Spider mites make so many tiny holes that leaves cannot recover, and they really go to town on non-bitter cucumber varieties. When cukes are just entering their reproductive phase, tipping back can encourage the growth of lateral branches, but if the vines have already borne a good crop and are on the decline, pruning won't force out new growth unless it's followed by dreamy weather.

What do you mean by dreamy weather? The vines have produced plenty of cucumbers. There is new growth that has not been hit with spider mites.

They are not supposed to, but when tired cucurbits get a deep drenching rain followed by fair weather, not too hot, they can get a second wind and start growing again. The spider mites will be back. Try spraying insecticidal soap and then covering the plants with a sheet for a day or two. For some reason the mites succumb better under shade.

Rather than trying to salvage already seriously dmage cuke plants you are often better off just ripping them out and planting new ones.. Like bcomplex indicated cuke plants don't normally last all season anyway. It takes almost perfect weather conditions to bring them back from the brink and even then the cukes are often bitter and malformed. New plants will often tolerate the less-than-ideal far better.

Dave

I will post a pic of them tomorrow. My concern with starting new now is that the growing season is not long enough anymore.

Pics

Personally I wouldn't prune those at all. I'd just pinch off the worst leaves - like the 2 in the second picture showing only green veins - and leave the rest of the plant alone. This is assuming you now have the pest problem controlled.

But you should easily still have 60-80 days of growing season left. Plenty of time for a fresh early crop if you want mare.

Dave

Youre right I would have that much longer for cucumbers. I think I am scared to pull them up at this point to start over. They are producing good cucumbers.

Dave - With all due respect I don't think the OP would get much of a harvest sowing a new crop of cucumbers right now in NYC. Average first frost date there shows to be in mid October. With the waning daylight from here on the DTM for cukes would probably be in the mid to upper 50s which wouldn't give more than a few weeks to harvest in an average year not to mention the effect of cool nights and short days on a warm season plant.

I once sowed a second pickling cuke crop here about August 1st and did get a few weeks of harvest but never enough at one time to make more then a quart or 2 of pickles.

Now if I sow a second crop I do so by mid July.

ETA - if you have some open space somewhere else for another crop then go for it but I'd not pull the ones that are still producing.

Ariel

May I ask whats around your cukes? Is that concrete or paper or what? Just a asking>Cant tell by pics. Thanks

Heck I planted two volunteer seedlings growing in a pot. I think one is a watermelon the other a pumpkin or zuke? LOL. But they are in those old washstands. Should pull out( see something underside of leaves< prob aphids.) Should pull out and let that one GB plant live. LOL

Concrete behind and infront

Jack you are right that there wouldn't be time for a big pickling bumper crop but still enough time for many fresh eating cukes. By this time of the season year I figure everyone has pretty much already restocked the pickle cabinet and then some and are sick of the house smelling like pickle brine. ;-)

Dave

The cucumbers are still providing us with enough to pick 10 or so a week.