Diseases of cucumbers with photos: description and treatment with chemicals and folk remedies

Why do cucumbers get sick?

There are several reasons why cucumbers in the country can get sick. Knowing them, you can prevent or reduce the consequences.

A diseased plant can cause a lot of trouble.

One of the main factors in the occurrence of unpleasant sores is non-compliance with the temperature regime.

Temperature changes, including day and night, as well as high humidity, watering with very cold water are favorable causes of infection.

It is important to observe crop rotation in the beds. Cucumbers can be returned to their original planting site no earlier than after four years.

Lack of light, the presence of drafts, and untimely fertilizing also make the cucumber crop vulnerable to a number of diseases.

Promptly identify and remove affected parts of diseased bushes.

The main causes of pathologies

The basis of any disease is non-compliance with the rules of vegetable farming:



1. Fungi that cause disease in cucumber seedlings are hidden in the soil. If they take soil from the garden, then most often it is contaminated. Purchased substrates are usually disinfected by manufacturers.
2. Seeds collected independently may carry microorganisms that cause diseases in cucumber seedlings.
3. Conditions such as excessive dry air and high humidity are favorable for the development of pathogenic fungi. And their combination with low temperatures will lead to withering of the seedlings.
4. A lack of nutrients occurs when cucumber seedlings have sprouted thickly. Hence the seedling diseases. Fertilizer application must be carried out according to the schedule. You can’t saturate the soil too much with fertilizers, especially nitrogenous ones.
5. When seedlings are watered with cold water, they suffer from this and get sick.
6. Violations of growing conditions, when the seedlings have little light and the room temperature is either low or high, lead to diseases.

If seedlings are grown in greenhouses, then it is necessary to control the light, temperature and air humidity. Seedlings can also become infected when the soil and walls of the room are not disinfected.

What are the diseases of cucumbers?

Diseases of cucumbers are divided into viral, bacterial and fungal. Knowing the symptoms and measures to combat them, you can keep almost the entire crop safe and sound.

Fungal

The main cause of fungal diseases is differences in night and day temperatures, as well as watering with very cold water.

Powdery mildew is one of the most common diseases of cucumbers.

The most common fungal infection is powdery mildew. When the pathogen spreads strongly, the plants die completely.

It will be possible to grow cucumbers and any other pumpkin crops in this place no earlier than in three years.

Downy mildew is also widespread, affecting cucumber crops at any stage of growth. It develops intensively when the bushes are watered with cold water and at high humidity in the greenhouse.

If the soil is waterlogged for a long time, cucumbers can develop root rot.

Anthracnose or copperhead affects the entire leaf blade, subsequently causing leaf death. If the manifestations of the infection are not dealt with, the stems, petioles and the fruits themselves will be damaged. They will taste bitter and spoil quickly.

Another fungal disease is white rot. It affects all parts of the plant. One of the main reasons for its appearance is untimely removal of diseased, damaged leaves and shoots.

Fungal diseases can significantly reduce the harvest of greens

Macrosporiosis or black spot begins with minor pinpoint formations on the leaves. The disease manifests itself in the form of brown spots on the leaves, and subsequently the entire plant dies completely.

A cold, long spring causes a fungal disease called root beetle, which manifests itself by rotting of the root collar, after which the entire young plant dies.

The root beetle is typical for greenhouses.

It is necessary to exclude:

• excess watering,
• add ventilation,
• remove all infected bushes.

Viral

Viral diseases of cucumbers include mosaic. The green mottled, or English mosaic, cucumber is activated when the air temperature rises sharply to 30 degrees.

White and ordinary mosaics can be easily identified by cucumber leaves

Young shoots are affected 20-30 days after planting the seedlings. Afterwards, fruits on diseased bushes do not set well, and their quality deteriorates greatly.

The source of infection can be plant debris not removed from the site in time, the soil itself, equipment, clothing and seeds.

This disease even affects melons and watermelons, but it does not apply to pumpkins and zucchini.

A white mosaic appears on the leaves of young bushes. They become very light, and a white mosaic pattern appears on the fruits.

An ordinary cucumber mosaic can affect about 700 species of other inhabitants of the garden, including: tomato, pepper, cabbage, dill and parsley, berry crops, grapes.

The first signs of damage appear already on seedlings. She continues to get sick, and the fruits then become inedible. The common mosaic virus enters the soil either with weeds or is carried by aphids.

Bacterial

Bacteriosis is a cucumber disease spread by both insects and wind. In this case, the above-ground parts of the plant suffer.

Bacteriosis of cucumbers can spread through insects or wind

The bushes stop growing, the assimilation of foliage worsens, and the formation of fruits drops sharply.

