Why do cucumber ovaries turn yellow in a greenhouse: what to do and how to deal with it?

Sometimes yellow ovaries appear on cucumbers in a greenhouse, which fall off over time. This phenomenon is especially unpleasant at the beginning of summer, when you already want to pick the first cucumber from your garden. But they are still missing... This situation is fixable.

The question of why eggplant leaves turn yellow has already been discussed. Many factors are very similar for greenhouse plants.

The main reasons for the color change in young fruits and their falling off are associated with greenhouse conditions (air and soil temperature, watering, fertilizing, bush formation).

If you notice that the ovaries on cucumbers have begun to turn yellow and fly off, you need to first find out why this is happening. Then take all necessary measures to correct the problem. What to do in this situation?

Zelentsy started on a too young plant

The reason for yellowing and drying of the ovary of cucumbers is often the young age of the plants. Such bushes do not yet have time to form a sufficiently strong leaf apparatus that will fully nourish the ovary, so young plants are forced to get rid of it, since they themselves are not yet strong enough.

While the cucumbers are growing and forming, it is necessary to remove all the flowers, since they will not produce full-fledged greens anyway.

Prevention methods

To ensure that none of the problems described prevents you from growing cucumbers, you need to resort to the following preventive methods:

Carefully prepare the soil before planting (fertilize, disinfect).
Selection and processing of seed material.
Plant plants strictly according to schedule.
Produce timely formation and tying of bushes.
Weed and loosen the soil regularly.
Regularly inspect the bushes for diseases and pests.
Use only high-quality fertilizers.
Promptly dispose of any organic waste collected in the greenhouse.
In the spring, treat the greenhouse with disinfectants.
Treat young plants with fungicides and immunomodulators.

Did you know? The longest cucumber was grown by the Hungarians.
Its length was 183 cm. As we can see, all the reasons for the yellowing of the ovary are associated with a lack of proper attention to the crop. Therefore, you need not to be lazy and carefully care for the plant, observing all the rules and regulations.

Violation of the optimal temperature regime of air and soil

Cucumber ovaries turn yellow and dry out from too high or low temperatures in greenhouse air or soil, or from sudden temperature changes over a short period of time. Plants suffer greatly when it gets cold during the day and especially at night, since their ovaries grow at night. Under such conditions, the root system of cucumbers does not develop, or this process goes poorly and may even begin to die. In cold soil, healthy roots lose their ability to normally absorb nitrogen from the soil, and the ovaries lack the essential nutrient they need.

There is an ideal temperature that must be maintained in order for cucumbers to grow and develop normally. Before fruiting it is:

22-24 °C – in clear weather;
20-22 °C – in cloudy weather;
17-18 °C – at night.

When the cucumbers begin to bear fruit, the temperature needs to be increased slightly:

23-26 °C – in clear weather;
21-23 °C – in cloudy weather;
18-20 °C – at night.

For varieties pollinated by bees, all temperature indicators should be 1-3°C higher.

The maximum temperature that cucumber plants tolerate well is up to 36 °C, the minimum is 13-15 °C. Temperature conditions above and below these limits have a negative effect on vegetating cucumbers; they either overheat or become overcooled. All this has the most negative effect on the growth and development of the ovaries; they begin to turn yellow.

Sudden temperature changes most often occur in greenhouses. During the day, the air and soil in them become very hot due to the fact that excess heat cannot escape, and at night they cool sharply. No crop welcomes such temperature changes, but cucumbers are most sensitive to them.

Measures to combat overheating of plants include:

ventilation of greenhouses in hot weather;
whitening the walls and roofs of shelters with chalk;
shading plants with white reed shields or mats;
abundant watering in the evening;
mulching the soil under cucumbers with hay, straw, fresh sawdust, black film or agrofibre of the same color.

To avoid a drop in temperature at night, low greenhouses are covered with another layer of film and dark-colored containers filled with water are placed in them. During the daytime, the liquid will heat up and accumulate heat, and at night, it will release it into the air space. In large greenhouses, if electricity is supplied to them, electric or infrared heaters are installed. Stoves that burn wood, sawdust and pellets, for example, such as Buleryan, are excellent for heating such structures.

