Why do cucumber leaves turn yellow, what should I do?

Yellow leaves are the first sign that cucumbers are sick.
But before you start dealing with the symptoms, you need to find out the reason for the change in leaf color. And depending on it, select the necessary drugs and carry out the necessary measures. Dear readers!
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! In our article we will talk about why cucumber leaves turn yellow, whether this is always bad, as well as methods for preventing and treating the plant.

Main causes of yellowing

Climatic conditions

Often the color of leaves on cucumber bushes changes due to unfavorable climatic conditions. In this case, the reason may be either too much heat or a sharp temperature change.

Sunburn

In calm weather, direct sunlight overheats the leaf blades and leaves burns on them. This happens especially often if you water cucumbers in the heat and allow drops of water to get on the plant.

Temperature fluctuations also often cause the development of fungal diseases.

Alas, there is no way you can fight nature. But you can help plants survive unfavorable conditions. If a sharp drop in temperature is expected, treat the cucumbers with a growth stimulant or Fitosporin . You can also cover the plantings with spunbond.

Fitosporin

Improper watering

Cucumbers love moisture very much, but they need to be watered carefully following the watering regime.

Do not use cold tap water.
It is necessary to water in the morning or evening.
Water should be poured at the root, trying to avoid moisture getting on the leaves and stems.

IMPORTANT! Try to water the cucumbers regularly and with approximately the same amount of water.

Nutritional deficiencies

So that the cucumbers do not get sick, the leaves are green, and the stems are strong, there must be at least 3 main feedings:

When 2 true leaves appear.
At the time when the plant blooms.
When the fruits begin to set.

Cucumbers prefer liquid complex formulations and mixtures. They are better absorbed by the plant.

Nutritional deficiencies

Experienced gardeners recommend using infusions of weeds or herbal tea as fertilizer during the fruiting period. Such fertilizing has a good effect on fruit set and does not negatively affect the taste of cucumbers.

Excess microelements

An excess of microelements is even more dangerous for cucumbers. Therefore, fertilizing the plant must be carried out exactly following the instructions on the nutrition packaging.

Diseases and pests

Changes in the color of leaf blades are a consequence of pythiosis and fusarium. These are fungal diseases in which dark spots appear first, and only then complete yellowing occurs.

The fungus usually appears after a temperature change. Therefore, for prevention, treat plantings with Fitosporin .

Among the pests, the main enemies of cucumbers are spider mites and whiteflies. These insects feed on plant juices, which causes yellowing and wilting of the foliage. To get rid of pests, use the preparations Fitoverm , Anti-mite , Apollo .

Anti-mite

What to do

The first step is to find out the exact cause of leaf damage, and then take appropriate measures. If the plant lacks nutrients, feed it; if pests bother it, treat it with special products, etc.

Top dressing

The cause of yellowing leaves is often a lack of nutrients. For better growth and increased yield, cucumbers are fed throughout the entire period of development and fruiting.

A lack of potassium and magnesium causes the roots to dry out. Dark green veins on a yellow background indicate iron and manganese deficiency. The upper leaves turn yellow due to a lack of copper.

Cucumbers are fed 3-4 times per season. At the beginning of summer - nitrogen fertilizers, and at the end - potassium fertilizers. Organic and inorganic fertilizers are used.

Organic fertilizers

This is a type of fertilizer of organic, that is, natural, origin (manure, bird droppings, peat, sawdust, compost).

Here are a few recipes for organic fertilizers:

Herbal infusion with ash. Infuse the herb in water for 2-3 days until a strong odor appears. Dilute a liter of tincture in a bucket of water, add a glass of wood ash.
Compost, humus. Apply into the ground during planting or dilute 1 kg of compost in a bucket of water and water.
Hydrogen peroxide solution: 2 tbsp. Dilute spoons of peroxide in a liter jar of water.
Ammonium nitrate solution: 1 tbsp. add a spoonful of saltpeter to a bucket of water.

Important! Fertilizing is done only after watering.

Inorganic fertilizers

It is useful to feed the seedlings with a mixture of 2 tbsp. spoons of superphosphate, 1 tbsp. spoons of urea, 1 cup of ash, which are diluted in a bucket of water (use fertilizer per 1 sq. m).

Watering

Cucumbers cannot tolerate drought: the fruits turn yellow, the bush does not grow and disappears. Rainy weather also negatively affects the plant.

At the beginning of growth, young shoots are very vulnerable. The roots are poorly developed; the plant receives nutrition only through watering.

Main rules during this period:

ensure that the soil does not dry out;
watering should be moderate, do not over-water;
It is better to water three times a week;
water at the root;
Do not pour on leaves;
water between rows;
mulch the ground with straw, pine needles, and grass between the rows.

A pest such as gray rot often appears on cucumbers, read more.

The influence of light and heat on young seedlings

When planting, it should be taken into account that cucumbers do not tolerate cramped conditions and love sunny places. When planting seedlings, you need to correctly calculate the distance between the bushes and in the rows. Closely planted plants shade each other, which leads to the death of the lower parts.

Rare plantings burn out and die. Unhardened seedlings suffer especially. In hot weather, sunburn is visible on the leaves. Evenly planted bushes create “scenes” that preserve young shoots.

Landing rules:

plant in rows 40-60 cm apart;
make rows 1 m wide.

With this planting, the bushes receive light and are ventilated.

A sharp change in temperature negatively affects cucumbers, which love humid and warm weather. When the temperature drops sharply, the roots are damaged and, not receiving adequate nutrition, die.

