Cucumber plant--sudden death.

We've had great success with cucumbers for the last 2 summers. Tall, hardy plants producing bushels of cucs for months. This year we was no different until, literally overnight the plant---loaded with beautiful cucs.---suddenly shriveled and died. Just like that. Everything else around it is fine---tomato, herbs, etc. It's a raised bed with soil that we bought. No idea what happened here.
Could it be a delayed response to the heat wave?
Any experienced folks have any ideas? We're baffled.

There is a worm that invades the main stem of cuke plants and squash plants and kills them like that. Slit open the plant around ground level and look for a nasty worm/larva. Drought/heat would have been more gradual. This sounds like insect life.

Sounds right. Will take a look. Thanks.

Could be Fusarium Wilt, a well-known problem with members of the cucurbit family (cucumbers, melons, gourds, and such), and the fungus thrives in high temperatures. Problem is that once its in your soil, it's nearly impossible to get rid of.

Google: Squash Vine Borer



A friend of ours was determined to rid his zuchini of the pest. He actually found a plant just as it started to wilt, after he found the bump where the worm was, he carefully cut it out with a utlity knife and bandaged the stalk with strips of duct tape. The plant healed up and continued to produce.

He lost as many as he saved that year, but he had the satisfaction of beating a few of them.

Good luck,

Tim

A better pic



Sundevilpeg could very well have it nailed too....... I hope it's the worm, for your sake.

Tim

My God, I've been living in a fool's paradise. Must investigate. Thanks for the tips and pics. Very helpful.

Squash vine borers rarely bother cucumbers but really like zucchini, butternut and Hubbard squash. Bacterial wilts carried by cucumber beetles are another possibility as they tend to cause the whole plant to wilt at once.

ekreider wrote:Squash vine borers rarely bother cucumbers but really like zucchini, butternut and Hubbard squash. Bacterial wilts carried by cucumber beetles are another possibility as they tend to cause the whole plant to wilt at once.

thanks to all for this thread, I didn't grow any zucchini this year but last year after a great start, the whole plant wilted and died almost overnight. At least now I have some ideas on what to look for as I intend to grow zucchini next year.