Yellowing of cucumber leaves is a problem that almost every gardener faces. In some, the lower leaves turn yellow or become spotted. Others complain that cucumber leaves not only turn yellow, but also wither and dry out. In others, a yellow border forms along the edge of the leaf blade.
Why cucumber leaves turn yellow is often not so easy to understand. There are many reasons and it seems that they all fit your case. But we have to do something, we don’t want to lose the harvest. How to prevent yellowing of cucumber tops and what to do if the cucumber leaves have already begun to turn yellow?
Main reasons
Cucumbers consume a lot of water, so if there is not enough water, dehydration appears almost immediately. Yellowness is the first warning sign that indicates it. But do not water the vines in the middle of the day, because they will develop sunburn in the form of yellow spots.
Also, the leaves change color due to a lack of fertilizers, especially nitrogen. Stress due to freezing causes the same reaction. Another reason is damage to the roots by pests or simply mechanically during transplantation. Of course, we must not forget about infections and bacterial diseases.
Causes of yellowness on cucumbers
Growing cucumbers is not difficult, but in the absence of minimal knowledge and skills, it is easy to lose a significant share of the harvest. To prevent this from happening, let's look at the main reasons for the yellowing of cucumbers.
- Irrigation regime violation . When cucumbers are irrigated infrequently at a low rate, dehydration occurs in plant tissues. The first symptom of dehydration of cucumbers is that the leaves begin to turn yellow, what should you do? On days of drought and heat, it is worth increasing watering. When solving this issue, it is important not to overdo it, since excess moisture will cause the processes of rotting of the cucumber tissues to begin.
Attention! Proper watering should soak the top layer of soil in the garden bed by 10 cm.
- Lack of nutrition in the soil . In open ground, cucumber leaves often turn yellow due to a deficiency of nutrients in the soil layer. This reason can be eliminated if you fertilize the cucumber beds during the growing season with complex mineral fertilizers. Yellowing is often caused by a lack of nitrogen in the soil.
- Exposure to low temperatures . Overcooled cucumber plants experience severe stress; as a result, the leaves and ovaries of cucumbers may turn yellow.
- Sunburn . Some gardeners water cucumbers by sprinkling on a hot sunny day. As a result, the leaves may become covered with yellow spots, which indicate that the plant has received sunburn. Shifting the watering time to early morning or evening helps solve the problem.
- Fungal and viral diseases. Leaves often turn yellow due to cucumber diseases. Usually diseases are fungal or viral in nature. To save the harvest, you need to know what to spray cucumbers with and how to treat them. Fungal diseases, such as fusarium, can be cured by treating cucumber bushes with a fungicidal preparation. Viral diseases cannot be treated; affected bushes must be removed from the garden.
You may also like the article - “Diseases of cucumbers - names and photos.”
- Injuries to cucumber roots are another reason why cucumber leaves turn yellow in the greenhouse and on the beds in the garden. The roots can be eaten by soil pests, they could also be damaged at the time of planting seedlings, during the process of care work.
- Pest attack is the reason why the leaves of cucumber bushes turn yellow and curl. Attacks by aphids, whiteflies, mites, and thrips may cause the top, young leaves to turn yellow.
- Plant aging. At the end of the growing season, the lower leaves of the cucumber bushes turn yellow and dry. This is a natural course of events that does not require intervention.
Leaves turn yellow unevenly and in patches
Uneven spots scattered throughout the leaf often indicate fungus or infection. Sometimes this is sunburn, but if you water the seedlings correctly in the evening or early in the morning, then this possibility is almost eliminated.
- Powdery mildew appears as round yellow spots with a white coating on the back of the leaves. Over time, these same leaves will begin to darken, dry out and die. It is completely impossible to get rid of it - the plants will have to be destroyed in the fall.
But it is possible to contain the spread of the problem and harvest a normal, healthy harvest. To do this, temporarily stop watering the seedlings and after a week treat them with fungicides or special medicinal preparations. Treat it regularly until the start of fruiting, but strictly follow the dosage on the package.
- Blurry yellow spots with brown spots indicate anthracnose. Its other symptoms are the appearance of pinkish pads on the leaves and defects on the lashes.
How to distinguish the signs of a particular pathogen
Ascochyta blight is a disease caused by a fungus during the fruiting period, where it starts with the leaves and eventually affects the entire plant. At the initial stage, the leaves turn slightly yellow, but very quickly darken to black. The fruits are deformed. The fungus does not spread in the soil, but is contained in the seeds of an infected cucumber.
