Cucumbers can be protected from diseases not only with purchased chemical products, but also with folk remedies.
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For you, we have created communities on social networks in which useful articles and interesting ideas are published several times a day! Subscribe and receive useful content in a convenient format! Folk remedies compare favorably with store-bought fungicides in their lower cost, availability and environmental friendliness. But at the same time, they also have their drawbacks.
We will talk about all this in today's article.
In what cases can cucumbers be treated with folk remedies?
With spring comes concerns about the future harvest. A variety of vegetables grow in every garden.
Due to its easy care, abundant harvests and universal use, cucumber is loved by all gardeners. However, this unpretentious vegetable, like others, needs additional attention and protection from possible diseases.
In parallel with a variety of chemical agents, summer residents actively use folk remedies that help them fight parasites, as well as pathogenic microorganisms that cause a variety of diseases in cucumbers.
Natural ingredients that are harmless to humans and the soil are often used as folk remedies to destroy cucumber diseases and their pathogens. You can treat the bed with them both for preventive purposes and directly for treatment.
Traditional remedies exhibit a great therapeutic effect in the early stages of the disease, when the following signs appear:
- Yellowing of leaves.
- Rotting leaves and greens.
- Development of crooked cucumbers.
- Dying of part of the vine.
- Falling of the ovaries.
Ignoring such signs increases the likelihood of losing the harvest. Timely processing of the crop not only has healing properties, but also helps to increase fruiting.
Anthracnose or rust
It is caused by ascomycete fungi, which are responsible for the appearance of dark brown spots on the leaves. As the disease develops, these spots merge into one and cause the leaves to fall and then the death of the plant. The entire above-ground part is at the mercy of fungi, and even if the fruits set, they rot.
Owners of their own greenhouses in temperate climates are familiar with it firsthand. Signs of the disease appear during the wet season, when it rains continuously amid stifling heat.
It is customary to combat anthracnose with the help of Bordeaux mixture
It is very important to destroy all plant remains after harvesting, and cutting out and burning the affected parts is also used as a preventive measure.
Are folk remedies effective against diseases and pests of cucumbers?
Effective and inexpensive means of combating diseases of cucumbers can be easily prepared according to a recipe at home. They are cheap, readily available and non-toxic to humans.
Folk remedies are recommended to be used in the earliest stages of the appearance of signs of the disease. At the earliest suspicion of the disease, treatment gives a consistently positive result. If the disease has severely affected the cucumber vines, then the available remedies are usually useless.
In such cases, treatment with specialized chemical preparations is necessary, and in case of serious damage, it is better to remove the bush.
What folk remedies can you use to process cucumbers?
Ready-made mixtures and dry fertilizers prepared according to folk recipes for treating cucumbers are passed down from generation to generation. They use affordable components found in every home.
Processing cucumbers with ash solution
Ash is a well-known fertilizer, rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium, used by gardeners to feed many garden crops.
In addition to improving the soil structure and providing the bush with the necessary elements, ash has bactericidal properties. Ash-based solutions provide significant assistance in the fight against fungal diseases of cucumbers. Powdery mildew and root rot can be successfully treated in the early stages.
Soap solutions of ash are effective against aphids and other insects that parasitize cucumbers. Scattered ash under the bush prevents the spread of slugs.
To prepare an ash solution according to a folk recipe, 5 cups of purified ash are stirred in a bucket of water and left for 2 to 5 days. If necessary, add grated soap to the resulting mixture.
How to use garlic solution to process cucumbers
Garlic is known for its medicinal properties and is widely used when it is necessary to treat cucumbers and the soil under them against a wide variety of diseases. And it doesn’t matter what exactly the disease is caused by: bacteria, viruses or parasitic insects.
Phytoncides, sulfur compounds and sulfides contained in garlic in large quantities have bactericidal, fungicidal and parasitic properties. They effectively help in the treatment of downy mildew.
REFERENCE. Many pests cannot stand the aroma of garlic infusion. For example, slugs, aphids, spider mites, etc.
Garlic infusion is used to treat bushes against pathogenic microorganisms.
The recipe is:
- 50 g of chopped garlic is poured into 0.5 l. hot water.
