Reasons and treatment why the stem can dry at the base of cucumbers

There are many reasons why cucumber stems crack. Such a phenomenon can be provoked by pests, for example, a cucumber gnat, or diseases that affect plant culture. Also, drying out and thinning of the stem can cause unfavorable environmental conditions, insufficient plant care.

Cucumber diseases

When planting seedlings in contaminated soil or spreading infection along with water, the plant culture can be affected by various diseases that cause the stem to dry out. Also, a similar infection effect can occur when using infected seeds for growing seedlings.

Anthracnose

A characteristic feature of this pathology is the appearance of black drying pigments on the leaf plates and the stem of the tomato. With the subsequent development of the disease, it spreads to the fruits, gradually the trunk becomes thinner, as the spots deepen by 3-5 millimeters, dries up, the leaves fall. The reason for the development of anthracnose is the use of infected seeds for growing seedlings or planting the grown material in infected soil.

If this pathology is detected at the initial stage, it can be cured. For this, Quadris, sulfur-based preparations, Bordeaux mixture are used.

Root rot

Root rot can be spread when a plant culture is infected with bacteria or fungi. Most often, plant infection occurs when it is transplanted into contaminated soil or when using seeds taken from diseased crops. Signs of pathology:

• in hot hours, the leaves become lighter and begin to dry;
• the root darkens, becomes rotten;
• the plant stops growing;
• the trunk, which is near the ground, dries up, begins to crack.

When the root dies off completely, the plant dies. You can stop the development of the disease with Fitosporin-M.

Gray rot

This disease is manifested by the fact that the leaves, stem and flowers are covered with brown, watery spots, covered with a gray bloom. If the disease progresses, the stem and leaves will dry out, and the plant will cease to bear fruit and die.

When the pathology spreads, the affected areas are treated with a fungicide. The best option is the use of Rovral or Bayleton. All affected parts of the plant are removed and burned.

Mosaic

On defeat cucumber mosaic, leaves begin to turn yellow and curl. If this pathology is not treated, the trunk of the plant begins to dry at the base, and then a crack appears along its entire length. Most often, the first symptomatology appears even on seedlings.In this case, such seedlings should be discarded.

If a mosaic is found, it should be treated immediately: such measures will reduce the activity of development or completely stop the disease. Planting processing should be done with Aktara or Aktellik.

Sclerotinosis

If the bush begins to thin out, most likely it is affected by sclerotinosis. This disease affects all areas of the cucumber plant. A white bloom appears on various parts of the crop, which gradually forms into black spots. In conditions of high humidity, the plant begins to rot.

If watering was stopped during this period, the cucumber stalk begins to dry out, the dry trunk will cover with rotten bloom.

It is advisable to treat the disease only at the stage of spreading white plaque. This should be done using the drug Fitosporin-M.

Powdery mildew

In the absence of treatment for powdery mildew, this pathology dries up the cucumber stem. This disease can be recognized by the following symptoms:

• at the initial stages: distribution on the leaves of a gray bloom, which has a pink tint;
• the appearance of black dots on the leaves, their desiccation and wilting;
• with the further development of pathology, weeping areas form on the roots, black darkening, which causes the base of the stem to dry out, the top of the plant gradually dries up, the culture dies.

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If the stems of the cucumber have dried out or began to dry out, the affected bush should be removed from the site, otherwise powdery mildew will spread to other crops.

Downy mildew

Another name for this disease is peronosporosis. It belongs to the group of fungal pathologies and is spread when used for growing seedlings of infected seeds. The disease most often does not manifest itself on seedlings, but is activated during the formation of a fruiting plant. The disease develops internally, moving from the bottom up. Signs:

• the appearance of oily yellow spots, limited by veins, on the leaves;
• over time, the spots darken, the leaf dries up, the stem is damaged;
• the stem dries from the bottom up, the antennae are damaged;
• the cucumbers die.

It is worth considering that this pathology grows very quickly on cucumbers, so it should be treated immediately - immediately after the detection of the primary symptoms. For treatment, it is necessary to use MC, Cuprosat, Ridomil Gold.

Cladosporium

The reason for the development of this fungal disease is strong temperature drops, accompanied by an increase in the humidity indicator. Infection occurs when a fungus enters a healthy plant culture. The defeat of the plant culture begins with the leaves and stem. The primary symptom of pathology is the spread of olive spots along the leaf and stem.

In advanced cases, fruits are affected, spots form into ulcers, the affected cucumber turns white, and the trunk begins to dry out.

Cladosporiasis should be treated as soon as the spots appear. This is required with the help of a Bordeaux mixture or any preparations based on copper oxychloride. Processing is carried out 4 times a season.

Anthracnose

This disease is characterized by the spread of brown spots throughout the plant. In this case, the plant stops growing, its leaves begin to turn yellow and gradually dry out, and the base of the trunk begins to become thin. The intensification of the spread of the disease occurs when the plant culture is irrigated with cold water, as well as sharp changes in temperature indicators of the environment.

What to do to eliminate anthracnose if the stem begins to thin out? To combat this disease, the plant should be sprayed with 1% Bordeaux mixture once a week before harvesting. It is also required to treat each affected area with copper sulfate in a state of 0.5% solution.After applying copper sulfate, the treated area is sprinkled with coal or lime.

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Pests

Why does the stem dry at the base of cucumbers if there are no signs of pathology on the bush? Pests can cause dry stems in cucumbers. It is worth considering that most of them conduct their life in places invisible to the human eye.

Aphid

This pest is located on the inside of cucumber leaves. The plant reacts to the defeat of aphids by folding. Gradually, the leaves begin to fall off, and the stems crack and dry out. Infection of a plant with aphids is also dangerous by the fact that this insect is a carrier of a huge number of diseases that can aggravate the health of a plant culture. Most often, aphids spread in greenhouse structures, affecting almost all plantings.

In order to get rid of this pest, you need to treat the affected plants with a special solution. It is prepared from 100 grams of laundry soap, 200 grams of lye, 200 grams of wood ash, 10 liters of water. When spraying the plant with the prepared liquid, special attention should be paid to the lower part of the leaf.

Cucumber mosquito defeat

The pest, the cucumber gnat, infects plants growing in a greenhouse. These insects weaken the plant, leading to the formation of root rot. These pests spread during transplanting seedlings, along with contaminated soil or fertilizers. The cucumber gnat inflicts great harm on seedlings. Its larvae damage the stem structure: they make passages inside the seedling material, because of which the planted cucumbers in the greenhouse quickly die: their trunk suffers from cracks and bursts.

Flies

Flies can also affect cucumbers. These insects lay eggs in the ground, which damage the plant as it germinates. The affected plant can be recognized if the surface of the shoots has turned white and acquired a slightly bluish tint.

If you do not fight this pest, the plant begins to dry out gradually. In formed bushes, the top dries first, and in young seedlings, the base of the stem. Gradually, the plant completely dies, it should be removed and burned as soon as possible, and the soil should be disinfected.

All of these diseases and pests can damage not only the stem of the plant, but also its foliage, fruits, flowers. If the summer resident noticed that on one of the plantings in the middle or at the base the stem has cracked, he needs to examine the culture for the presence of symptoms of diseases or pests.

If a plant is damaged in a greenhouse, it is necessary to process all plants, as well as to disinfect the soil. This is due to the fact that under conditions of increased moisture, pathologies quickly spread and can infect new plants. With the timely treatment of plant crops, they will stop drying out, and after recovery they will release a new batch of mustaches.