Wet rot begins its attack by sowing infected seeds. Subsequently, the foliage becomes covered with green spots, bacteria penetrate into the fruits, causing them to rot.

Vascular bacteriosis is especially dangerous for greenhouse plants, causing their complete death. Like wet rot, bacteria are found in seeds and also in unharvested plant debris.

Prevention measures

In order to prevent damage to seedlings by pests, the following measures should be taken:

• Free planting of seeds
  , which eliminates contact of leaves with each other;
• Maintaining daily temperatures
  – daytime 22-24, night 16-18 degrees Celsius;
• Watering with water at room temperature
  .

Carefully select disease-resistant cucumber varieties.

Also follow the norms of agricultural technology and pest prevention.

All these measures will allow you to grow healthy seedlings, which will be the key to your harvest.

If, nevertheless, your plants are sick, then in the article we described what treatment of cucumber seedlings against diseases should be carried out?

Vegetable growers growing cucumber seedlings are often faced with their gradual wilting. There are many different reasons for the appearance of this problem, and therefore it is necessary to figure out in advance why cucumber seedlings wither and fall.

There are six main signs that indicate that cucumbers are beginning to die.

Leaves turn yellow and dry out

The most common symptom is the appearance of yellowness on the leaf blade. Most often, this problem occurs due to an attack by tobacco whitefly. This small insect is a carrier of many viral diseases.

Thinning and drying of the stem

Drying of cucumber seedlings is accompanied by drying out and thinning of the stems. Such signs begin to appear if seedlings become infected with root rot, which appears due to improper care of planted seedlings. The stem may dry out due to:

• sudden changes in temperature;
• using cold water for irrigation;
• lack of fertilizing.

Wilting of seedlings, accompanied by leaf curling, occurs due to insufficient moisture. Plants consume a lot of moisture, which leads to yellowing and curling of the foliage. First, yellow spot develops on the leaves located on the lower branches. However, the yellowness gradually spreads to the adjacent sheets above.

Developmental delay without noticeable reasons

Another sign of the gradual wilting of cucumbers is the slow development of each stem of the bush. The bushes begin to develop more slowly than healthy cucumbers. This negatively affects plant growth, as well as the speed of fruit ripening. Delayed development of bushes can occur at any stage of vegetable growth.

The roots of the seedlings die

The death of the root system is associated with the development of fungal diseases that appear due to waterlogging of the soil. Due to the large amount of moisture in the soil, fungal bacteria develop, which gradually penetrate the roots. This leads to yellowing of the foliage, as well as death of the roots.

Cucumbers die after germination

There are cases when cucumbers begin to die immediately after the first shoots appear. This happens if you plant seeds that are not disinfected. Such seeds contain pathogens that are activated after germination of the seed.

How to determine the disease

For correct and timely control, you need to know exactly what caused the cucumbers to become ill. This can be done by external signs.

Alternaria (dry spotting)

Identified by brown formations on the leaves. At first, the edges suffer, then the spots spread over the entire surface, and the leaves dry out.

The disease clearly appears on the foliage in the form of brown spots.

Spotting begins on the lower leaves. Then the spotting spreads upward. The cucumbers themselves and the stems remain apparently healthy.

Alternaria often affects fruits that grow near the doors of greenhouses, as they are more susceptible to temperature changes.

Too warm air combined with high humidity leads to the rapid development of negative consequences.

Powdery mildew

Signs:

• the leaves turn white below and above;
• spots cover the entire area of ​​the affected leaves;
• later it starts to get dark.

You can notice powdery mildew damage on the leaf.

Causes:

• irrational watering;
• Excessive fertilizing with nitrogen.

Powdery mildew can be seen on cucumbers in greenhouses and in open ground.

If the fight is not started in time, the leaves will become deformed and die. Later, the entire lash will be defeated. Fruit set stops, the harvest stops, and the bush dies.

Anthracnose (scarden)

Visual signs: the appearance of red spots on the foliage, vines and on the fruits themselves. At the next stage, ulcers appear on the green leaves, and holes form on the diseased leaves.

This disease of cucumbers is clearly visible due to the characteristic spots on the leaves.

The pathogenic fungus thrives in high humidity conditions and quickly spreads from one plant to another.

Cucumbers are susceptible to this infection at any stage of their development.

Ascochyta blight

How to determine: with ascochyta blight (black stem rot), the edges of the leaves first lighten and become covered with white spots. Gradually their entire area is affected.

In addition to the leaf blades, cucumbers darken and become covered with dark dots, and the stems become brown.