Nutrient deficiencies or imbalances

Often the reason that cucumber ovaries turn yellow and do not grow is insufficient nutrition, that is, a lack of basic elements and microelements in the soil.
This picture can be observed when plants have exhausted the supply of nutrients in the soil, and there are no additional feedings. Varieties and hybrids with a bunched ovary type suffer especially from insufficient nutrition. In this case, it often turns out that 1-2 cucumbers grow, and the rest wither. Cucumber embryos can also turn yellow due to an excess of nutrients or improper application of fertilizers without observing the required proportions.

When the flowering phase begins, cucumbers need phosphorus, and during fruiting - nitrogen and potassium, so you can save the bushes and the harvest if:

reduce or stop feeding with fresh manure;
replace it with wood ash (300 g per 1 m2 of planting area);
feed them with solutions of complex fertilizers: Kristalon, Master, Mortar, Kemira, Agricola, etc.

Such fertilizing is needed both for greenhouse cucumbers and for those growing in open beds, but they are especially relevant for plants planted in closed ground, since in such conditions the need for nutrition is greater.

We recommend reading

Causes of yellowing leaves in cucumbers and what to do

What to do if the leaves of cucumber seedlings turn yellow and dry

Methods for controlling cucumber pests in greenhouses and open ground

Symptoms of cucumber diseases and methods of combating them

What to do if the ovaries of cucumbers turn yellow, dry out and fall off

I will introduce you to the instructions that I personally use for preserving cucumber ovaries.

Stepsoning

One of the main goals of pinching is to normalize yields. The procedure allows you to prevent the appearance of ovaries that the plant cannot “feed”:

When growing greenhouse cucumbers on a trellis, I always remove shoots and flowers from the axils of the lower 5 leaves. Otherwise, the bush will devote all its efforts to the development of these “pioneers” to the detriment of the overall harvest. Remember that the lower shoots and ovaries are the most “voracious”. But at the same time with a very short return - the growing season is completed early.
Periodically I pinch out all the side shoots, the “stepchildren” above the fifth leaf.
After the first 2-3 ovaries appear, I carefully pinch the lower leaves - this simple measure allows you to increase the flow of nutritious juice to the filling cucumber.
Every 5-7 days from the beginning of the formation of the ovaries, I remove 1-2 lower leaves. Around the middle of the growing season, on my cucumbers the main shoot is bare about 70-100 cm from the base.

Drying the soil

Yellowing of the ovaries can also be a consequence of another problem - waterlogging of the soil. Here's how you can help your plants:

Place adsorbent materials on the surface of the ridges that will absorb excess moisture from the top layer of soil. For example, moss.
Stop watering until the top layer of the substrate dries.
Organize good air ventilation - open windows and doors, thin out plantings, remove old lower leaves.

Pollination

Once again, I note that only hybrid cucumber varieties do not need pollination. Bee-pollinated species need to ensure proper pollination:

Sow honey plants around the greenhouse - marigolds, calendula, cosmos and other bright, fragrant flowers that attract wasps and bees.
Open doors and windows to the greenhouse early in the morning - from 6 to 10 o'clock. It is at this time that winged helpers are most active.
You can prepare an “attractive syrup”: 1 part water - 1 part sugar, 5% yeast. Place the resulting mixture on the fire and bring to a boil. Cool, pour into saucers and place in the greenhouse. To infuse your treat with cucumber flavor, pick a few of the male flowers and dip them in the liquid. Don't forget to refresh your bait every day.
If pollinating insects are not frequent guests in the greenhouse, then you will have to take pollination into your own hands. Pick the male flower and lightly rub it against the female flower (with a peduncle that resembles a mini cucumber).

I always remember that pollination is possible up to 35 ° C - at higher temperatures, pollen turns into a sterile mass, fertilization does not occur. Therefore, for proper pollination, it is important to ensure good ventilation in the greenhouse: open the doors and windows, water the paths with cold water.

