Why do cucumber leaves turn yellow? How to help? Cucumber leaves turn yellow, what to do, folk remedies

Every summer resident grows cucumbers in his garden; this is one of the most popular products, which is consumed both fresh and stored for the winter. Losing a green crop is a disaster. However, these crops often have a problem such as yellowing of leaves. Let's figure out why the leaves on cucumbers turn yellow, what agricultural practices need to be followed, and what treatment is safe to prevent yellowing of leaves.

7 main reasons why leaves on cucumbers turn yellow, prevention and treatment

They can turn yellow the most different ways- along the edges, completely, either the upper leaves or the lower ones, and sometimes both the ovaries and the fruits themselves change color. There are many reasons for this, and almost all of them indicate that measures to save the harvest need to be taken as quickly as possible. Different reasons – different actions, therefore, it is necessary to thoroughly understand why the leaves of a cucumber turn yellow.

7 problems that cause leaves on cucumbers to turn yellow:

1. Lack of sun. If the lower tops of a crop turn yellow, this is normal. Most likely, they simply do not have enough light, which is natural, because the cucumber bush grows both in breadth and height, and, naturally, the bottom row is deprived of the sun. In this case, you should simply cut off the lower leaves; this will not cause any harm to the crop.
2. Lack/excess of humidity. Cucumber bushes are very sensitive to both excess and lack of water. Of course, this is a moisture-loving crop, so it needs watering at least 3 times a week, and quite abundantly, with deep soaking of the soil. And if the summer is hot and dry, then abundant irrigation is recommended every day. Otherwise, the roots will begin to look for moisture on the surface and pull out their roots, which will naturally dry out. But gherkins don’t like constant rain either - it can cause rotting of both roots and stems, as well as the appearance of powdery mildew.
3. Pests. Three pests especially noticeably destroy the crop: spider mite, whitefly and aphids. They feed on the sap of the plant, as a result of which the cucumber tops turn yellow. If a pest is detected, you need to immediately start fighting it - you can use biological remedies (Macrolophus bugs), but first use folk recipes.
4. Fungus. Yellowing of the foliage of a crop can also be caused by various fungal diseases. Most often this occurs due to temperature changes - for example, it is hot during the day, and at night there is a sharp drop in temperature and the earth cools down greatly. During this period, you should pay more attention to cucumber plantings. Most often, cucumbers are affected by peronosporosis (false powdery mildew) - when this fungus appears, the foliage is first covered with rusty spots, then the entire leaf is covered with such “rust”, after which it dies and falls off. This dangerous fungus not only easily overwinters in soil and plant debris, but also spreads with seeds. So buy your seeds from trusted sources.
5. Lack of nutrients. The reason, frankly speaking, is unlikely, but still exists. This problem is easily solved by fertilizing, which must be applied to compensate for the deficiency; it is only important to correctly determine which elements the crop lacks. So, for example, if the top leaves turn yellow and fall off, then most likely there is a lack of copper, but if the edges turn yellow, then the cucumber additionally needs potassium and magnesium. And if the leaf is yellow and its veins are green, then this indicates a lack of manganese or iron.
6. Hypothermia. Seedlings planted in an unheated bed in open ground often not only “freezes” and does not begin to grow, but reacts by yellowing of the tops. Often in this case, a yellow border appears on the leaves - the roots cannot absorb magnesium.
7. Old age. The most “not scary” reason for yellow leaves, because by this point large percentage the harvest has already been harvested. Although here there are some options on how to prolong the fruiting of a cucumber.

We prevent the appearance of yellow leaves on cucumber bushes

But, no matter what the reason is as a result of the yellowing of leaves on cucumbers, it is much easier to prevent it than to directly treat the plant when it has already happened. Preventive measures should include comprehensive care behind the cucumber bed. What are they?

1. Maintaining crop rotation. This is the primary action to avoid fungal diseases of cucumber. Firstly, you should not plant cucumbers in the same bed in a row for several years, and secondly, you should not plant them in a bed where zucchini and pumpkins previously grew.
2. Timely and sufficient watering. A cucumber cannot live without moisture. If it is not possible to carry out abundant watering several times a week, then care should be taken to mulch the beds. First you need to saturate the soil with water, and then cover the cucumber beds with mown grass and picked weeds - they will not only retain moisture longer, but will also create a good microclimate and additional nutrition for the cucumber.
3. Feeding cucumber bushes with organic matter and ash infusion. It is necessary to water the cucumber beds with herbal infusion - it will provide the necessary nutrients. It is also good to use ash - pour a little of it into the holes at the root; it will not only act as a source of potassium for the plant, but will also protect it from certain types of pests.
4. Preventive spraying of bushes using solutions and infusions prepared according to folk recipes. Here are some of them:

• Soak a loaf of bread in a bucket of water and leave it overnight. In the morning you need to crumble it in water, add iodine (a small bottle). One liter of this infusion is again diluted in a bucket of water and it is used to water and spray the cucumbers. This must be done 2 times a month, then until October the cucumbers will be green and vigorous.
• Iodine (about 30 drops), ordinary soap (about 20 g), and milk (1 liter) are diluted in 10 liters of water. The tops are sprayed with this solution for the first time - when the third leaf appears on the shoot, and then at regular intervals 4 times a month.
• For 10 liters of water take 1 tbsp. baking soda or biosoda. This solution should be used to treat the crops in June; it will prevent possible fungal diseases.
• Place onion peels in 10 liters of water, bring to a boil, and then leave for half a day under the lid. After this, the infusion is filtered through cheesecloth, and a solution for spraying is prepared: the resulting infusion (2 parts) is diluted with water (8 parts). They moisten not only the top, but also bottom side leaves, it’s also a good idea to spill them on the ground.