Seedlings are planted in the ground when the air temperature at night remains stable at least 12°C. Cucumbers cannot tolerate frost; if the temperature drops slightly, they stop growing and may die.

Errors during landing

It often happens that after planting in the ground, seedlings begin to die. The leaves wither and turn yellow, the plantation has to be replanted. This happens for the following reasons:

Incorrect landing site chosen.
Cucumbers are planted in dark places that are not ventilated.
The beds are located east to west, so light does not fall along the length of the bed.
Young plants do not receive nutrition from the first days.
No fertilizers have been applied to the soil.
Damaged roots (the work was carried out carelessly during planting).
The planting holes are of the wrong size (the depth of the hole should be 8-10 cm).
The cucumbers were planted in the morning (they are better accepted if done in the evening).
The soil was not dug up before planting and was not enriched with oxygen, which affects the growth and fruiting of the plant.

Protection from diseases and pests

Cucumbers can be affected by a variety of pests. The most dangerous of them are spider mites and whiteflies. They suck out the sap, which leads to the death of the plant. To combat them, they use pesticides (Vermitek, Akarin, Fitoverm, Aktara, Aktellik) and folk remedies.

With a sharp change in temperature, the beds are affected by fungal diseases: fusarium and pythiosis. The lashes become lethargic, rusty spots appear on them, and the plant dies.

Folk remedies

Growing organic vegetables is the main task of a gardener. To achieve this goal, it is better to use herbal infusions and decoctions:

Garlic tincture. Infuse garlic leaves or cloves in water for three days. Spray in the evening in calm weather.
Wormwood decoction. Brew wormwood tops, cool, and treat the plant.
Tincture of bitter pepper. Boil the pepper for ten minutes. When it cools down, spray the plantation.

If you notice signs of illness, immediately begin to fight it. Stems, leaves and soil can be sprayed with the following solutions:

brilliant green: 10 drops of brilliant green per 1 liter of water;
milk: mix 1 liter of milk, 5 drops of iodine, laundry soap for the solution to stick;
baking soda: dilute 1 teaspoon of baking soda and liquid soap in 1 liter of water;
yeast or bread: soak the loaf in water, add a small bottle of iodine. Let it sit and dilute it in a bucket of water.

Important! Cucumbers should be treated against diseases once every two weeks throughout the summer season.

Why do the lower leaves turn yellow?

Sometimes yellowing leaves are not a sign of a serious disease or micronutrient deficiency. For example, the lowest leaves on bushes may change color for completely natural reasons.

If the plant has a good harvest, then there is nothing wrong with yellowing of the lower leaves. This means that all energy is spent on growth and formation of new fruits. Also, the color of the leaves changes in late summer. But this is a manifestation of the natural aging process of a living organism.

What to do?

First, make sure that your fertilization schedule is being followed. If necessary, feed the plants.

Second, tear off and burn all yellowed leaves. Then treat the bushes with fungicides. You can also use garlic infusion (50 g per 1 liter of water) to fight fungus.

Folk ways to keep cucumber leaves healthy

The use of chemicals effectively eliminates yellowing of leaves, but sometimes they harm the plant itself.

Cucumbers on windowsills can also be cured using unconventional methods:

Leaf yellowness is removed with a solution of kefir and whey. Nutrient components are diluted with water at the rate of 2:10. Cucumbers are sprayed with the prepared mixture regularly until their normal color returns.
Water the soil with cucumber seedlings with water where fresh meat was washed.
Cut freshly frozen capelin into pieces and dig into the ground.

You can also feed cucumbers with kefir, urea, and onion peel tincture to prevent yellowing of the leaves.

Why do ovaries turn yellow?

Yellowing of ovaries
Changes in the color of ovaries are most often found in those varieties that grow in greenhouses. There are several reasons for this:

No pinching and formation of bushes has been carried out. The plant develops an excess of green mass. And it turns out that sunlight simply does not reach the ovaries.
Features of the hybrid. Varieties that produce high yields are not able to provide nutrition to all the ovaries. Therefore, the plant gets rid of some of them. If a small part of the ovaries falls off, then there is nothing to worry about. This is a natural process.
Pollination does not occur. Usually parthenocarpic hybrids of cucumbers are planted in greenhouses, but sometimes varieties that require pollination are also found.
Violation of the watering regime and fertilizing schedule. Fertilizers need to be applied to cucumbers every 7 days. During flowering and fruiting, it is necessary to feed with potassium-phosphorus preparations.
Temperature changes. During the day the greenhouse is very hot, but at night the temperature can drop quite significantly. Because of this difference, the ovaries of cucumbers may turn yellow. To prevent this from happening, close the greenhouse and greenhouse at night. In addition, temperature changes contribute to the appearance of fungus, which also causes the ovaries to turn yellow.

What to do?

Attract pollinating insects. Leave the greenhouse open for a day and spray with sweet water.

In case of potassium deficiency, treat the plantings with Mortar , Kemira or a solution of ash and calcium nitrate (3 tablespoons of ash + 10 g of nitrate per 10 liters of water).

To avoid overheating, mulch the soil under the cucumbers. This technique will also help in the fight against root rot.

If the plant is sick, treat it with Fitosporin and do not forget to tear off and destroy the damaged leaves. This will prevent further spread of the fungus.

Diseases and pests

Powdery mildew

A sign that cucumber seedlings have been attacked by powdery mildew spores is the appearance of small yellow spots with gradual growth of spots over the entire surface of the leaf. Pigmentation spreads from bottom to top.

Favorable conditions for the spread of the fungus are humid weather with low temperatures. If the external conditions do not change, and a characteristic reddish coating appears on the leaves and the yellow spots become larger, then this indicates that the water for irrigation is not warm enough.

