Pruning Cucumber Plants?

aliciazim 6/7/2010, 7:28 pm

Does anyone know if I'm supposed to prune my cucumber plants (pick off the suckers). I just want to get the best crop I can for my baby cucumbers.

Thanks! Pruning Cucumber Plants? Star3

**camprn** 6/7/2010, 7:37 pm

I have no experience with this, but HERE is an interesting article. But, I would encourage you to do more research.

aliciazim 6/7/2010, 7:53 pm

Thanks for that article--it was very informative. Since the ones I am growing are pickling cucumbers, that guy says not to prune them. I have to keep telling myself, "It's the first year. It's a learning experience. Not everything will turn out right."
Pruning Cucumber Plants? 109486

**camprn** 6/7/2010, 8:45 pm

Watch your plants this year, learn how they grow, get to know them. After you know a plant and it's habits, that is when it gets easier to manipulate it to your liking. Some plants do well just pinching the terminal ends, some when pruned and others just the way they are. You will figure it out. :scratch:

jenjehle 6/7/2010, 10:37 pm

I grow pickling cuks and I don't prune them at all. I've actually never heard of pruning any other plants except tomatoes. My cuks just grow like crazy and produce like crazy! Love that!!

Last year my cuks grew to be about 7-8 feet tall.

Pruning Cucumber Plants? 07_jul12_800x600

Here's a link to my all pics. There may more pics in there of my cuks:

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/gallery/Personal-album-of-jenjehle/SFG-July-2009-pic_230.htm

Pickling cuks grow really fast and they are SO fun to have around. My kids love them. They would actually pick them right out of the garden, wipe them off with their shirt and eat them just like that! Nice and small, very few seeds; perfect for kids Smile

ENJOY!

Weed 'em and Reap 7/29/2010, 11:29 am

Thank you for posting that link to the cucumber article! I had never grown cucumbers before (just some picklebushes, and they didn't really grow much because I didn't have the Mel's Mix quite right last year), and I came back from vacation and my cucumbers have taken over the whole garden! I can hardly walk in there! I was going to prune them suckers back today, but the mosquitoes are out in full force today, and it's too much to deal with just now.
The cucumbers literally doubled (maybe tripled?) in size, in the 1 1/2 weeks that I was gone. It's Audrey II in there! Vines blocking paths, and crawling up the side of the house, hanging on to other plants, crawling up other boxes' trellises, 5 feet away...
Thanks for the article.
Pruning Cucumber Plants? Img00510

Above: right before I left for vacation
Below: Garden Explosion when I returned, 1 1/2 weeks later!
Pruning Cucumber Plants? Img00810

Lavender Debs 7/29/2010, 12:29 pm

I'm sorry about your paths..... But that is so kewl!!

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