Bacteriosis - in this case, spots of irregular shape appear on the leaves, first in a light shade, and then dark. The cause of bacteriosis may be due to high temperatures and humidity. It may be because the crops are too close to each other. Also, bacteria can carry the remains of infected plants, water, soil or tools that have been in contact with diseased crops.
Yellow and green mosaic is a virus in which leaves gradually turn yellow, from veins to the entire leaf. After which the leaves dry out and die. The pathogen comes from the soil or with insects. With a green mosaic, the leaves curl and wrinkle. Fruits behave the same way.
Non-infectious chlorosis . Here the problem is in the soil, care or climate. For example, there is not enough sun and light, plantings are too close, where both the leaves suffer, covering each other, and the roots, which have no space and do not receive food. Improper watering (too little or too much), heat, micronutrient deficiency. Nitrogen is responsible for greens; if there is not enough of it, the leaves will turn yellow and the shoots will remain weak and thin. Also, magnesium deficiency can be recognized, in which case the leaf will be yellow and the veins will be green. If the leaves turn yellow only at the tops, then you need to add iron.
Cucumber leaf edges turn yellow
Usually the leaves change color and dry out at the edges - this is a natural development of the situation. The reasons may be different, so we’ll tell you about the main ones:
- Lack of moisture in the soil and dry air lead to the leaf turning yellow and drying out. It usually starts at the edges.
- The fungus also most often affects the plates from the edge. Treat cucumber seedlings with Bordeaux mixture or other preparations. Be sure to follow the dosage, otherwise you may burn the plant.
- With a lack of potassium, the leaves of cucumbers acquire a faded light green hue, starting from the edges.
Features of cucumber varieties
Hybrid and medium-ripe cucumbers sometimes have a characteristic feature, curvature or irregular shape of the fruit. Most often, this feature is found in varieties of Chinese cucumbers. If you intend to use the crop for something specific (sale, salting, pickling) and the shape is extremely important to you, then buy seeds only from reliable and time-tested sellers.
If I'm a little late with my tips and tricks, don't worry, next year you'll do everything right. And this season you should pay attention, not to the shape, but to the taste of the harvest from the cucumber bed.
Cucumber leaf edges turn yellow
Cucumber leaves curl and become deformed
Deformation of the leaves in combination with their yellowness indicates more serious and advanced problems. Don’t delay and look for the reason as quickly as possible!
- Curling can also be a sign of powdery mildew, which most often appears in midsummer.
- Check to see if aphids or spider mites have settled on the back of the leaves!
- The leaves curl when the environment is too dry - this is how the plant tries to reduce the amount of evaporation. This is a kind of natural defense mechanism.
- If the leaves of cucumbers curl, grow poorly, or are unevenly stretched out of place, nitrogen fertilizing is needed.
- A sharp burn from cold or too hot greenhouse glass can also give a similar effect. Young leaves of young seedlings are especially sensitive, so cucumbers are planted at a distance from the walls of the greenhouse.
- If all else fails, the lashes are probably affected by a virus. Alas, they cannot be cured and must be destroyed as soon as possible.
Causes of yellowing and curling of leaf plates
The leaves of cucumber bushes turn yellow and curl in the following cases:
- Lack of nutrients. The leaves first turn pale, then curl down, becoming like a parachute. Look at them carefully. If they have not changed in area, but have stretched out lengthwise, then most likely this was due to a lack of nitrogen. How to process cucumbers in this situation? Of course, fertilizer containing nitrogen.
- Powdery mildew. This insidious disease affects cucumber bushes at the zenith of summer. As a result of the disease, cucumber leaf plates in the greenhouse and open ground turn yellow and curl. What should I spray on the bushes to make the disease go away? This disease should be treated with a solution based on Bordeaux mixture. If the seedlings begin to turn yellow in the greenhouse, you need to organize daily ventilation.
- Impact of pests. When the leaves curl inward and turn yellow, this is a clear sign of a pest attack. It is necessary to inspect the underside of the sheet plates. They may be infested with aphids or spider mites. How to water cucumbers in such a situation? Insecticides are used against aphids; acaricidal preparations give excellent results in the fight against mites.
