Why cucumber seedlings fall and wither: what to do

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Yakov Pavlovich

Professor, Head of the Department of Vegetable Growing

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Cucumbers can be sown with seeds directly into open ground, but if you want to get an early harvest, gardeners resort to growing seedlings. What to do when suddenly seemingly strong cucumber seedlings wither and fall, why this happens, what is the reason for such a misfortune, this question cannot but worry summer residents and vegetable growers. Most likely, care was not organized correctly, and diseases and pest attacks are also possible.

Lighting

Plants need light for photosynthesis; without it, plants weaken and disappear. In February and March, when seeds are planted for seedlings, daylight hours are still short; this may not be enough for cucumbers.

Signs that there is not enough light and there is a risk that the seedlings may die:

the plants turned pale;
no true leaves, only cotyledons;
the stems stretched and weakened;
the seedlings fell towards the light source.

To solve this problem, cucumber seedlings need to be illuminated in the morning and evening. The most convenient way to do this is with special phytolamps; you need to keep the boxes with seedlings under them for about four hours a day. In total, plants need 12-16 hours of daylight. When the seedlings have already grown, you cannot sharply increase the period of illumination; you need to accustom the sprouts to lamps gradually. If it is not possible to purchase such equipment, ordinary fluorescent or aquarium lamps will do. In this case, the dark period of the day should be at least 6 hours. It should be remembered that direct sunlight is dangerous for seedlings; they can cause burns on delicate leaves. Therefore, when placing seedlings in boxes, you need to provide them with diffused light.

What to do when cucumber leaves wither in a greenhouse, folk recipes

If the leaves of cucumbers turn yellow, you can use folk recipes. They are safe and help get rid of many other problems.

A composition of pepper can be made to control pests. You will need to take 35 g of hot pepper and mix with 200 g of tobacco dust. The mixture is poured with hot water and left to infuse for one day. Then the solution is filtered, soap and wood ash are added.
If the cucumbers are limp, wood ash will help. It is taken in an amount of 100 g, poured with a bucket of boiling water and left for a day. The finished solution must be filtered and the soap shavings dissolved.

Potato tops help get rid of yellowing. You will need 350 g of greens, which are poured with 10 liters of hot water. After 3-4 hours you can spray the cucumber beds. For better adhesion of the solution to the leaves, dissolve soap.
At the first signs of a fungal disease, a composition with whey will help. You need to take 2 liters of the product and mix with water.
Diseases caused by various pathogens can be eliminated using a composition containing skim milk. Dissolve 20 g of soap shavings in a liter of milk, add 25 drops of iodine and mix with water. It is useful to water the cucumbers with this solution every 10 days until the problem disappears.

As fertilizers you can use mullein infusion, baking soda solution, urea solution. They will help not only remove yellow, dry leaves, but also enrich the soil with microelements.

Failure to comply with transplant deadlines

Seedlings can be replanted when three or four true leaves have appeared. An earlier transplant will inevitably lead to wilting, which can cause the death of plants. Cucumbers can be transplanted into a greenhouse in May, and into open ground in June. The soil should warm up to a temperature of about + 16°C. If more than four weeks pass from the moment of sowing the seeds to transplantation, the survival rate is significantly reduced.

Infectious problems

Cucumbers wither as a result of pathogens entering various diseases inside the plant. The most common diseases of cucumbers in a greenhouse are white rot and fusarium.

A disease such as white rot leads to damage to the root system, and the plant loses the ability to eat properly. On cucumbers in a greenhouse, you can notice brown spots at the base of the stem. Gradually, the spots spread to the leaves, stem, and the cucumber plantings die. A drug such as Trichodermin helps fight the disease.

Tracheomycosis wilt of cucumbers most often affects vegetables in closed ground. Fungi such as fusarium and verticillium, when entering the plant, destroy blood vessels and cause the death of the plant.

Fusarium is a fungal disease in which all parts of the plant wither, starting from the crown, and the root part of the stem begins to rot. Dark spots appear on the affected seedlings, the leaves dry out and curl. They are treated with drugs such as Fitosporin, Heteroauxin, Kornevin, Trichofit.

Fusarium affects all plants in the greenhouse. Therefore, it is recommended to start fighting it when the first signs appear. It is recommended to initially select cucumber varieties that are resistant to fusarium: Ideal, Caprice, Sudar, Ryabinushka.

Improper watering

The soil in the container should always be slightly moist. Under no circumstances should you use cold water; watering should be done with warm, settled water, or even better, melted water. If there is a lack of moisture, the plants' stems dry out and the leaves turn yellow. Water as soon as the top layer of soil becomes noticeably dry. If the air humidity in the room is sufficient, water the cucumbers twice a week. Small seedlings should not be watered at the root; you need to carefully moisten the soil, while trying to prevent water from getting on the leaves; it is convenient to do this with a small spoon. Mature seedlings are carefully loosened after watering.

See also How to plant and grow cucumbers in five-liter plastic bottles

Prevention of foliage wilting

To avoid wilting of cucumber foliage, you need to follow a few simple rules.