Correct light mode

Light is a necessary element for photosynthesis. To prevent cucumbers from starting to shed their ovaries due to its lack, I do the following:

Initially, I build the greenhouse correctly - oriented towards the cardinal directions. For northern regions, the middle zone - from east to west, for southern areas - from north to south.
I don’t allow too frequent planting: parthenocarpic varieties - 1-2 copies per 1 m2, pollinated varieties - 2-3 copies per 1 m2.

Correct temperature conditions

Cucumbers are very sensitive to temperature values - in order not to expose them to stress, it is better to observe the following optimal parameters in the greenhouse:

On sunny days before fruiting: 22-24° C.
On cloudy days before fruiting: 20-22° C.
At night before fruiting: 17-18° C.
On sunny days during fruiting: 23-26° C.
On cloudy days during fruiting: 21-23° C.
At night during fruiting: 18-20° C.

If you grow bee-pollinated varieties, then the indicated values should be raised by 1-3 ° C.

Already when the temperature drops to 15°C and when it rises to 27°C, the cucumbers begin to overcool or “burn.” The tender ovaries are the first to suffer: therefore, in regions with an unstable climate, you should not grow cucumbers in film greenhouses, which quickly cool and heat up.

I recommend that you arm yourself with ways to artificially increase the air temperature in a greenhouse:

Cover with additional film material - so that between it and the main covering there is an “air cushion” 3-5 cm thick.
Protecting the soil from hypothermia with black spunbond - only for low-growing plants.
Cover with special foam film.
Installation of canopies directly over cucumbers made of perforated material 0.5 mm thick.
Use of electric heaters.

You can lower the temperature on your own like this:

Abundant watering in the morning before sunrise.
Protection from overheating with reed, wooden shields and mats painted white.
Covering the greenhouse ceiling with a solution of flour, chalk, and white lime. I used a simple solution for coloring: for 10 liters of water - 2 kg of chalk and 400 ml of milk.

Top dressing

Let me present the rules for fertilizing cucumbers that I use myself:

I always dilute the manure before applying: mullein - 1:10, chicken manure - 1:20.
The consumption rate of liquid fertilizer per bush: for varietal plants - 2-2.5 liters, for hybrid plants - 4-5 liters.
I alternate fertilizing: natural with mineral, macroelements with microelements, root with foliar (spraying).
When growing crops organically, I do not forget about fertilizing with complexes of microelements.
I try not to apply nitrogen compounds twice in a row - otherwise nitrogen may be deposited in the greens in quantities harmful to humans.
I do not allow ash and manure to be mixed: the reaction that occurs during such a combination can burn the plants.
The hotter the summer, the more often I feed the cucumbers: up to 23°C - after 7 days, up to 27°C - after 5 days, up to 32°C - after 3 days, more than 33°C - after 1 day.

The simplest fertilizers that will put cucumbers in order:

Store-bought: “Master”, “Kemira”, “Rastvorin”, “Kristalon”, “Brexil calcium”.
Wood ash: 300 g - per 1 m2.
Foliar feeding: per 10 liters of water - 1 tbsp. spoon of urea, 3 tbsp. spoons of ash.

I never forget that cucumbers need not only phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium, but also microelements. Such fertilizers are long-lasting - it is enough to add them to the substrate once every 3-4 years. Standard complex - manganese, molybdenum, boron, zinc, copper. An alternative is 250-300 g of ash (per 1 m2).

Improper watering - excess or lack of moisture

Cucumbers, as humid tropical plants, are very partial to moisture, but in order for them to grow and bear fruit, they need to be watered correctly. Before fruiting begins, watering should be moderate, and with its beginning - more abundant. The optimal frequency of watering is every 1-2 days, in hot weather - daily (or even 2 times a day - morning and evening). In general, you need to look at the condition of the soil - if it is dry, you definitely need to water the beds. If the ground is wet, you can skip the next watering. The main thing is to maintain a balance, since a lack and excess of liquid in the soil is equally unfavorable and can lead to yellowing of the ovaries.