- Viral diseases. If all agricultural technology requirements are strictly observed, the leaves may also turn yellow. It is important to know why the leaves of cucumber seedlings turn yellow. Perhaps this is a consequence of a viral disease. There is no need to think about how to cure a plant from this disease. Drugs against viruses have not yet been created. Sick plants should be removed from the garden.
- Burns and hypothermia . Cucumber seedlings and adult plants may turn yellow due to non-compliance with the thermal regime. When leaves come into contact with cold or heated greenhouse glass, they can also turn yellow and curl.
- Low air humidity . When there is insufficient air humidity, the plant curls its leaves to reduce the area of moisture evaporation. What is missing in order to solve the problem? It is necessary to water the cucumbers more often using the sprinkling method.
What to do if the leaves of cucumber seedlings on the balcony turn yellow
In general, the causes of yellowing leaves of cucumber seedlings are the same as those of mature plants, but there are several other possible factors that cause this problem.
1. Containers are too tight. If young plants begin to turn yellow, it is possible that the seedlings are simply cramped in the pots, and the root system cannot develop normally. The simplest solution is to transplant the seedlings into larger containers.
2. High humidity. To prevent fungal diseases from developing, regulate the air humidity by ventilating the balcony.
3. Improper watering. Leaves begin to turn yellow when over- or under-watered.
4. Lack of batteries. To prevent a deficiency of elements necessary for the good development of seedlings (and, consequently, yellowing of the leaves), feed the seedlings in the phase of 2-4 true leaves with complex nitrogen fertilizer (according to the instructions). Remember - you cannot feed cucumbers with organic matter before planting them in the ground.
You can make a mixture for feeding cucumbers yourself. To do this, dilute 10 g of ammonium nitrate, 10 g of superphosphate, 10 g of potassium sulfate in 10 liters of water. This solution is only suitable for root feeding - if it gets on the green parts of the plant, it can cause a burn.
Why do the lower leaves turn yellow?
- Some agricultural practices cause stress in cucumbers. As a result of these stressful phenomena, the lower leaves turn yellow and then dry out. This happens because the plant, faced with such a problem, directs all its forces to more promising upper tiers.
- The leaf blades on the lower tier may turn yellow as a result of the natural aging of the bush.
- Lack of light. The cucumber bush has many leaves, they shade each other, the rays of the sun cannot reach the lower tier. As a result, the lower leaves turn yellow.
- When the bushes are overcooled and watering is irregular, the leaves below also turn yellow.
- Insufficient content of nutrients in the soil, namely potassium, magnesium and phosphorus, also causes yellowness of the leaf blades of the lower part of the bush. Here you also need to know what to feed the cucumbers so that they do not turn yellow. A complete mineral fertilizer is suitable for this purpose.
- Fungi contribute to the yellowing process of leaves located in close proximity to the soil level. Diseases - downy mildew, fusarium - first affect the lower leaf blades, then the infection spreads upward. Affected leaves must be removed and burned to prevent the spread of the disease.
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.
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.
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.
Diseases and pests
In addition to agricultural errors, yellow spots can also appear due to diseases and pests. You need to be as careful and attentive as possible with them so that you can detect the disease in time and rid the plants of it.
Fusarium
Symptoms: the shoots sprout safely and develop quickly, but during the formation of ovaries, first the leaves of the bushes acquire a yellow tint, and then they dry out completely. The fungus that penetrates the cucumbers releases toxic substances that stop the flow of micronutrients to the leaves.
Control options: changing cucumber varieties in the greenhouse, partial replacement of “sick” soil.
Powdery mildew
Powdery mildew is one of the most dangerous fungal diseases of crops. The disease prevents photosynthesis from developing normally. First, small light-colored spots form on the bushes, which eventually spread throughout the plant.
A white or yellow coating forms, then the plants dry out.
Preventive measures against powdery mildew: choose varieties that are resistant to this disease, treat the soil with potassium permanganate, and plant green manure.
Downy mildew
Downy mildew is not very different from powdery mildew. At first, the damage appears on the underside of the leaf, and then moves to the upper part and turns black. However, the first signs are unchanged - the formation of yellow or white spots on the foliage, limited by veins. If you do nothing about the disease, then after a couple of days the plants will die.
The reasons for the appearance of downy mildew: sudden changes in temperature, the presence of root rot, watering plants with cold and unsettled water. First, weak plants fall under the influence of this disease, and then strong ones are affected.
Control methods: treat the root parts of the crop with Previkur twice a season.
