Kira Stoletova
When growing a cucumber crop in a greenhouse or in open ground conditions, some summer residents wonder why cucumbers have an irregular shape: either the vegetables are crocheted, or they grow in the form of an uneven pear, or they turn out to be pot-bellied and hook-shaped. It turns out that in order to get even fruits, it is not enough to plant seedlings in a greenhouse. It is necessary to eliminate the causes of the formation of cucumbers irregular shape, including providing proper care, good nutrition, the required agricultural technology and timely harvest.
Improper nutrition
Incorrectly selected mineral nutrition, when vegetables lack useful components, can also be the reason why cucumbers grow in crooked, irregular shapes.
Potassium deficiency
The lack of a microelement responsible for the formation of cucumber fruits is one of the most common causes of changes and distortions in the shape of cucumbers. Lack of potassium at the flowering stage and before direct fruit formation leads to potassium starvation of plants, as a result of which a narrow “butt” begins to form in the fruits and is rather wide in comparison with it. Bottom part fetus. The deformation of the shape of cucumbers in the form of a pear, when there is not enough potassium, is also accompanied by the appearance of a yellow border on the edges sheet plates OK.
To compensate for the lack of potassium, you can use ready-made fertilizers that have the desired component in their composition. Potassium sulphate is diluted at the rate of 3-4 large spoons per 10 liters of water and cucumber bushes are watered with a consumption rate of 0.5 liters for each seedling.
To correct the situation so that the vegetables change their appearance in time and become classically straight, you can use additional foliar feeding, which is carried out with preparations containing potassium with a concentration 2 times less than when watering.
Lack of nitrogen
When the foliage on a cucumber bush changes color and begins to turn pale, and the fruits are twisted or formed with a wide base and a narrow end, these are signs that the vegetable crop lacks nitrogen.
Saturate the soil with nitrogen-containing components allows chicken manure or herbal infusions.
Chicken manure is used in the form of compost prepared with peat, sawdust and straw for 1.5-2 months or in liquid form when it is diluted with water 50/50 and left for 2-3 days. Concentrated solutions are diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 and the aisles are already poured with working fluid.
Among suitable herbs for the preparation of solutions, nettles are distinguished, the foliage and stems of which are crushed, poured with water and fermented for 7-14 days, diluted again with water in a ratio of 1:10 for irrigation or 1:20 for spraying with foliar top dressing and used at intervals of 2 weeks until the condition of cucumber plantings improves.
Violation of agricultural technology
One of the main reasons why cucumbers are deformed by a hook and become pear-shaped is a violation of the rules of agricultural cultivation of cucumber crops.
Crop rotation
planted after cucurbits, strawberries, eggplants and tomatoes, taking all the potassium from the soil, cucumbers grow irregularly shaped: they become pear-shaped or hooked.
In conditions of limited sown areas, soil fertility can be replenished by planting before late boarding green manure cucumbers. Oats are considered the most potash green manure of all green manure.
Unsuitable varieties
Cucumbers are bent, become round or twisted if the variety is chosen incorrectly: it does not fit the description for a particular season. So, light-loving and heat-loving varieties by the end of the summer period will certainly begin to react to a decrease in ambient temperature and a decrease in daylight hours, which is why they will begin to change their shape.
Early varieties of cucumbers that love light and warmth need to be planted a little earlier and harvested from them until the end of August.
In terms of the percentage of potential formation of ugly vegetables, the Twixie, Paratunk and Othello hybrids are least likely to appear. By the end of August, in 100% of cases, it will be possible to get twisted fruits with a thin stalk or an ugly shape from Patty, Champion and Thumb Boy by the end of August.
Wrong neighborhood
Do not plant next to each other, especially in a closed greenhouse, pollinated and parthenocarpic varieties of cucumbers. Parthenocarpic varieties are intended for cultivation mainly indoors, as hybrids form an ovary without pollination. But when their flowers in the neighborhood of inflorescences of classic varieties attract pollinating insects, in most cases this leads to deformation of the fruit and the growth of irregularly shaped cucumbers.
