Round Cucumber: 4 Top Reasons Why This is Happening

Unusual things may occur with your cucumber plants such as them turning round. Then you begin to wonder: Why do I have a round cucumber? 

This is due to them noticing an unusual growth pattern of cucumbers. Instead of the familiar long protruding shape of a cucumber, the cucumbers turn out to be deformed and round in shape.

Most times, it could be due to external influences such as water, light, heat, nutrients, pests, and diseases, as well as pollination. And sometimes, it might be the type of variety that was planted.

Although, cucumbers are a very fast-growing plant, such that, they can start producing fruits and can be harvested within six weeks after planting, with all things being equal. If you put the right things into practice, getting a successful result of long green juicy cucumbers is possible.

Let’s get more answers to your question: why do I have a round cucumber? 

Round Cucumber Varieties

Different varieties of cucumbers come in different shapes and sizes. Apart from the regular long thin green cucumbers, which can be up to 8 inches in length and 2 inches in diameter, there are other types.

There is the fat and dwarf type of cucumbers. Their lengths are usually about 5 to 6 inches. And there are also round types of cucumbers too. So it happens that cucumbers can take different types of forms due to their variety.

Why Are Your Cucumbers Round?

Sometimes, you get to your garden or even at the grocery store and you see cucumbers with unusual shapes, unlike the regular long thin ones.

This keeps you bothered because you’ve put in the work to grow your cucumber plants. You are also in the expectation of harvesting the type of cucumbers you want.

Let’s take a look at the reasons why cucumbers become round and deformed.

1.    Shortage of nutrients

A situation whereby there’s a shortage of nutrients available to cucumbers can be unpleasant to the plants. This can lead to the cucumber becoming round, stout, or short. And then you keep wondering and asking; why do I have a round cucumber? 

Cucumbers require lots of nutrients while growing. Before planting your cucumber, prepare the soil first by mixing compost and organic mulch in the soil. Do this a few weeks ahead of planting your cucumbers.

This will help in making the necessary nutrients available for the plants. However, you can first add little or no fertilizer to the soil if it’s fertile. Once you notice a kind of abnormal growth or unusual changes in your cucumbers, like yellowing, get a fertilizer with an NPK of 5-5-10.

The plants need lots of phosphorus, potassium, and even more, nitrogen to be healthy again.

Cucumber Fertilizer 8-16-36 Powder 100% Water Soluble Plus Micro Nutrients and Trace Minerals

2.    Lack of water 

Water in the right proportion is a necessity for cucumber plants for healthy growth. This means not watering your cucumber plants well can affect the growth of the cucumbers. This will result in a low harvest and deformed cucumbers.

Lack of water also leads to wilting of the plants in the sun due to dehydration. The solution is for you to water your plants once or twice every week, depending on the condition of the soil, if it’s wet or not.

Make sure you always check for soil dryness to know when it needs watering.

Water the plants more if it is dry. This way, they get to have enough water for themselves but endeavor not to over-water the plants.

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3.    The environment of the plants

Another factor that can affect the looks of cucumbers is the environment where they are being planted. The soil for growing cucumbers must be well-draining. This helps to foster the aeration, draining, and circulation of water in the soil.

Another factor to look out for is the temperature. If the temperature is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit and no form of light is available to the plants, their growth will be stunted. Furthermore, a high temperature of around 95 degrees Fahrenheit and above is a no-no for these plants. This will reduce pollination, thereby resulting in lower plant yield, fruit size, shape, and quality.

4.    Poor pollination – Why are my cucumbers round?

The main cause that can be attributed to underdeveloped or deformed cucumbers is pollination. The cucumbers won’t develop well or will have stunted growth if the flowers are not pollinated fully. On the same plant, there are cucumber cultivars with male and female flowers.

To transfer the pollen in them, they need pollinators. Hence, the lack of pollinators like bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, in the garden, may lead to the ineffectiveness of the pollination process. To have more pollinators come to your cucumber garden, grow plants that have much pollen and nectar.

Furthermore, adopt more natural and eco-friendly methods of preventing the rampaging of pests in your garden. Like handpicking, shielding, and setting traps. Do this instead of the use of pesticides. This is because pesticides will kill the pollinating insects also.