The main measure to prevent the development of powdery mildew on cucumber seedlings is to follow the rules of crop rotation. This is especially true for growing seedlings in greenhouses or open ground. Fungal spores overwinter on plant debris and in the soil and remain active for 3-4 years.

Downy mildew

A sign of the disease is yellowed upper leaves with a characteristic green-purple coating. The fungus loves a moist environment. The incubation period is 3-4 days. First, yellow spots appear, which as they grow form an oily film. Gradually, the leaves become covered with plaque and turn outward.

The result of the disease is a disruption of the photosynthesis process. If seedlings suffer from peronosporosis, then without treatment there is no need to wait for the ovaries on them. Gradually, the growth of the plant slows down and it dies.

The main measure to combat peronosporosis on cucumber seedlings is spraying the seedlings with Fitosporin.

Cucumber mosaic

A viral disease that affects a plant at all stages of development. Most often it appears in the first weeks after planting seedlings in the ground. A characteristic sign is the appearance of yellow and white spots on the leaves with the gradual death of the entire plate. In mature plants, the characteristic features of cucumber mosaic are:

chaotically located light green and yellow areas appear on the leaves;
the edges of the leaf plates are rolled down;
cracks appear at the base of the stem;
the ovary falls off;
At the stage of fruit formation, the greens become covered with yellow spots and become deformed.

The main measure to combat the disease is to remove the affected leaves and treat the plants with a manganese solution. It is imperative to observe the watering regime and temperature, since the pathogen develops in a cool, humid environment.

Anthracnose

The disease is caused by a fungal bacterium of the genus Colletotrichum. A characteristic sign of damage to seedlings is depressed yellow-brown spots at the root collar. The remaining parts of the plant are covered with a pink coating. Gradually, the spots on the leaves grow, and holes may appear in their place. The leaf blades dry out completely.

The fungus affects all parts of the plant and leads to the death of seedlings. A favorable environment for anthracnose is humidity up to 90% at a temperature of +22...+27°C. The danger of the disease increases with a lack of potassium and phosphorus in the soil. Most often, the fungus develops in acidic soil.

Why do leaves turn yellow in open ground?

Cucumbers grown in open ground are exposed to many negative factors. Determining exactly why the leaves turn yellow is quite difficult. This may be due to hypothermia, exposure to direct sunlight, fungal infection, or lack of nutrients.

What to do?

First of all, follow the rules for caring for cucumbers.

Water with warm water at the root. Cucumbers need to be watered regularly. It is best to do this in the morning or evening.
Cover plantings during temperature changes. This will protect your plants from hypothermia.
Carry out regular feeding and preventive treatment against diseases and pests. It is especially important to fertilize during flowering and fruiting.

Cucumbers in the garden are turning yellow

Cucumbers turn yellow not only in the greenhouse, but also in the garden. In most cases, the reasons are similar to all of those listed above: lack of light, weather conditions, improper watering, various diseases, lack of nutrients and others. There are a number of rules that must be followed when growing ground cucumbers. Following them will help you get a good harvest.

Causes

In addition to the reasons already mentioned, there are several features that affect the quality of cucumbers planted in open ground.

One of the main features is temperature changes during the day and night, because cucumbers planted in the ground are least protected from this kind of influence.

Improper watering also plays a big role in the yellowing of cucumbers in the garden. It is necessary to water cucumbers either early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid burning the leaves.

What to do

In order to preserve the harvest of cucumbers in the garden, you need to pay attention to the following information:

compliance with temperature conditions. The optimal temperature regime for growing cucumbers until fruit appears is during the day in clear weather +22...+24°C, in cloudy weather +20...+22°C, at night +17...+18°C; during fruiting - during the day in clear weather +23...+26°С, in cloudy weather +21...+23°С, at night +18...+20°С. If the temperature drops below normal, it is necessary to take forced measures to cover the plants so that they do not freeze.
fertilizers and top dressing. It is important to remember that any cucumbers require additional feeding. If there is a lack of nutrients, cucumbers die. At the beginning of growth, cucumbers should be fertilized with nitrogen fertilizers. Before fruiting begins, it is necessary to use fertilizers that contain potassium; tincture of ash, potassium nitrate or any complex of mineral fertilizers is also suitable.

Whatever method you choose for growing cucumbers, the main task is to get a rich harvest that will be not only tasty, but also healthy. The most important thing that every lover of growing cucumbers should remember: if the leaves of the plant have turned yellow, then it is missing something, you need to urgently look for and eliminate the cause in order to prevent the death of the cucumbers.

Why do the leaves of cucumbers turn yellow in a greenhouse?

Most often, the leaves of cucumbers growing in greenhouses turn yellow due to improper care:

The greenhouse is not ventilated.
Bushes are not formed.
The plantings are dense.

All this together causes yellowing of the foliage and rotting of the plant’s vines.

Yellowing of cucumber leaves in a greenhouse

What to do?

Ventilation and pinching are two of the most important procedures that will protect your plantings from rot and the development of fungal diseases.

Causes of diseases of cucumbers on the windowsill

Growing vegetables at home is often challenging. Vegetable growers usually begin to worry when the leaves of cucumbers on the windowsill turn yellow and dry. But problems with plants can be detected by other signs:

stopping the growth of seedlings;
thinning of stems;
pale or darkening of foliage;
the appearance of spots on leaf blades and stems;
yellowing and drying of leaves;
torsion and other deformations;
falling of the ovaries or their absence;
deformation or bitter taste of the fruit.