Most often, black stem rot affects greenhouse crops. Interestingly, the plant continues to bear fruit, but the cucumbers become unsuitable for food.

Cladosporiosis

If darkish spots with an olive-gray tint become noticeable on cucumber leaves, then this is cladosporiosis or olive spot.

Cladesporiosis is also called olive spot because of the olive-colored spots that form.

As with anthracnose (sedip), torn holes form on the foliage, and ulcers form on cucumbers. The tissues die and the fruits become unfit for food.

Humidity (more than 80 percent) promotes the development of the disease.

White rot

The so-called white rot affects stems and green plants. The disease is expressed in a white fluffy coating. The risk of getting sick is higher in greenhouse cucumbers and beds that are located near lettuce and parsley.

White rot is very dangerous. It is capable of destroying the entire harvest of greens

The fungus multiplies incredibly quickly and can destroy entire plantings.

The disease is caused by violations of growing rules - thickened beds, dead parts of plants not removed. Infection can occur through an instrument that has contracted the fungus.

Root rot

Root rot can be noticed by drying and thinning stems. The leaves also dry out, and the roots become covered with brown spots.

Recognizing root rot is not always easy. The mistake is that many gardeners try to additionally water the garden bed, but this only speeds up the process of death. Excess moisture leads to active growth of fungus.

The roots rot, and the cucumbers grow crooked and lag behind in development. This often leads to complete loss of the crop.

Fusarium wilt

The disease is characterized by wilting of bushes during the day. At night they freshen again and turn green.

Fusarium infection usually causes the plant to wilt

Fusarium wilt is transient. The leaves on the vines turn yellow, the plant dries out and dies.

The main cause of the disease is infected seeds. Cucumbers grown outside greenhouses are often infected.

Read more information on our website:

Fusariosis of cucumbers: symptoms of the disease, prevention and treatment Nikolay Golubev (Dachny website)

Downy mildew or downy mildew

Downy mildew is a serious cause for concern. Downy mildew manifests itself as light yellow spots on the top of the leaves. At the same time, you can see a purple coating below.

Peronosporosis is a dangerous fungal disease

Rainy and cold weather with temperature changes are factors that can contribute to the additional spread of the fungus. Cold watering is also harmful.

Plant death occurs after about 14 days.

Rhizoctoniosis

With rhizoctonia, cucumber fruits become covered with a black fungus. The leaves become covered with brown spots.

Greenhouse and ground cucumbers suffer from rhizoctonia. The disease is especially dangerous at the beginning of the growing season.

Causes

The disease is provoked by too dense planting and excessive watering.

Black mold

This is what is called a “burn” of leaves. Small dark spots merge and absorb healthy tissue. Spread occurs quickly throughout the above-ground part.

The development of infection begins with old leaves, so it is very important to remove them in a timely manner.

Bacteriosis

Another name for bacteriosis is angular leaf spot. Cucumbers, flowers and leaves become covered with unpleasant brown spots. Hence the name.

Bacteriosis is most common among greenhouse cucumbers.

Subsequently, in place of the spots, a cloudy liquid forms, and only veins remain on the foliage. The cucumbers shrivel and ulcers form on them.

Data

Bacteriosis most often affects greenhouse tomatoes.

Hot weather with heavy rain and excessive watering provoke this disease.

Wet bacterial rot

Dark green watery spots can be seen on cucumbers. Bacterial rot causes infected leaves to turn brown, stems soften, and cucumbers leak liquid.

• The fruits are not suitable for eating. The bushes bloom profusely, but set very poorly.
• The disease spreads during the entire growth period.
• Infection usually comes from diseased seeds or from rotten waste that has not been removed from the beds.

Common mosaic virus (cucumber mosaic virus)

When suddenly the cucumber leaves begin to curl and the fruits become covered with colored spots, it’s time to take urgent action. This “mosaic” usually appears on cucumbers after an unexpected temperature change.

It is important to know

Common mosaic spreads through contaminated soil. It is dangerous for many other vegetable crops in the garden.

Causes of neuralgia of the feet

The following conditions may cause nerve pain in one or both legs.