Tips for Growing Better and Healthy Cucumbers

The following cucumber growing tips will help you in growing healthy cucumbers and harvesting quality cucumbers in your garden:

• You can start your cucumbers with seeds indoors. Start them indoors three to four weeks ahead of the time you will be transplanting them into the ground.
• Make sure the temperature of the soil is above 70 degrees Fahrenheit before you transplant the seedlings directly or plant the seeds in the ground.
• If you’re planting the seeds directly, plant the seeds with a space of at least 36 inches apart.
• Cucumber plants prefer loose well-draining soil. Hence, don’t choose a location with hard soil and small planting space.

• The best soil to plant your cucumbers in is light and lovely sandy soil.
• For clay soil, mix peat or compost in the soil for better soil.
• Add more compost to the soil once you notice the appearance of new shoots. This helps the buds to grow more.
• The habitat where your cucumber plants are grown must have good drainage. This will help the plants not to get rotten because the surrounding won’t get waterlogged. Hence, water gets to drain quickly.

Types of Round Cucumber

Many cucumbers actually grow round, so if you’re growing these varieties and notice that they’re growing round in shape – it simply means you’re looking after them as they should be, and they’re thriving! Let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular varieties.

Lemon cucumber

You may be wondering what does a lemon cucumber look like? And these cucumbers get their name because they simply look like lemons! Their scientific name is Cucumis sativus and they’re a fast-growing cucumber. When full-sized, they’re around 2-3 inches in length. While they are small, they are absolutely delicious! They are mild in taste and work well in a salad. What’s great about lemon cucumbers is that not only are they lemon shaped, but they’re also yellow too!

It’s important to plant your lemon cucumbers in a place where they have full sun. They need full sun to thrive. They do best in temperatures between 60-90F. As well as this, they’ll need around an inch of water per week to keep the soil moist. It’s important to keep the routine of watering your plants, so as not to stress your cucumbers.

The pH of the soil should be between 6.5-7.0 and if cared for, will reach maturity in around 60 days.

Apple crystal cucumber 

The scientific name for this cucumber is Cucumis sativus and they’re a fast-growing cucumber. When full-sized, they’re around 3 inches in length. It gets its name because once grown, it looks just like a green apple; in shape and color. It’s a sweet variety that works well in dishes such as salads.

This cucumber needs around 6-8 hours of sunlight per day to thrive. They do best in temperatures above 60F. They’ll need watering 2-3 times a week.

The pH of the soil should be around 6.5-7.0, and if cared for, will reach maturity in around 60-70 days.

Mandurian round cucumber

The scientific name for this cucumber is Cucumis melo and they’re a fast-growing cucumber. When full-sized, they’re around 2 inches in length. It is often mistaken for a small watermelon! And this variety is another great addition to salad dishes.

This cucumber needs around 6-8 hours of sunlight per day to thrive. They do best in temperatures around 85F. They’ll need watering around once a week. However, you’ll need to increase this in hotter months.

The pH of the soil should be around 5.6-7, and if cared for, will reach maturity in around 65-80 days.

Maroon cucumber

The scientific name for this cucumber is Cucumis anguria and they’re a fast-growing cucumber. When full-sized, they’re around 2 inches in length. It’s usually pale green, is mild in flavor, and works well in dishes such as salad.

This cucumber needs full sun to thrive and soil should be kept moist at all times. The temperature should be kept between 60-90F.

The pH of the soil should be slightly acidic, and if cared for, will reach maturity in around 60-65 days.

Cucamelon

The scientific name for this cucumber is Melothria scabra and they’re a fast-growing cucumber. When full-sized, they’re around an inch in length. They’re quite bitter, which is quite unusual for a cucumber!

This cucumber needs full sun to thrive and be sure to give at least one inch of water per week. The temperature should be around 78F.

The pH of the soil should be slightly acidic, and if cared for, will reach maturity in 65-75 days.

Conclusion: Round Cucumbers

At this point, it is certain that you already have an answer to the question: why do I have a round cucumber? 

With the tips mentioned above on how to improve the unpleasant state of cucumbers, you should now be able to get the best results out of your quest of planting cucumbers. Do you have any of your tips and tricks when it comes to round cucumbers? If so, please feel free to let us know in the comments below. And remember, sharing is caring! 

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