Cucumber Wilt:: Now the Clean up begins

I suffered an attack of Cucumber Wilt through not changing the soil in the boxes I grow Cucumbers in. Now I need to ensure I do not get the same again.
I plan to take everything out (when last Toms have been picked) and scrub out.

Fortunately the greenhouse has a concrete floor, so I am removing the boxes and putting the soil in an area where I will grow something else. I did read somewhere Jeyes Fluid is good for cleaning! Would somebody advise me if Jeyes Fluid is the best or indeed OK for this. The greenhouse is 8' x 10' so it needs to be a reasonably priced solution.

Remind me never to listen to my friend who said he never changes his soil and never has any problems!!!! What a year!

Thanks
Dave

 

Dave, I would use either Jeyes or Armillatox. Both are garden disinfectants, do stick to their directions for use though. David.

 

Dave, I also have a concrete based GH (about 8x12 - an ex-pig sty) and all my toms & cucs are grown in large pots which I fill with fresh growbag compost every year. At the end of the growing season I bag the spent compost and use it to layer my worm bins and compost over the next year.
Once the toms and cucs have finished I brush out, then hose out the GH and then spray it all with Jeys. It's not too expensive as the dilution proportion is quite large.

 

Hi Dave's

Thanks for the replies I will get on to it as soon as the toms have finished.

Dave W
I grow in fish boxes but normally use garden soil mixed with horse manure from a field nearby, I would normally change the soil each year but a friend said he never changes his soil and has never had any problems. I tried it and had my worst year ever in the greenhouse.

Well we live and learn

Thanks again

Dave

 

Scrub with soapy water or presure wash it then use a sulphur candle.

 

Hi `Dave`s`, just thought I`d ask whils`t we`re talking `soil` in the greenhouse, would you guys recommend having a concrete floor and growing in comtainers, or, having a border ? Cheers...freddy.

 

Well Freddy it's a swings and roundabouts situation. A concrete floor and containers certainly reduces the chance of soil-borne viruses and insects harming your plants. It's very easy to clean and sterlise and you don't have to did out and replace the soil every few years. Concrete also acts as a pretty good heat sink - absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night which is handy in winter and spring.
One slight disadvantage is that pots dry out faster and you have to be more attentative to watering.
I've got a polytunnel as well a the GH and in it I grow plants in the soil and I know that if I give it a good soak I can ignore watering for a day or so but the GH plants often need water twice or more times a day.

 

Hi Dave W, thanks for the info, something to ponder on. Cheers...freddy.

 

Hi Freddy

I think Dave has said it all really. I like the fact that you change the soil each year and have a good fresh start and can grow the same crops without the disease problems associated with no crop rotation (I am sure you will have read my problems earlier in the thread).

Concrete is also great for storing stuff overwinter.

Dave

 

Hi Dave, thanks for the reply. Although I understand what you`re saying, there are a couple of things that `bug` me about using the (let`s call it) concrete method. One is that humidity would be lower(wouldn`t it?)and the other thing is that watering(already mentioned)the plants would be critical. The thing is, I`d want to grow cuccumbers which I understand require a humid atmosphere, right? Cheers...freddy.

 

Hi Freddy, I am not that experienced but I have grown Cucumbers each year very successfully until this year when I did not change the soil. I prefer to grow "Burpless Tasty"? (I can check name if need be) I have grown others as experiments but never found them as good as the "Burpless Tasty" I am not sure how much you have researched on growing Cucumbers but from my experience the "all female" varieties are much easier to grow. On the humidity I am sure it would be lower but this has never been a problem for me I grow Tomatoes & Cucumbers in the same Greenhouse and damp down when watering if needed. Watering can be a problem if it is very hot but I grow in deep fish boxes that retain water for a longer period. I guess like me you will be happy with which ever way you choose to go and will make the best of what you end up with. On a different note I have just started to Oak Smoke fish and the greenhouse is an excellent place to dry the fish after brining!!! Lets hope Jeyes Fluid lives up to its expectations when I do scrub out.
Dave

 

Hi Dave, on the occasions I`ve grown cuccumbers, I`ve usually used all-female(femspot?). Haven`t had much success in the past, they always seem to start off ok, then the fruits start turning yellow(at the blossom end) and rot off. I`ve always put this down to a dry atmosphere(of course, I could be wrong) which is why I`m so concerned about the humidity. My late father was a fan of the Burpless, he always had masses of fruits...couldn`t GIVE `em away ! I didn`t realise it was an all-female variety though. What I think I`ll do is try the border system first and see how it goes, I can always ditch that idea and concrete it later. The thing is...I`ll have plenty of other things to be getting on with, given the fact that I`m hoping to inherit a large and un-cultivated garden(we`re moving). BTW....I like fish :D Cheers...freddy.

 

Usually with a concrete floor water drips off from the staging and wets it down keeping up the humidity.

 

freddy if your worried about humidity you could always keep an open barrel of water in there as Dave has said it would like the cocrete act as a heat sink.

 

Hi folks, thanks for the replies. I`m actually coming round to your way of thinking. The thing is, in the past I`ve had to even pollinate by hand because of the failure of the flowers to `set`. I remember my fathers greenhouse was incredibly humid, he used to actually grow his tomatoes on the staging and always had a fantastic crop. Maybe there`s some kind of `misting` device ? Cheers...freddy.