What to do if the leaves still turn yellow

Sometimes it happens that preventive measures they didn’t have time to apply, or they didn’t fit, and the plant’s foliage still turns yellow. Should you pick off the leaves on cucumbers if yellow spots appear or white coating?

Until the stem is affected and the plant contains the infection, then such leaves must be removed. But under no circumstances should you twist them from the bush or pull them. You just need to carefully cut them off and take them to the compost bin. In addition, a number of the following procedures are used:

1. Spraying with a solution using fermented milk products. For 10 liters of water take 2 liters of whey and kefir.
2. Spraying with infusion using hay. To do this, the hay is soaked in plain water, taking them in equal parts, for 48 hours. It is enough to carry out the spraying procedure three times with an interval of 5-7 days. You can also add aerated compost tea here.
3. Feeding from weed infusion and humus. Both of these natural fertilizers apply under the roots. The effect of root feeding can be enhanced by foliar feeding - by spraying with growth stimulants (Zircon, Epin-Extra, Novosil, HB-101) mixed with humates or EMs.
4. Biological drugs, such as trichodermin, are used in the fight against fungi and bacteria. They are safe for animals and humans. But it is extremely important to observe the recommended proportions, otherwise, instead of increasing the growth of the plant, you will get its inhibition.

Finally, it would be useful to remind you that greens grow and ripen very quickly, so it is dangerous to use chemicals to treat plants. A folk remedies And correct agricultural technology will help you save your harvest if you notice yellowing of the cucumber foliage in time. We hope you now understand why the leaves on cucumbers turn yellow and what needs to be done to protect the plants.

Cucumbers are a very sensitive and delicate crop. If landing and further care If they are cared for incorrectly, the plants begin to hurt, and the leaves dry out and turn yellow. Almost every vegetable grower faces the problem of yellowing leaves, so the question of why cucumber leaves turn yellow has always been very acute and relevant. First of all, it is necessary to determine the cause of this condition of the plants, and only then find out how to treat the cucumbers so that the leaves do not turn yellow, and how to save the harvest.

The reasons for yellowing of cucumber leaves can be both natural and agrotechnical.

Insufficient lighting

As trivial as it may sound, very often the lower leaves turn yellow precisely from lack of light. The tops of cucumbers tend to grow strongly, forming a real jungle through which the sun's rays cannot penetrate. Often this problem does not affect the yield in any way, so the only thing that can be done in this case is to periodically pick off the leaves that have lost their color.

Improper garden bed organization

If cucumbers are planted in an area where early morning and the sun is actively shining until sunset, there is a high probability that not only the leaves of the plants, but also the embryos will begin to turn yellow - they will simply dry out under the scorching rays. When growing cucumbers in open ground It is better to choose an area where the sun shines in the first half of the day, and in the afternoon the plantings are in partial shade.

Insufficient or excessive soil moisture

Both factors negatively affect the condition of cucumber greens. In hot summers, plants may not have enough moisture, and the roots will make their way to the surface of the soil to get it, which leads to drying of the roots and, accordingly, yellowing of the leaves. Heavy rainfall or frequent watering are no less harmful for cucumbers - in this case, the roots begin to rot, and the shoots and leaves turn yellow.

Ascochyta blight

This disease most often manifests itself on greenhouse cucumbers, but sometimes it can also affect plants in open ground. The disease affects mainly hybrid and unadapted varieties of cucumbers. The disease develops during the fruiting period and appears as gray or brown spots on all parts of plants, and the edges of the leaves simultaneously dry out and become deformed.

Pests

Aphids, spider mites and other insects feed on the greenery of plants, squeezing all the juices out of them, causing the leaves to become damaged and dry out at the edges. The only way to combat this problem is to treat the beds with insecticides or other alternative methods.

Fungal flora

ABOUT fungal disease(fusarium, pythiosis) are indicated by small brown spots on the leaves, which gradually increase their area until the entire leaf turns red and falls off.

In this case, only spraying at the very initial stage can help. That is why you need to carefully monitor changes in the weather - fungi appear when there is a sharp change in temperature, for example, when intense heat is replaced by heavy rains.

Nutrient deficiencies

If the edges of cucumber leaves turn yellow and dry out, this means they lack potassium or magnesium. If green veins remain on a yellowed leaf, this is a sign of a lack of manganese and iron. With copper deficiency, cucumber leaves turn yellow at the top, while the bottom remains green. The situation can be corrected with the help of vitamin supplements.

