Cucumber leaves turning white

9 years ago

Hi, I am totally new to having any sort of garden and got this cucumber plant recently. Shortly after I planted it, I noticed the leaves turning white. Not sure what's causing this or how to fix it! Any ideas? Thank you!

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digdirt2

9 years ago

It sure would help to know your zone or location so we'd know if this is weather effects. It is far too early for most of us to be planting cukes so it could be nothing more that too early planting. Sun scald and wind burn often look like that.

Otherwise the most common cause of white spots on cukes is the disease powdery mildew. Hard to tell from the photos as the plants coloring isn't real good - they look anemic - and that could just be the pics exposure. You can learn more about powdery mildew via Google and look at all the photos of it on the web and compare them with your plants.

Dave

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Comments (6)

gridgardener
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
dirt zone is irrelevant to this question.
looks like soil splash or sunscald

but picture is not high resolution enough to tell
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digdirt2
9 years ago
No, zone is not irrelevant (as has been pointed out to you several times) as it would tell us the nature of the weather there right now and whether the plant was planted too early and exposed to chill or too late in heavy heat. It would also be a clue as to whether the plant was hardened off properly and a good indicator of the possibilities of mildew since it is seasonal and weather related.

Since the OP indicated they are new to gardening these are all valid questions and can provide helpful information to him/her. As any botanist or horticulturalist will tell you zone is only irrelevant to those who don't know how to use the information it provides.

And since when does "soil splash" turn leaves white?

Dave
daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
9 years ago
Well, what is more relevant to the question at hand is what the temperature history has been for these particular plants. Was there a freeze? Zones are just indicative of the average coldest wintertime temperature. Not whether a given plant actually experienced a freeze. In fact, zones don't even come close to telling where you are in the country, so a zone can't be used to back out the weather history. I live in a zone where the average lowest temperature is something like 20F, but two years ago I could have planted tomatoes in December because it never froze all winter.

It does kinda look like powdery mildew, but I've never heard of that in the winter. Is the OP in the Southern Hemisphere, perhaps? But that plant looks fairly immature.
daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
9 years ago
The questions to the OP are simple ones. Did these cukes see any freezing temperatures? As to powdery mildew, do the white spots rub off? That's what mildew would be like. And yes, it's really helpful to have a clue about where you are. Gardening advice is somewhat site-specific.

BTW, you can grow a Meyer Lemon where there are light frosts, though you may not get good fruits after you have one. If you've got it in a pot, as this one is, taking it indoors isn't that hard.
zeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
9 years ago
Since the Op mentioned that they "got this cucumber plant recently", it appears the plants may not have been hardened off sufficiently prior to transplant. I would expect to see far more damage had they been exposed to frost, especially for young seedlings; the newest leaves appear to be healthy. The only cure necessary may be time... that, and perhaps thinning the clump to reduce crowding.

And just as an aside, I concur with the post just above. Anyone who has gardened for any length of time knows what the USDA hardiness zones mean, and what they don't mean... so give it a rest, and let's stick to answering the OP's. I wish the USDA would switch to a system that is more indicative of overall climate (such as the Sunset zones) and put an end to the arguments.