Why cucumbers do not bloom - elimination of the reasons
Content:
The second half of June is approaching. Why don't cucumbers bloom in a greenhouse, on a balcony, or in an open field? This article is for people who are concerned about this issue.
Usually cucumbers form the first inflorescences 30-45 days after sowing the seeds. Flowering depends on the selected variety, as well as the weather in a particular region. And yet, it happens that the cucumbers do not begin to bloom in any way. It is imperative to find out the cause of what happened and how to deal with the problem.
Why cucumbers don't bloom - watering with very cold water
This is the most common reason why cucumbers do not bloom.
Water after rain is most suitable for watering plants. If it is not there, then you can use ordinary water, but you need to warm it up in advance under the sun.
The temperature of the treated water cannot be lower than 25 ° C. It is best to water the soil at dawn or dusk. You can water the leaves only until noon, and then the air around the plants will become sufficiently humidified. The main thing is not to water the roots during the day, otherwise the seedlings will simply rot. Regular watering is required until active flowering, and then limited, as this provokes the development of female flowers.
Without sufficient watering, cucumbers will lose their flavor and become bitter and unusable.
If the air temperature is 27 ° C and higher, watering restriction is prohibited. On the contrary, it is necessary to water it twice a day, due to the fact that the heat interferes with the formation and development of fruits.
Fit too tight
If the cucumbers are planted too close, they will have a lack of light and air, and useful elements will be poorly transported to the roots. As a result, cucumbers will not bloom well.
If the footage of the selected area is insufficient, then you should try the method of growing in barrels, on a trellis or in a bag. These simple methods make it possible to correctly use the available space.
It so happens that too close planting, which is harmful to crops, is the result of improper plant formation. When deciding to form plants vertically, you need to know that all varieties always require a different approach from each other. Cucumbers, on young shoots of which male-type flowers are formed, it is more advisable to pinch during the appearance of about 5-6 true leaves. This procedure usually promotes the development of female-type flower lateral shoots. In parthenocarpic varieties and their hybrids, all excess shoots and ovaries of flowers formed in the cavities of 3-5 lower leaves are removed. That makes it possible to get rid of unnecessary ovaries that inhibit the development of the plant.
Low quality seeds
Many inexperienced gardeners find on the shelves of the store an excellent variety of attractive cucumbers, which ripen with fruits with amazing taste. Of course, I want to grow such cucumbers on my site. To this end, the search for seeds begins. But after sowing, for some reason, they bloom poorly and do not bear fruit at all. This often means that the plant is pollinated by some kind of hybrid, or even is itself such. Since it is almost impossible to control the cross-pollination process with a small area, it is more advisable to purchase seeds from trusted producers. Harvesting seeds on your own is very difficult and risky.
If the decision is made to independently prepare the seeds, then the fruits must be chosen carefully and with only four seed chambers, since they form a large number of female flowers.
Cucumbers do not bloom due to improper feeding
One of the very common mistakes is the introduction of a very large amount of nitrogen fertilization. Usually, with this problem, the plant simply begins to grow very quickly without forming fruits. It must be remembered that for proper growth and development of young plants, it is imperative to add potassium and phosphorus. And nitrogen during the flowering period can be completely excluded. In one season, it is enough to fertilize the plants 4 times.
By the way, it is extremely useful to water cucumbers with diluted milk, which is the main source of potassium and helps to maintain the neutral reaction of the earth (10 liters of water are added to 1 glass of milk).
Cucumbers do not bloom - improperly prepared soil
Cucumbers are very sensitive and demanding both to the temperature of the soil and to its composition. When sowing cucumbers in their original place for several years (for example, in a greenhouse), you need to be prepared for a huge number of pathogens accumulated in the ground. They tend to cause fungal diseases that inhibit the plant.
To harvest a good harvest, it is imperative to follow the basic rules of crop rotation. It is more advisable to plant cucumbers after white cabbage, peas, potatoes, beets or tomatoes.
When grown in a greenhouse, it is imperative to change the soil every few years or treat it and fences with fungicides.
In addition, cucumbers do not like calcareous soil. Therefore, chalk, slaked lime or dolomite flour must be added in advance.
Sometimes the situation is much more offensive: the plants bloom, but there are no fruits. In the presence of a huge number of barren flowers, improper care is most often the reason. And if it is impossible to save the harvest of this season, then you need to make an analysis of what happened in order to avoid mistakes made next year and collect a large number of cucumbers.