I have a cucumber from seed I planted in a 20 galllon tub which was doing OK (about 8 inches now) but it seems to be weak (probably from recent persistent winds) at the point right where it comes out of the soil and is kind of sloppy. At first I thought the stem was broken but it's NOT. The plant is not totally bowed over but it's very flooppy at the point where it comes out of the soil.
Is it best to cover the base with more soil to add support, break it off entirely (will it regrow) or give up and start over with a plant from the nursery?
Also, out of curiosity, when a plant suffers a severve bend or cut in a support area, does it grow new cells to mend itself (like animal flesh will do) or not?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Floppy cucumber
Sometimes being weak right where it comes out of the soil can be a sign of damping off--does the stem look thinner and pinched in at that point? If so then there's not really anything you can do so I'd go with the new plant from the nursery approach. But if the stem looks the same width at the base then it's worth trying some other things. Some people around here have had luck with burying the stem more deeply to give the plant better support so you could try that, but you might be better off getting a stake or something in there to support it. I think cucumbers are viney, so you're going to want something to support it eventually anyway. As far as mending itself from a bend--sometimes they will and sometimes they won't, I think it depends on how severe the bend is, if it's a really sharp bend then it may not recover but if it's just curved as it flops over then it should be fine, definitely don't give up on it yet. Post a picture if you can, I'm sure someone will be able to give you better advice then.