Why do cucumbers turn yellow when opened? Why small cucumbers turn yellow in a greenhouse: possible reasons. What to do if cucumber leaves turn yellow

Almost every gardener faces a problem when cucumbers, leaves or ovaries turn yellow in a greenhouse. There are many reasons for this. AiF.ru asked experts what this means and what needs to be done to improve the situation.

“Most often the leaves or ovaries get sick. If the fruit turns yellow, then most likely it is a lack of microelements and nutrition. Perhaps there is not enough nitrogen. In this case, it is necessary to alternate root and foliar feeding,” says breeder Lyubov Chistyakova.

Biologist and agronomist Mikhail Vorobiev also believes that yellowing leaves and ovaries indicate a lack of nutrition. “Cucumbers turn yellow only in one case, when they are overripe. Then the skin acquires a yellowish tint, and the pulp becomes completely tasteless, although edible. It happens that it is not the cucumbers themselves that turn yellow prematurely, but the ovaries. This is when a vegetable flower blooms, a small fruit appears, and then it turns yellow and falls off. This means that the plant does not have enough nutrients. Cucumbers are very sensitive to soil fertility. If the soil does not have enough nutrition, the plant simply gets rid of excess cucumbers. They die on their own early stage. This is, of course, offensive. If you notice such a disgrace, the plant needs to be fed. Most best option— fertilize the soil with horse manure diluted in water 1:10 and let it sit for a couple of days, or better yet a week. If it is not there, then the most common fertilizer such as Nitrofaski, Azofoska or Gomel fertilizer,” says Vorobiev.

Why do cucumber leaves turn yellow?

The problem when leaves turn yellow also directly depends on the condition of the soil. Gardener and designer Olga Voronova explains this phenomenon for three reasons. If the castings are yellow and the veins are green, then there is not enough iron; if completely yellow, without veins, there is little calcium in the soil. Sudden changes in temperature in the greenhouse can also provoke yellowing.

“The greenhouse is such a stressful place, in which any vegetables are not very comfortable. And here it is very important what material it is made of, since cucumbers react to any change in the weather and even to the change of day and night. If cucumbers have suffered some kind of climatic stress, then the plants lose nutrients, including iron and calcium. Processes slow down and fruits temporarily stop absorbing useful material from the soil,” explains Voronova.

If this problem is detected, the leaves should be treated with epin and zircon, and the next day the leaves should be sprayed with a preparation containing calcium, the expert recommends.

This year we planted F1 “Zyatek” cucumber seedlings in the greenhouse. According to the description on the bag, they should form from 2 to 8 fruits in each leaf axil. Fruiting has already begun, but some ovaries are turning yellow and drying out. Why is this happening? The leaves on the plants are green, large, and no pests are visible.

Bundle hybrids of cucumbers, namely, “Zyatek” belongs to them, in last years became very popular. Indeed, a lot of ovaries are formed in the axils of the leaves, but rarely does anyone succeed in preserving them all. If we exclude the attack of pests and the development of any diseases, then we can name several reasons for the yellowing and drying of greens. Let's try to find out why cucumbers turn yellow in a greenhouse.

This is what the ovaries of bunched cucumbers should look like

Reason one: plants are planted too densely

They simply do not have enough food area, so they cannot feed all their numerous offspring. In particular, for “Zyatek” cucumbers, the recommended distance between neighboring plants is 50 cm, which means planting them closer, even with a vertical growing method, is not necessary. For each specific variety or hybrid, this information is indicated in the description on the bag.

Reason two: plants do not form

Many novice vegetable growers allow cucumbers to grow arbitrarily; they think that pinching certain vines will reduce the yield. As a result, thickets of intertwined vines with large leaves are formed in the greenhouse, through which sunlight penetrates with difficulty. In such conditions, not some of the cucumbers may dry out, but almost all of them - the cucumbers turn yellow and fall off. The formation of cucumbers is simple: you need to pluck out the stepsons completely from the axils of the lower 3-5 leaves. The higher shoots should be pinched after the second leaf. Stepchildren of the second order, which will begin to form from the axils of the leaves of the non-main vine, should remove the growth point after the formation of the first leaf.

Cucumbers in the greenhouse are turning yellow, what should I do?

Reason three: improper feeding

If at first the cucumbers are usually fed with fermented manure, i.e. mainly nitrogen, then with the beginning of fruiting the needs of plants change, they already require both potassium and phosphorus. Therefore, it is necessary to add superphosphate and ash to infusions of herbs or mullein. You can use a complex fertilizer, for example, “Kemira” or similar.

Reason four: fruits that have grown to the size stated by the manufacturer are not removed in a timely manner.

Overgrown fruits (or one fruit) greatly retards the development of the remaining ovaries. For bunched cucumbers, the presence of an overgrowth, even an extra 2 hours on the vine, affects the greens.

