Why do cucumber leaves turn yellow: reasons how to save
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Very often it is not known why cucumbers and cucumber leaves turn yellow. Almost every gardener is familiar with this misfortune. Leaves may turn yellow completely, or spots, maybe just a yellow border around the edge. Cucumber leaves can just dry up right away, or look like they were doused with boiling water. You can guess for a long time why this happened with cucumbers, because there can be many reasons for this. If this happened, then you still need to figure out why. You need to act and fight this immediately, because you can lose the entire future harvest. Of course, yellowing of cucumber leaves, like any disease, is better to prevent in advance, and to carry out prevention, because it is much easier than treating a plant.
Why do cucumber leaves turn yellow: elimination of unfavorable conditions
Cucumber leaves turn yellow: photo
If the lower leaves of cucumbers turn yellow, then they can easily die off and simply fall off. This happens when there is not enough sunlight for the cucumbers. In this case, there is absolutely no need for panic, since this is a completely normal situation. Apparently the cucumbers in your garden are growing too densely. It is necessary to boldly take and tear off the yellowed leaves without sparing. In this case, you simply thin out the garden, and cucumbers will benefit from this procedure more than harm.
Usually, cucumbers are watered a couple of times a week, with warm water and very abundantly, if it's hot outside, then cucumbers are watered every day. The moistening of the earth must be strong and deep, otherwise the roots of the cucumbers will stretch upward in search of moisture, respectively, if they are close to the surface of the earth, they will simply dry out and the plant will die. Moreover, in case of a deficiency, the leaves suffer first of all, they turn yellow and dry, the ovaries, respectively, also immediately dry up. But an excess of moisture is also harmful, it mainly happens when it rains too often. The roots of the plant do not have time to cope with so much water and simply begin to rot, while the leaves turn yellow in the first place.
If the roots of the plant are damaged, this also has a bad effect on the plant and the leaves begin to turn yellow. That is why it is necessary to transplant cucumbers when they have at least two true leaves, but when there are more than 4 of them, transplanting is also not recommended, because it is during transplantation that it is very easy to damage the roots of the plant. It is also necessary to loosen the ground very carefully, and when weeding from weeds, the roots can also be damaged.
Natural factors in the yellowing of cucumber leaves
Cucumber leaves turn yellow: photo
Cucumber leaves can also turn yellow from hypothermia. After all, they love warmth very much, and the fruits grow very quickly on warm nights. It is especially difficult for the roots of cucumbers to tolerate the cold, which is why they need to be watered only with warm water. When it gets cold outside at night, the roots simply cannot cope with their task, respectively, the leaves also turn yellow, and these cannot be fought.
But with yellowness from sunburn, you should not worry at all. Most often this happens in a greenhouse, when there is little ventilation, a lot of moisture accumulates there. Accordingly, moisture also forms on the leaves, and the walls of the greenhouse in direct sunlight act like a lens. And in those places on the leaves where there were drops, yellow spots appear.
Leaves can also turn yellow for natural reasons. Gradually, the leaves age, at first they become coarser, then turn yellow and die off.This usually happens at the very end of the season, when almost the entire crop has already been harvested, and a new one is practically not expected.
Cucumber leaves turn yellow: what to do?
Cucumber leaves turn yellow: photo
Cucumber leaves can also turn yellow due to any diseases, mainly fungal. And they are better prevented and prevented than cured. But if you have already noticed rusty spots on the whips, and then on the leaves, you need to understand right away that this is some kind of disease. If the fungus appears, then the foliage does not just turn yellow, but as if it is covered with rust. And with some fungi, they simply wither, and in no way reacts to watering and the amount of moisture. Beginning in mid-July, when the day and night temperature fluctuates, the occurrence of fungus is more likely. In this case, cucumbers do not react in any way either to fertilizers or to watering, they are also indifferent to the temperature, but in the case of a fungus, it is better and easier to carry out prevention than to treat it.
Perhaps a pest has appeared on your cucumbers, for example, a whitefly or a spider mite, etc. They all suck nutrients from the leaves, respectively, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. Accordingly, it is immediately clear that in this case it is necessary to destroy the pests without delay, otherwise the plant will simply die. In this case, you need to treat the plant with poison or choose a folk method for this.
Cucumber leaves turn yellow: what to do if there are not enough useful elements?
In the same way, cucumber leaves turn yellow if there are not enough fertilizers, various micro and macro elements in the ground. But in this case, the reason is immediately clear, because the leaves begin to turn yellow at the edges, and a border is obtained. And only then they fade completely and, accordingly, die off. In general, the border on the leaves means that potassium and magnesium need to be urgently added to the ground. And if, in addition to this, dark streaks appear on the leaves, then manganese and iron are needed. If the upper, young leaves also began to turn yellow, then feel free to add copper. If all these fertilizers are applied on time, then the situation can still be corrected and the cucumbers can be saved.
Cucumber leaves turn yellow: photo
So what if the leaves still turn yellow? Of course, as with any disease, prevention is the best treatment. It is better to prevent the causes than to deal with tedious treatment and correcting the consequences later.
You cannot plant cucumbers in the same place for two years in a row and after zucchini or pumpkin, because this can contribute to the development of fungal diseases.
Water regularly and abundantly, and so that the water does not evaporate quickly, the garden bed can be covered with fresh grass. Feeding the leaves is also very useful, for this you need a few drops of liquid soap, 1 liter of milk, 20 drops of iodine, and we dilute all this in 10 liters of water.
Mandatory feeding is also included in prevention.
In June, it is recommended to pour cucumbers with a solution of soda; 1 tablespoon is needed for a bucket of water.
If the leaves still start to turn yellow, then you need to dilute 2 liters of milk whey in 10 liters of water and add 150 grams of sugar to it. Then the yellowness will disappear, and the fruits will be tied better.
If pests appear on the cucumbers, then you need to get rid of them immediately. Take 700 g of onion peel and pour it with a bucket of water and boil. Then they insist half a day, dilute with water 1: 4 and process the plant and the garden. And also from pests can be watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Pests are also afraid of hay tincture and the drug "trichodermin". This drug is absolutely safe for people and animals, but it is harmful to pests and insects, and it also adds some useful trace elements to the soil. Also, if you want to extend the life of your plants and shed yield time, then add an extraordinary
top dressing with urea and add to the soil, strictly under the roots of the humus plant.
If the leaves on your cucumber garden turn yellow, you do not need to immediately panic and say goodbye to the harvest, you need to carefully examine the leaves and find out why they turned yellow, and immediately start fighting the cause,it's not as difficult as it sounds. But nevertheless, it is best to carry out prevention, and take care of cucumbers correctly, water only with warm water, and most importantly, you must always do everything on time.
Why do cucumber leaves turn yellow and what to do about it: useful video