Why do cucumber leaves wither in the open field and what to do

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Such a situation, when the leaves of cucumber bushes wither, is not uncommon. It so happens that only yesterday the gardener could not get enough of the harvest of cucumbers, but today all the greens have wilted, and in places have withered. Find out why cucumber leaves wither outdoors.

Potential causes of the problem

Any varieties of cucumbers are susceptible to this problem. It does not depend on the location of the culture - whether it is in the garden beds, in the greenhouse or on the windowsill. The reasons may be violations of agrotechnical rules, improper care and improper plant nutrition.

Sometimes the disease leads to damage to the foliage. It is important to determine the cause of the problem as early as possible. It is impossible to react slowly, because this can lead to the death of the entire crop.

Errors during planting crops

It is necessary to start planting cucumbers as soon as the temperature conditions become favorable. Usually, a mark of + 15 ° C in the ambient air and at least + 12 ° C of heat in the soil is suitable for this.

It is important to pay attention not only to the weather, but also to the place where the culture will be placed, the condition of the soil. The dates when the picking of seedlings is carried out are also important.

Wrong landing site

Among the reasons why the leaves of cucumbers wither in the open field is the wrong choice of place in the garden. Cucumbers like light and prefer open areas where the sun's rays can easily penetrate.

If there is not enough light, a lot of greenery is observed on the vine. The bush begins to lack nutrients. The same happens if it lacks moisture and nutrients, which, accordingly, is reflected in the leaves.

Unsuitable neighbors

Crop rotation rules are something that must be followed by all means when planting cucumbers. In this regard, the cucumber is quite convenient, because it is able to get along with most of the known crops. The best neighbors for this crop are garlic, peppers, onions, and cabbage.

It is worth planting cucumbers where pumpkin and melon crops grew in the season earlier.

If this is not possible, they can be placed where turnips, corn and legumes previously grew. They do not in any way affect the development of the cucumber and the formation of fruits on it.

Planting too dense

Sometimes a gardener wants to save space in his own garden, especially when it is small enough and he wants to get a lot of harvest. A cucumber is a plant that tends to stretch out in length.

If you place the bushes too close, their lashes begin to intertwine. A dense network of foliage and stems is formed, as a result of which light cannot properly penetrate the areas located in the lower regions of the plant. In these places, the leaves, like the ovaries, begin to wither and fall off. Therefore, on each square meter of the area there should be no more than 4 bushes with 4 developed leaves.

If we are talking about the so-called parthenocarpic varieties, then no more than 2 bushes per square are allowed. Cucumbers do not like transplantation. Therefore, it is better to thin out dense thickets. There is no need to try to move individual crops to another location.

This means that it is necessary to remove weak shoots, all excess and wilted shoots, to pinch the growth points. Due to this, it will be possible to establish air exchange and ensure the normal hit of sunlight on the bush.

Improper care

The cultivation of cucumbers as a whole does not imply any global difficulties, and therefore even an inexperienced gardener can cope with this task. It is important to pay maximum attention to the bushes at the stage of development and fruiting. It is necessary to make top dressing in a timely manner, if required.

Watering errors

It is the wrong watering that, in most cases, is the cause of the appearance of wilting cucumber bushes on the site. In this case, firstly, it must be taken into account that this is a plant that makes great demands on the level of humidity. Irregular watering can cause foliage to wilt.

Secondly, if there is stagnation of moisture near the base of the stem, and the soil does not have time to dry out, this becomes a favorable environment for the development of various kinds of diseases. The most common of these is root rot.

It is recommended to put a barrel on the site, fill it with water. The water drawn from the mains is not quite suitable for these purposes. It is necessary to pour water into the barrel in the morning to the top and wait until it warms up throughout the day.

Difficulties in fertilizing

Any body needs good nutrition in order for it to develop normally. Plants in this regard are no exception. These crops need nitrogen to have strong, beautiful, dark green leaves. In order for the ovaries to form, which will then turn into fruits, phosphorus and potassium are needed. When there is not enough nitrogen, the stems begin to wilt. Leaves dry and fall off.

Cucumbers do not have a well-developed root system to absorb enough nutrients from the soil. For this reason, they need to supply sources of nutrients on a regular basis. An excellent option would be organic and mineral fertilizers, which are available in stores.

In total, it is necessary to feed during the season 3 times:

• 14 days after picking seedlings;
• before the first inflorescences appear;
• when the fruit starts to form.

Additional feeding, in addition to these three, is allowed if the task is to increase the life span of the plant and the period of fruit formation.

Interesting! Diseases of cucumbers in the open field

Pest and disease attack

In this case, it is necessary to act as quickly as possible, because pests, like pathogens, can attack large areas in a matter of days.

The most common ailment in cucumbers is root rot, which spreads to the entire root system of the plant. An external attack of such a disease affects the basal neck, and then all the other processes in the cucumber. Foliage wilting begins in the lower areas. After a while, the bush dies.

Fusarium and cladosporium disease can also affect the plant. In the first case, the leaves wither, starting from the upper area. The foliage dries at the edges, and so little by little its entire plate is affected. Cladosporium is accompanied by the formation of dark areas on the leaves. It also affects the fruits of the cucumber. As a result, they become unusable.

Of the pests for cucumber, the greatest danger is the melon aphid. She feeds on the juice of flowers and fruits. Due to a lack of nutrients, the leaves wither.

The spider mite has about the same effect. Its presence on the bushes can be recognized due to the formation of small areas with cobwebs on the leaves. Thrips, which also like to feed on the juice of cucumber leaves, entail a change in the shape of the fruit and foliage fall.

Climatic conditions

The activity of the sun has increased, which cannot but affect the well-being of humans, animals and plants on the planet. The air temperature can change, and quite unexpectedly, day and night. In addition, there is an aggressive effect on crops of sunlight.

If temperature drops occur, wilted leaves may appear on the cucumber bushes. At the end of summer, this phenomenon is more likely. During the day, the sun shines especially intensely, while at night there is a significant cold snap.

All this acts as a source of stress for plants. Because of this, their roots may suffer. There are problems with the further development of the bushes, their leaves and inflorescences wither. The problem can be solved by creating so-called heat accumulators, the role of which can be played by ordinary stones, as well as plastic bottles filled with water.

Outcomes

1. In general, cucumbers are quite undemanding to the growing conditions of the culture.
2. Usually, the leaves of cucumbers wilt because the gardener makes mistakes in care and watering, and also does not provide the bushes with the necessary fertilizers.
3. Another reason is in external influences, including climatic factors. To eliminate the problem, you can carry out a set of recovery measures.