Neighboring varieties, while saving the sown area, are isolated from each other with a non-woven covering material. Also when growing hybrid varieties you should not often open the windows in the greenhouse, so as not to attract insects and eliminate the risk of cross-pollination of parthenocarpic varieties with other varieties.
Violation of the rules of care
Improper care of cucumber plantings can cause deformation of cucumbers.
Thermal regime
Too much low temperature or indicators above 30-35 ° C lead to a decrease in the absorption of potassium by cucumber culture, resulting in a change in the shape of cucumbers.
In the hot time of the day, regular ventilation of the closed greenhouse is required. Some summer residents whitewash the roof of greenhouses for the summer season so that a lot of sunlight does not pass through it. To save cucumber bushes from cool weather at night, barrels of water installed during the daytime help, which gain heat during the day, giving it away on a cool night.
When growing cucumbers on open soil, mini-greenhouses are installed to protect against coolness. From excessive heat, they use covering materials and create a shadow.
Crooked cucumbers? Causes and elimination.
Irregular shape is obtained in cucumbers and when watering vegetable crop too much cold water. In this case, the vegetables form screeds in the middle and the cucumbers look like crooked barrels.
So that the shape of the cucumber does not twist into a hook and the vegetables do not become bitter, when watering, use water not lower than 18 ° C.
Late harvest
At a wrong time harvested crop cucumbers can also affect the further change in the shape of future fruits. The overgrowths present on the cucumber lash not only lose their taste characteristics, but also inhibit the further development of young vegetables, disrupting the supply of full-fledged mineral nutrition to them, as a result of which the shape is not at all the same as that of a classic cucumber.
In the case where it is not possible to maintain the cucumber harvest with due frequency, experienced gardeners it is recommended to remove vegetables at least once every 2-3 days, all at once - from fully ripened to small gherkins that have grown up to 4 cm. At the same time, when harvesting a cucumber crop, you should pay attention to the quality of cucumber lashes:
- it is important that they do not change and do not rot,
- old ones that have begun to dry out should be removed,
- Zelentsy with signs of pathology and disease do not leave either.
The ideal crop of cucumbers is smooth, crispy, fragrant fruits without bitterness and yellowness on the sides. Regular watering and fertilizing helps to make the gardener's dream come true, but after the first wave of fruiting, one can often see not long smooth greens on the beds, but pear-shaped barrels, the taste of which will also not please.
Problem or varietal feature?
Non-compliance with the technique of growing crops and cold, rainy summer- two main root causes of the appearance of pear-shaped greens. But pot-bellied fruits with a thickened tip that have grown on the beds are not always a sign of non-compliance with agricultural technology or a varietal defect of the plant.
Pear-shaped cucumbers are not appetizing and are not at all suitable for conservation.
Reasons for the appearance of pear-shaped cucumbers
There are several reasons that significantly affect the change in the shape of cucumber fruits, as well as the taste and color.
- Incorrect choice planting material unsuitable for climatic conditions.
- Excessive watering.
- Too much cold water for irrigation of garden beds.
- Non-observance of crop rotation.
- Poor pollination quality.
- Pollination of parthenocarpic varieties.
- Failure to meet harvest time.
- Potassium deficiency.
Potassium is especially important for cucumbers, the lack of this element often causes the appearance of pear-shaped greens.
Video: why the shape of the cucumber fruit changes
When pear-shaped cucumbers are considered the norm
Unpretentious and long-fruited varieties of Chinese cucumbers (Chinese snake, Chinese miracle and others) are good in salads and are distinguished by long-term fruiting. Their feature of the development of the fetus is that as it grows, it increases in volume from the tail to the nose, acquiring the shape of a pear. Fully ripe greens are almost even, smooth and have the same thickness along the entire length.
Frightening at first glance, the name and appearance of the Chinese snake cucumber hides juicy tender pulp, indispensable in salads and snacks
Domestic summer residents can boast of unusual pear-shaped hybrids, which emphasize varietal feature but is not a disadvantage. For example, watermelon-cucumber and the American white-fruited Long Mix hybrid do not differ in taste from ordinary cucumbers at all, they are suitable for conservation.
We solve the problem - we “align” Zelentsy
The situation with pear-shaped cucumbers is correctable subject to agricultural technology and correct selection planting material. Often, difficulties in growing cucumbers arise due to ignorance of some of the nuances of plant biology.
