Pruning Cucumber Plants on a Trellis
Growing cucumbers on a trellis is my favorite way to grow them. But if they are left to their own, they will quickly take over the entire trellis and perhaps the rest of the garden.
Let me show you exactly how pruning cucumber plants can be done to prevent disease and promote more fruit growth.
Introduction - The Cucumber Plant
Before pruning cucumber plants, It’s going to help if we first define the different parts of the cucumber plant. That way, we know exactly what to prune and what not to prune. So here goes.
Cucumber Plant and its Components
At every node up the main stem of the cucumber plant, they will repeat the same growth pattern of tendril, flowers (of which the female will get pollinated and become cucumbers), sun leaf and sucker. And each sucker will become, in itself, its own main stem with a node every 6 to 8 inches with the same components and a sucker that will in itself become ANOTHER main stem, and on and on and on.
This happens very very fast on a cucumber plant and before you know it, they have taken over the entire trellis. This is NOT a bad thing. For one thing, it means that you really only need two to four plants to fill up a trellis. BUT, it will get crowded quickly, and with crowding of leaves comes mildew. In addition to that, most likely, we will also have lots of shaded-out leaves that become weak and start to decay, attracting pest insects to our cucumber plant.
So get your clippers out, because pruning cucumber plants is going to keep them healthy and happy.
Pruning Cucumber Plants Step 1 - Prune the First Three to Four Nodes From the Ground
When we are pruning cucumber plants, we start from the ground and clean up everything from the plant the first 3-4 nodes up the plant. Clip everything off up to that 3rd or 4th node. This is going to keep new growth from laying on the ground where it will be quicker to decay, rot, and attract pest insects.
Pruning Cucumber Plants - Cleaning up everything from the ground up to the first third or fourth node.
During the growing season, this growth will come back every week. It’s important to keep pruning cucumber plants weekly to clean up those first 3-4 nodes and keep new growth off of the ground.
Pruning Cucumber Plants Step 2 - Look for Dying or Damaged Leaves
In this step, we’re looking for any dying or damaged leaves on the plant. Maybe there is some powdery mildew, maybe the leaves are just shading each other out and those on the inside are starting to die off. Whatever the reason, prune those leaves off by clipping them as close as possible to where the stem of the leaf meets the main stem of the plant.
Caution Point 1:
Be on the lookout for beneficial insects! Check your plants carefully, you don’t want to cut off any leaves and crush them in your hands while there are beneficial insects on them!
Pruning Cucumber Plants - Be careful you don’t kill your beneficial insects!
Caution Point 2:
It’s very easy for us to get carried away when pruning. Before we know it we’ve stripped most of the plant away!. Pro Tip - After every 4-5 leaves or suckers that you cut off, take a a few steps back and look at your entire cucumber trellis. This will give us a good perspective to know if we are taking too much off the plant before it’s too late.
Pruning Cucumber Plants Step 3 - Cutting way Excess Sucker Branches
Pruning away the excess sucker branches is as much an art as it is a science. Keep to the rule of stepping a way from your plant after every 3-4 cuts to make sure that you aren’t taking too much off of the plant. In addition to that, VERY IMPORTANT, that you carefully track back the sucker you are planning to prune and make sure that you are not cutting the main stem of the plant.
Just like the leaves we pruned off, prune the sucker plant as close to the main stem as you can.
When pruning cucumber plants, identify the sucker and then cut it as close to the main stem as possible.
Conclusion
Pruning cucumber plants each week will pay off in reduced disease and more fruit on your plants. Just remember these three key points
Prune off everything from the ground up to the first 3-4 nodes of the plant.
Prune off any dying or damaged leaves.
Prune off excess suckers that are crowding the plant causing congestion, reduced airflow and shading of the inner leaves/branches.
And remember, always stop pruning after 4-5 cuts. Take a few steps back and look at your trellis to ensure you are not cutting off too much!
Try these tips out when pruning cucumber plants. I hope your cucumbers plants are massive and your fruits are plentiful!