If such symptoms appear, it is necessary to find out the cause of the negative changes as soon as possible. Timely treatment increases the chances of saving the crop. Usually the cause of negative changes is the grower's mistakes.

Wrong choice of variety

To get a large number of fruits when growing cucumbers in a window, you need to choose the right variety. In such conditions, varieties with the following properties will grow well and actively bear fruit:

not requiring pollination by insects: parthenocarpic or self-pollinating;
not needing a lot of light;
early ripening;
with a long fruiting period;
able to resist diseases and pest attacks;
with a determinant type of growth.

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Bacterial yellowing

A common infectious disease of cucumbers is bacteriosis. It develops on different parts of the plant. Symptoms of a bacterial infection include:

cucumber leaves turn yellow, starting from the lower tier;
dark brown spots form on the leaf blades;
a whitish coating appears on the reverse side;
greens grow deformed.

Having discovered plants with signs of infection, all damaged areas are cut off. All bushes are treated with Bordeaux mixture, a solution of copper oxychloride. The drugs “Kuproksat” and “Fitolavin” work well against this disease.

Fungal diseases

Fungal infections are characterized by a high rate of spread. If signs of infection are not detected in time, the chances of getting a good harvest are greatly reduced. Most often, the following fungal diseases develop on cucumbers:

Powdery mildew develops on different parts of the bush. Cucumber leaves dry out and turn white. A whitish coating resembling flour appears on the affected parts.
Gray rot provokes the appearance of weeping areas throughout the plant. After a short time, the bush begins to rot, wither and die.
With white rot, light, cobweb-like growths appear on the leaves and stems. Cucumber leaves turn pale, become limp, curl and rot.
Root rot causes the plant to wilt. The leaves become covered with dark spots and dry out. Flowers fall off and ovaries do not form. The lower part of the stem dries out and breaks off.
With downy mildew, yellowish spots appear on the leaves. The leaf blades curl upward. The ovaries begin to rot and fall off.
With anthracnose, the leaf blade becomes covered with brown specks. Depressed spots appear on fruits and stems. Soon the leaves turn yellow, dry out and die.

Unbalanced soil composition

For the normal development of balcony cucumbers, the soil in which they grow must contain all the necessary nutrients, macro- and microelements. Deficiency or excess content of components negatively affects the development and growth of bushes. You can see in more detail what plants look like when there is an imbalance of nutrients in the photo.

With increased nitrogen concentration, the leaves change color. They become dark green and covered with yellow or grayish spots. Zelentsy become smaller and accumulate a lot of nitrates. With nitrogen deficiency, the stems become thinner, the plant weakens and withers.

Due to excess magnesium content, the leaves become dark and curled. This element blocks the absorption of calcium and provokes the death of the root system. With a lack of magnesium, the leaves turn yellow. Light spots form on the leaf blades below.

An increased concentration of potassium is expressed by stopping the growth of bushes. The color of the leaves fades. They fade and become stained. Potassium deficiency provokes yellowing of leaf blades, wilting of shoots and deformation of fruits.

With excess calcium, the stems and leaves become brittle and too tough. The tops lighten or turn yellow. Calcium deficiency causes white streaks to form on the plant. The tops wither and gradually die off. Some parts of the plant begin to rot.

With an increased phosphorus content, white spots appear on yellowed foliage. The lack of this element provokes the appearance of dry yellow areas on the inside of the leaf, the falling of flowers and embryos.

Watering errors

Often the leaves on cucumber bushes turn yellow and wither due to improper watering or lack of moisture. Although this vegetable loves moist soil, the root system should not be flooded.

The abundance of water blocks air access to the roots and provokes putrefactive processes. Additionally, high humidity activates the spread of fungal infections.

If there is not enough moisture, the vital activity of soil microorganisms stops. Then nutrients stop flowing to the plants. The leaves fade, turn yellow and dry out at the edges.

You can make sure that problems with the plant are caused by improper watering by digging the soil to a depth of 10 cm. Dry soil is moistened with a moderate amount of water. If it is too wet, the bushes are transplanted into another container with fresh soil.

Important!

Indoor cucumbers need to be watered 1-2 times a week. During flowering and during fruit formation, the frequency of watering is increased.

Incorrect lighting

Lack of sunlight when growing cucumbers on a windowsill can cause their leaves to turn yellow. This often happens if plants are placed on the north side of the house. To correct the situation, the pots are moved to the windows, where the sun appears more often and shines brighter. If this is not possible, organize additional lighting using phytolamps or fluorescent light sources.

Cucumber bushes are positioned so that direct sunlight does not fall on them. They burn the leaves. As a result of burns, the leaf plates become deformed, become stained, and wither. If the sun shines brightly during the daytime, the plants are shaded with a screen.

Hypothermia

Too low a room temperature slows down metabolic reactions in plant tissues and leads to withering of the tops. In the root zone, the soil should be heated above +17 degrees. If low temperatures persist for a long time, the plant loses its ability to absorb nutrients. Hypothermia causes diseases in cucumber seedlings, its leaves turn yellow and growth stops. Gradually, young seedlings die. To improve the health of the seedlings, the boxes are moved to a warmer room.

Root damage

The root system of cucumbers can be damaged by pests. Often vegetable growers themselves damage the roots when transplanting seedlings or when picking. Then you can notice that the tops have turned yellow and dried out. If injury to the roots is the reason for the yellowing of the leaves, it is recommended to feed the bushes with nitrogen fertilizers and hill them down to 3 cm.

