Cucumber Plants Facts

Moisture

• Cucumber plants are thirsty and need plenty of water during all stages of the growth cycle. The need for daily watering is especially important when plants are fruiting. Cucumber plants have shallow root structures, so they rely on water near the top of the soil instead of reaching deeper to seek moisture. Cucumber plants respond well to mulch and to black plastic stretched over the top of the soil where they grow. Both mulch and plastic help the soil retain moisture.

Vining

• Cucumber plants need lots of room to spread out. These plants vine just as squash plants do. The vines are where flowers and, eventually, fruits emerge. Each plant typically grows eight or more cucumbers. Vines are easily trained to grow up a trellis, fence or tomato cage in smaller garden spaces. If trained to grow upward, check for cucumbers often as the weight of the fruits will pull vines down and may damage the plant.

Cucumber Beetle

• One of the worst pests a cucumber plant faces is a 1/4-inch long black and yellow beetle. Typically spotted or striped, the cucumber beetle attacks stems, flowers, fruit and foliage of cucumber plants. These pests often enter the plant during the seedling stage and eat through stems. Cucumber beetles also carry a bacterial wilt that can quickly damage the plant. Wilt consumes the fleshy plant interior and results in cucumber plants that collapse and shrivel.

Monoecious

• Cucumber plants are monoecious, so they have separate male and female flowers on the same plant. Male flowers usually emerge first. Insects, mainly bees, pollinate cucumber plants. It takes between 10 and 20 bee visits daily per flower for long, healthy fruit to emerge. Some seed companies have developed gynoecious cucumber plants. These varieties have only female flowers so that cucumber yields are maximized. This means another cucumber variety with male flowers present is necessary for pollination.