Greenhouse Cucumber Alert (March 2005)

If your cucumbers are showing following type of symptoms:

• Lower leaves shriveled and copper/reddish color.
• Leaves have lost green color and a netting pattern is shown.
• Younger leaves are dark colored and puckered.
• Flowers are pale green.
• Fruit is dark green and spiny on the surface

Then suspect a pollution problem. In this particular case it was one of three carbon dioxide generators which was showing yellow flame. It means that burner is plugged up with carbon and there is not enough air/oxygen for combustion. Grower thought that it was a nutritional problem. Potential loss could be thousands of dollars worth.