Abundant fruiting

The simultaneous formation of more than 25 ovaries on one bush causes weakening of the plant. The resources of the root system are not enough to provide adequate nutrition for each growing fruit. Then the leaves turn yellow, the ovaries dry out and fall off. The plant itself looks sick and lethargic.

Pest attack

When attacked by pests, cucumber bushes grow poorly and produce a small amount of fruit. Their occurrence can be prevented by treating the seed material before planting. Pre-treatment of the soil is also necessary. These activities will destroy existing insect larvae and eggs. If infection has already occurred, safe folk remedies are used at the initial stage of pest spread. When there is a strong spread of insects, plants are treated with insecticides.

The most common pests that attack cucumbers are:

The melon aphid is a small green, brown or black insect that is a carrier of infectious diseases. The pest sucks sap from young parts of the plant. The growth of the bushes stops, the leaves turn yellow and gradually dry out.
Spider mites are very small insects; without additional devices they cannot be seen. They settle on the underside of leaf blades and suck the juices out of them. A sign of spider mite infestation is light spots on the inside and a small web. Parts of the plant affected by the pest become deformed, wither and die.
The greenhouse whitefly is a small insect with a white body and a pair of hard wings. A sticky light coating appears on leaves affected by the pest. They curl, turn yellow and die.

Natural causes

Cucumbers are annual plants. If in the fall at the end of the season the bush looks withered, this is due to natural reasons. During the summer, the plant produced fruits with seeds and fulfilled its purpose. Therefore, in the fall, natural processes of plant tissue dying begin. First, the tops turn yellow and dry out from below, then the process spreads to the upper part of the bush.

Leaves turn yellow and curl

First of all, take a close look at the back of the leaves. Make sure there are no pests. Leaf curling is one of the main signs of spider mites.

Next, pay attention to whether the plant is affected by fungus. If the leaves are simply yellowed without gray or white spots, then there is no fungus.

What to do?

If signs of a fungal disease or pest are detected, the plantings must be treated with fungicides and insecticides.

IMPORTANT! If affected by the fungus, the infected leaves must be torn off and burned.

Yellowing of leaf edges

Sometimes not the entire leaf area is covered with yellowness, but only the edges. What causes this deviation and what to do if the leaves turn yellow at the edges.

The reasons are as follows:

The cucumber bush is infected with a fungus . Powdery mildew begins to affect the leaves from the edges. At the slightest suspicion of a fungal infection, you need to spray the bushes with Bordeaux mixture.
Moisture deficiency in the soil. Rare watering leads to yellowing and drying of the leaves. Yellowness first appears from the edges.
Potassium deficiency . Due to the lack of this element, the edges of the leaf plates acquire a yellow border. The situation can be improved by adding potassium fertilizer.

The leaf border or edge turns yellow

Yellowing of the leaf edge without the formation of yellow spots on the leaf blade itself indicates a lack of potassium.

Yellowing due to lack of microelements

What to do?

Feed the plant with potash fertilizers. It is best to use liquid preparations with a complex of useful elements.

The danger of yellow spots on foliage

Healthy cucumbers in a greenhouse or hotbed have rich green foliage. Yellowing of leaves is not always a reason to sound the alarm. In some cases, this may be due to the natural aging of green mass. You can try to rejuvenate the bush. For this, a solution of nitrogen fertilizers is used, which is sprayed on the foliage. For example, you can dilute 15 g of urea in a bucket of water. This procedure will improve the plant’s metabolism and prevent yellowing of the leaves.

But most often, yellow spots appear on cucumber leaves due to disease or errors in agricultural technology. Such defects indicate a violation of the vegetative development of plants. What does this mean? On a weakened or diseased bush, even if fruits set, they will be deformed and tasteless. If measures are not taken in time, the vegetable may simply die. To understand what needs to be done, it is important to determine what caused the problem.

Why do cucumber seedlings turn yellow?

The reasons for yellowing of seedlings are basically the same as for adult cucumbers. You can add to them too small containers for germination and high humidity in the room.

Seedlings need space so that the seedlings have sufficiently developed roots to be transplanted into open ground or a greenhouse. If too many plants are germinated in one container, then due to crowding they will gradually begin to turn yellow.
High humidity in the room causes fungus to appear.

Yellowed cucumber seedlings

What to do?

If the seedlings are crowded, they need to be transplanted into larger containers. But try to select the right size container in advance.

If the air humidity is high, ventilate the room regularly.

IMPORTANT! When ventilating, make sure that your cucumber seedlings are not in a draft. She could easily die from it.

Rules of care and disease prevention

The rules of care include several factors. It is important to monitor the stability of the temperature. It shouldn't be critical. The norm for growing healthy seedlings is considered to be values from +17 to +25. Crowding of seedlings is not allowed. To prevent yellowing of the leaves and weakening of the seedlings, picking is carried out in different containers or timely planting in permanent soil.

It is necessary to fertilize the soil even at the seedling stage. Plants always need auxiliary substances. Fertilizer is applied infrequently and in moderate quantities. Proper watering and sufficient lighting also play an important role. Containers with seedlings at home are placed closer to the windows so that sunlight falls on them.

The irrigation schedule is determined individually. Diseases are treated with the help of auxiliary drugs. Potassium permanganate is considered the safest. Prevention will be compliance with all agrotechnical standards.

Getting rid of yellowing leaves on cucumber seedlings is quite simple if you know the reason. You can determine it if you carefully observe the sprouts.

Fighting yellowing with folk remedies

You can fight yellowing of cucumber leaves using folk remedies without chemicals.

If the cause of yellowing is a lack of nutrients, then use the following infusion.