Something in the growing conditions has changed, so the cucumber fruits that began to grow partially turned yellow

Reason five: you may need a pollinator

Modern hybrids and varieties are predominantly parthenocarpic and do not require pollinators. Bee-pollinated varieties and hybrids need to be replanted with 1 or several (depending on the size of the greenhouse) pollinator plants, i.e. cucumbers of other varieties having and male flowers. In the latter case, care must also be taken to attract pollinating insects.

A little about care

The soil on which bunch cucumbers grow must be fertilized, loose and always moist. These plants need to be fed weekly, but an excess of nitrogen can lead to a decrease in the number of ovaries. In unfavorable weather conditions (for example, prolonged cloudy weather, i.e. lack of sunlight, or a sharp cold snap), it is advisable to spray cucumbers with Epin-Extra or Zircon. To speed up the filling of greens in the greenhouse, you can install a container with fermenting manure or grass. The “aroma,” of course, will be specific, but the carbon dioxide released necessary for plants for photosynthesis, will significantly increase the growth rate of fruits.

If agricultural practices are followed, the likelihood of getting a decent harvest of cucumbers is very high.

And finally

All plants bloom “with reserve”, which means they form more ovaries than they can feed, so the drying out of some of them is normal.
We hope that our explanations will be useful and you will be able to save maximum amount greens in each bunch.

Today I would like to dwell on the problem of yellowing of small cucumbers in greenhouse plants. It is also found in our greenhouse, although it is isolated in nature.

There may be several serious reasons behind the yellowing and subsequent cessation of development of the ovary:

1. Failure to comply with crop rotation. It would seem that it sounds banal. But if the beds with the same crops on the site can be swapped, then in a fixed greenhouse they need to be changed every time upper layer soil - and this is not only expensive, but also troublesome. To some extent, planting green manure at the end of the next season will help reduce the negative effect of non-compliance with crop rotation. Mustard is very good in this regard - it is not afraid of autumn frosts, kills pathogens in surface layer soil, structures the soil, acts as an excellent green fertilizer.
2. Massive yellowing of the ovary often indicates poor soil. In the fall, fill the soil with humus or compost with the obligatory addition of wood ash.
3. Yellowing of small cucumbers may indicate flaws in agricultural technology. Due to circumstances, each of us is forced to work and bear a lot of different family responsibilities. Hence, shortcomings in care may arise - they missed the next watering, they forgot or were unable to open the greenhouse in the heat or close it in the cold, they did not loosen the soil and weed weeds on time. It would seem like nonsense, but that means a lot. Greenhouse cucumbers it is necessary to water more often than ground ones (up to 5 times a week). IN cold weather It is advisable to perform the procedure in the morning, and in the evening in hot weather.
4. The yellowing of cucumbers is caused by prolonged cold weather, when the temperature drops to +10...+15 C. As a result, the plants absorb nutrients from the soil much worse, and they are no longer evenly distributed to all ovaries. In such a situation, spraying with complex mineral fertilizers by leaves.
5. A common cause of yellowing of the ovary is excessive thickening of plantings. As a result, air movement between plants is disrupted, temperature and moisture stagnation increase, and lighting levels decrease. In such crowded conditions, fungal and viral infections are more likely to occur (they love damp, stagnant air).
6. Almost all modern hybrids that can be found on sale are characterized by increased productivity. On some individual bushes, from 100 to 150 ovaries can form per season. It is clear that no amount of feeding will allow all of them to finally form into adult cucumbers. Therefore, on such plants it is better to immediately remove excess flowers so that they do not distract the plant’s strength (leave no more than 20 ovaries at a time).
7. In some cases, the appearance of small yellow cucumbers is the result of improper feeding, as a result of which the emphasis was placed on some micro- and macroelements, while others, on the contrary, are practically not supplied. Periodic addition of wood ash will help resolve the situation. In addition to potassium, it contains many elements useful for cucumbers.
8. If you have planted bee-pollinated varieties in a greenhouse (parthenocarpic hybrids also sometimes act strangely), then be sure to monitor pollination. Open doors and windows regularly, do not be lazy to pollinate manually.

In our country, a noticeable yellowing of the greens occurred in 2017, when the weather presented a lot of surprises. Nevertheless, the overall harvest was successful.

Obtaining a bountiful harvest of cucumbers can only be guaranteed by a well-structured combination important factors: well prepared soil, sufficient light and moisture, use of quality seeds, proper feeding plants. But even if all these conditions are met, gardeners often encounter the fact that cucumber seedlings turn yellow, only the fruits that have set wither, and the foliage dries out or becomes stained.

Why do cucumber seedlings turn yellow?