Water for watering this crop in a greenhouse must be free of chlorine and warm (23-25°C); cold water is not allowed (such liquid causes temperature stress to the roots, which ultimately affects the condition of the entire plant, including the ovary).

The best time for such events is evening or early morning. There is no need to do this during the day: the water will quickly evaporate, this will only increase the air humidity, while the plants themselves will be able to receive moisture in a minimal amount.

Insufficient air humidity

Dry air is another reason for the yellowing of cucumber ovaries. These plants have an increased need for high relative air humidity (85-95%). If this indicator is lower in the greenhouse, transpiration will be more intense, so the absorption of moisture from the soil by cucumbers will also increase. If there is not enough of it in the soil, the leaves and ovaries will begin to wither and the flowers will fall off.

The necessary measures to prevent yellowing of the ovary are to irrigate the soil between the rows (but not the plants themselves). Water evaporating from the ground will increase the air humidity in a closed greenhouse.

Useful tips

From pests that contribute to the yellowing of cucumbers, experienced vegetable growers advise using folk remedies that are safe for humans:

Hot peppers (you can replace them with a pack of dry peppers from the store) are combined with tobacco dust. This mixture is poured with boiling water and kept for a day. Then add ash and soap. This product is very effective against ticks and aphids. You need to process twice, at weekly intervals.
Ash water with soap gives a good result.
A strong infusion of garlic will help guide whiteflies to the cucumber plantings. The crushed cloves are infused for 5 whole days in a closed container, additionally wrapped in, for example, a thermos.
Potato tops will help provide a path to cucumbers for mites and aphids. It is infused, combined with a soap solution and the plantings are treated.

To combat numerous diseases, gardeners pour buckets of fungicides onto their plots. These chemicals are not at all safe for health. Many folk remedies are applicable against fungal diseases.

From the moment the first leaves are formed and throughout the growing season, at 2-week intervals, spraying is carried out with a composition that includes: iodine, laundry soap, skim milk.
Ordinary gray bread will help prevent fungal infections. It is soaked overnight in water, and a bottle of iodine is added in the morning. Cucumber plantings are treated with this composition.
Pathogenic fungi are afraid of ordinary alkali. Cucumbers are treated with its solution at the beginning of summer.
At the first signs of yellowness from fungi, the cucumbers are treated with low-fat kefir and sugar. This method will also promote the formation of ovaries.

Thickened plantings

Cucumbers need a lot of light for normal growth and fruiting. Despite the fact that the beds for growing them and the greenhouses are always located in a sunny place, the plants themselves can shade each other. This happens if the seeds or seedlings were planted too densely.

At the initial stage of development, a small area is enough for plants. But with the growth of the bushes and the increase in green mass, the fruits find themselves in dense shade, which provokes yellowing of the ovaries and their subsequent falling off. Bee-pollinated varieties and hybrids throw out barren flowers, delaying fruiting.

Correct placement of plants can correct the situation. When choosing planting schemes and calculating the number of cucumber bushes per 1 m2, it is worth considering:

sizes of beds in greenhouses and on the ground;
design of shelters and trellises;
whether the cucumbers being grown belong to one or another variety or hybrid;
the degree of climbing of the plant;
method of forming a bush;
timing and place of cultivation.

On average, 3 to 6 cucumbers are placed per 1 m2. A gardener can obtain basic recommendations regarding the selected variety or hybrid from the manufacturer’s instructions on the seed packet. They must be adhered to in order to prevent thickening of the plantings and yellowing of the fruits.

The bush grows without formation

In a greenhouse, one of the reasons why cucumber ovaries turn yellow is the lack of formation of the bushes. On the ground, this problem manifests itself less, when walking and here, when growing crops vertically, the bushes need to be looked after.

Most varieties and hybrids intended for cultivation in greenhouses intensively increase green mass. This is facilitated by a special microclimate, as well as enhanced nutrition of the plantings. While the bushes are occupied with leaves and shoots, they do not bear fruit. In addition, greens also suffer greatly from shading.

