If that were all that was wrong with mine, I'd be happy.

Bubinkos, welcome to GardenWeb. No worries, this is a perfect forum for asking about the little yellow things on your cukes. They are most likely aphids, a VERY common pest of cucumbers. Aphids can be yellow, green, pink, red, gray, or black. They suck the sweet juices from plants (not good for the plants) and excrete a sticky, sugary substance that ants are very attracted to. Look for aphids of any color on your other garden plants. Some of us learn to associate ants with aphids and other sucking pests. If you keep after aphids with fairly strong sprays of water, they will eventually disappear....it does take persistence. I'd not suggest vinegar as an insecticide. In the wrong dose, you'll end up burning your plant. Some people use vinegar to kill weeds. Look up 'yellow aphids' to see if that's your pest. A cheap magnifying lens might help.

Pat - how do I find your email in this new site? I tried but can't find it. thx

Ok I assume you know that homemade concoctions like that can be just as damaging to plants as any commercial product can, especially when used inappropriately? That spray alone could be the cause of your problems in the photos above. Are you familiar with the basic 3 rules of pest control that we often discuss here? 1. you must ID the specific pest 2. you have to evaluate the damage they do. Is it really so severe that intervention is required? 3. you then choose the least toxic remedy listed as specific for that pest. So far all you have ID'd is some spider mites. Ants are not a garden pest (except for fire ants) and can often be beneficial, at worst, neutral. Aphids are not normally associated with trees. They are a domestic crop pest. So do you know for a fact you have aphids? Can you attest to this homemade mix actually killing the spider mites? They are quite difficult to eradicate even with commercial products if there is a bad infestation so homemade remedies usually have little effect on them. And a "few" spider mites pose no real threat to most plants. The mix you describe would have to be a contact pesticide as there are no systemic effects in any of those contents. That means it could only work if you sprayed it directly on the bug. Otherwise it is just a waste of time and potentially damaging the plant leaves in the process. Anything that coats the leaves can suffocate the leaves by blocking the surface pores and no O2/CO2 exchange happens and cells begin to die. I'd suggest you set the spray aside until you can actually ID what, if any, bug problems you have and consider doing some hand picking and squishing instead of spraying the whole plant, Then instead focus on the nutrient/soil issues your plants are telling you about. In the pics your soil appears awfully compacted and wet so heavy soil amending and re-evaluating your watering habits is in order. Then sit down and evaluate your fertility program - what nutrient sources you provide, in what form and how frequently. See if you don't pick up on some clues there. Hope this helps. Dave