- Leave to brew for a day.
- The resulting mixture is filtered and diluted with water in a ratio of 1:1.
- Sprinkle the prepared solution on cucumbers 2-3 times a week in the evening.
ON A NOTE. To combat pests, add 0.5 liters of chopped garlic. vegetable oil. Add a few tablespoons of liquid soap to the resulting mixture. The solution is infused for a day, after which it is filtered and diluted 1:10. Treat the bushes several times a week until the parasites completely disappear.
How to use tobacco solution to process cucumbers
Tobacco dust contains easily digestible forms of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, necessary for the normal development of the cucumber bush. Nicotine, a toxic substance for living organisms, provides antiparasitic, insecticidal and bactericidal properties to tobacco. Using infusions, decoctions and dry dust, gardeners protect cucumber beds from most pests and pathogenic organisms.
- Powdering with tobacco dust is carried out in dry, windless weather and in greenhouses. This method is successfully used in the fight against caterpillars, leaf rollers and aphids. Pollination of the root zone protects against slugs and ants.
- Spraying with tobacco infusions and decoctions gives a prolonged result. The effect lasts for several weeks. Recipe for making an infusion: 1 glass of tobacco pour 5 liters. hot water and leave for 2 days. Add 1 tbsp to the prepared solution. liquid soap. When making a decoction, tobacco dust is added to boiling water and boiled for half an hour. The cooled concentrate is diluted 1:2.
- Fumigation of cucumbers is carried out in greenhouses and outdoors in dry weather. Tobacco powder is added to the burning wood chips and the smoke is directed into the plantings.
IMPORTANT! Remember that nicotine is also toxic to humans. When working with this substance, you must protect your respiratory system.
Recipes with cucumber serum
Whey, a by-product when making homemade cottage cheese or cottage cheese, is rich in microelements, amino acids and vitamins. Lactic acid bacteria suppress the development of pathogenic microorganisms, protecting cucumbers from diseases.
The serum is used for spraying the lower leaves or root watering of cucumber bushes.
- Treatment with the solution helps well against powdery mildew, fusarium, root rot, late blight, and downy mildew.
- You can use the whey to make traps when you need to get rid of pests. To do this, leave the partially open container with the serum overnight.
- Spraying with the addition of laundry soap helps well in the fight against aphids and whiteflies.
ON A NOTE. To enhance the bacterial properties, you can add a few drops of iodine to the serum. You can feed cucumbers with a whey product throughout the entire summer season. Processing period: 10 – 14 days.
How to use iodine and milk to process cucumbers
A milk solution with the addition of iodine according to the recipe has a good effect on the development of the culture. The cucumber trunks become stronger, the leaves acquire a rich green color, and the quality of the fruit improves. The beneficial components of milk and the bactericidal properties of iodine contribute to:
- Strengthening the immune system.
- Providing necessary elements and vitamins.
- Protection against powdery mildew, bacteriosis, mosaic.
For prevention, adult cucumbers, seeds and cucumber seedlings can be treated with this solution. This helps cucumbers resist various types of rot, fungal parasites, bacterial and viral diseases.
Solutions with brilliant green for processing cucumbers
Zelenka contains microelements important for the development of cucumbers. The bactericidal properties of copper protect cucumbers from many types of diseases.
Treatment with a solution of brilliant green is useful for specimens grown in swampy, copper-poor soil. It prevents rotting processes, protects against yeast fungus, scab, putrefactive bacteria, powdery mildew and downy mildew, and late blight.
It is important to prepare the solution correctly.
According to the recipe, for preventive treatment, dilute 1 ml of brilliant green in 1 liter. water. To treat bushes with obvious signs of disease, 1 liter is needed. take 5 ml of brilliant green. Severely affected areas can be lubricated with a concentrate of 20 ml per 1 liter.
Top dressing
Feeding is an integral part of caring for cucumbers, but it is important to follow the basic rules to ensure a high-quality harvest. In particular, you should not fertilize the bushes in the first vegetative phase. They require few nutrients. It is better to start applying fertilizers from the moment the first flowers and ovaries appear.