Plant aging

This is not even a reason, but a natural process. Sooner or later, a bed of cucumbers becomes old: flowers and embryos no longer appear, and the leaves become coarser and dry out at the edges. Usually by this time the harvest has already been harvested, the preparations have been made, and the dried tops can simply be removed from the row. If you want to pick fresh cucumbers until autumn, you should use various agrotechnical techniques that prolong the life of cucumbers.

You also need to take into account that each specific variety, when grown in the garden, needs special conditions and care. Absence suitable conditions is another reason why cucumber leaves turn yellow.

What to do

Cucumbers do not have a developed root system - their roots are located very close to the soil surface, and therefore often dry out from insufficient moisture. This is the most common cause Why do the leaves of cucumbers planted in the ground turn yellow?

In a normal summer with periodic rains, the cucumber beds are watered 2-3 times a week. During abnormal heat, plants need to be watered daily and sprinkling of shoots. These procedures are performed only in the evening or early morning, since leaves that have been exposed to water may get burned by the sun.

When the daytime temperature drops below 25 °C, there is no need for sprinkling; it is enough to simply water the bushes well at the root.

It is important to understand that excessive humidity, including sprinkling cool weather can provoke the appearance of fungi on plants.

Cucumbers, like everyone else pumpkin crops, are susceptible to putrefactive diseases that appear during the fruiting period. White rot often affects shoots at the roots, as well as unripe fruits, forming a white coating on the cucumber embryo. Due to damage to the stems at the base, the supply stops useful substances from the soil, so the leaves turn yellow and dry out. If brown spots and yellowed edges begin to appear on the leaves, this is also a sign of a putrefactive process. Cucumbers can be treated for this scourge with special drugs, such as Trichodermin and its analogues. As a rule, these are powders that are diluted in water and used for spraying or watering.

If cucumbers are damaged by pests (mites, aphids), the drugs “Iskra”, “Photosporin”, “Kornevin” will help save the crop. Folk remedies are also suitable:

• ash and laundry soap– from 2 glasses of ash, half a piece of grated soap and 10 liters of water you need to make a solution and spray the plants;
• infusion of celandine – 200 g of dried leaves pour 10 l hot water, leave for 2 days and spray the tops.

Sometimes cucumber plantings die due to insufficient pollination. If you are growing hybrid varieties, then you need to understand that they sometimes form only female inflorescences. In this case, the flower dries up and falls off while still in the bud, since pollination has not occurred. You can solve the problem by planting another variety of cucumbers nearby male flowers, as well as insect access.

It is equally important to provide the plants with the necessary nutrients. Those cucumbers that grow on poor soil especially need feeding. sandy soils. You can often see cucumbers with green leaves growing in the country, but their edges are dried out and curled. To solve this problem, watering with vitamin mixtures, spraying with a solution of Bordeaux mixture or copper oxychloride are used - these drugs replenish the deficiency of missing elements and give plants strength.

Experienced vegetable growers advise spraying the garden bed with whey when the leaves turn yellow. If it is not available, you can prepare a solution from 2 liters of kefir and 10 liters of water. To make the fruit set faster, it is recommended to add a couple of tablespoons of sugar to the milk fertilizer.

You can also add humus under the roots of cucumbers, or water them with so-called “green” fertilizer, which is a solution of fermented grass. These are simple and effective organic fertilizers will help prolong the fruiting of cucumbers and get high yield.

Video “Processing cucumbers if the leaves turn yellow”

It is the most popular vegetable grown in the gardens of our compatriots. What makes it so is its unpretentiousness in care and high yield. However, it often happens that the leaves of the plant turn yellow and become covered with spots.

What kind of phenomenon is this: an illness or a violation of the rules of care, does it need to be treated and with what? Let's try to figure it out.

Yellowing of leaves of cucumber seedlings

Self-cultivation Picking cucumbers is not a very troublesome task, but it requires certain skills and knowledge. Often, beginning gardeners are faced with the problem of yellowing of the first leaves that have just appeared. There is no need to panic - often such problems are not a consequence of plant disease and can be solved quite simply if you notice the first signs in time.

Why does this happen

So, why does it happen that at some point the edges of the leaves begin to dry out? Most often, this phenomenon makes itself felt when the second leaf appears on the shoot; in this case, the first one begins to dry out and become yellowish; there may be several reasons for this:

• Violation of the regime, excess, but more often lack of moisture.

Did you know? It turns out that the prickly tubercles on young fruits act as a kind of sweat glands for the vegetable and are designed to remove excess moisture.

• Insufficient lighting.
• A sharp change in temperature - the soil should not be allowed to cool to a temperature below 17 ° C, since in this case root system plants cannot obtain from nutrients.
• Lack of nitrogen and potassium or imbalance in the soil.
• Tight containers for seedlings.

What to do

If you notice that the leaves of cucumber seedlings have begun to turn yellow, you need to find out the reason in order to know what to do next:

Important! