Grow log by lynnee · Original thread
What you can learnA detailed cucumber-management case study covering trellising, branch structure, pH, air circulation, harvest timing, and an accidental termination.
*The days were calculated automatically and approximately.
The tap water raises the PH. As the plant consumes nutrient it put waist matter into the water, this raises the pH. The nice thing about the AG nutrient is it has buffers in it to help stabilize the pH. With my setup I am constantly adjusting pH, as the formula I use is a 3 or 4 part dry mix with no buffering. With larger plants like this big vine and access to a meter, you should probably monitor it and make adjustments or R&R more often to support the large vine with lots of fruit load. Just adding nutrient will add all nutrients that the product contains. You really have no idea what of that mix the plant has depleted. Adding more of everything can end you up with too much of something it is not consuming. This in turn can then prevent the plant from getting what it needs. This fact is why it is recommended to R&R weekly or every other week at the most when reading articles about hydroponics not related to AG. In the last 2 week, one of my plants has been growing like a weed and the PH was up .20-.30 every day. This was due to plants growth. The other 2 plants had fairly stable pH this week as they are busy with fruit.Since you are using AG Nutrient (I presume), another option might be to try mixing 1/2 strength nutrient to use when you water. This will give the vine a little boots and will also lower the PH of the added water.
Thanks for the help, airscapes! This cucumber has been a real learning experience. The cukes are a hit in our household, so they are worth the effort.
Day 113. Mini Munch cucumber project ended by accident today. There were a lot of unhealthy leaves and dried-up blossoms, so I was sorting out the vines and cleaning up the plant. Then I inadvertently cut off the largest healthy portion of the vine. I should not be allowed to hold pruning shears without supervision! At least I didn't cut any of the Aerogarden cords. I will be planting the Mini Munch again, because the little cucumbers are so tasty. I think that I will try it in a 24" garden next time, because it did most of its fruiting at the very top of the Farm XL. Next time I'll watch the pH more closely, and also pay attention to the way that the vine is branching.For some reason, this cucumber has extremely dry leaves, and the leaves are usually edged in yellow as if it has some major nutrient deficiency. Even when it is fruiting, it usually looks like what is left in the fields at the beginning of winter!
I am so sorry about your accident. I have done the same thing in the past with my pepper plants so I know that feeling. But look forward to you growing them again!.
Oh no!! Sorry that happened, I hope your next try with them goes better! I gotta say, the plant was a constant eye-sore when I grew it too, always lots of dried leaves and leaves with yellow edges in spite of producing well. I never test my water, but maybe you'll find the reason behind it on your next grow!
Those are some healthy roots!!
"Kind of amazing" is an understatement!
They sure do look healthy.
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.
The Mini Munch cucumber is much happier since I sorted out the vines and removed some. It has quite a few little cukes coming along simultaneously, and it is producing new branches all over the place.I'm going to pay close attention to those branches, to make sure that they don't overburden the plant.The plant is also much happier with a pH at 6.0-6.5. For some reason, the cuke's pH goes up gradually even when I do nothing but add tap water of 7.0 pH.
Rising pH is a major problem with DWC systems, but I had not heard of it happening in AGs before. At least you are aware of it now.
Good job, lynnee. No more impenetrable jungle!
OMG. that looks amazing
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!
I agree with Sher, thanks for the lesson
The extra-large Mini Munch tasted great after all. I really love these gals.
Mini Munches are good!
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?
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.
Lol maybe they just like to make themselves into fun shapes!
The first is always the most exciting!!!
It is a beauty
lynnee, you have encouraged me to try cucumbers again someday. I had given up on them.
Totally understand the feeling of staring at that 2-month mark, having a big beautiful plant, and wondering if it's just going to sit there and look pretty or reward you for all that time, water, and nutrients!! Glad you're seeing some progress on some of them now
I tried to grow cucumbers twice and terminated both projects because the baby cukes would not develop. I am wondering now if I just didn't give them time. So glad yours are starting to develop, lynnee!
It helps a lot to know that maskedsonnet grew the Mini Munch so successfully! The Mini Munch doesn't require help with pollination, either.
I’m not sure on the KoolBloom, as I’ve never used any supplements outside of the AG nutes. But my first harvest was just a few days over the 2 month mark, so keep checking up on it over the next week and hopefully some of them will start getting bigger. Fingers crossed!!
A few of the blooms are starting to show some cucumber-like growth. It can't have helped to have the room at 82 degrees in the afternoons, that's for sure. Fingers crossed here, too!
That is so exciting, lynnee!
What a wonderful and pretty surprise
Nope, don’t have to do anything to the mini munch pollination-wise! I loved how big and cheerful the flowers were. Not every single one of the baby cukes it put on grew into a full cucumber, especially while the plant was still relatively young, but I’d say a large majority did. Exciting to see the first ones!As for cross pollination, I doubt it’ll happen indoors unless the plants get totally tangled together. Which is completely possible with how poorly behaved climbing vines can be if you’re not paying attention to what they’re climbing lol!
maskedsonnet, your warnings about the Mini Munch tendrils getting cozy with the lights were spot on! It's a good thing you had me watching closely, or I might have missed the one that attached to the cords going into the hood yesterday. The cukes seem content with the strategically placed soft tie trellises along the side supports of the Farm 12 XL.
It’s good that they’re happy with the ties! I’m going to have to try those with my kratky experiment, if it gets that far along
It is pretty cool looking, anyway!?
I loved watching them attach. It is amazing to see.
Exciting!!
Love your homemade trellis!
So exciting! For me, once the first tendrils came, my plant started climbing with a vengeance! I hope the same is true for you!
I tried to train the tendrils onto the trellis, but the cuke has lifted them off. It does seem to aspire to greater heights!
If you click on the box it will take you to the picture. Photbucket is weird at times
That is wonderful to see all germinated
I'll keep my eye on this! Looking forward to future reports and pictures too!
Following
I am interested in seeing how the tomatoes and cucumbers do together.
I hope you enjoy the lemon cucumbers! I grew them outdoors this summer, and I never had any of the issues (disease, rotten cucumbers, etc) that I've had with other cucumber varieties.
ERR0R1755, thanks for the info about the disease resistance. That's my kind if cucumber!
Good to hear that they're disease resistant. I thought they might be easy to grow, because our favorite tomato seller at the Farmers Market always had them early and in large quantities.