Maintain crop rotation. Do not plant cucumbers in the same place every year. The distance between plants (at least 50 cm) when planting is also important. The vegetable must be planted after a good predecessor.
It is necessary to grow cucumbers in a specially prepared warm stationary or mobile bed. Don't forget about mulching and heat accumulators.
Do not use herbicides.
Carry out preventive spraying with antifungal drugs.

Grow cucumbers taking into account their needs, and they will delight you with both appearance and harvests until the cold weather!

Excess or lack of fertilizers

If the balance of nutrients in the soil is disturbed, seedlings can become thin. If the necessary microelements are not enough, the leaves change color, become stained, the stem dries out, and growth is impaired.

For the first feeding, cucumbers need nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Complex fertilizer Superphosphate will not allow the seedlings to stretch out, will help strengthen and thicken the stems, which means the seedlings will not fall or wither.

Expert opinion

Stanislav Pavlovich

Gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert

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The next feeding is carried out two weeks after the appearance of the second true leaf. Here, too, substances such as potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus will be needed. Ready-made fertilizer, for example, Kemira, is suitable.

Why did the cucumber seedlings turn white?

There are not many reasons for the whitening of cucumber seedlings, and an experienced gardener will be able to find out what disease is affecting the seedlings.

Reasons for whitening of cucumber seedlings:

Powdery mildew. This is a fungus that can be fought with a 0.5% solution of soda ash and laundry soap. A 0.5 - 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture is also effective. You can use decoctions of plants - horsetail, marigold.
Lack of minerals. Often the tip turns white from a lack of copper. In this case, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is advisable.
Mite or aphid. In this case, it is advisable to spray with Strela or Tsitkor.

Why did the cucumber seedlings turn white?
Cucumber seedlings are very fragile and therefore require careful care. Maintain a stable temperature in the greenhouse and do not over-hydrate the crop.

Root damage

If the seedlings droop after planting, the roots may have been damaged. Cucumbers do not tolerate picking well, so it is better to sow the seeds in separate peat cups or tablets; this method will reduce the risk of injury to the roots in the garden. But some gardeners note that at the same time, the percentage of blackleg disease is higher. In this connection, many people prefer to use plastic cups; then, when transplanting, the seedlings are taken out of the container with a lump of earth around the roots, and before that they are watered abundantly.

Temperature

If the seedlings have wilted, you need to check whether the ambient temperature is suitable. For seeds to germinate, a temperature of +25°C...28°C is needed, and when shoots appear, it is necessary to maintain it in the area of + 20°C...+ 23°C. At night, the thermometer should not fall below + 18°C. Changes of more than 7°C are unacceptable. Violation of the temperature regime in a greenhouse leads to stretching, yellowing, wilting, disease and, as a result, death. If the seedlings wither after planting in open ground, then perhaps the cause was night frosts. To prevent this, seedlings must be covered for the first time.

Why do cucumber seedlings turn yellow?

Yellowing of seedlings is a common problem faced by gardeners. Moreover, the culture does not necessarily suffer from something.

Reasons for yellowing of cucumber seedlings:

Lack of soil. This usually happens if the crop is grown in a small container. The roots are starved of soil and the leaves turn yellow.
Lack of minerals. This often happens in the case of poor soil. In general, it is recommended to plant seedlings in the place where onions and garlic grew. They do not deplete the soil.
Excess nitrogen. This often happens after applying nitrogen fertilizers. At the same time, the leaves turn yellow and become covered with dots.
Hypothermia. Unlike tomatoes, cucumbers love warmth, and if the soil cools below 17 ° C, the leaves may turn yellow. Growth also stops.
Lack of sun rays . This problem is easily solved by using fluorescent lamps.
Diseases and parasites. Yellowing of cucumber leaves can occur due to the presence of powdery mildew, spider mites and fusarium.

cucumber seedlings turn yellow

Infections

Fungal infections such as fusarium or root rot can also cause seedlings to fall. Their development is facilitated by:

excessive watering;
high ambient humidity;
lack of drainage;
sudden changes in temperature;
contaminated soil or seeds.

For prevention, soil and seeds are disinfected before planting using a solution of potassium permanganate. In addition, they can be calcined at a temperature of + 60°C using an oven. After watering the seedlings, the soil must be carefully loosened to ensure oxygen access. If the seedlings are already sick, they are treated with biofungicides or chemicals. At the initial stage, the plants can still be restored. In case of severe damage, it is advisable to destroy the seedlings.

Expert opinion

Stanislav Pavlovich

Gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert

Ask a Question

Another fungal infection, Blackleg, can also lead to the death of entire seedlings. At the first signs, the seedlings are treated with Fitosporin and watering is reduced.

Why do cucumbers wither in a greenhouse and what to do?

If the leaves of cucumbers turn yellow and wither, you need to check all the seedlings to understand the reason, and only then begin to solve the problem.

If during the inspection no traces of pests and infections were detected, but only wilting of the leaves of the cucumbers in the greenhouse is observed, you need to water the plant. The water should be warm (about 20 degrees), it is best to leave it in a barrel during the day. After watering the cucumbers, it is recommended to loosen the soil. This will improve the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the roots.
Cucumbers die at temperatures above 27 degrees. The leaves begin to dry out and turn yellow. It is necessary to monitor the temperature, ventilate the room, shade the structure and water the beds up to twice a day.