Root rot
Yellowing of plant leaves may be the result of root rot. The disease destroys the roots of cucumbers, and they begin to die from a lack of nutrients. The reason is almost always the same - too much water.
If the bushes have already begun to fade, it means that the seedlings were planted incorrectly and cared for incorrectly. Use a gardening stick and push the soil away from the bush's stems. Just be extremely careful not to damage the root system.
For treatment, treat the bush with a mixture: water 1 liter + copper sulfate 2 tsp. + wood ash 6 tbsp. l. You can use chalk or activated carbon. If these actions did not help save the bush, then dig it up and burn it. Pour a solution of copper sulfate into the hole where it grew.
Pest attack
The most dangerous pests for cucumbers are spider mites and melon aphids. The second insect colonizes the lower part of the crop leaf and drinks the sap of the bush; aphids can only be destroyed by spraying and timely ventilation of the greenhouse.
Spider mites are easy to recognize; they create small webs on the underside of leaves. Spots of a characteristic shade appear on the bushes, then they completely turn yellow and dry out. The tick causes colossal harm; they fight it with the following substances: “Akarin” and “Fitoverm”.
Similar problems with cucumbers on the windowsill
After yellowing, the foliage of young seedlings on windowsills begins to wither and dry out. Plants wither before the eyes of their owners, who often simply shrug their hands from lack of understanding of what is happening.
Why do leaves wither and dry out?
Cucumber leaves dry out on windowsills for several reasons:
- Depleted soil. Some housewives use soil taken from flower pots for seedlings. This soil is absolutely not suitable for cucumbers. There may also simply be few nutrients in the soil. In any case, the seedlings are transplanted into suitable soil.
- It is quite difficult to create suitable climatic conditions for window cucumbers. Even a window slightly opened for a while in cold weather can cause the leaves to turn yellow and wilt.
- Seedlings grown from low-quality material will have poor performance. Bad seeds often do not germinate, and the emerging seedlings are very painful. It is better to replant immediately.
- Indoor cucumbers are somewhat demanding of their neighbors. Some neighboring plants can cause their death.
Yellowness is most often observed on the lower foliage. The cause is all kinds of stress:
- Poor lighting;
- Incorrect watering schedule;
- Hypothermia of plants;
- Elemental fasting of cucumbers;
- Fungal diseases;
- Abrupt change in conditions;
- Maturity.
Why do they turn yellow around the edges?
Often crops turn yellow when powdery mildew appears. After the appearance of white spots, the leaves along the contour become slightly yellow. Gradually the foliage begins to dry out and fall off.
If measures are not taken in time, the bush will die completely. Topaz and Zaslon will come to the aid of window cucumbers. The preparations are sprayed onto the crops before the fruits appear.
Fusarium is also the cause of the yellow border on the foliage of cucumbers. A pathogenic fungal disease blocks the delivery of nutrition through the capillaries.
Fusarium is so dangerous that even with timely treatment it is difficult to achieve a positive result, and most often the cucumber dies.
The yellowness that appears on the foliage often confuses even experienced vegetable growers. But for beginners, it’s practically impossible to grow fresh herbs on their windowsills.
How can you water and feed cucumbers to prevent the leaves from turning yellow?
To prevent cucumber leaves from turning yellow, it is important to fertilize the plants on time.
1.Nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. It is best to use ready-made complex fertilizers, but you can prepare the fertilizer yourself. In a bucket of water (10 l), dilute 10 g of superphosphate, ammonium nitrate and potassium salt. This solution can only be used for root feeding.
2. Herbal infusion. The safest feeding of cucumbers is with herbal fertilizers. Cucumbers benefit best from comfrey fertilizer. To prepare it, 1 kg of fresh chopped grass is poured with a bucket of water and left for a week. The resulting concentrate is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:9. The solution can be used for spraying and for root feeding.
After using this green fertilizer, it is also advisable to sprinkle the tree trunk circles with wood ash.
3. Soda solution. To prevent fungal diseases, water young cucumbers with a soda solution (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water).
4. Urea. Dilute 40 g of urea in a bucket of water and spray the cucumber bushes with the resulting solution. Rotted compost is applied under the roots at the same time as this fertilizing.
Improper watering of cucumbers
Incorrect or insufficient watering of cucumbers is perhaps one of the main reasons. Violations of the regime of watering cucumbers - too often, with insufficient water or too rarely - the plants become dehydrated. Excessive watering can cause cucumbers to rot.
