What to do if cucumbers grow with a hook: what is missing and how to correct the situation

Why do cucumbers grow with crochets?

There are several reasons. Either one of them or their combination leads to the appearance of hook-shaped fruits on cucumber bushes. The most common reasons that cucumbers grow crooked are lack of fertilizer, insufficient light and low temperature.

Fertilizer shortage

During the growing season, cucumbers are fed with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, as they promote the rapid growth of the green mass of the bush. But nitrogen leaches potassium from the soil, which is so important for the formation and proper growth of fruits.

Important! It is the lack of potassium in the soil that most often causes cucumbers to become deformed.

With an excess of nitrogen and at the same time a lack of potassium and phosphorus in the soil, during flowering and fruiting, the ovaries of the plants fall off and the greens do not ripen.

Insufficient lighting

Cucumber is a light-loving plant. Ovaries on it are formed throughout the bush, including on the lower lashes. The overgrown green mass blocks the access of sunlight to some ovaries, which leads to their falling off or deformation of the fruits.

If, in pursuit of a bountiful harvest, you have planted the plants too densely, do not be surprised at the hooked fruits, since the shadow from neighboring plants will also not let the sun's rays through to the cucumbers.

It can be useful:

How to deal with aphids on cucumbers in a greenhouse

How dangerous are black aphids on cucumbers?

How to get rid of whiteflies in a greenhouse on cucumbers

Low temperature

Cucumbers grow comfortably at an air temperature of 20–26 °C . If it rises higher, the fruits turn yellow and wither. At temperatures below 20 °C, cucumbers become deformed or stop growing altogether.

The greatest danger from incorrect temperature conditions is in the last phase of the cucumber flowering period - immediately before the start of fruiting. Errors at this stage can lead not only to crooked fruits, but also to the fall of the ovaries, that is, to a significant reduction in the yield.

Dense plantings

If the bushes are planted too densely, this leads to poor air circulation. Plants receive little sunlight, which is especially important at the stage of formation of the first ovaries.

A lack of light and oxygen will provoke the development of pathogenic fungi, various diseases and the proliferation of pests.

Under the influence of these factors, cucumbers grow of irregular shape and size. The situation can be corrected by installing trellises.

• Author: Zimina Tatyana
• Print

Rate this article:

1. 5
2. 4
3. 3
4. 2
5. 1

(4 votes, average: 3.8 out of 5)
Share with your friends!

Other reasons

If you find hooked fruits on cucumber bushes , although all the reasons listed above are excluded, check whether you are harvesting on time and whether you are watering the plants correctly. If you do this correctly and on time, the reason may be a violation of the rules of the neighborhood or the characteristics of the chosen variety of cucumbers.

Late harvest

The cucumber bush spends a huge amount of energy and nutrients on ripening the fruits . If the fruit is overripe and hangs for too long, the plant does not have enough strength to form new ovaries and normal ripening of new cucumbers.

Therefore, if you pick cucumbers rarely (less than once every two days), and especially at the end of the season, you will get crooked and small fruits on the cucumber bushes. The harvest will be several times smaller in quantity than it could have been if harvested in a timely manner.

Mistakes when watering

Watering is an important point when growing any plant, especially cucumber, because its fruits are 95% water. When watering cucumbers, you can make several mistakes that will lead to deformation of the fruit :

1. Cold water. Watering with cold and ice water stresses the roots of the plant, which leads to the appearance of empty flowers and deformed fruits.
2. Lack of moisture. During drought, cucumbers wilt, so water is essential for growth and fruiting. During the flowering period, gardeners advise limiting watering the plant to produce female flowers. And if there is a lack of moisture during the fruiting period, the cucumbers appear small and uneven.
3. Excess moisture . If there is excess moisture, microelements are washed out of the soil and do not reach the fruits, which means that mature, even and large cucumbers will not grow on such bushes. In addition, excess water will lead to root rot and death of the plant.

Violating Neighborhood Rules

Oddly enough, the appearance of beautiful, even, healthy fruits depends on the plants located next to the cucumbers. Cucumber varieties of different types of pollination should not be placed side by side. If self-pollinating plants and those that require insects for pollination are not isolated from each other, the fruits will be deformed.

Violation of crop care rules

There are many reasons for the curvature of a cucumber. The main thing is violation of agricultural technology and norms of applied liquid. Also, curvature can be caused by a deficiency of essential nutrients and sudden changes in temperature. Sometimes the cause of curvature can be damage to plants by insects or infection with infectious diseases.

Watering

This vegetable reacts extremely negatively to a decrease in temperature during the humidification process. Watering seedlings is allowed only with warm water from 25 ° C. Irregular watering will lead to changes in the shape and quality of the fruit.

Curvature caused by insufficient soil watering

Important! Formed ovaries require watering at least 3 times a week. In hot weather, the frequency can be increased.

Experts advise using drip irrigation for moisturizing, which has proven itself to be excellent among all summer residents and gardeners. Its use significantly reduces water consumption and reduces the possibility of fungal infections.

A problem occurs in the greenhouse

Why do crooked cucumbers grow in a greenhouse? Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse can affect the fruiting of plants both positively and negatively. On the one hand, it is easier to maintain and regulate the conditions in which a crop grows in a greenhouse than in open ground. On the other hand, an inexperienced gardener can easily make a mistake, which will lead to improper development of fruits in the greenhouse.

In a greenhouse, it is more difficult to isolate plants of differently pollinated varieties from each other and to comply with the rules of proximity. And for proper growth of insect-pollinated cucumbers in a greenhouse, you have to resort to artificial pollination.

