selection of the variety
When buying seeds, a mistake can be made. The catch is this. There are parthenocarpics – cucumbers that do not require pollination by bees and varietal options (pollinated).
The former are more often planted in a greenhouse, the latter in the open field. Cucumbers pollinated by insects are definitely tastier and more fragrant. But why?! This is just my opinion.
Therefore, if you plant a pollinated variety in a greenhouse, do not be surprised that there are ovaries, but they do not grow, dry out and fall off. This leads to another error (see below).
Spray with sugar syrup
Here you will find the following recommendation: “To attract bees and bumblebees for pollination, spray the flowers and leaves with sugar syrup.” Such a recommendation brings no benefit, and the damage can be considerable.
Weak in concentration “syrup” attracts ants, flies and wasps. But bumblebees and bees will definitely not come. And a solution that is highly concentrated, firstly, getting into the flower, damages the pistil and you can not expect ovaries at all.
Secondly, it also causes damage to the leaves after the sweet liquid begins to dry out.
irrigation
Cucumbers love it, but it is advisable to water it with warm water. Fill in barrels, the water will warm up during the day, and the water in the evening. Cold water can contribute to the fact that cucumbers have a “waist” – they will be narrowed in the middle. Another such accident can occur due to temperature fluctuations day and night. In the open field it is more difficult to cope with this than in a greenhouse.
Again, uneven watering and frequent drying out of the soil leads to deformation of the fruits. The blame for this is not the dry land itself, but the fact that in such conditions insects can over-pollinate hybrids, and as a result there are a lot of snags and no cucumbers.
It turns out that improper watering is almost the main mistake. In cucumbers, the roots are located close to the surface of the earth. And from rare watering, they quickly dry out. Therefore, watered “swings”, when they are “sometimes empty, sometimes dense”, are the cause not only of diseases, but also of a sharp drop in yield.
If it is not possible to water regularly, there is only one way out – mulching.
Not supplementary
Cucumbers are not fed like tomatoes. They have a special approach. They love organic matter because it contains a lot of potassium, calcium and nitrogen. And despite the lush foliage, cucumbers do not need a lot of nitrogen, they need more potassium.
A lack of potassium can result in fruits whose tips resemble a beak. A lack of potassium is also an important cause of the ovaries dying and the marginal yellowing of the leaves.
So, for a good harvest, you do not need to be lazy, but add humus and compost to the beds. And add dolomite flour, as it contains both calcium and magnesium. However, it is completely pointless to stick various herbs into holes and furrows.
Too much fertilizer
And one more thing about feeding. Here you will also find information about fertilizing with ammonium nitrate, ammonia.
You work with some vegetables. But not on cucumbers! Well, cucumbers do not like acidic soil, and such fertilizers make it very acidic. No growth, in the end no harvest.