In hot summers, cucumbers need to be watered daily and correctly - do not allow temperature changes. If the air temperature is 30 degrees, then the water for irrigation should be the same temperature.
Watering with cold water leads to yellowing of the leaves and diseases of cucumbers.
Watering cucumbers should be done at the root; drops of water falling on the leaves can cause sunburn and yellow spots on the leaves.
It is better to water cucumbers in the evening or early in the morning. In rainy summers, watering is stopped; the greenhouse is watered 2-3 times a week.
Important: when watering cucumbers, the soil should be moderately moist to a depth of 10 cm.
Cucumber leaves turn yellow and curl - reasons?
Yellowing and curling of leaves simultaneously occurs in the following cases:
— lack of fertilizers
.
The leaves become pale and curl downwards - this is the cause of a lack of nitrogen. After fertilizing, the problem should go away. - powdery mildew
, a disease in which the leaves turn yellow and curl.
It is necessary to spray the plants with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture. If the leaves in a greenhouse or greenhouse have turned yellow, regular ventilation is necessary. - Pests
are also one of the reasons for yellow and curled leaves.
Perhaps there are aphids or spider mites on the back of the leaf? Plants must be treated with insecticides. - hypothermia
.
Failure to comply with the temperature conditions during cultivation leads to yellowing of the leaves. When growing in a greenhouse, make sure that the leaves do not touch the glass - this will cause a burn. - air humidity
.
At low humidity, cucumber leaves curl; it is necessary to increase watering and humidify the dry air in the greenhouse. - viral diseases
. If all care recommendations are followed, and the leaves continue to turn yellow and curl, all that remains is to destroy the diseased plant before the virus infects the rest.
Lack of fertilizers
Yellowing leaves are a sign of nitrogen deficiency. Cucumbers need constant feeding for normal growth and development.
The first feeding of cucumbers occurs when 3-4 leaves appear. The next feeding is carried out during the period of flowering and fruit set. Also, do not forget to fertilize during the period of active fruiting.
Liquid root fertilizers are better suited for fertilizing. Be sure to follow the indicated proportions on the product packaging before diluting with water.
Remember: it is better to underfeed than to overfeed.
During active fruiting, it is better to feed with herbal infusions (herbal tea) - these natural ingredients have a good effect on the plants and will not cause harm.
For preparation, any weed is suitable (it is better to use comfrey), which is finely chopped and filled with water. 2 kg of such grass per 10 liters of water. Leave it in the fermentation container for a week, then feed the cucumbers by diluting the resulting solution in a 1:9 ratio with water.
The lower leaves of cucumbers turn yellow - reasons?
Yellowing of the lower leaves occurs more often, since the plant leaves all its strength for the growth and development of the upper leaves and ovaries - which bear the harvest. Often yellowing of the lower leaves is a natural process.
In addition, the causes of yellowing of the lower leaves are:
- incorrect watering regime for cucumbers; - lack of lighting. Dense foliage does not allow the sun's rays to illuminate the lower leaves, so the plant gets rid of them. - hypothermia. When watering cucumbers with cold water, the lower leaves become pale, turn yellow and dry out. - lack of fertilizers. Yellowing of the lower leaves is associated with a lack of potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Fertilize with complex fertilizers. For 10 liters of water, dilute 10 g of superphosphate, potassium salt and ammonium nitrate and carry out root feeding. - fungal diseases. They primarily affect the lower leaves of plants with fusarium and other fungal diseases.
Remove and destroy affected leaves. Fungal disease occurs when weather conditions change, from hot weather to rainy weather, with cold weather. To combat fungi, treat the plants with garlic infusion (50 g of garlic per 1 liter of water, leave for 24 hours). Drugs such as Topaz and Quadris also work well.
- a natural process. By the end of the season, the cucumber leaves turn yellow and dry out, and the usual aging process occurs.
Video - To prevent cucumber leaves from turning yellow. Easy way
Cucumber diseases
Powdery mildew
- a terrible enemy for cucumbers. The spores of this disease overwinter on plant debris.
To prevent diseases, carry out preventive maintenance in the fall when preparing the beds. Dig the soil deeply, remove all plant debris, you can disinfect it with drugs.
The disease can manifest itself at different stages of plant development. Powdery mildew primarily affects the lower part of the plant, gradually moving upward, affecting the entire plant.