Take 300 g of sifted ash, 200 g of dry mullein, mix and fill with a bucket of water. Everything must be thoroughly mixed until smooth and left to infuse for 24 hours. Fertilize at the rate of 1 liter of solution per 1 cucumber bush. The frequency of treatment is 1 time every 7 days.

If the cause of yellowing leaves is infection with fungal diseases or aphid infestation, then use the following recipe.

Wash the affected leaves with a mild soap solution made from laundry soap. Then sprinkle the affected areas with ash. Such treatment should be carried out until the bush is completely healthy at intervals of 3 days.

Another, more powerful remedy is made from natural soda. 1 tbsp. a spoon should be diluted in 5 liters of water. Treat plants using a spray bottle. This product should be used very carefully and only in case of severe infection. Do not under any circumstances exceed the indicated dosage. Otherwise, you will simply “burn” the leaves.

Treatment

After determining the reason why the leaves of cucumbers on the windowsill turn yellow, they decide what to do to improve the health of the plants. To begin with, adjust the living conditions, regulate the lighting, frequency and intensity of watering. Then, based on additional symptoms, a possible imbalance of elements in the soil, the presence of diseases and pest damage are determined. Then, if necessary, you need to treat the plants with folk remedies or chemicals.

Mineral fertilizers

To compensate for the lack of nitrogen, urea or ammonium nitrate is added to the soil. Fertilizers are diluted with water according to the instructions on the package with the drug and watered the plants. Excess nitrogen is more difficult to correct. In this case, it is necessary to abandon fertilizers with nitrates and add potassium-phosphorus fertilizers to the soil. After some time, excess nitrogen is washed out of the soil after regular watering.

The lack of phosphorus is compensated by adding superphosphate, and the deficiency of potassium is compensated by using potassium magnesium. These fertilizers are necessary during the flowering and fruiting period. They are usually applied in the form of aqueous solutions during irrigation.

Important!

When applying fertilizers, the preparations are diluted strictly according to the instructions, without exceeding the permissible dosage. If fertilizing is done by spraying, the recommended concentration is halved.

Organic fertilizers

The most common organic fertilizer for indoor cucumbers is manure. Mullein in an amount of 1 kg is mixed with 3 liters of water and left to brew. After filtering, the infusion is diluted with the same amount of water and used to water the bushes at the root. Manure feeding is good because it does not lead to an excess of nutrients in the soil.

If it is not possible to use mullein, make a “green” fertilizer. For her, fill the bucket halfway with weeds. The remaining space is filled with boiling water. The closed container is left on the balcony in the sun for several days until the fermentation process is completed. Then the resulting liquid is filtered and diluted with clean water in equal proportions. The working solution is watered on cucumber bushes or sprayed on the leaves.

Proper watering

Irrigation of cucumber bushes should be moderate. It is not permissible to flood the soil. This can lead to root rot. Take warm and preferably settled water. In cloudy weather, plants do not need intensive watering. Therefore, the frequency of moisturizing is reduced. If the weather is hot and dry, the evaporation of moisture on the balcony occurs at an accelerated pace. Then the cucumbers are watered every day in the morning or evening.

Proper organization of lighting

In summer, for active growth of cucumber, a temperature of +22 to +27 degrees is required; at night the thermometer should not fall below +17 degrees. You can regulate the air temperature for cucumbers grown at home by ventilation. To protect from active sunlight during the hottest hours, you can close the windows with curtains or place a screen between the window and the plants.

Protecting cucumbers from pests

If there are few insects on the plant, they are fought with safe folk remedies. Aphids, spider mites and flying insects are eliminated with a soap solution. It is prepared from warm water and laundry soap shavings. Soak a sponge in the liquid and wipe the affected plant. Spraying with tobacco or ash infusion helps a lot.

If the insects do not die after treatment with folk remedies, stronger drugs are used. You can quickly get rid of pests by spraying the bushes with solutions of Komandor, Aktara, Aktofit or Fitoverma.

Important!

When using chemical insecticides, be sure to follow the instructions for diluting the drug. All work with potent agents is carried out using personal protective equipment - masks, respirators, rubber gloves.

How to treat with drugs?

If folk remedies do not help, then use specialized drugs.

The most effective remedies for yellowing of cucumber leaves are Metronidazole and Fitosporin . Both drugs must be sprayed onto the plant. The proportions for preparing the composition are indicated on the packages. We advise you to follow the instructions so as not to harm the cucumbers even more.

Metronidazole

If yellowing has just begun, then you can try to save the plantings with potassium permanganate. To do this, you need to prepare a 1% solution and spray it on the affected leaves.

If you are sure that the cause of yellowing is a lack of nutrients, feed the bushes with a complex nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer.

Advice from experienced summer residents

When growing cucumbers, as in any business, the advice and experience of those who have already done this are very valuable. What do experienced summer residents recommend?

Irina: “I want to share my tricks for growing cucumbers. Immediately after planting, I mulch the soil well around the bushes and between the rows - this helps maintain moisture and the plants feel better. And I also feed them every two weeks: first with nitrogen fertilizers so that they grow, then with potassium fertilizers so that they bear fruit. I always have a good harvest until late autumn.”

Sergey: “I am familiar with the problem of yellowing leaves of cucumbers firsthand. I have been growing this vegetable for many years. I use only folk remedies: I fertilize with humus, yeast and ash, and spray with a yeast solution with soda. My cucumbers rarely get sick, but my neighbors’ cucumbers get sick all the time. A solution of soda with iodine helps fight pests.”