Shaping the plants will help speed up the ripening process. It consists in removing the first ovaries, side shoots and leaves from the cucumber, forming a so-called blind zone at the bottom. Depending on the timing of cultivation and the characteristics of the variety or hybrid, it may vary. On average, from 3 to 8 first nodes are subject to blinding.

Next, the side shoots of the cucumbers are pinched as they grow and old and excess leaves are cut off. The mustache is removed, on which the plant also consumes a lot of nutrition. Follow the recommended schemes:

for specific conditions (heated or unheated, high and low greenhouses);
growing time (early spring, spring-summer, autumn-winter);
type of cucumbers (bee-pollinated, parthenocarpic);
growing location (open or closed ground).

When using molding, the fruits receive enough nutrients and light and do not turn yellow.

Cucumber seedlings turn yellow

Beginner gardeners may have a problem such as yellowing of cucumber seedlings. However, in this case, you should not immediately get rid of low-quality seedlings. Leaves can dry out for several reasons, the main ones being improper care and infection of young shoots with various diseases. In any case, in order to determine the reason why the seedlings turned yellow, you must first carefully examine the plant, check the soil, and only then draw conclusions and begin to eliminate the main causes of the problem.

Causes

Let's look at the main reasons why seedlings may turn yellow:

lack of light: this is one of the most common causes of yellowing of seedlings. When planting, you should take into account the fact that cucumbers love sunny places and do not tolerate crowded conditions. But even with sufficient lighting, the leaves of the lower tier may turn yellow. This is due to the abundantly growing upper leaves. In this case, damaged leaf blades should be removed so that the plant does not waste oxygen and nutrients on them;
planting a seedling in a small pot: as a result, the roots of the plant do not have enough space, they become intertwined and do not receive enough nutrients;
seedlings may turn yellow after transplanting into open ground;
lack of nutrients: most often, cucumber seedlings turn yellow due to the fact that they lack micro- and macroelements. To avoid such problems, it is necessary to use modern safe plant fertilizers;
fungal diseases and pests: when a plant is infected with fungal diseases, small spots similar to rust appear on the leaves, which subsequently leads to the extinction of the plant. The most common diseases: fusarium (wilt), powdery mildew, root rot. As for pests, cucumbers are most often attacked by spider mites and whiteflies;
hypothermia of the plant or, conversely, overheating, as well as unstable temperature conditions: if the temperature is below normal, then the plants do not develop sufficiently, but if, on the contrary, it is very hot, the seedlings may get burned;
lack or excess of moisture: many gardeners think that it is better to use more water when watering than to allow the soil layer to dry out. However, this is a misconception. Excess moisture is just as detrimental to seedlings as its absence. In the first case, the roots of the plant rot, in the second case they dry out.

What to do

In order to prevent the seedlings from yellowing, before planting it is necessary to carefully select pots so that the plant is not crowded, prepare the soil for planting, and allocate a bright place for the seedlings with constant humidity and temperature. In the future, it is necessary to ensure proper watering of the plants, which should be carried out when partial drying of the upper soil layer appears.

It is not recommended to water young seedlings daily, as this can have a negative impact on the development of the root system.

Moreover, you should constantly feed the seedlings with the necessary nutrients.

For the very first feeding of seedlings, which is done when the first leaf appears on the sprout, it is recommended to use a mixture of organic fertilizers with mineral components. Fertilizers can be purchased at a specialty store. For this, drugs such as potassium humate, sodium humate or Effecton are suitable.

Those gardeners who want to prepare their own fertilizers can use the following recipe:

slurry diluted with water in a ratio of 1:1 - 1 bucket;
superphosphate – 20 grams.
Instead of slurry, you can use bird droppings diluted in a ratio of 1:10.

If there is no access to organic fertilizers, you can use the following recipe:

ammonium nitrate – 7 g;
superphosphate – 15 g;
potassium sulfate – 8 g;
water – 10 liters.
It is recommended to add a small amount of manure to the resulting mixture, diluted 1:4, or fermented chicken manure, diluted 1:7 with water.