Signs of the disease are the appearance of small yellow specks on the leaves, which will grow in size over time, eventually combining into one large spot. The plant begins to die.
It is very difficult to fight powdery mildew; it is better to prevent this fungal disease. Treating plants with special solutions (fungicides and copper-containing preparations) and drugs (Fitosporin) will help cure the plants.
Important: change the site for planting cucumbers next year.
Folk remedies against powdery mildew:
- mullein infusion. Dilute 1 kg of mullein in 3 liters of water and leave for 3 days. Finally, strain and dilute with 3 liters of fresh water. Spray the plants with this solution. - infusion of sour milk. Sour milk is diluted with warm water in a 1:1 ratio. Spray the plants once every 7 days. - soda solution. For 10 liters of water add 50 g of soda and 50 g of laundry soap. Stir and spray the plants every 5-7 days. - infusion of ash. For 10 liters of water add 30 tbsp. l. wood ash, leave for 2 days. Spray the plants with infusion.
The edges of cucumber leaves turn yellow - reasons?
There are different reasons why cucumber leaves turn yellow around the edges.
— fungal diseases; - lack of moisture, leading to yellowing and drying of leaves around the edges. — lack of potassium fertilizers. A light green-yellow border around the edges indicates the need for fertilizing with fertilizers.
Pests of cucumbers
Another significant reason for yellowing of cucumber leaves is the appearance of pests. Spider mites and whiteflies can harm plants.
Whitefly
- a small butterfly that gets into the beds along with cucumber seedlings. Tear off and destroy affected leaves.
Spider mite
– can appear both in open ground and in a greenhouse. Located on the bottom of the leaf, it envelops it in a barely noticeable web. This pest, despite its small size, leads to yellowing of leaves and death of plants. Remove infected leaves and shoots.
The means to combat these pests is to treat plants with ammonia or tobacco dust. Special preparations are best suited to combat these particular pests.
Video - Diseases of cucumbers: downy mildew and spider mites
How to treat cucumbers so that the leaves do not turn yellow?
To prevent and stop yellowing of cucumber leaves, the following folk remedies and solutions are used:
— Soap milkshake
.
Dilute 1 liter of milk, 30 drops of iodine, 20 g of laundry soap in 10 liters of water. Plants are treated every 10 days from the moment 4 true leaves appear on the bushes. — Onion infusion
.
Pour onion peel (0.7 liter jar) with 10 liters of water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover and leave for 14 hours. Then strain the solution. Before spraying, dilute the onion infusion with water in a ratio of 1:4. Treat the plants with the solution by spraying and watering a little under the bushes. — Bread with iodine
.
Soak white or black bread (1 loaf) in a bucket of water overnight. In the morning, knead the bread and add 10 ml of iodine. Before spraying, dilute the resulting solution with water in the proportion of 1 liter of concentrate – 10 liters of water. Spray the cucumbers every two weeks. — Potassium permanganate solution
. When the first yellowed leaves appear, spray the plants with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate.
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.
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.
Prevention measures
To avoid having to start treating yellow leaves, you can prevent their appearance using preventive methods.
The first task is the formation of an elastic stem. Weak foliage is treated without pity. It only draws juices out of the plant and interferes with development.
There is no need to start cucumbers, for the reason: I always have time on the windowsill. It is these cucumbers that need to be inspected first and systematically.
Particular attention is paid to feeding. It wouldn’t hurt to even make a chart on a piece of paper. Cucumbers on windowsills are weaker and require more attention.
Chemical special compounds will help to avoid yellowing of the foliage. However, at home, some of them are not acceptable, so there is an alternative - a folk remedy. Kefir is diluted with water and treated with plants on the windowsills.
Folk remedies
When the leaves on cucumber beds turn yellow, you first need to make sure that there are no pests or diseases. If none are found, and agricultural practices are followed on all counts, the exotic plant simply “starves.” We offer you several popular recipes for natural feeding.
Herbal infusion
To fertilize the crop, use comfrey infusion. To prepare it take:
- water – 10 liters;
- comfrey grass – 1 kg.
Grind the green mass and place it in a bucket of water. Leave in a dark place for 7-10 days. Strain the resulting solution. Before use, dilute 1 liter of liquid in 9 liters of water. Fertilizer is used for both watering and spraying.