- Many varieties do not tolerate sudden changes in temperature. For cultivation in Siberia and the North-West of our country, it is necessary to select recommended cold-resistant varieties of cucumbers for open ground, heat-loving ones are suitable for growing in a greenhouse.
- The soil on cucumber beds should not dry out completely. Perfect option when the lashes are suspended on supports and are constantly ventilated, while the soil in the root space remains wet.
- Cucumbers are watered with settled water, the temperature of which should not be lower than 20 ° C.
- Violation of crop rotation in the beds with cucumbers leads to the depletion of the nutrient layer in the soil and reduces its water permeability. The number of weeds increases, which contributes to the reproduction of bacteria and pests. All these factors significantly affect the quality and quantity of the crop, it is best to plant cucumbers after legumes, cabbage and onions.
- Poor pollination of bee-pollinated varieties affects the form of greens - small, underdeveloped fruits take the form of a pear and can fall off without fully ripening. To solve the problem, you will need to plant at least three of these varieties or resort to manual pollination.
- If parthenocarpic varieties (which do not require pollination) are visited by pollinating insects, then the likelihood of pear-shaped greens is much higher. Therefore, parthenocarpics are recommended to be grown separately from bee-pollinated varieties and in open field, and in the greenhouse.
- Cucumbers picked at the wrong time lose their shape and taste. Overgrown greens become barrel-shaped, the tips turn yellow, the fruits turn into a “pear”, the skin coarsens, the flesh empties and fades. Cucumber beds are harvested every two days.
- Untimely introduction of mineral potash fertilizers and organic matter also affects the formation of the fruits of a culture popular with summer residents. It is especially important to feed on time when growing cucumbers in a greenhouse and at home (on a balcony, veranda).
Chicken manure, mullein and wood ash as a source of potassium are most preferred for top dressing during the period of active fruit ripening.
Half a bucket of rotted manure or chicken manure is stirred in 10 liters of water room temperature. Add 2 cups of sifted ash and water the cucumber bushes during fruiting under the root twice with an interval of 10 days.
Ash - organic fertilizer, which is completely safe to make during the fruiting of cucumbers
“Green” fertilizers with the addition of dry baker's yeast (5 g per liter of infusion) have no less effect on the full fruiting of cucumbers.
Green fertilizer - infusion of nettle, wormwood, quinoa, dandelion. A barrel is filled to the top with chopped grass, poured with warm water and left for 2-3 weeks for the infusion to ferment. To speed up the process, add dry yeast (7–10 g per 20 liters) or crumble breadcrumbs. The finished mash is used at a concentration of 1:5, where 5 parts of water fall on one part of the herbal infusion. "Green" fertilizer is a source of micro and macro elements.
Bodyaga from herbs - an alternative to chemical top dressing in the beds
Cucumber beds require attention, but not extra efforts from gardeners. It should be remembered that cucumbers are a heat-loving and moisture-demanding crop. It is necessary to strictly observe the agrotechnical methods of cultivation, and when planting, take into account the climatic features of the region, then well-groomed beds with even juicy greens will delight until the end of August.
During the harvest, some gardeners periodically pay attention to the fact that the shape of the cucumbers on the bushes is broken. Typically, such changes affect the taste of fruits, and this also leads to a decrease in their cost of vegetables. Irregularly shaped cucumbers are difficult to roll up, inconvenient to transport and sort, process, so it is desirable to prevent the possibility of such changes.
Possible reasons
Due to the fact that crooked fruits create some difficulties in processing, many gardeners want to understand what cucumbers lack.
Usually undesirable changes are manifested in the form of a violation of the proportions of fruits, characteristic curvatures or the appearance of paired cucumbers. There are quite a few reasons that could lead to the fact that the cucumbers became crooked: non-compliance with the rules of crop rotation, incorrect choice varieties and its further planting in the ground, non-compliance with the frequency of irrigation, changes in air temperature, untimely harvesting and improper seedling feeding technology. Let's take a closer look at each of these points.
