyledons is usually too much light.  Is this in a bounty?  I have found the 50W bounty light is too strong for seedlings.  It also generates a lot of heat at the deck surface when put at the lowest setting.  I usually start the seedlings with the bounty light about 3 inches higher.

[luzrana]

Yep it’s a bounty elite. I’ll lift the light a little.

[luzrana]

In case anyone wants to see, here it is currently at 23 days:



I’ve got it in 8 ml of nutes, and will do 12 at refill.

And just to make sure, this circled is a sucker with the cucumber below it right? (I’m always real bad at identifying those vs fruit when they’re tiny)

[scarfguy]

Yeah!

Success! looks like a happy plant!   I'm not sure what you have circled but it looks like a tiny cucumber in the bottom right corner of your photograph.

In any case,  you will have cucumbers soon.....  "Patience, young grasshopper!"

[lynnee]

Your Mini Munch looks great, luzrana! All cukes seem to develop a yellow "stripe" along the outer edge of the leaves. The leaves can get really ratty-looking, too.

I don't know how the plants can continue to produce with dried-out, spotty leaves, but they do! When the plant is done with a leaf, the stem will wither where it attaches to the vine.

Keep a close eye out for Mini Munch cukes that want to grow really large--the MM is very good at hiding these under foliage, drooping down behind the bowl, or hanging behind a trellis post! I think the MMs are best when harvested at the size of your middle finger.

[luzrana]

These things are becoming monsters…I expected them to be more of a vine looping around, but I was wrong…they’re just growing up and up, and I fear they’ll take over the house soon.

Lots of little cukes



Reaching for nothing good I’m sure



Oh and I didn’t realize growing them would make the water smell so much like cucumber water…which make me want to drink it (I won’t don’t worry).

[lynnee]

luzrana, you can train your cuke vine to go around and around the trellis. Just lay it gently on top, and secure it in a few places with tomato clips or soft plant wires. After one circuit, it will continue to grow around the trellis with minimum help from you.

[luzrana]

Cucumbers are so wild. They grow so dang fast. I have an extra trellis set coming tomorrow. I couldn’t think of a way to diy it and still be able to change the water so I bit the bullet and bought direct, but I’m probably gonna grow more cukes because these turned out so well (and I love a cucumber sandwich) so it’ll be worth it…and after completely flopping on the tomatoes I tried, it was a relief. I’ve had one so far and it was really good.

[scarfguy]

Outstanding crop of cucumbers you've got there!

[lynnee]

luzrana, I envy you all those Mini Munches that are growing at the same time. My MM vines always want to focus on growing a single large cuke--usually hidden behind a post so I don't find it until it's the size of a huge dill pickle!