"every year he starts the most awesome cucumber plants and as soon as he touches them, they wilt and die?!"

You are not kidding, or are you? "Wilt and die" generally is caused by disease from bad soil or infected from cucumber beatles (bright yellow with black dots). If you watch for them and sqush them early on, you may alleviate the problems.

No, I'm not kidding. I have tried to tell him that touching the plant isn't what caused the problem, but he was adamant, so I told him I would post the question. Thanks for the reinforcement!

Don't forgot the horrible squash vine borer. I have yet to grow a pumpkin plant to maturity because of these little b@##$. They go after cucumbers too.

http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dp_hfrr/extensn/problems/squashvb.htm

Plants generally do not die from a human literally touching them (unless the human is laced with poison).

*wink*

It may or may not be SVB. In the future, if it is SVB, the best things you can do are to make sure your soil is rich in organic matter so it is healthy and to plant varieties that are resistant to SVB in the first place.

You can read up on detection and control methods here: Squash Bug & Squash Vine Borer: Organic Controls from ATTRA the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service. It provides information and other technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, Extension agents, educators, and others involved in sustainable agriculture in the United States

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Each stage of each life cycle must be addressed.

Touching is one thing but if he is picking cucumbers he is doing more than touching. A neighbor had cuc plants that would only last a few weeks but the reason was that he drug a crate accross the vines as he plcked. Cucumbers don't like to have their vines handled roughly or stepped on. If the problem occurs after handling pay more attention to his style.

gardengrammy,

The question that needs to be answered is: Why is your husband "touching" the plants at all?

I think he might be a "rough" picker......and a bad waterer.
Thanks for all the input.The plant is on the mend.....first time ever!

If he is a smoker that might be a cause. Tomatoes are very susceptable to tobacco so maybe other plants are to.