During the second feeding, carried out when the second leaf appears on the cucumber seedlings, the amount of fertilizer should be doubled.

The third feeding of seedlings should be carried out two weeks after the first leaf appears. For these purposes, complex mineral fertilizers are used, for example, Nitrofox. You can also prepare the mixture yourself using the following composition:

urea – 15 g;
superphosphate – 40 g;
potassium salt – 10 g;
water – 10 liters.

When choosing potassium salt, you should give preference to substances without chlorine, as it can have a negative effect on the condition of young plants.

Nutrients should be added at the root of the seedlings, after which it is necessary to water them with clean water at room temperature.

If the seedlings do turn yellow, it is necessary to determine the cause and try to eliminate it as soon as possible. This will avoid the death of the plant.

Pollination problems

When growing insect-pollinated varieties and hybrids, the reason that the ovary turns yellow and falls off may be that there is insufficient fertilization of the female flowers. Risk factors include:

weather;
early or late cultivation;
improper microclimate in the greenhouse;
absence of plants with a pronounced male type of flowering.

Bees, which are the main pollinators for cucumbers, do not fly in rain, cloudy and cold weather. They also do not show much interest in hot greenhouses and greenhouses, so they need to be attracted there. For insects to do their job, it is worth opening the windows and doors. Spraying the plants with a solution of water and honey and boric acid will help.

If there are no bees, the gardener will have to work for them. To prevent cucumbers from turning yellow, hand pollination is used. Work is carried out in the morning when the female flower is blooming, in warm and dry weather. Use a soft brush or male flower stalks.

Growing several varieties or hybrids of cucumbers in a greenhouse also helps to increase the number of fertilized ovaries. If the main crop is a plant with a predominantly female type of flowering, it is worth planting bushes that consistently form male inflorescences. They will act as good pollinators for green plants. Usually, to solve the problem of yellowing of cucumber ovaries in a greenhouse, the presence of 10% of such plants is sufficient.

How to prevent yellowing of ovaries

The first measure to prevent yellowing of cucumber ovaries is to level out temperature fluctuations in the greenhouse:

On hot and warm days, I make sure to open all the windows and doors for greater ventilation.
On a cold night, I bring hot stones into the greenhouse - heated under the rays of the sun or in a bathhouse. Stone surfaces give off heat over a long period of time - the greenhouse will not cool down so sharply.
If severe cold snaps are expected, I additionally cover the greenhouse plantings with non-woven insulation.

But it is worth remembering that prolonged cold spells are also destructive for cucumbers. In this case, yellowing of the ovaries can be prevented by the following measures:

Erect a temporary film greenhouse around the greenhouse - this measure will allow the heat to remain longer. But the method is only suitable for sunny days - from a lack of lighting on cloudy days, the ovaries can also begin to turn yellow.
Add growth stimulants according to the instructions - “Zircon”, “Epin”. These compositions have two advantages: they increase the immunity of plants against unfavorable environmental conditions, and stimulate the formation and maturation of green plants. After treatment with growth stimulants, I usually apply organic fertilizer.

Such preventive measures work 50/50 in rainy and chilly summers - they help to get a small, but not a royal harvest.

Another problem that can be prevented is cross-pollination of varietal and hybrid cucumbers. The simplest measure is to separately plant parthenocarpic and pollinated varieties:

The distance between parthenocarpics and varietal cucumbers is no more than 500 m. Of course, this is disproportionate to the area of the garden or summer cottage.
If you grow cucumbers in a small garden, try to isolate bee-pollinated ones from hybrids: grow them in different greenhouses, or some in the open and others in protected ground.

Cross-pollination is a great danger for hybrid varieties. If pollen gets on parthenocarpic flowers, this leads to yellowing, loss of ovaries, or the development of twisted, misshapen greens. Such a harvest does not have a long shelf life - it is only suitable for salads and soups.

