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Post by farmerjack41 on Jul 29, 2018 18:06:30 GMT -5
First time with this problem. Have kept them well watered, so don't think that is the problem. Could day after day of over 100 degrees caused this problem. Other than burpless can not say what variety they are. Has anyone else had this problem? The color is not the dark green I am used to seeing.
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Post by paulf on Jul 29, 2018 18:45:48 GMT -5
I would say your unusually hot temperatures is the culprit. Prolonged heat can change the flavor of many vegetables. I would normally say the variety decides how they taste, but maybe not in this case.
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Post by bestofour on Jul 29, 2018 20:55:39 GMT -5
It is the heat. It’s happened to me. And once a plant turns bitter it won’t change back.
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Post by Gianna on Jul 29, 2018 21:37:41 GMT -5
It is the heat. It’s happened to me. And once a plant turns bitter it won’t change back. You mean that all the rest of the cukes produced from that plant will all be bitter? Ick. I didn't know that.
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Post by farmerjack41 on Jul 29, 2018 21:53:04 GMT -5
That's encouragement. LOL. Thanks for the help folks. Oh, well there is always next year.
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Post by daylilydude on Jul 30, 2018 5:12:33 GMT -5
Use them in pickles whether canned in a hot water bath or good ole refrigerator pickles... Our brownrexx has graciously added some pickling recipes in "Cooking and Preserving" Refrigerator Pickles... maybe that will hopefully save them??
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Post by brownrexx on Jul 30, 2018 6:08:16 GMT -5
Some varieties of cucumbers contain more of the compound that can cause bitterness than others but any stress to the plant will bring out that bitter flavor. The stress is usually caused by uneven watering but it can also be weather that is either too hot or too cold.
I only ever grow Market Fair cucumbers because they never taste bitter and they are the only variety that is resistant to Bacterial Wilt carried by the cucumber beetles.
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Post by paulf on Jul 30, 2018 9:12:19 GMT -5
I only ever grow Market Fair cucumbers because they never taste bitter and they are the only variety that is resistant to Bacterial Wilt carried by the cucumber beetles. We have grown Market Fair with good results. This year we grew Diva cucumbers and they did very well in the extreme heat we had for almost an entire month from mid-June to mid-July. Excellent taste and production in the heat.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jul 30, 2018 14:35:11 GMT -5
Kerosene Cucumbers
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Post by Gianna on Jul 30, 2018 15:07:31 GMT -5
I'm getting close to my first eating cuke. Can't remember the variety, but it's a new one for me, and grown in large pots.
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Post by brownrexx on Jul 30, 2018 18:17:45 GMT -5
I just picked a bunch of Market Fair cukes to make pickles and they don't taste bitter at all in spite of the heat wave that hit us recently when we had almost 2 weeks of temperatures close to 100°
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Post by paquebot on Jul 31, 2018 0:50:25 GMT -5
Most advice given does not apply to the OP's problem. Burpless are a different class altogether. I could not get my favorite Tasty Green so growing Sweeter Yet. Those types are usually best when 3 or 4 days old at which time they will be just over an inch thick and a foot long. At that time they will be very dark green and slightly rough surface. Two days later, they will be twice as thick with smooth skin. The thinner young ones are the sweetest while the more mature are less sweet. That may be the problem with bitterness in the burpless types. I do make certain that they do not lack for water. And, they are growing in pure old horse manure so they also do not lack for nutrients.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by brownrexx on Jul 31, 2018 8:40:11 GMT -5
Burpless cucumber contain LESS of the compound, cucurbitacin, that causes bitterness but not none so stress can still cause bitterness.
Keeping the plants well watered and mulched and in full sun is supposed to help. It is also said that the bitterness is stronger in the stem end so cutting that off can help.
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Post by farmerjack41 on Jul 31, 2018 9:29:50 GMT -5
Thanks for all the reply. I did find that cutting an inch or so off both ends, did make a big difference. I did not put compost down around the plants, like I normally do, never entered my mind. Dugh
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Post by paquebot on Jul 31, 2018 18:13:39 GMT -5
If you go to the produce section of a local supermarket, you'll find the regular cucumbers available in bulk "as is". Those would be your Straight Eight types. The burpless cukes are individual and usually wrapped in saran wrap. It's because they are picked before full maturity when they are the sweetest. If not wrapped, they lose moisture and are no longer sweet.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Aug 1, 2018 12:20:54 GMT -5
Sweet Success is a burpless parthenocarpic cucumber that has done great for me in my heat, as long as kept well-watered. Hugely productive, and I have never had a bitter one, even from badly stressed plants. (I just get fewer of them from stressed plants.)
But the seeds are expensive.
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