Why the ovary can fall off in cucumbers
It happens that suddenly the buds of cucumbers turn yellow and fall off. This happens for the following reasons.:
- non-observance of the temperature regime in the greenhouse;
- non-compliance with mineral nutrition;
- lack of moisture in the soil or waterlogging;
- poor pollination by bees due to unfavorable weather.
Let's consider these reasons in detail. The best air temperature for growing parthenocarpic varieties is + 20 ... + 24 ° С during the day and + 17 ... + 18 ° С at night. When the formation of fruits begins, the temperature should be: + 21 ... + 26 ° С during the day and + 18 ... + 20 ° С at night. If the varieties are pollinated, the temperature should be 1-3 ° C higher than the indicated values.
The earth should be warmed up to + 22 ° ... + 24 ° С. In greenhouses, this often happens due to sudden temperature changes. During the day, plastic wrap transmits heat well, as a result of which the temperature inside the structure can be 40 ° C. At night, inside the building, the temperature drops greatly, which leads to shedding of the buds.
And not only from the lack of specific elements, but also from their incorrect proportions. Parthenocarpic varieties and hybrids are very dependent on this factor, since they need generous watering, and it washes nitrogen and potassium out of the ground. This is why cucumbers turn yellow. Leaves and lashes can turn yellow from a nitrogen deficiency, and from a lack of potassium and nitrogen, buds dry up and fall off. As a result, during the growth of fruits, the plants must be fed with nitrogen-potassium fertilizers.
During the ripening period of cucumbers, the soil should be moist. But we must remember that watering cucumbers with cool water (10-15 ° C) will provoke a massive fall of buds. There is one watering trick. It is used to have more female flowers. During the formation of flowers, watering is temporarily stopped in order to dry the soil.
Often, cucumber flowers dry up and fall off due to insufficient work of bees, because in cloudy weather they are absent, and in hot weather they do not want to visit a stuffy greenhouse. And if they do, then at high temperatures (35 ° C or more), the pollen becomes sterile, and the cucumber ovaries remain unfertilized, dry and fall off.
Errors when growing zelentz
Cucumbers are light-loving plants. Therefore, having decided to grow them in a greenhouse or greenhouse, it is important to place the structure in such a way that it is well lit from all sides.
The first mistake that gardeners make is the fear of pinching cucumbers, fearing that the harvest will decrease. But this, on the contrary, will increase the yield and strengthen the root system. It is not difficult to take a stepchild: all stepchildren pluck out of the axils of the lower 5 leaves. Having waited for the seventh leaf, they again stepchildren, but in a different way. On the side shoot, 1 leaf and 1 ovary are left, after which the shoot is stepson. After the appearance of 10 leaves, unnecessary shoots are again stepson, leaving 2 leaves and 2 cucumbers each. This is how a bush is formed.
Another mistake is a dense planting, when they strive to plant more plants, not assuming that when they grow, they will become cramped. Therefore, when growing cucumbers in a greenhouse, it is necessary to accurately calculate how many seedlings to plant in the available area, adding 10% of the bushes for insurance.
Cucumber hybrids have a developed vegetative system, so they must be planted so that each seedling has a certain feeding area. For example, parthenocarpic hybrids each plant needs 1 m2 of area, and bee-pollinated - 2-3 times less. Violation of these norms will lead to the fact that the grown cucumbers will begin to shade each other, which is why the ovaries may turn yellow and fall off.
A dense planting leads to a lack of nutrition, and the plants cannot feed all their ovaries, so they dry up and crumble.
The third mistake is feeding cucumbers with one manure.... When fruiting begins, the feeding must be changed. At this time, cucumbers require phosphorus-potassium fertilizer. Superphosphate and wood ash should be added to the mullein infusion. But you need to know that excessive application of potash fertilizers can cause a lack of nitrogen. You can use universal fertilizers: "Kemiru", "Solution" or "Ammofosku".
The fourth mistake is that when planting bee-pollinated varieties of cucumbers, summer residents do not plant a pollinator nearby. Modern varieties of zelentz have more female flowers, so they need a pollinator nearby. And most vegetable growers forget to plant it or don't know how important it is.
The fifth mistake is the late collection of fruits. Cucumbers grow large, and this slows down the growth of subsequent zelents.
Why do cucumber ovaries turn yellow (video)
Bunch cucumbers and principles of agricultural technology
Recently, gardeners have been carried away by the cultivation of bunched hybrid cucumbers, in which from 2 to 10 buds are formed in the axil of each leaf. They are in demand due to their abundant harvests and small fruits. But how to make sure that all the ovaries in the “bouquet” are preserved and not crumble? For novice gardeners, this does not work, and often only 1-2 greens per node grows.
- The soil should be fertilized, loose and moderately moist.
- At the time of fruit formation, the plants should be strong, with strong roots and healthy leaves.
- Fertilize the plants weekly throughout the fruiting period. You should not overfeed with nitrogen, because of this there will be fewer ovaries.
- Regularly monitor the cucumbers: when the required size is reached, remove them so as not to inhibit the growth of subsequent vegetables.
- Do not allow the soil to dry out, as the cucumber ovary may dry out.
- Provide good lighting in the greenhouse. The lack of light affects the number of buds in the node - there are fewer of them.
In addition, you need to know what varieties you are growing: whether they are bee-pollinated or not, whether you need a pollinator, whether you need to lure bees into the greenhouse.
It should be remembered that the degree of parthenocarpia decreases due to inclement weather and untimely pinching of lateral shoots. In this regard, it is very important to form plants correctly and on time, and in rainy weather to spray cucumbers with "Zircon" or "Epin".