Why cucumbers can crochet in the greenhouse and open field, what they lack
The growth and quality of cucumbers directly depend on many factors affecting the culture from the external environment. Most often, such an influence is reflected in the appearance of vegetables, which is why many summer residents are wondering: why do cucumbers grow crochet in a greenhouse? In order to prevent the development of crooked fruits in your garden, you need to know about the reasons for this phenomenon.
Watering method
Most often, cucumbers curl due to improper watering.
There are several incorrect watering techniques that every summer resident should avoid when growing cucumbers in a greenhouse:
- Watering using cold water, due to which deformation of the fruit begins. A relatively stable soil and air temperature is established in the greenhouse, which creates a favorable microclimate for the growth of a healthy plant. If cold water regularly gets into the soil, the roots of the plant grow cold, the plant begins to redistribute all the accumulated resources to neutralize the damage received, as a result, the fruits turn yellow and curl.
- An insufficient amount of water used for irrigation leads to a moisture deficit. Cucumbers are plants that are very sensitive to soil moisture. During a dry period, they begin to spend a minimum amount of resources for the formation of fruits, which, as a result, curl up and decrease in size.
- An excess of moisture is also detrimental to cucumbers. In this case, crooked cucumbers in the greenhouse appear due to the formation of rot on the roots of the plant. Also, the plant culture loses the ability to fully extract the necessary substances from the soil, since they are washed out with a large amount of water.
If the summer resident does not know why the cucumbers are curled, the first step is to pay attention to watering the plant. If, however, a sufficient amount of moisture is introduced into the soil, which meets the characteristics of the microclimate prevailing in the greenhouse, and the shape of the cucumbers continues to resemble a hook, then it is necessary to look for other factors that cause such a pathology.
Late harvest
Many summer residents think this way: "I will begin to harvest when a sufficient number of cucumbers of the required size are ripe on the bush." It is worth considering that late harvesting is the wrong approach to summer cottage business, since fruits that have been in the garden for a long time not only become crooked, but also lose their taste, rot, and are damaged by insects. Also, large pear-shaped cucumbers can greatly interfere with the formation of other fruits, which is why vegetables begin to deform their structure at the stage of their formation.
To avoid this, it is necessary to harvest the cucumbers every 2-3 days when they are medium in size. This approach will increase the duration of the fruiting period of the bush, not only in the greenhouse, but also in the open field.
Fertilizers
Why crooked cucumbers grow for no apparent reason? The ratio of mineral and organic substances in the soil has a huge impact on the development of plant culture and the formation of fruits. Moreover, both a lack of fertilizers and an excess of fertilizers can cause distortions in vegetables. A deficiency can lead to a not pronounced deformation:
- phosphorus;
- gland;
- copper;
- nitrogen.
At the same time, the lack of these substances also causes yellowing of the leaves, loss of taste characteristics of the fruits.
There is a more obvious reason for obtaining a crooked cucumber yield associated with top dressing. In a greenhouse, cucumbers will deform their shape due to a lack of potassium. The leaching of potassium from the soil occurs due to the use of a fertilizer made on the basis of yeast, herbal infusions, the use of chicken manure, mullein as top dressing.
If you regularly feed the crops with the listed fertilizers, the bushes become spreading, and the size of the cucumbers decreases to tiny.
Another reason why the cucumbers are of an irregular shape is to plant them in an area where zucchini, pumpkin or dill were previously grown. This is due to the fact that the listed plants leave only a small amount of nutrients in the soil, which is not enough for cucumbers for active growth and fruiting. In order not to get a crop of crooked cucumbers, fertilizers must be introduced into the ground before planting them. How to feed the soil for cucumbers? It is best to use fertilizers as a top dressing, which include potassium, phosphorus, iron, copper or nitrogen. However, they should be applied in moderation, without creating an overabundance.
Lack of light and heat
Cucumbers are often crooked due to lack of heat and light. In order for the cucumber fruits to be even, they need to create the optimal ambient temperature for growth, which is set within 23-26 degrees Celsius. With special care, such a temperature regime must be observed during the final phase of flowering. When the temperature in the greenhouse exceeds these indicators, the cucumber fruits become withered, begin to curl from drying. If the temperature is lower, the plant quickly becomes ill and begins to produce dense, but curled vegetables.
A lack of light can be caused by cloudy weather, thickening, improper greenhouse construction. Lack of lighting caused by any of the above reasons negatively affects vegetative processes, photosynthesis. As a result, the cucumber fruits are curved. If in greenhouse cucumbers grow strongly, they need to be pinned, pinched bushes, thinned foliage. Such procedures will avoid plant thickening and lack of lighting.
Neighborhood of various varieties
Cucumber varieties, which form fruits in the absence of pollination, do not coexist well with conventional or hybrid varieties planted in a greenhouse structure. The need for such isolation of parthenocarpic varieties is due to the fact that the pollen of hybrid plants spreads and contributes to the dysfunction of the formation of cucumber fruits that do not need pollination. Because of this, crocheted cucumbers appear.
What should be done to prevent the occurrence of such a situation? In order for even cucumbers to grow in the greenhouse, it is necessary to plant plants of the same varietal accessory in it.If the suburban area is small enough and does not allow the construction of several greenhouses, hybrid and parthenocarpic varieties should be planted at different ends of the greenhouse space. If the greenhouse is small, it is necessary to limit the contact of these varieties. This can be done by covering part of the bushes with matter.
Some summer residents grow cucumbers in the same garden for a long time, which can also affect the quality of the fruit. Why do vegetables turn yellow and curl in this case? The fact is that with such a landing, the risk of fungal pathologies increases. Also, the question why the cucumbers are crooked can be answered by the fact that during long-term cultivation of such crops, colin accumulates in one place in the soil - a toxic substance that disrupts the process of fruit formation, which, in particular, affects their shape.