Crop rotation disruption
If gardeners violate the rules of crop rotation, then most often cucumbers become hooked after ripening. This is due to the fact that the soil could not contain necessary trace elements for a plant. In addition to the unbalanced content of components, toxins that accumulate in the soil are dangerous.
After the seedlings have been accepted, they begin to gradually accumulate in the root system and are transmitted to the emerging fruits. Under the influence of these factors, you can see a negative result. This is not to say that cucumbers are more vulnerable to toxins than other crops.
But when growing them in the same area every season, the likelihood of increased concentrations of toxins and other harmful substances increases significantly. In this regard, the fruits begin to undergo changes during growth. And changing their shape is not the worst option.
It is best to plant this vegetable after pumpkin crops, which have a similar need for trace elements. Also, not fertile land increases the risk of getting crooked cucumbers.
Wrong choice of variety and planting
Also, the main reasons for obtaining crooked cucumbers after the ripening of the crop include the wrong selection of varieties for cultivation. Understanding in detail this issue, you should always pay attention to the fact that mistakes were made in the technology of preparation and landing.
First of all, this concerns the layout of the location. different varieties cucumber on the site relative to each other. For example, some parthenocarpic varieties and those pollinated by bees were planted too closely. Partheocarpic varieties do not need pollination at all for the formation of the ovary. As a result, bees do partial pollination of this type of cucumber, which can lead to a change in the shape of the fruit. They usually become hooked.
Irrigation irregularities
Cucumbers are a crop that loves moisture very much. To do this, it is necessary to ensure the correct and regular watering if gardeners want to get a good and healthy harvest. Due to the lack of moisture in the soil, it often leads to the fact that the fruits grow crooked.
A critical lack of water can affect the condition of the leaves of the bush. From them it will be possible to determine that the plant needs more intensive watering. The leaves begin to dry out at the edges and curl. As soon as gardeners find a similar sign, you need to immediately water the seedlings. If this is not done on time, then the fruits can not only be of a changed shape, but the volume of the crop obtained will also significantly decrease.
Temperature change
Also, common reasons include the fact that the plant is vulnerable to critical changes. temperature regime. Periodic seasonal cooling can reduce the growth rate of vegetable crops. Naturally, this is immediately reflected in the process of formation of the ovary and ripening fruits.
With temperature changes, the assimilation of microelements by the plant slows down.
Violation of feeding technology
Another significant factor that causes a change in the shape of cucumbers is potassium deficiency. Potassium is very important for the growth of this vegetable crop, so you need to fertilize the soil in a timely manner.
Potassium can be added to the soil using enriched nitrate. In addition to potassium normal growth cucumbers need nitrogen. To replenish its balance in the ground, you can use chicken manure, manure and wood ash. These components are available almost everywhere.
Be sure to remember that the increased content of nitrogen in the ground with a low level of potassium and phosphorus causes the ovary to fall off on cucumber bushes.
Untimely collection of fruits
This cause is rare. Usually, if gardeners carry out an irregular harvest, the fruits begin to change their shape as they ripen. The fact is that the harvest is not harvested all at once, but only the most ripe vegetables are plucked. In this regard, nutrients begin to be distributed incorrectly. This leads to the fact that some fruits begin to receive them more, and some less.
Overgrown cucumbers often cause the ripening of new ones to slow down. Usually they ripen every 2-3 days. If the crop is harvested less often, then this can affect not only the shape of the cucumbers, but also their taste.
Video “Why cucumbers grow crooked”
How to deal with it
In order to deal with such a change in the shape of cucumbers, it is necessary to pay attention to how the seedlings grow. It is important not to thicken the plantings, as well as to ensure normal access to sunlight for all seedlings.
If you grow a crop in greenhouses, you can protect it from wind, temperature changes, and also withstand optimal level humidity in the room.
When watering plants, it is desirable that the water temperature is not too low.
Before the appearance of the ovary, phosphorus can be added to the soil in order to try to prevent characteristic changes. Without proper conditions, it will not be possible to effectively deal with this.
How to treat
There are no reliable treatments for shape change. This is not considered a disease, since there is no external irritant that led to such consequences. One can only try to prevent irregularities in the shape of cucumbers, observing all the necessary measures to ensure a healthy harvest.
