Nematodes hit my cucumbers almost every year to one degree or another. I have found a few things that help and the most important one is to start the plants indoors and get them out as soon as the nights get into the 50s. If you put them out when the nights are too cool they will just get stunted and never really recover if the cool nights persist too long. I kept trying to get an earlier and earlier start til one year I got them out in the garden too soon and they just sat there for a month. I set out some new ones about a month later and they thrived but the ones set out way too early never did really produce like they should and they never looked as good as the ones set out a month later.
It is also good to work a lot of organic mater into the soil before planting and to mulch them really heavily. This keeps the soil moist and allows the plants to grow steadily and fast.
I also like to give them a weekly dose of a fairly high nitrogen liquid fertilizer like Urban Farms Vegetable formula or Miracle Grow. This way I get quick growth and fast early production just in case the nematodes move in when it gets hot.
These techniques really help with okra and squash also.
I usually set out a few cucumber plants in August or very early September where the garden has a bit of shade. The trick is to get them through that first week after setting them out. They really don't do well in the heat of very late summer but if you can keep them alive til it starts to cool down a bit they can be fairly productive. Water them often and keep them off the ground if possible. I put a four inch thick layer of cypress mulch down a week before planting them to insure the ground is as cool as possible.
Bill
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