Baxter's neuropathy

Baxter's neuropathy

is a form of pinched nerve caused by compression of the lateral calcaneal nerve, which is located just under the base of the arch of the foot. Risk factors include:

• plantar fasciitis - inflammation of the plantar fascia, the part of the foot that connects the heel bone to the toes
• obesity
• heel spur
• flat feet

Morton's neuroma

Morton's neuroma involves thickened tissue that compresses the nerves between the toes. The patient may notice pain in the bottom of the foot, which gets worse when walking, especially in high heels. The pain may go away with rest or after removing shoes. The pain may be burning, stabbing or tingling, or may feel like an electric shock, and may also radiate to the back of the foot, causing cramps. Some patients also experience numbness between their toes. Common causes of Morton's neuroma are

• wearing tight shoes
• wearing high heels
• joint inflammation
• thickening of the foot ligaments
• injuries to the front of the legs, for example from sports
• lipomas are lumps under the skin that contain excessive growth of fat cells

Tarsal tunnel syndrome

Tarsal tunnel syndrome (tarsal tunnel syndrome) causes foot pain due to compression of the posterior tibial nerve, which runs down the back of the leg, or the plantar nerves in the feet. Doctors don't know how common this condition is because it is often underdiagnosed. The syndrome is more common in women.

Symptoms of tarsal tunnel syndrome:

• sharp, shooting pain in the inner ankle and along the foot
• numbness on the underside of the foot
• pain when bending and moving the foot
• tingling or burning sensation

Symptoms may be worse at night, when walking or standing, or after exercise. The pain often improves with rest.

Tarsal tunnel syndrome can occur as a result of:

• wearing ill-fitting shoes
• leg injuries
• development of postoperative scars
• varicose veins
• ganglion cyst
• lipomas

Peripheral neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy

is a general term for numbness, tingling, and burning in the toes, feet, and fingers. Symptoms may worsen at night. In addition, peripheral neuropathy can cause nonspecific symptoms that make it difficult to move your legs and perform basic activities. Researchers do not fully understand why some people develop peripheral neuropathy and others do not. However, scientists have identified conditions that increase the likelihood of developing peripheral neuropathy. These conditions include:

• infections
• deficiency of nutrients such as B12
• alcohol consumption
• diabetes
• some inherited diseases, such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which causes loss of muscle tissue
• Guillain-Barré syndrome, a condition that causes rapid muscle weakness

Diabetic neuropathy

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can cause neuralgia in the toes and feet. Diabetic neuropathy affects more than 90% of people with diabetes. Typically, nerve pain first affects the toes and surrounding areas and can then slowly spread to the rest of the foot and up the legs.

Symptoms of diabetic neuropathy include:

• tingling, burning, sharp or shooting pain in the toes or feet
• electric shock sensation in these areas
• pain that usually gets worse at night, causing sleep disturbances
• pain when touching the skin

Scientists are not sure of the exact reasons. Some theories point to changes in the blood vessels, metabolism, immune system, or the body's sodium and calcium channels. Some factors increase the risk of developing neuropathy:

• elderly age
• having diabetes for a longer period
• alcohol consumption
• use of tobacco products

Sciatica

Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve, the longest and widest nerve, is damaged or compressed. The sciatic nerve runs from the lower back, through the buttocks and down the legs, ending just below the knee. The most common cause of sciatica is a herniated or bulging disc in the spine. While sciatica tends to affect the back, hips, and upper legs first, the pain can spread down the legs to the feet and toes. Symptoms of sciatica include

• back pain on one side
• pain or burning in the buttocks
• weakness in legs
• leg and foot pain

Treatment of cucumber diseases

For convenience, all information on diseases and treatment methods is given in the table.

Downy mildew (peronospora)

Symptoms: At the beginning of the disease, light green spots, sometimes limited by veins, form on the upper part of the leaf. Over time, the spots turn brown, and grayish-purple fungal spores form on the back of the leaf. As a result, the leaves turn completely brown, but usually do not droop.

Control measures: Spray infected plants with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture, Fitosporin-M, Vitoplan or Gamair.

Traditional methods

As soon as people learned to grow cucumbers, the fight against diseases and pests began. As we know from medicine, the best method of treatment is prevention.

Iodine solutions

For prevention, the well-known medical iodine can be useful. Iodine solutions are used to prevent the occurrence of various rots.

A good effect in the fight against root rot is given by watering plants with an aqueous solution of iodine in a ratio of 0.5 teaspoon per 10 liters of water in the root area.

To combat powdery mildew, try making a solution of iodine, milk and water. You need to take 1 liter of milk and dilute 10 drops of iodine in it. After this, stir the milk in a bucket of water. Now you need to spray the cucumber plantings and the soil at the roots. The effect will not be long in coming.

Ash

Another universal remedy for combating powdery mildew and various types of spotted lesions of cucumbers is wood ash. The product resulting from the combustion of wood is rich in alkaline elements.

Regular wood ash is an excellent way to prevent cucumber diseases.

It is recommended to spray young plants with an ash solution to prevent pathogens from multiplying.