Vera: “I love cucumbers, I grow them all the time. And during all this time, I realized: so that they don’t get sick, I need to plant them in different places every year. It is also important to fertilize the soil when planting. My harvest has increased, and my cucumbers are getting sick less often. To prevent illness, I spray it with 1% Bordeaux mixture twice at the beginning of the season. My cucumbers don’t turn yellow.”

But find out how to pickle cucumbers with basil here.

Prevention

In order to prevent yellowing of leaves, it is recommended to carry out preventive treatments of cucumber plantings.

Solutions based on milk and rye bread are considered the most effective.

Treatment with milk solution

This product protects cucumbers from insect pests and fungus.

The composition is prepared as follows: in 8 liters of water you need to dissolve 0.5 liters of milk (it is advisable to use 2%), 20 g of laundry soap and 20 drops of iodine.

Carry out treatment at intervals of 10 days.

Treatment with solution on rye bread

The product helps against pests and plays the role of additional foliar feeding.

The composition is prepared as follows: 500 g of rye bread is soaked in a bucket of water for 12 hours. Then the soggy crumb must be ground until it turns into a thick, homogeneous mass. After this, 40 drops of iodine are added. The composition is mixed again to a homogeneous consistency. Next, the resulting thick liquid must be filtered to separate the remaining bread from the liquid.

Treatment with the resulting solution should be carried out once every 2 weeks.

How to treat cucumbers to prevent the leaves from turning yellow?

Yellowing of the leaves of this crop can be avoided; you just need to follow certain preventive recommendations:

When planting seedlings in open soil, maintain a distance between plants (0.2-0.3 m).
Make sure there is good lighting and plant the cucumbers in a sunny area.
Do not overwater the bushes or dry them out.
Ventilate the greenhouse, but do not create drafts.
Regularly fertilize the cucumbers as needed.
Loosen the soil so that the root system has time to saturate itself with oxygen.
Control the number of ovaries on one plant and harvest on time.

To prevent the leaves from turning yellow, treat the plantation with solutions that are safe for people, but effective against various diseases. Some of them:

Milk and soap. Pour 1 liter of milk into a 10 liter bucket. Add 20 g of grated soap and 25 drops of iodine. Pour the mixture with warm water. Stir until the soap is completely dissolved. Use this product as soon as the plant produces 4 true leaves.
Iodine and black bread. Fill 1 loaf of bread with 10 liters of water. As soon as it is completely swollen, add 1 jar of iodine to the mixture. Use this product only in diluted form (1 liter of substance per 10 liters of water). Treat the bushes once every 2 weeks.
Onion peel. Take a 0.5 liter jar of husks, pour in 10 liters of water, bring the product to a boil and leave overnight. Dilute 2.5 liters of product with 10 liters of water and use to treat bushes.
Potassium permanganate. As soon as you notice yellowing on the leaves, immediately use a solution of potassium permanganate (1%). It will disinfect and rid the bushes of fungal spores.

To see how the brilliant green solution will help against yellowing of leaves, watch the following video:

Spider mite causes and pest control with home remedies

Among the cucumber pests, the most difficult to get rid of is the spider mite. Tiny insects are barely visible to the naked eye. You will only begin to look at them when the pest has already managed to multiply. A colony of mites settles on the reverse side of the leaf, enveloping the surface with thin silvery threads. The parasite feeds on plant sap, making punctures to suck it out. The feeding sites become yellow dots, gradually grow and destroy the leaf blade, depriving them of nutrition.

The development of a spider mite colony is caused by too dry air. In a greenhouse, this phenomenon occurs often, especially if the gardener does not monitor the irrigation regime.

Attention! The danger of a colony is the spread of the tick through the air. It cannot fly, but is carried by air currents over long distances.

If you notice a colony of pests, destroy them mechanically. Quite often, spray with soapy water or wipe the lower part of the leaves with a soapy solution. We offer you several folk recipes for exterminating the pest.

Onion peel infusion

Bring a tablespoon of ground onion peel in 5 liters of water to a boil. Cool until completely cool and spray with a spray bottle.

Dandelion infusion

Heat the water to 40-50⁰C. For 5 liters of liquid, take a glass of chopped roots or leaves. Leave the mixture for 2-3 hours and spray the lashes.

Tobacco

Tobacco dust is an effective pest control agent. It can be used as an independent remedy or mixed with ash and mustard. But a decoction made from 200 g of dust mixed with 5 liters of water is effective against spider mites. First, the mixture is infused for 24 hours, then boiled for 2 hours. After cooling, filter and add a bucket of water.

Plants in the fight against spider mites

In addition to spraying, joint planting with other garden inhabitants is used to prevent ticks. The best helper is dill. The grass attracts ladybugs, which will take care of the destruction of the pest. Most pests are afraid of aromatic herbs and flowers - marigolds, coriander, onions. Sow them between the rows, and the spider mite will forget the way to the greenhouse.

Important! An infusion of garlic will help against ticks, but if the parasite has manifested itself this season, be sure to dig up or replace the soil and treat the greenhouse.

Methods for restoring cucumber seedlings

The most common problems with plants are:

the plants are not watered with water, but sprayed - the lower ball of soil dries out, the root system begins to dry out. You need to immediately start watering the seedlings well, the soil ball should always be moist;
seedlings are flooded - the root system dies from oxygen starvation and excess moisture. Check if the drainage hole is clogged and clean it;
If watering is excessive and the soil and air temperatures are low, root rot develops. The surviving plants are washed with roots in a solution of potassium permanganate and transplanted into fresh soil substrate;
If the soil substrate contains a large amount of nitrogen compounds, the plants are watered frequently and the air temperature in the room is high, the seedlings grow strongly. The temperature should be lowered, the intensity of watering should be reduced, and fertilizing should be stopped.

