Ding dang dong...I think the "heat stress" that I assumed resulted in the yellowing of the cucumber plants is really Mosaic virus. They look yellow and blasted (the leaves) and have a geometric pattern across them. Internet search indicates Mosaic virus, spread by aphids most likely (even though I have seen none).
And there are blooms all over the plants!
Does anyone have any experience with this? I suspect I need to pull the vines and burn them. With so many blooms on the vines, that sounds drastic. If anyone knows an alternative, I'm open to learning!
If not, well Boston Pickling cucumber either is not as suited for my area as my garden center wanted to promote, or I just need to try again in a different location or different time of year. (We're down here in Florida, y'all...)
Advice appreciated...!!!
5 comments:
Have you tried spraying the plants with soapy water? Sometimes, it helps to put a few drops of liquid dish detergent in a bottle of water and spray a couple times a day.
Hve ZERO advice, except for the fact that your plant is named "Boston" as opposed to "Tallahassee" might potentially spell trouble... Good luck!
Pilgrim, I'm doing that now! But the poor little cukes are goners...but now I know what to do :)
Irma, um...you'd THINK, wouldnt you, that the garden centers would be all up with that. Maybe some are just good in multiple zones...I found out most of the "black" type tomatoes are originally from places like the Ukraine and even Siberia...wooo!
I would pull them rather than let this spread- it can infect other plants. Not good.
BUT if you like to experiment,in the past when my plants have had powdery mildew at the end of the season; if you spray with liquid kelp, they green back and powdery mildew goes away if you catch it at the beginning of the infection.
So if you keep all sucking insects away from your cucumbers, spray with kelp every few days (foliar feed) and see if they get healthy from the trace minerals they will absorb so they will continue to cukes.
If you decide this path, please let us know if it works, how often did you spray and dosage-kelp to water.
BTW, YOUR photography is Magnificent.
Hey, Gardenlady...I wish I had known to try that! I went ahead and had pulled them a couple weeks ago, not wanting anything bad to spread. Now I know to try the kelp ...thanks!
Robbyn/thebackforty
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