Many people face various challenges when growing vegetables. Some summer residents are interested in why the cucumber ovaries fall in the greenhouse. They try, take care of the plants, create seemingly ideal conditions for them, and still the cucumbers turn yellow and fall off. There may be several reasons. We'll take a closer look at each of them.
Causes of falling and yellowing of cucumber ovaries in a greenhouse
Violation of the light regime
Cucumbers, like many other plants, are demanding on the amount of light. Its lack leads to problems with the development of the bush. If you are going to grow a vegetable in a greenhouse, you need to collect information in advance on how to install it correctly so that the lighting is complete.
When planting other vegetables in the greenhouse, it is worth remembering that some can interfere with others with their shadow. Do not repeat the mistakes of other summer residents who seek to fit as much as possible into the greenhouse. Before planting in the ground, consider how much seedlings you need. Remember that the vegetative system of cucumber hybrids is well developed, so you need to correctly calculate how much area each bush will need. It is recommended to plant one to three shoots per square meter. Exceeding this norm can provoke the fact that the plants will shade each other, and in the future you will notice that the cucumber ovaries turn yellow and fall off.
Do not forget about the need to pinch the top of the shoots. If this is not done on time (while the shoots are still small - up to 20-25 cm), the ovary may also begin to fall off due to a lack of light.
Temperature violation
Be aware that greenhouse cucumbers are temperature sensitive. The optimal values are as follows:
- before fruiting, when the weather is clear - from 22 to 24 degrees;
- before fruiting, when the weather is cloudy - from 20 to 22 degrees;
- before fruiting, at night - from 17 to 18 degrees;
- during fruiting, when the weather is clear - from 23 to 26 degrees;
- during fruiting, when the weather is cloudy - from 21 to 23 degrees;
- during fruiting, at night - from 18 to 20 degrees.
Please note that for varieties that are pollinated by bees, the temperature should be slightly higher - by 1-3 degrees.
If the temperature is above or below normal, the plants begin to dry out or overcool, respectively. Sudden changes in temperature also negatively affect the development of cucumbers. Most often, this problem occurs in greenhouses, where the air heats up during the day, and it becomes abruptly cold at night. To adjust the temperature regime, we advise you to use the following methods.
How to raise the temperature
To increase the temperature in the greenhouse:
- Cover the cucumbers in the evening with another layer of foil and leave so overnight. A distance of 2 to 5 centimeters must be maintained between it and the main shelter. Due to this, the temperature will rise by about 2-4 degrees.
- Use foam wrap to protect the walls.
- You can cover the ground with black foil.
- Use heaters.
How to lower the temperature
To reduce the temperature in the greenhouse:
- Take care of good ventilation. This will reduce the temperature by 10 degrees.
- Water the bushes in the morning with plenty of water.
- Reed mats and shields will help. They should be painted white. They serve as protection against infrared radiation.
- Film shelters can be sprayed with various solutions, for example, chalk, clay or flour.
Lack of minerals
Ovaries may fall off due to lack of minerals
The ovaries turn yellow and crumble when there is not enough nutrients in the soil, and the cucumbers were not fed on time. Unbalanced fertilizers or their excess negatively affect plants. Watering in large quantities leaches potassium and nitrogen from the soil, so you need to take care of adding these substances first. Plants should be fed every 7-10 days.
How to deal with the problem:
- reduce or eliminate manure use;
- spray plants with a solution based on urea and wood ash;
- use special drugs that can be purchased in stores;
- fertilize the soil with wood ash.
High yield of hybrids
It would seem that this is a big plus. But, unfortunately, this characteristic can also play a negative role in the development of plants. Since an ovary, or even several, forms in almost every sinus, the plants do not have enough nutrients. Then the extra cucumber ovaries fall off. In order not to overload the cucumbers, remove the ovaries yourself - before the flowers appear. However, if you see that a small number of ovaries turn yellow, you can not interfere with the process, this means that the plant itself takes care of the optimal amount of fruit and discards the excess.
Violation of soil moisture
Special attention should be paid to watering. Before fruiting begins, water the cucumbers in moderation, and then increase its intensity. The soil in the greenhouse must be sufficiently moist. But remember to keep a balance. Both lack and excess of moisture adversely affect the plant. Use the following guidelines:
- Do not pour cold water over the cucumbers. Sometimes because of this, the ovary falls off.
- Use warm water that has been infused. If the weather is hot, it is better to do this in the morning, if the air is cool - during the day.
- When flowers begin to set, take a break from watering for a few days. Thanks to this, there will be more female flowers.
- Before flowering, water the bushes every 5-7 days, and after the beginning - every 2-3 days.
Insufficient pollination
This situation may arise due to unfavorable weather conditions. Bees do not fly if the weather is cloudy. If cucumbers are grown in a greenhouse, insects rarely fly in there, they do not like the stuffiness and heat inside the building. Some modern varieties of cucumbers are self-pollinating, in such cases, of course, there will be no problem. The same cannot be said about the traditional varieties of these vegetables. If the female flower is not fertilized, the cucumber ovaries fall off.
The ways out of the situation can be as follows:
- You can pollinate the flowers yourself. To do this, you can gently fan a female flower with a previously plucked male one. Another option is to transfer pollen from the male flower to the female with a brush.
- Another tip that can help is attracting bees. To do this, spray the cucumbers with a honey solution.
- The easiest option is to grow self-pollinated cucumber species.
Bacteriosis
If the ovaries turn yellow, this may be a sign of this unpleasant disease. The reason for this phenomenon is often an excess of moisture in the air and soil. And also the disease can develop due to the fact that the cucumbers are planted too close to each other.
Why do cucumber ovaries turn yellow?
WHY DO YELLOW AND DO NOT GROW BINDINGS ON CUCUMBERS ?! AND WHAT TO DO ?!
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WHY DO YELLOW BINDINGS ON CUCUMBERS (CULTIVATION, FEEDING CUCUMBERS IN THE GREENHOUSE)
The cause of the disease can be temperature drops, barren land. Spots appear on the leaves, which acquire a brown color, dry out, and because of this, holes appear in the leaves.
Conclusion
If you followed all the recommendations for caring for the bushes, and the ovaries still crumble and the cucumbers disappear, the plants may have been affected by a viral disease or you had poor-quality seeds. We hope that you do not have to face such a problem, and the cucumbers will delight you with an excellent harvest!