It is important to figure out in time why the ovary of cucumbers turns yellow and falls off. This will save the harvest and preserve the taste of the fruit. There may be several reasons, mainly either improper care or infection.
Why do cucumber ovaries dry in a greenhouse?
It is not always possible to avoid problems if all agrotechnical requirements are met. There are several main reasons why the ovary of cucumbers in a greenhouse may turn yellow; some tips will help you on what to do in this case.
- Cucumber embryos may develop slowly due to infrequent ventilation of the room. The air becomes humid or too dry and stale.
- Hot air is another reason why cucumbers do not grow. If the air temperature in the greenhouse is more than 27 degrees, then the leaves and ovaries turn yellow and crumble.
- Another unfavorable factor why the ovaries do not develop and wither is the close planting of cucumbers. The green tops of densely planted seedlings create shade and do not allow air to pass through. Therefore, it is very important to maintain distance during boarding. The distance between each cucumber bush in a row should be at least 45 cm.
- The reason why chicks do not grow is due to untimely harvesting. During the period of active ripening of cucumbers, it is recommended to harvest every other day. If the fruits remain on the vines, they become overripe, which begins to take away all the nutrients. The new ovary does not develop, but dries out and falls off.
- Violation of the watering regime is often the main factor why small cucumbers in a greenhouse turn yellow. A lack or excess of moisture causes cucumber ovaries to dry out in the greenhouse. The water for irrigation should be warm (about 20 degrees) and it is advisable to let it stand. You should not sprinkle too often; it is better to water at the root, with a stream without pressure.
- Cucumbers do not form ovaries or they turn yellow due to a lack of microelements in the soil. When correcting the situation, the main thing is not to overdo it, since an excess of fertilizers is not beneficial.
- Green plants do not develop due to too many ovaries on one bush. Their optimal number is approximately 26 pieces. If there are more ovaries, then more nutrients begin to be consumed and the cucumber ovaries turn yellow and dry out.
Insufficient pollination or its complete absence also causes yellowing of cucumber ovaries. Since the greenhouse space is most often closed, it is best to choose self-pollinating varieties. It is better to choose the same varieties of cucumbers for growing on the window. The inflorescences of such cucumbers have both stamens and pistils. If bee-pollinated varieties are planted, then care must be taken to ensure free access of insects to the cucumber beds.
The reasons why cucumber ovaries turn yellow in open ground are almost the same as in a greenhouse. Additional factors include frost, heavy rain and draft winds.
What to do if cucumber ovaries turn yellow in a greenhouse
As soon as the reason why the cucumbers turn yellow has been identified, we begin to eliminate it. The following steps will help.
- When cucumbers cannot set, the watering regime should be adjusted. Before the fruiting period, it is recommended to water every other day with warm, settled water in the evening. During fruiting, it is recommended to water less frequently. Each root should take approximately 5 liters.
- Poorly developing cucumbers need ventilation. It is advisable to equip the greenhouse with a ventilation system; on a hot day, you can open a window or door.
- Be sure to monitor the air temperature at night and during the day.
- To prevent the ovaries from drying out, it is necessary to form a stem, tie it to a support and not allow the fruits to hang excessively from one branch.
- When cucumbers turn yellow in a greenhouse, what to do depends largely on the variety. If bee-pollinated varieties of cucumbers grow in a greenhouse, then you need to check whether bees can enter the greenhouse. It is recommended to open the greenhouse door during the day; to attract the attention of insects, you can use a sugar-honey solution.There is an option to help the plant yourself.
- If the ovaries of cucumbers fall off due to a large number on the branch, then it is recommended to pick some of them. But it is better to carry out stepsoning on time.
If cucumbers set but do not grow, the situation may be the result of a lack of fertilizing. Soil depletion leads to a lack of beneficial microelements. Wood ash will help replenish potassium. Nitrogen deficiency will be compensated by urea. Chicken droppings and mullein are also popular.
You should not overuse nitrogen fertilizers, as this will cause tops to develop and the ovaries to dry out and may crumble. You can feed cucumbers with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.
It is useful to carry out foliar treatment of the plant. An infusion based on urea will come in handy. Add 50 g of urea and 90 g of soda to 10 liters of water. This composition helps restore damaged seedlings in just two sprays.
Gardeners may encounter not only yellowing, but also falling of the ovaries. The problem of why the ovary on cucumbers falls off is often caused by non-compliance with the temperature regime, improper watering, lack of mineral fertilizers and poor pollination.
Why can the ovaries on cucumbers turn yellow and dry out, diseases and pests
The resulting cucumber ovaries turn yellow and fall off as a result of various infections.
- Sudden temperature changes, humid air, and dense plantings lead to the development of downy mildew. First, the leaves begin to turn yellow and dry, and brown spots appear. After just a few days, the entire plant begins to turn yellow, including the ovaries on the cucumbers in the greenhouse. The first step in solving the problem is to stop watering and fertilizing. You can use drugs such as Topaz, Oxychom.
- The reason why cucumbers in a greenhouse turn yellow is often a fungal disease such as fusarium. Getting inside the plant, it interferes with the movement of nutrients and the plant dries out. Treatment is carried out with drugs such as Fitosporin, Trichofit, Kornevin.
- Cucumber ovaries do not develop due to bacteriosis. Frequent watering and excess moisture causes fungus to multiply. You should not plant the bushes too close to each other, you need to water them correctly, and after watering, be sure to ventilate the room.
The invasion of various insect pests becomes another reason why the ovaries dry out and the embryos turn yellow. The most common unwanted guests are spider mites, aphids, and whiteflies. You can fight them with compositions from folk recipes or use insecticides (Aktara, Aktellik).
- If the cucumber does not grow due to pests, then you can make an infusion of hot pepper. The product is poured with boiling water and left to infuse for a day. The finished solution is filtered, shavings of crushed soap and wood ash are added.
- You can make an infusion from onion peels. Half a bucket of husks is poured into a bucket of water, put on fire and brought to a boil. Then you need to leave it to infuse for 10 hours. The strained solution is diluted with water and sprayed on the cucumber beds.
- An infusion of potato tops will prevent the ovaries from drying out. The greens are poured with boiling water and left for a day. For better adhesion of the solution, soap should be added to the composition during spraying.
- Infectious diseases that can cause the ovaries to fall off are treated with skim milk. A few drops of iodine and soap are additionally added to a liter of milk. You need to water the cucumbers at the root.
For preventive purposes against insects, you can spray cucumbers with modern preparations: Tsimbush, Fitoverm, Akarin.
What to do to prevent the ovaries of cucumbers from turning yellow, preventive measures
General preventive measures will prevent yellowing of cucumbers.
- In autumn and spring, disinfect the greenhouse structure and garden equipment.
- To prevent cucumbers from wilting and growing well, it is recommended to annually replace the top layer of soil in the greenhouse with a new one.
- Before planting cucumbers, it is recommended to fertilize the soil, for example, with rotted manure.
- Cucumber beds in a polycarbonate greenhouse must be regularly weeded and loosened after watering.
- It is useful to mulch the soil. An additional layer of straw, grass, sawdust will help protect the plant from adverse factors.
- The distance between the beds and seedlings in the row should be maintained.
- During active fruit ripening, it is recommended to harvest the crop daily or every other day.
Few ovaries may be due to poor seed quality and poor preparation of planting material. Therefore, before planting, cucumber seeds must be carefully selected, heated and treated with special preparations.
In order to have fewer yellowed ovaries, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatment of cucumbers. Spraying with boric acid has a positive effect on the formation of cucumbers. You can dilute the solution from drugs such as Bud, Ovary.