The plant needs feeding throughout the growing season.
Fertilizing with organic matter (bird droppings, mullein) is carried out with infused and fermented substrate. To do this, pour 150 g of manure into a bucket of water and let it brew for 2 days. Each seedling will need about 0.5 liters. After the procedure, you need to water the cucumbers. You can add urea or superphosphate to the fertilizer. This is suitable for fertilizing during the flowering period.
Organic fertilizers must be alternated with mineral ones. Each growing season requires certain substances:
- active growth – nitrogen substances;
- flowering - phosphorus;
- fruiting - nitrogen-potassium.
Important! Foliar feeding is carried out rarely, usually when the temperature regime is violated. When spraying, you need to pay attention to the lower leaves, which absorb the solution better.
Apply organic fertilizers little by little to avoid overfeeding the plants.
You should not apply fertilizer more than 5 times per season, otherwise even proper care will not allow you to reap a good harvest. It is necessary to pay attention to the development of the bush and fruits in order to determine which fertilizers are best to apply:
- The bushes are actively developing, but flowers are not formed - there is an excess of organic fertilizers. You need to add minerals.
- The fruits curl, forming “hooks” - potassium deficiency.
- Cucumbers are thick at the stem, sharp at the tip - there is not enough nitrogen.
First aid kit products for processing cucumbers
For plants, in particular cucumbers, products from a gardener's first aid kit can become an important component of feeding and protection against various diseases.
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide, indispensable in the treatment of wounds, is widely used in gardening. Treatment with peroxide protects cucumbers from late blight, blackleg, and all types of rot.
Recipe for preparing a working solution: pour 20 ml of peroxide into a bucket of water (10 l) and immediately treat the plantings.
Iodine
An alcohol solution of iodine is available in every home. In the garden it is used as an antiseptic and bactericide. Regular treatment of cucumbers with iodine improves growth and stimulates fruiting of the plant.
When using this drug, it is necessary to observe moderation, since, along with pathogenic iodine, it can also suppress beneficial microflora. Processing of beds with cucumbers is carried out in accordance with the following schemes:
- To stimulate the development of green mass, the recipe is as follows: 6 drops per 10 liters of water or 1/2 tsp. on a bucket.
- Recipe for the prevention of bacterial and viral diseases – 1 drop/5 l. water.
- Recipe for protection against insects – 1 drop/1 l. water.
Metronidazole
The well-known antifungal drug also has a wide bactericidal spectrum of action. The medicine is used to treat diseases and control pests.
According to the recipe, 5 tablets are diluted in 2 liters of warm water. The resulting solution is sprayed onto the plant. To control pests, you can water the soil in the root zone.
Ammonia
Ammonia contains a large amount of easily digestible nitrogen. Cucumbers are treated with ammonia.
To prepare it, 10 ml of medicine is diluted in a bucket of water.
To combat pests, it is enough to spray ammonia or place moistened cotton pads under the roots. Their pungent smell keeps insects away.
succinic acid
Succinic acid is an important component of the life of a living cell. In plants it functions as a powerful biostimulant. Plants weakened as a result of temperature changes or disease are revived much faster in the presence of succinic acid.
Recipe for prevention: add 10 liters per crushed tablet. water, for treatment - 5 l.
Watering
Caring for cucumbers includes abundant and systematic watering. There should be no lack of moisture. Abundant but infrequent watering will also have a bad effect on fruit formation. This can cause some diseases and also leads to deformation of the cucumber. The optimal consumption is 7-8 liters per 1 sq.m. It is recommended to water in the morning, and the water should be warm. The frequency of the procedure is: once every 3 days after planting, every other day - during active growth, once a day - in hot weather.
Water the plants so that moisture does not get on the leaves
Since cucumbers love high humidity, it is allowed to spray the bushes with water by arranging automatic watering in the greenhouse. On hot days, it is worth sprinkling once or twice a week. Do not water cucumbers at the roots. Excessive exposure of the roots or moisture on the stem can provoke certain diseases. It is better to make grooves between the rows and holes and pour water into them.
Important! Drooping or wilted leaves indicate a lack of moisture.
