Fuzzy white flowers and growths on cucumber plant - Ask Extension
Hi!
I noticed this past week my cucumber plant had been wilting heavily by the afternoon and assumed it was due to it being so much warmer but on fur...
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Fuzzy white flowers and growths on cucumber plant #702599
Asked July 19, 2020, 10:44 AM EDT
Hi!
I noticed this past week my cucumber plant had been wilting heavily by the afternoon and assumed it was due to it being so much warmer but on further inspection it looks like a lot of the new flowers are white and fuzzy instead of the regular yellow-orange. Some of the new fruits are also white and fuzzy before withering and turning black. A quick internet search hasn’t yielded anything definitive so I figured I would see if you all could pinpoint the issue. If it is some sort of fungus (as the internet thinks it may be) is there anything I can put on it that will keep the resulting cucumbers safe to eat?
Howard County Maryland
Expert Response
Hi- botrytis (gray mold) is a fungus that can attack cucumber flowers and young fruits under wet, humid conditions where plants are shaded and grown close together. The symptoms usually dissipate when weather conditions change. If you are seeing gray fuzz on your flowers and fruits they may be infected with gray mold. If so, the fruits are safe to eat.
https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/gray-mold-botrytis-vegetables
However, the photo doesn't show this symptom. Another likely cause of flowers and fruits drying and dropping off plants is poor pollination due to reduced pollinator activity, combined with environmental stressors- insufficient light, crowded plants, under-sized containers, lack of water, etc.
Jon
https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/gray-mold-botrytis-vegetables
However, the photo doesn't show this symptom. Another likely cause of flowers and fruits drying and dropping off plants is poor pollination due to reduced pollinator activity, combined with environmental stressors- insufficient light, crowded plants, under-sized containers, lack of water, etc.
Jon