As a rule, cucumber seeds are germinated either in separate containers placed on window sills, or directly in a greenhouse, planted on permanent place further growth. If seedlings grown in room conditions, then the reason for this may be the following factors:

• excessive fertilizing with mineral fertilizers, or, on the contrary, a lack of a number of microelements: manganese, nitrogen, zinc. It is important to remember that in the first weeks after germination, cucumbers do not consume a large number of nutrients, so there is a possibility of “nitrogen poisoning”;


• insufficient moisture and sunlight also cause changes in the pigmentation of leaves, promotes elongation of stems and weakening of plants;


• if the seedlings are located in a room where stability cannot be ensured temperature regime within 17-20 degrees Celsius, this leads to the leaves becoming limp and the plants dying;


• Experienced gardeners have noticed that the use of foam containers or stands for pots can also cause cucumbers to . To avoid the effects of chemical compounds on plant roots, it is enough to cover the foam with a layer of cling film.

Why do cucumbers turn yellow in a greenhouse?

To solve problems with the health of greenhouse plants, you first need to pay attention to the watering technique: cucumber leaves can turn yellow both with an acute lack of moisture and with extreme dryness of the soil. In addition, this vegetable crop does not tolerate watering cold water on a hot day and reacts extremely negatively to direct contact with drops of water on fruit ovaries and foliage.

Changes in the pigmentation of leaves of mature plants can signal a lack of nutrients:

• if a yellow-brown border appears along the edges of the leaves, it means there is not enough potassium in the soil;


• Pale, thinned or misshapen leaves indicate nitrogen deficiency. When fertilizing with such fertilizer, it is important to remember to strictly adhere to the dose so that excess amounts of nitrates do not accumulate in vegetables;


• the appearance of a “marble” pattern in the form of dark and light spots scattered over the surface of the leaf is a sign of a lack of magnesium.

Also, do not lose sight of the fact that sometimes cucumbers turn yellow due to lack of fresh air when the greenhouse is rarely ventilated; damage to the root system by various garden pests or diseases; sudden changes in day and night temperatures or the presence of drafts.

Why do cucumbers turn yellow in open ground?

Ground plants usually turn yellow for the same reasons as greenhouse plants: watering with too cold water, dripping on leaves and flowers, as well as lack or excess of moisture; nutritional deficiencies; frosts at night.

But in addition to the reasons listed, there may be several additional factors that explain why cucumber leaves and fruits turn yellow.

Yellowing of cucumber ovaries may be due to improper formation of the bush: sometimes gardeners forget or simply do not know that plants need to be pinched as they grow and the side shoots, “tendrils” and ovaries removed from the axils of the lower leaves. These simple measures promote good ventilation of the root system and prevent cucumbers from growing too much and shading each other.

Green crispy cucumbers are not easy to find among the same green foliage: walking along the bed with a basket, on the way back you see that you missed some fruits. But sometimes the leaves lose their rich color and turn yellow - what to do about it? Is the reason due to illness, and do you need to urgently run to the store for “chemicals”, or will gentler methods help?

Yellowing of leaves is an alarming signal for the gardener

The color of healthy cucumber tops is deep green, and any change in color should alert you. This is always a signal that some disturbances have occurred in the metabolic processes of the plant. How serious they are, what was the root cause and how to correct the situation, the table below will tell you.

Table: causes of yellowing leaves in cucumbers and ways to solve the problem

It is worth noting that yellowing most often affects the lower leaves of the cucumber - in this case, you should not worry too much: it is beneficial for the plant, first of all, to preserve the upper leaves and ovaries. If measures are taken in a timely manner, the yellowing will not spread further and the crop will not be damaged.

Photo gallery: determine the cause of yellowing of cucumber leaves by their appearance

In autumn, cucumber vines naturally wither Ascochyta blight - fungal disease This leaf has changed color due to the tobacco mosaic virus. The whitefly sucks the juice from the cucumber leaf, leading to its depletion. If the cucumber leaves are not watered properly, they suffer from sunburn. Downy mildew is very dangerous. Nutrient deficiency affects the color of the cucumber leaves. The lower leaves get very little light, and they turn yellow This is what a cucumber leaf looks like when infected with cladosporiosis

Video: yellow border due to potassium deficiency in cucumbers

As you can see, there are an impressive number of reasons for the yellowing of cucumber leaves, but there are also ways to eliminate each of them. In addition, preventive measures help to avoid many problems:

• avoiding dense plantings,
• ventilation of greenhouses,
• timely watering with warm water,
• planned treatments with fungicides,
• installation of pest traps.

By carefully observing your garden, you can notice the problem at its earliest stage and solve it with minimal losses. Yellowing of cucumber leaves is most often eliminated by correcting errors in crop farming practices; special means like chemicals. We hope that the recommendations given in the article will be enough to find a way out of any situation.