Why do the edges of the leaves of cucumbers dry and what to do
Cucumbers are considered one of the most common vegetable crops that can be found in summer cottages. Why do cucumber leaves dry in a greenhouse and how to deal with it? There are many reasons why this can happen. Most often, these are various diseases and insects.
Why do cucumber leaves dry
Withering leaves in cucumbers Is a common problem faced by every fifth gardener. Why do cucumbers dry, and what to do to preserve the harvest?
The reasons for the appearance of dry leaves on cucumbers:
- Fungal diseases
Fungal diseases are one of the most common causes of leaf wilting outdoors. A sharp change in climate, prolonged rains, poor ecology - all this can provoke the development of fungi in the beds.
The reason for the yellowing of the leaves in this case is fusarium. Fusarium is characterized by the appearance of small yellow spots on the foliage, which gradually increase in size. As a result, they fall off, and the plant itself begins to die.
- Whitefly
The whitefly lays its eggs in the beds, from which the larvae later hatch. They suck the juices from the leaves of the cucumbers, after which the plants begin to die.
- Aphid
Aphids are one of the most common parasites that cause wilting of cucumber leaves. Just like whitefly larvae, aphids suck the juice from the stems.
- Powdery mildew
Another reason for the wilting of cucumber tops is powdery mildew. First, white spots appear on the tops, then the leaves of the cucumbers dry, and the whole plant gradually dies.
- Cladosporium
Cladosporium infection affects not only the leaves, but also the stem and root system of cucumbers. It starts to become covered with yellow spots and then dries up. Also, the disease affects the fruits themselves.
- White rot (sclerotinia)
With the development of this diseases cucumber leaves in the greenhouse begin to become covered with white bloom. The disease appears when the humidity level in the greenhouse is too high or the temperature is too high.
- Root rot
Root rot can develop due to high soil moisture or cold watering. The first sign of the disease is the appearance of yellow spots around the edges, then the entire leaf begins to dry out. It is impossible to get rid of root rot. If the cucumbers began to get sick with root rot, then it will no longer be possible to save them.
- Ascochitosis
The edge of the leaves may also turn yellow due to ascochitis. The disease affects not only the leaves, but also the fruits and stems.
Why do foliage dry up in cucumbers? What other reasons are there?
It dries for the following reasons:
- Downy mildew;
- Peronosporosis;
- Shields;
- Mealybugs;
- Ticks.
Natural causes
Quite often, the lower leaves of cucumbers can turn yellow for quite natural reasons. This problem is especially common if the seedlings are grown in greenhouse conditions or a greenhouse. You should not worry about this, since this will not affect the amount of the crop. On the contrary, many gardeners recommend cut off the lower yellow leaves of cucumbers.
Another reason is the natural yellowing of old leaves. Most often, these are large lower leaves.
Also, with a lack of nutrients in the soil, the tops of cucumbers in the garden may begin to dry out. In order for the cucumbers to grow healthy, they must be regularly fed with mineral and organic fertilizers.
Frequent watering and waterlogging of the soil, as well as a lack of water, can also be the reasons why cucumber leaves dry. When watering the beds during the day, when the sun's rays are very bright, the leaves can get severe burns. And from this start to turn yellow. In order to prevent the plants from getting burned, it is recommended to water them in the evening, when the sun has already set.
What to do if cucumber leaves dry
First of all, you need to find out the reason why this is happening. And only then you can start treating diseases.
What to do if the leaves of cucumbers dry out due to insects and diseases:
- In order to cure the seedlings from fungal diseases, you can spray them with fungicides. For example, it can be drugs such as copper sulfate, Fitosporin, Bordeaux liquid or Cuproxat.
- From the invasion of insects on plants, you can use such chemicals as Aktara, Fitoverm, Aktellik or Biotlin.
- If the leaves of cucumbers dry up, you can use folk methods. It is undesirable to plant seedlings after pumpkin crops. It is advisable to change the sites for planting seedlings every year.
- Wood ash is very effective in yellowing cucumber tops. Wood ash can be added to the holes where the seedlings will be planted.
- As a preventive measure, if the tops turn yellow, you can use a bread infusion. Soak one loaf of bread in a bucket of warm water. The next day, knead the bread and add 1 bottle of iodine. Dilute the resulting gruel with water and water the plants closer to the trunk with it.
- What to do, if yellow spots appeared on cucumber leaves? The disease can be overcome with a decoction of onion peel. It can be made as follows: pour onion skins with 1 liter of water and put on fire. Boil for 20 minutes. Then leave the broth overnight to infuse. Dilute in 10 liters of water and pour over the tops with this broth. It is very important to make sure that the onion broth gets on the yellowed tips of the foliage.
- If the edges of the leaves begin to turn yellow due to fungal diseases, then soda will help in this case. 100 g dilute soda in 10 liters of warm water. Water the resulting solution, both green and dry leaves.
- If the foliage of cucumbers dries up, then you can treat them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. 50 gr. Dilute potassium permanganate in 4 liters of water. All bushes need to be treated with a solution 3 times a week. Instead of potassium permanganate, you can also use ordinary kefir. The most favorable time for spraying is evening. If you process cucumbers during the day, they can get burned.
How to treat cucumbers with natural yellowing of the leaves
Sometimes the gardener himself is to blame for the fact that the leaves of the cucumbers begin to turn yellow. What to do in this case and how to treat cucumbers?
- First of all, if the leaves are damaged by marginal yellowing, then you need to check if the bushes have enough moisture. Cucumbers are moisture-loving, and they need to be watered abundantly. Especially if the weather is hot and dry. After watering, the soil around the trunks can be covered with fresh grass. The grass will retain moisture and also provide extra warmth to the root system.
- Leaves can also dry out due to excessive moisture. For a while, you will need to stop watering until the soil is completely dry.
- The tops can dry out due to a lack of nutrients in the soil. Mineral and organic fertilizers need to be alternated, otherwise the bushes will begin to grow deciduous mass, and the fruits will stop forming. Wood ash is a good fertilizer. You can simply sprinkle it on the ground in cucumber beds.
Why do cucumber leaves dry up in a greenhouse
When growing cucumbers in a greenhouse, gardeners are often faced with yellowing of the tops. The most important reason for wilting is the wrong soil. Most often, when cultivating seedlings in greenhouse conditions, ordinary soil from the beds is used. But this soil is only suitable for open ground.
For greenhouses and greenhouses, you must use a substrate that contains:
- Peat;
- Urea;
- Compost;
- Wood ash;
- Urea;
- Wood sawdust.
You can also resort to hydroponics. The essence of this method is that each seedling is grown in a separate container and the stems practically do not come into contact with the soil. It is very important to provide good lighting for the bushes.
The advantage of hydroponics is that cucumbers do not rot with this type of cultivation, and the leaves do not turn yellow.
Before using any method to restore seedlings, take a good look at the leaves, make sure that you have correctly identified the cause of wilting. I most often have this problem due to fungus.