Video “Types, forms, mode of dressing cucumbers. Folk recipes”
In this video, you will learn about the types, forms and modes of feeding that cucumbers need for the entire summer season.
How much joy the gardener gets when he picks the first cucumber from his own garden. It is good when the fruits are even, of the same size. But this is not always the case. When crocheting cucumbers, what is missing for a normal shape is sometimes incomprehensible. Of course, they can be cut into a salad or eaten whole, but you still want to use ideal fruits for canning. Therefore, it is better to figure out what contributes to the appearance of deformed cucumbers and prevent this.
Growing conditions and care for cucumbers
For any culture, there is its own agricultural technology, which must be observed in order to obtain quality harvest. When growing vegetables, there are no trifles. Soil composition is also important. proper fit and watering and fertilizing. Growing conditions are also taken into account.
in the greenhouse
Created in a greenhouse ideal conditions for growing cucumbers - high humidity, enough heat. Self-pollinated or parthenocarpic varieties are best suited for indoor cultivation. To get an earlier harvest, the seedlings are grown at home and transferred to the greenhouse when the soil temperature inside the building reaches 15 ° C, while the air temperature plays a secondary role.
To obtain an objective result, the thermometer is buried in the soil by 15-20 cm and wait half an hour. Different climates will have their own landing dates, but you must first of all focus on specific temperature indicators.
On a note! You can speed up the landing by spilling the ground hot water, or by making a warm bed and covering it with foil beforehand.
Plants are planted at a distance of 40-60 cm from each other, having spilled a solution of potassium permanganate in front of this hole and adding fertilizer to it.
Watering vegetables should be regular, without this it will not be possible to get good harvest. In the heat, this should be done daily, since cucumbers have superficial roots and they cannot take water from the middle and deep layers of the soil. It is best to water the vegetable by sprinkling, then evaporation will be greater and it will be possible to maintain required humidity. When fruits are formed, water consumption increases to 20-30 liters per 1 sq. m.
So that the plants can "feed" their fruits, top dressing is applied 1-2 times a month. For the first time in the greenhouse, the bushes are fertilized 2 weeks after planting, when they finally take root. The first dressings may contain an infusion of ash, mullein or chicken manure. They also provide green manure. Potassium is added during the flowering period.
Important! Cucumbers love heat, but intense heat is contraindicated for them. If the temperature in the greenhouse rises to 30 ° C and above, it is necessary to organize ventilation and spray the bushes so that they do not wither.
In the open field
A bed for cucumbers on the street is prepared in an open sunny place. The earth should be slightly acidic, loose, nutritious, well retaining moisture. You can dig the soil in half with humus and add additional wood ash. In regions with a cold climate, you can build for cucumbers warm beds with rotted organics in a body of boards.
On a note! Before planting in open ground, seedlings must be hardened off. In this case, adaptation will happen faster.
The signal for planting will be the appearance of 4 true leaves on the seedlings and the establishment of warm weather. Planting seedlings in the ground can be done at a temperature of 12-14 ° C. If necessary, humus and mineral fertilizers are introduced into the ground. After planting, the bed is watered with warm water, mulched with loose compost and covered with black non-woven material.
Seeds can be sown directly into the ground in late May or early June dry. Before planting, the hole is abundantly poured with warm water. Seeds are planted to a depth of 1.5-2 cm with an interval of 20 cm in one row and row spacing 60 cm wide. Until 4-5 leaves appear on the plants, the soil must be loosened regularly so that a crust does not form.
outside the greenhouse
If the summer turned out to be cool, cucumbers are covered with a film at night. To protect from the wind or the scorching sun during the day, you can cover the bed with non-woven material, throwing it on metal arcs. Productivity is lost with a lack of heat and moisture.
Cucumbers are watered once every two days with warm, settled water no later than 4 o'clock in the afternoon, so that excess moisture can evaporate before night. Since water leaches fertilizers from the soil, compost or rotted manure is placed under the root of each plant from time to time. Application mineral fertilizers carried out as needed with a frequency of once every 7-10 days. They can be alternated with foliar top dressing.
