why won't my cucumbers fruit?

[Hank Paloci]

This is my first AP setup. I overplanted, but it seems to be working well. I only planted two cucmber plugs but they exploded and I actually have to cut them back to keep them from expanding outside the trellis.

I get lots of flowers but not fruit yet. I leave the garage doors open and I pollinate by hand (q-tip). Am I missing something?

Interestingly, I have nitrates at 5ppm here and 160 in another tank where I split off my fish and started a new setup. No matter how much water I move from the high-nitrate tank into "big" tank that filters through my "mature" plants, the plants suck up the bad stuff and the nitrates stay near zero.

Help appreciated.

[Verna Gross]

Wwe had a similar problem I planted 2 different varieties and the larger fruit variety produces beautiful fruit quickly but the smaller pickle variety flowered like crazy produced tiny prickles fruit that wouldn't grow so I pulled them out and replanted the larger variety plants. I also only planted half as many plants.

[Harold Sukhbir]

Hi Hank,

The ole cucumber and the Nitrate trick! If you're growing Vine crops be prepared to have all the Nitrates sucked out of your system. And you're also heavily planted! I have struggled with this same problem for some time in the past, lots of flowering no fruit, or fruit and then dying after some time. Without higher Nitrates or waiting some time for the system to build minerals or removing some of the other plants you won't have much luck with cucs. Planting leafy plants in newer systems allow minerals to accumulate and build before we introduce heavy fruiters like tomatoes and cucs.

[Hank Paloci]

I don't mind that the vines are pulling all the nitrates out ... I seem to have more than enough and it isn't affecting anything.

I'm going to start harvesting the lettuces - that will thin things out a bit.

But it seems like there's a deficiency in the minerals like you say and I'm wondering if I can add any. I don't like adding things that aren't natural but I do that a bottle of liquid iron (that contains trace metals too) and epsom salts.

Someone also suggested calcium.

[Chris Perry]

I have a strange cucumber problem in my garden. Either they thrive and gro out of control or they fizzle out and die shortly after planting them. This year I planted two varieties of cucumbers and we'll see if either start to take off. Out of the 12 plants 3 have already died off.

[Harold Sukhbir]

Hi Hank,

 

Didn't see this post until now,sorry. While supplementing nutrient(hydroponics) is surely outside the function of an Aquaponic forum, I know that myself and others have done this during the early stages of an AP system, in an attempt to boost plant growth. All I can say is to avoid NPK's, and add a balance of micro/macro minerals. I have a locally made seaweed extract which i use and gives great results. While this technique may assist your AP there is really no complete replacement for an AP which builds minerals and matures over time

Hank Paloci said:

I don't mind that the vines are pulling all the nitrates out ... I seem to have more than enough and it isn't affecting anything.

I'm going to start harvesting the lettuces - that will thin things out a bit.

But it seems like there's a deficiency in the minerals like you say and I'm wondering if I can add any. I don't like adding things that aren't natural but I do that a bottle of liquid iron (that contains trace metals too) and epsom salts.

Someone also suggested calcium.