cucumber & pumpkin problems

Hi All,

I am hoping that someone can help out on a couple of things. My cucumbers are doing OK but there are a few of the young cucumbers with holes in but no sap coming out (almost like they are dried out and cracked) and nothing in both of my veg books explains this. Is it due to watering?

Also last year and this my all of my pumpkins get to about 50 pence piece size, go slightly yellow and then die, I really only just want one pumpkin to grow, which would be nice! Any tips on this too please?

Thanks

 

Hi LCH,
Are the cue plants growing strongly, could it be slug damage?
Its normal for the plant to abort some fruits if its already carrying a good crop of cues, so regular cutting of fruit before it gets old helps the new ones form.

My guess on the pumpkin is lack of pollenation, you can help them out by picking a male flower, removing the yellow funnel shaped part and rubbing the spike with the pollen on it around inside the female flower.
Best done on a sunny warm morning.
Hope this is of some help.

 

thanks will try all of those!

 

re pollination,did this help ,,the flowers just drop off of my aladin f1 pumpkin!

[ 01. August 2007, 07:04 PM: Message edited by: gerkin ]

 

Not sure, I don't think so, I actually just ignored my pumpkins for 2 weeks, let the weather water them and left them be, I now have 3 large pumpkins growing away quite happily! On the cucumber side of things I have already eaten one and there are 4 more nearly ready. Maybe it is just the weather causing trouble! Good luck and sorry I have no real science for you - Mother Nature I guess.

 

mmmmmm
http://home.rochester.rr.com/srinz/pkinpoll.html