Causes of fetal curvature
There can be several reasons why cucumbers grow crochet. A curved fruit always indicates a violation of agricultural technology:
- Micronutrient deficiency.
- Wrong watering.
- Temperature difference.
- Pollination.
- Late harvest.
To avoid such problems, you need to feed the culture in a timely manner and create right conditions for growth.
What to do to make cucumbers grow even
It is necessary to build on the cause that gave rise to the problem. If the fruits of cucumbers are irregular in shape, you must:
- With a lack of potassium, a distortion of the shape will occur, the cucumber will become like a pear, and the peel will turn yellow. To remedy the situation, you can feed the plants on the leaf with a solution of potassium salt (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water).
- When cucumbers lack nitrogen, the curvature of the shape manifests itself in the fact that from the side of the flower the fruits become thin, while at the stalk, on the contrary, they thicken. As emergency assistance the bushes are sprayed with a solution of urea (5 g per liter of water), and after 5-6 days ammonium nitrate is added under the root.
- If cucumbers grow crochet, what is missing in this case? A complex lack of trace elements can greatly distort the fruits. As a result, cucumbers can take the most bizarre shape. A double treatment with nitroammofoska (1 tablespoon per liter of water) with a weekly interval can help.
- Zelentsy can be bent due to watering with cold water. And if you water them too infrequently, the cucumbers curl up and become hard. From the moment the ovaries appear, they are watered every 2-3 days, from mid-August - every 1-2 weeks.
- Cucumbers "with a waist" grow in open ground due to temperature differences. You can get rid of such curvature by covering the cucumber bed with a film at night.
- If crooked cucumbers grow in a greenhouse, what do plants lack with an abundance of heat and humidity? Under-pollination often causes the appearance of hooked cucumbers. Such fruits will also have an uneven color. To prevent this, plants are pollinated artificially.
- Another mistake is when bee-pollinated and parthenocarpic varieties are planted nearby that do not need pollination. As a result, the varieties are pollinated, crossed, and as a result, the summer resident is perplexed why the cucumbers grow crooked.
- If you do not pick ripe cucumbers on time, it becomes difficult for the plant to distribute nutrition, so young cucumbers grow uneven.
Instead of even and harmonious pimply cucumbers, we sometimes see specimens worthy of the brush of Picasso himself. But it has long been noticed that the deformation of fruits is associated with violations in agricultural technology.
Micronutrient deficiency
Most often, the cause of the appearance of clumsy and twisted cucumbers is an unbalanced composition of nutrients in the soil.
Most often, cucumbers grow hooked due to a lack of trace elements.
potassium starvation
Even if at the beginning of the season the content of potassium in the soil was sufficient, then closer to autumn its reserves are always depleted. The peel of the fruit acquires a yellowish tint, and they themselves resemble a pear (thick at the stem and narrow at the flower).
With potassium deficiency, cucumbers become pear-shaped
The appearance of the leaves with a lack of potassium also changes, they brighten and bend down, sometimes covered with necrotic spots.
With a lack of potassium, the foliage of cucumbers brightens, an almost white border appears along the edges of the leaf plates.
The following top dressings will help to correct the situation:
- a solution of potassium salt (for 1 bucket of water 25–30 g of the substance), consumption ½ l per bush;
Cucumber beds are watered with a solution of potassium salt
- potassium sulphate (evenly distribute 40–60 g of granules per 1 m 2);
Potassium sulphate granules are scattered under cucumber bushes
- ash solution (½ l of crushed ash per 10 l of water), consumption of 1 l per plant.
The ash solution is an excellent fertilizer for feeding cucumbers.
Useful to spend foliar top dressing the same drugs, but diluted in half concentration.
For spraying on the leaf, fertilizers are diluted in half concentration
nitrogen starvation
If the ripening fruits are not only pale, small and twisted, but also strongly pointed towards the end, then this is a sign of a deficiency of nitrogen substances.
With a nitrogen deficiency, cucumbers are curved and become pointed towards the end.
Foliage with nitrogen deficiency loses its brightness and becomes smaller.