Proper care includes loosening, which is done after watering. During this procedure, it is worth covering the root collar with soil if it opens. When the bushes grow, it will become simply impossible to loosen the soil.
What folk remedies can be used to process cucumbers in a greenhouse?
Traditional recipes have worked well for growing cucumbers indoors. Most techniques use substances that stimulate the development of the plant’s immune system.
A greenhouse is a favorable place not only for the growth of cucumbers, but also for the active reproduction of pathogenic organisms. It is important to carefully consider the best mechanisms for protecting your beds indoors.
Ash
Ash disinfects the soil in the greenhouse, prevents the spread of pests and stops the development of pathogenic microorganisms. They use infusions, decoctions, ash solutions and dry powder.
Garlic tincture
An indispensable assistant in the disinfection of closed greenhouses. The powerful bactericidal effect of garlic has a beneficial effect on the microclimate of the room, disinfecting it.
Tobacco dust
Tobacco contains nicotine, which suppresses the development of pathogenic organisms. In parallel with disinfection, it provides the soil with necessary substances.
Iodine
Strong antiseptic with broad bactericidal action. Disinfects the soil and air in the greenhouse and provides plants with the microelements necessary for good development.
Causes of disease development
What to do if cucumbers disappear in the greenhouse? Most often, plants in greenhouses and greenhouses get sick due to errors in agricultural technology . Unfavorable weather conditions are less common.
Why do cucumbers get sick in a greenhouse?:
- contaminated soil - diseases occur if plants that previously grew in the greenhouse were infected or the soil was not disinfected before planting;
- contaminated fertilizers - compost, humus and manure may contain pathogens;
- infection on materials - pathogens often enter plants from garden tools or planting material;
- violation of watering rules - the development of fungal diseases is promoted by both high and low humidity, condensation in the room;
- incorrect pinching - if you water the cucumbers immediately after pinching, it will be easier for fungal spores to penetrate into the “wounds”;
- lack of micronutrients - the immunity of cucumbers decreases, and they become more susceptible to diseases;
- Pests spread viral infections.
Effective preparations for cucumbers against diseases and pests
A brief description of the signs of the main diseases of cucumbers and the drugs that are best used to treat them are presented in the table.
Disease | Manifestations | Purchased funds | Folk remedies |
Powdery mildew | Whitish coating on leaves | Byleton; Topaz; Strobe; Gamair; Albite; Alirin-B; Thiovit Jet; | Ash solutions; Manganese; Tobacco dust; Milk serum; Garlic infusions; Mustard; Iodine; Onion peel |
Downy mildew (downy mildew) | light yellow small spots on the leaves | HOM; Abiga Peak; Ordan; Quadris; Consento; Previkur | |
Cladosporiosis (brown olive spot) | Olive spots on leaves and stems | Abiga-pik"; Carticide; Bordeaux mixture | |
fusarium | Wilting of the plant starting from the top | Trichophyte; Trichodermin; Glyocladin; Baktofit; Fitosporin-M; Vitaros.; Fundazol; Arbothrin; Fundazim; Agrocyte; Benomyl | |
Gray rot | gray coating on the fruits, over time replaced by fluff | Alirin B; Gamair; Abiga Peak; HOM; Ordan; Bordeaux mixture; Planriz | |
White rot | slippery coating | ||
Root rot | The roots turn brown and dry out | ||
Field mosaic | Yellow-green spots on leaves | Aktelik; Aktara | |
Speckled mosaic | Whitish or yellowish “blots” |
Answers to frequently asked questions
When growing cucumbers and encountering the first signs of disease, the gardener may have questions that require a quick solution. The main ones:
What are the signs to sound the alarm?
It is recommended to take measures against diseases immediately in the event of unexpected wilting of leaves, the appearance of various spots, or rotting of fruits and stems.
When should pesticides be used?
If the disease has passed the early stage, then treatment with pesticides is inevitable.
Do I need to remove infected parts of the plant?
Affected leaves and fruits must be torn off and burned.
Is it possible to treat healthy plants with folk remedies?
Applying safe products is beneficial for any plant. They strengthen immunity to disease and have a beneficial effect on development and fruiting.