Crochet cucumbers in open ground

When cucumbers grow in an open garden bed, it is more difficult for the gardener to influence temperature conditions and watering (for example, during abnormal amounts of precipitation).

It’s easier to follow neighborhood rules in open ground by planting bushes of differently pollinated varieties in different places. At the same time, protecting self-pollinating cucumbers from insects is much more difficult than in a greenhouse.

Ignorance of the variety and rules for planting cucumbers

Why do cucumbers grow with crochets, even if we did everything right? Planting seeds and incorrect selection of varieties can be of great importance in the development and formation of the shape of the fruit. Even if everything was done strictly according to agricultural technology, the planting schedule and agricultural processing technology were followed, but the fruits still grow in an irregular shape.

A more detailed analysis reveals that not everything was carried out according to the rules of agricultural technology, for example: varieties such as bee-pollinated (bee-pollinated) and self-pollinating (parthenocarpic) varieties were planted nearby, as a result, cross-pollination of varieties causes the growth of genetically incorrectly formed fruits.

What to do

If you notice twisted fruits on cucumber bushes, first determine the reasons for their appearance. Some of them can be easily fixed, others are much more difficult to deal with :

1. Take action immediately to avoid ending up with a whole crop of hooks. During the flowering and fruiting period, remove nitrogen-containing fertilizers from the fertilizing, add potassium and phosphorus.
2. If the bushes are planted too close and shade the sunlight, and it is no longer possible to plant them wider, cut off the excess leaves. If this does not help, you will have to sacrifice some plants.
3. Remember that at air temperatures below 20 ° C, cucumbers slow down or stop growing altogether, and the fruits are formed with a hook. Try to regulate the temperature in the greenhouse to the optimal temperature for cucumbers (20–26 °C), and in open ground, when it’s cold, stop watering the plants.
4. It is necessary to harvest cucumbers every 2-3 days, at least. Experienced gardeners advise picking fruits slightly unripe. So the taste will be at its best, and nothing will harm the plant and future fruits.
5. The ideal water for watering cucumbers is soft, rainwater, and room temperature. Carefully monitor watering of plants. If you find any violations, correct them. In hot weather and drought, water the bushes generously twice a day during the fruiting period. Do not overdo it with watering, so as not to spoil or completely destroy the crop.
6. If you violate the rules of the neighborhood, you can artificially protect different varieties of cucumbers from each other, and some from insects. Block insect access to the greenhouse to save self-pollinating plants, and use artificial pollination for insect-pollinated plants. In open ground, it is better to cover self-pollinating bushes with gauze during the flowering period.

What to feed

To get a bountiful, healthy and beautiful harvest, plantings should be fertilized with mullein, during flowering - with chicken droppings, and during fruiting - with ash.

Important! During the flowering and fruiting period, exclude nitrogen from the fertilizer complex and use potassium and phosphorus.

Fertilizing is a complex process when growing cucumbers . Both a deficiency and an excess of useful elements in the soil leads to a poor harvest. The main elements for cucumbers are potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, iron and copper.

Prevention measures

How to prevent fruits from starting to curl? It is necessary to comply with all conditions and rules for caring for cucumbers from the very beginning . Then you won’t have to panic and take measures that don’t always lead to the expected result.

An important point in prevention is crop rotation . First, cucumbers are not planted in the same soil for four years. Secondly, after crops such as pumpkin, zucchini and dill, there are practically no macro- and micronutrients left in the soil. This worsens the fruiting process and the cucumbers become deformed.

Special attention should be paid to the choice of variety . According to statistics, the fruits of the following cucumbers curl the least: Octopus, Twixie, Othello, Paratunka. For a greenhouse, choose self-pollinating varieties; for open ground, choose insect-pollinated varieties.

When planting, pay attention to two points : proximity and distance between bushes. According to the rules, self-pollinating and insect-pollinated varieties of cucumbers must be planted as far as possible from each other (preferably at different ends of the greenhouse or plot).

Important! When planting, the distance between bushes growing nearby should be at least 10–20 cm so that they do not interfere with the penetration of sunlight.

No change of place

This is the primary cause of problems with cucumbers. According to the rules of crop rotation, it is not recommended to plant cucumber seedlings in the same place for two years in a row.

In the second year after planting, colins accumulate in the ground. These substances have an extremely negative effect on the appearance of the fruit.

Do not plant cucumbers after such demanding and “gluttonous” crops as potatoes. Its powerful tubers literally pull out all the nutrients from the soil, completely dehydrating it within a season. By next spring, such soil does not have time to recover. Carrots, legumes and cabbage are suitable as predecessors.

Advice from experienced gardeners

Every gardener has at least once encountered hook cucumbers in the garden or in the greenhouse. Advice from experienced farmers will help you grow healthy, even and juicy fruits :

1. Maintain crop rotation. The best predecessor crops for cucumbers are tomatoes, peppers, carrots, cabbage, and onions.
2. For balanced moisture, mulch the soil with straw or peat after each watering.
3. Stop watering when the air temperature is below 15 °C.
4. Pick cucumbers 4–6 cm long from the vine.
5. Once every two weeks, feed the cucumbers with an infusion of wood ash and potassium fertilizers.
6. In late summer, use covered beds and greenhouses to avoid cold temperatures.
7. Be sure to warm up water for irrigation in the sun, and in bad weather, boil and dilute with cold water.
8. Carefully treat the greenhouse at the end of the season, disinfect it from diseases and pests that may have remained in the soil or located on the internal surfaces of the greenhouse.

Important! Water and spray cucumber bushes early in the morning (before 10:00) or in the evening (after 18:00). In hot weather, watering during the day may cause the plant to get sunburned.