The new summer season will begin very soon, so it’s time to think about sowing seeds and growing seedlings. To avoid grief and disappointment, try to do everything right from the very beginning, because this process has many subtleties. Try it yourself, experiment, create the necessary conditions for the plants, and you will definitely succeed!

Thickening of plantings and insufficient lighting

The problem is most often encountered by those gardeners whose greenhouses are located primarily in the shade (under trees, near large buildings).
Cucumbers need full daylight for the proper process of photosynthesis. Its absence leads to a deficiency of nutrients, and yellowness is formed, which signals the need to take action.

The situation is similar if the plants are planted too close to each other, creating shading. Therefore, it is important that there is a gap of at least 45 cm between the stems of cucumbers.

You can solve the problem with lighting at various stages of cucumber development in the following ways:

Provide additional illumination from April to the end of May, using lamps specially designed for this purpose.
Maintain a distance between plantings.
Remove unnecessary leaves to remove the shadow.
Do not build greenhouses in the shade.

Do not use conventional incandescent lamps with a yellow spectrum as alternative lighting. When located in close proximity to cucumbers, they can provoke the development of burns, while not promoting active photosynthesis.

What causes the leaves and ovaries of cucumbers to turn yellow?

When growing cucumbers, gardeners encounter many troubles. One of the common problems is when not only the leaves, but also the ovaries turn yellow and dry - what to do in such a situation?

Basically, the leaves and ovaries of vegetable crops turn yellow due to violation of the agrotechnical conditions for their cultivation. Even sowing low-quality seeds can cause the leaves and ovaries to begin to turn yellow.

Many gardeners independently collect planting material, which can behave unpredictably when pollinated with hybrids. Seeds aged 1-2 years can also be called low-quality. Therefore, it is better to buy seeds at the age of 3-4 years and only from trusted producers.

The formation of a large number of ovaries can also cause them to turn yellow. And first of all, this applies to bunch-bearing cucumbers, when one plant can simultaneously have from 80 to 100 ovaries. In such a situation, you need to remove all flowers and buds from the axils of the first 5 leaves, pinch out the side shoots, and increase the rate of nutrient intake.

A lack of lighting can also cause the ovaries to turn yellow, dry out and fall off, because it is known that cucumbers are a light-loving plant. It is important to initially select an area with good lighting with reference points to the cardinal directions, and also follow the planting scheme to avoid shading of the plants.

Also, the reasons why the ovaries turn yellow include:

Lack of nutrients - cucumbers are very gluttonous, so they should not be allowed to starve.
Weak root system. Weak roots are not able to independently provide themselves with moisture and nutrition, so it is important to observe all sowing dates and carefully handle the seedlings.
Cold soil. At low temperatures, the plant cannot direct moisture and nutrients to the formation of ovaries; in such a situation, it is worthwhile to perform foliar feeding.
Failure to observe crop rotation - growing a crop in the same area for several years leads to soil depletion.
Dense plantings. Unthinned bushes, lack of light, air, excessive shading - all this negatively affects the fruiting of cucumbers.

Yellowing of the ovaries can be caused by pests and various diseases, as well as the lack of pollination in varietal cucumbers; without it, the ovaries will not develop.

To attract bees, you can plant bright flowers next to the crop, and if cucumbers grow in a greenhouse, you will have to collect the pollen yourself with a cotton swab and transfer it to other flowers. But this applies only to varietal crops; hybrids do not need pollination.

Pests

Aphid

The pest can be found on the top of the shoot, the underside of the leaf blade and on the stem. Aphids suck out cell sap, depleting the seedlings.

Plants are treated with a soap solution or insecticide solution.

Spider mite

It is an insect up to 1 mm in size that feeds on cell sap. The plant begins to dry out and die. When affected by this pest, plants are treated with solutions of insecticides (Acrex, Keltan, Bi-58 new, Karbofos, Actellik, Tedion). The biological control method is the use of the phytoseiulus mite.

Whitefly

Pest larvae feed on plant cell sap, seedlings wither and die. Plants are treated with solutions such as: Actellik, Confidor, Commander.

Sprout fly

Pest larvae damage and gnaw through sown or already sprouted seeds and seedlings. For control, an insecticide solution is used, and treated seed material is sown in the soil.

Pest attack

If you do not periodically treat the soil, then larvae of harmful insects, such as mole crickets, cockchafers, wireworms, slugs, cruciferous fleas, and spider mites, may enter the garden bed along with humus. They can harm the root system and also destroy cucumber leaves by feeding on the juice. As a result of their vital activity, yellow spots appear on cucumbers, which will soon lead to foliage falling.

Medvedka

Wireworm

Chafer

What you need to do to secure your landings:

Be sure to disinfect the soil before planting seedlings. The best option is boiling water, after which the soil is allowed to rest for 2-3 days, then treated with a weak solution of manganese.
Seedlings purchased at the market should be sprayed with Fitosporin, and the remaining liquid should be poured into the ground.

Several times a month, water the cucumbers with water adding 10 drops of iodine per 10 liters of liquid.
When there is an ant invasion (spread by spider mite larvae), you need to set traps.
Don’t forget to disinfect the paths between the beds.

Some gardeners, in pursuit of maximum environmental friendliness of the product, ignore the addition of insecticides to the soil. But the modern market of agricultural products makes it possible to effectively combat pests while minimizing health risks.

Viruses and fungi that are present in soil, air and water fall directly onto the surface of the cucumber leaf. A weakened, exhausted plant is not able to withstand the attack, so it develops yellowing and wilting of the green part.