Armenian cucumbers may split open if left on the vine too long.

Jude Sirota provide me a number of cucurbit plants (members of the gourd family) for the Grand Junction Community Garden at the Library earlier this year. One was an Armenian cucumber. This striped Armenian variety is called "Painted Serpent".


You can tell by the one Susan Swift is holding they can become quite long and certainly do resemble a serpent.

If you aren't familiar with this cucumber, they stay tender no matter how long they grow.

The only problem I've had with this cultivar is they split along the stem end. The damage shows up as open sores which enlarge into large splits as seen below.



This problem may be due to too much soil moisture.  Slicing cucumbers tend to become bitter when they lack adequate soil moisture.  Which is worse, a cucumber that is bitter or one that splits open?