I plant cucumbers in a greenhouse, which is illuminated by the sun at least 8 hours a day. If you do not have the opportunity to provide greenhouse plantings with such lighting, do not forget to spray them with growth stimulants from time to time - “Epin”, “Zircon”, etc. This simple measure will preserve the ovaries and get a harvest.

By the way, the collection of greens also needs to be given due attention in preventive terms. I noticed that on the bush, among other things, the ovaries begin to turn yellow and dry out when the finished crop, and especially the overgrown one, is not harvested on time. The fact is that green plants “magnetize” nutrients to themselves - there simply aren’t enough of them for new ovaries.

To prevent the latter from dying off, I try to organize the cucumber harvest every 2-4 days. I pick greens that have reached the stage of technical ripeness. If a cucumber is left on the vine “for seeds,” then I remove all the flowers and ovaries that form from this shoot so that the nutrients go only to this fruit.

As you can see, there are many reasons for the yellowing and falling of cucumber ovaries: some of them are a consequence of improper care, some are a consequence of the influence of surmountable and irresistible external factors. Our task here is to correctly find the origins of the problem and alleviate the condition of the plant so that it ultimately produces a good harvest.

Too many ovaries

Small cucumbers also turn yellow if the fruit load on the bush is too high. Then the plant itself regulates the number of fruits it can grow. Isolated cases are not the reason for intervention on the part of the gardener. Measures to save the crop should be taken only when cucumbers shed their ovaries en masse.

The main reasons for such sabotage are:

insufficient nutrition of bushes;
incorrect formation;
bunch type of fruiting plants.

High-quality soil preparation, regular fertilizing, the use of optimal formation schemes, and removal of part of the ovaries will help correct the situation so that the remaining green plants can receive sufficient nutrition and grow.

Cucumber embryos turn yellow

Yellowing of cucumber embryos occurs not only among beginning gardeners, but also among people with extensive experience in growing vegetables. This phenomenon is common, however, in most cases, you can get rid of the problem quite easily and quickly.

Causes

The main reasons why cucumber embryos turn yellow include the following:

improper care (lack of moisture, light, heat);
lack of nutrients;
difficulties with pollination: this problem especially often arises in greenhouses, since bees simply cannot find their way to the plants and pollinate them;
use of hybrid varieties of cucumbers: if earlier gardeners themselves prepared seeds for seedlings, today there is a huge selection of seedlings that can be purchased in the store, and these are in most cases hybrid varieties. More cucumber embryos are formed on hybrids, but some of them immediately turn yellow. One plant is not able to provide nutrients to all available fruits;
cucumbers planted too densely: due to improper planting, the plant does not have enough light, in addition, if the seedlings are planted too densely, their root system will suffer;
early flowering and fruiting: for a plant to begin to bear fruit, it must enter the necessary growth phase. If this does not happen, but flowers and cucumber embryos have already appeared, then it is necessary to remove the ovaries;
lack of pinching: the lower leaves of cucumbers are useless; they take a lot of nutrients from the cucumbers. To prevent this from happening, they must be cut off.

What to do?

In order for the plant to have as many embryos as possible, it is necessary:

monitor the temperature and watering regime;
Correctly maintain the distance between cucumbers. This information is always on the back of the seed package;
remove the lower leaves of mature plants in a timely manner;
harvest on time;
feed the plants in a timely manner;
use special solutions to attract bees (water and honey), or plant flowers such as petunias or sunflowers in close proximity to the cucumbers, which will help attract bees and improve the pollination process.

As a rule, cucumbers in the beds are fertilized twice: during the transplant process and after two weeks.

For the first feeding use the following mixture:

45 g superphosphate;
25 g ammonium nitrate;
15 g potassium chloride;
20 g potassium salt.

After two weeks, chicken manure or cow manure should be used for feeding at a ratio of 1 kg of organic matter per 8 liters of water.

If the appearance of the plant deteriorates every day, the leaves wither and change color, and the fruits do not develop, it is necessary to add additional nutrients. For these purposes, a suitable fertilizer consisting of a glass of ash diluted in 10 liters of water. The leaves should be sprayed with it weekly.