To ensure good adhesion of the ash, add a little grated laundry soap to the solution.

Milk serum

During harvest, when chemicals cannot be used, many people use whey. The whey contains lactic acid bacteria, which are harmless to cucumbers, but at the same time well suppress the proliferation of pathogenic fungi.

Mode of application:

1. Dilute whey with water (proportion 1:1)
2. Heat the solution to 25-30 degrees
3. Spray the plants with this mixture (for better adhesion, you can add a little grated laundry soap)

Mullein infusion

Many gardeners do not realize that an infusion of cow manure has worked well in the fight against powdery mildew.

Mullein infusion is a universal folk remedy for combating powdery mildew.

How to cook:

1. Pour fresh cow dung with water (proportion 1:1)
2. Leave for a day
3. Dilute again with water in a ratio of 1:10

Application:

• Water the infusion of cow dung between the rows. For 1 square meter, the consumption is 10 liters of solution.
• Be sure to stir the mullein infusion thoroughly before use.

Tincture of greenery and iodine

The most popular folk antiseptic for cucumbers is a solution of brilliant green and iodine. The use of these tools is described in the video.

To water the beds, you can dilute 10 drops of iodine and 10 drops of brilliant green in a bucket of water. With this mixture you can spray the leaves and stems of cucumbers and water the beds.

To lubricate the stems, you can prepare a solution in a ratio of 1 to 2. You can lubricate the stems with it.

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About the author: Nikolay Golubev Experienced gardener with 20 years of experience

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Gray rot

This disease is also more typical for greenhouse cucumber seedlings. Rot appears at the height of the hot period of summer - in mid-July.

The plant is affected by spores of a fungus that has developed in favorable greenhouse conditions. Within a week, the bushes and leaves will begin to wither, spots and holes will appear. The fruits of such plants cannot be eaten.

Dealing with gray rot is quite easy. You need to dilute chalk in water and add a little weak solution of manganese. The bushes must first be cleared of gray plaque and only then processed.

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Discussion: 2 comments

1. Galya:
   07/17/2020 at 18:34

   Thank you very much for the detailed description of cucumber diseases and treatment methods! Everything is clear, from the photo and description I immediately determined that our cucumbers have downy mildew. Now I know how to treat this problem, I’ll try both chemicals and folk methods!

   Answer

2. Andrey:

   07/28/2020 at 10:57

   An excellent selection of information about cucumber diseases. I would like a more similar description of each disease. Our cucumbers are suffering greatly from the heat this year. If you don't pour enough water, it will wilt, but if you start overwatering, it will begin to hurt.

   Answer

What to do if the edges of the leaves dry out on cucumber seedlings?

Most often, leaves of seedlings dry out for the following reasons:

• Weak or excessive watering
• Lack of fertilizers. Remove the top layer of soil and lay down peat soil and turf
• Lack of light. Turn on fluorescent lamps
• Parasites and insects. Before planting, treat the seeds with potassium permanganate

What to do if the edges of the leaves dry out on cucumber seedlings?

Errors in care

We propose to consider the most common mistakes in caring for cucumbers, which are made not only by beginners, but also by experienced vegetable growers.

Improper watering

Excess moisture displaces air from the soil. This leads to disruption of the oxidation process of organic substances and slower absorption of nutrients. The culture loves moderate and constant watering. The soil should not be over-moistened or over-dried: it is recommended to pour a couple of buckets of water per 1 m² of soil.

Lack of light

A very common reason. Often the problem is due to the planting being too dense. If the interval between plants is maintained at 40-60 cm, the root system develops correctly, the above-ground part is comfortably located, and the necessary compounds are absorbed in sufficient quantities.

Excessive lighting

The polar problem is excessive exposure to sunlight. The most favorable place for full growth of cucumbers will be in light partial shade. This minimizes the risk of leaf burns and changes in soil moisture.

Hypothermia

If the plant had to be planted in unheated soil, it will almost certainly be affected by diseases. Sometimes cucumbers not only freeze in growth, but also react by changing their overall appearance.

Frequent ventilation

Cucumbers do not like wind and drafts; they prefer still, moist air. It is not difficult to create such conditions in a greenhouse or greenhouse, but problems may arise in open ground. Try to plant cucumbers in a place protected from the wind.

Injury

Carelessness in weeding cucumbers, that is, mechanical damage to the root of the plant, also leads to a deterioration in its condition and yellowing of the leaves.

"Starvation" of the plant

For normal functioning, cucumbers need fertilizing. An imbalance in the application of fertilizers or their absence will cause a lack of useful micro- and macroelements.