Cucumbers are turning round and yellow. What do I do?
- Thread starter danpeikes
- Start date
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Did you use new seeds each time?
Bought new plants each year. I have not tried seeds just yet.
I'm wondering if their plants got cross pollinated...cucumbers will cross with pumpkins and squash. I would see if anyone else who bought them had the same problem, call the seller.
Somebunny
Executive Chef
It does look like they may have crossed with something else, or it could de an over watering issue maybe.
Steve Kroll
Wine Guy
This can also mean they are overripe.
larry_stewart
Master Chef
By no means is my situation a clinical study, but i bought my cuke plants and planted them in two different areas of my garden. One site is significantly more ideal than the other ( sun, watering..). The ideal spot shows very few cukes that look like yours, yet, the other site, the cukes are smaller, not ideal shape ( similar than yours), not as plentyful, and much slower at growing. All plants came from the same flat. So in my situation, it seems to be a location issue.
larry_stewart
Master Chef
The yellowness is an over ripe thing though. Even if the cukes are kinda short and round, the over ripeness seems to be more related to its girth , than length.
Claire
Master Chef
I have to laugh at this one. Where did you get your seeds? There is a variety of cucumber, cannot remember what it is called, something like lemon cucumber, that is round and yellow. I've grown them here and we used to grow them and buy them when I was a kid living in Utah. There is nothing wrong with them, they are what they are, a different variety. They simply are round and yellow (when ripe). This is what this looks like to me. I've bought seeds for them from an heirloom seed company. If your seeds are "rescued", that is to say, passed on from someone else or re-used from previous years, you might have a cross polination thing going.
At first glance, I was inclined to agree with Claire. However, the OP says he had the same problem last year. I suspect that it is, indeed, a pollination issue. Living on the fifth floor (I am assuming it is an apartment building) might be an issue, although I'm sure bees can fly that high. Do you live in an area where the city sprays for mosquitoes? That activity may serve to reduce the population of the insects that normally carry out pollination.
If that is the case, I am not sure what the solution would be. I reckon you could hand pollinate them but I have no idea how to go about that.
If that is the case, I am not sure what the solution would be. I reckon you could hand pollinate them but I have no idea how to go about that.
Going to try and hand pollinate with a q-tip and see what happens. Just hoping it is not to late.
sparrowgrass
Head Chef
Looks like poor pollination to me, too, and that cuke is overripe. Those funny shaped cukes are fine to eat. If you still have flowers, it is not to late to hand pollinate--just make a little buzzy noise, hold the q-tip in your mouth, and fly from flower to flower. Don't sting anyone. 
CWS4322
Chef Extraordinaire
And try not to fly off the balcony....Looks like poor pollination to me, too, and that cuke is overripe. Those funny shaped cukes are fine to eat. If you still have flowers, it is not to late to hand pollinate--just make a little buzzy noise, hold the q-tip in your mouth, and fly from flower to flower. Don't sting anyone.