Ash infusion
Wood ash contains all the microelements that plants need for full growth. To prepare the infusion, place 3 tablespoons of the component in a liter jar and add hot water to the top. Mix thoroughly and leave for 2 days. Use for spraying once every 7-10 days.
Onion infusion
The infusion of onion peels should be prepared in a metal container. Pour 5 liters of water into a saucepan, add a tablespoon of chopped onion skins. Boil the mixture for 1-2 minutes and leave to infuse to room temperature. Pour a liter jar of infusion into each well.
Advice! This composition in the form of spraying is used to control pests. The infusion effectively fights aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites.
Grain feeding
To make bread-based fertilizer, take:
- a loaf of gray bread;
- 10 liters of water;
- 20 ml of iodine tincture.
To make the composition, you can use not only fresh bread, but also homemade crackers. Mash the bread in a bucket of water and leave for 12 hours. Strain the liquid and add iodine. Dilute in a ratio of 1:10. It is enough to feed cucumbers twice a month, and they will look healthy and productivity will increase. Yeast will strengthen the immune system, root system, stimulate growth, and iodine will protect against fungi.
Zelenka
Compositions based on brilliant green are used to prevent diseases, because it is an antiseptic. But brilliant green has another useful quality - it helps accumulate copper. This microelement stimulates the development of greens, the production of chlorophyll, and improves cellular metabolic processes. To water a bucket of water, take 10 drops of brilliant green, and for spraying, 5 ml. Frequency of treatment 2 times a month.
Serum with iodine
Whey is a storehouse of microelements and lactobacilli. The composition of 30 drops of iodine, diluted in a bucket of water, is supplemented with two liters of whey. Water the bushes twice a month. The solution will feed the melon and destroy the pathogens of powdery mildew.
Know! If you add a glass of sugar to the composition instead of iodine, it will stimulate the development of ovaries and improve the taste of the crop.
What to do if leaves turn yellow around the edges
If yellow rims appear on the leaves of cucumbers, then you need to immediately find out the cause and help the plant cope with the problem. Each type of crop cultivation has its own nuances.
By the way, cucumbers can be used to make an excellent weight loss drink for those who want to lose weight lazily.
In the greenhouse
In order to harvest a good harvest of cucumbers, you should provide the plant with comfortable growing conditions. In greenhouse conditions, it is necessary to follow some rules:
- Bushes should not contain excess leaves and shoots. It is necessary to be careful about their formation.
- Correct watering regime. One bucket of warm water is poured under each plant. You can determine the need for watering by digging up the soil between adjacent bushes. If it has not dried out, then you should wait a while with water. On average, in moderate weather, the need for additional moisture occurs 2-3 times a week.
- The soil around each bush should be mulched. This operation will prevent it from drying out prematurely and will remove weeds.
- Optimal temperature conditions. During the day, the temperature in the greenhouse should be from 25 to 30ºC, and at night 18-20ºC.
- Ventilation is a good way to prevent the spread of fungal infections.
- Timely feeding.
Following the rules of growing the crop will prevent many diseases and help you get a good harvest of cucumbers.
In the open ground
General recommendations for caring for cucumbers both in greenhouses and in open ground are similar. The plant also needs to be watered, fertilized, and protected from pests and diseases.
But there are fundamental features of growing crops directly in the open air:
- on cold days, the beds must be covered with spunbond, film or other material suitable for this purpose;
- It is better to water in the evening or morning;
- pour water directly under the root, trying not to touch the leaf blades of the plant;
- carefully weed, trying not to harm the root system of the bush.
These measures are quite capable of preventing yellowing of cucumber leaves and helping to increase crop yields.
On the windowsill
The main reasons why the edges of the leaves of cucumber seedlings may turn yellow are similar to those for adult plants. However, some features can be highlighted:
- Not enough space. If the root system is crowded, the leaf platinum will soon turn yellow. Transplanting into a larger container solves this problem.
- High humidity can promote the spread of fungal diseases. The most effective method of control is regular ventilation of the room.
- Incorrect watering. The soil in the pots should be constantly moist. It is necessary to avoid both excessive drying and excessive moisture of the soil.
- Seedlings need to be fertilized 1 or 2 times with complex mineral fertilizer. A lack of microelements can cause a yellow edging to appear on the leaves.
- A small amount of light negatively affects the color of the leaf plates. It is rational to use phytolamps in the evening and morning.
Careful adherence to all of the above rules will protect the crown of the plant from yellowing and help grow a healthy harvest.