With a lack of nitrogen, cucumber foliage becomes pale and smaller
- spray the bushes with a solution of urea (for 1 liter of water 5 g of the substance);
Cucumbers are sprayed with a solution of urea on a leaf
- after 4-5 days, sprinkle ammonium nitrate under the plants (30 g per 1 m 2) or pour with a solution (30 g per bucket of water) at the rate of 3 liters per bush;
Ammonium nitrate is scattered under cucumber bushes
- mullein solution, diluted in a ratio of 1:10;
Cucumber beds are watered with a solution of mullein to compensate for the deficiency of nitrogen and other elements.
- herbal infusion (1:4);
Even weeds can be used to make herbal infusion.
- chicken droppings (1:20).
Chicken manure must be diluted in a ratio of 1:20
It is important not to overdo it with the introduction of nitrogen, otherwise the tops will grow, and the flower ovary will crumble.
With an increased nitrogen content, cucumber tops grow too actively, while the ovary crumbles
Video: we fertilize cucumbers so that they do not grow hooked
Irrigation Disturbances
In terms of watering, cucumbers are particularly capricious, they respond to all violations with lopsidedness and curvature of the fruit. The skin becomes bitter and hard, the flesh will also be bitter, even when it is removed.
At improper watering cucumbers are twisted and become bitter
Plants should be watered only with warm water, preferably not lower than + 20 ... + 25 ° C. They also do not like long breaks that cause complete drying of the soil. Moisten cucumber beds should be 1 time in 2-3 days, daily in hot weather.
Cucumbers are watered only with warm water
This year, on the advice of a friend, I first tried mulching beveled cucumbers. lawn grass. You can water twice as rarely, while overripe greenery perfectly fertilizes cucumber beds. Previously, it was often not possible to get to the greenhouse in time and irrigate, as a result, the cucumbers turned out to be crooked and completely tasteless.
Video: watering cucumbers in a greenhouse correctly
Sharp temperature changes
Cucumbers react extremely negatively to significant temperature fluctuations.. If the fruits become a little thinner in the middle (narrow waist), then this is a consequence of too cold nights.
The cucumber becomes thin in the middle if the nights are too cold
- the use of any non-woven covering agromaterial (spunbond, film, etc.);
To preserve heat, cucumber beds are covered with agromaterial.
- placement in the greenhouse of heat-accumulating containers with water;
Tanks with water placed in the greenhouse accumulate heat during the day and release it at night
- mulching;
Mulching keeps moisture in cucumber beds and keeps them warm
- earlier closing of the greenhouse in the evening and late opening in the morning;
Late opening of the greenhouse in the morning and early closing in the evening helps to conserve heat
- use of heaters.
Using various heaters, they heat the air in the greenhouse
Late harvest of vegetables
You can not linger with the collection of fruits that have reached nutritional maturity. In the presence of overripe vegetables hanging on lashes for a long time, the plant has difficulty redistributing nutrients. It deprives young cucumbers that have begun to feed, as a result they acquire the most bizarre forms.
Overgrown cucumbers should not be allowed to form, as they take away nutrients from the growing ovary
You need to collect vegetables at least once every 2-3 days, and preferably every other day.
You need to collect cucumbers in 2-3 days
I prefer to pick young cucumbers in the gherkin stage (up to 4 cm) than to get overgrown yellow giants and small crooked freaks later.
Bad Neighborhood
Planting in close proximity to each other varieties that do not require pollination (parthenocarpic), and pollinated by insects, leads to crossing of species and partial cross-pollination. The result of this process is the appearance of hooked fruits.
Cucumbers become hooked. if you plant ordinary bee-pollinated and parthenocarpic varieties nearby
Non-compliance with the rules of crop rotation
With the constant cultivation of cucumbers in one place, the accumulation of specific colins in the soil is observed, an excess of which affects the size and shape of vegetables.
It is necessary to observe crop rotation and correctly select predecessors for cucumbers
Planting green manure will help restore the balance of the soil (it can be oats, mustard, phacelia, etc.).
By appearance cucumbers, you can understand the cause of the curvature
Video: why cucumbers grow crooked and how to fix it
Compliance with all the rules of agricultural technology, competent care and careful monitoring of cucumber plantings with the ability to quickly respond to emerging problems will help to avoid the appearance of ugly twisted fruits.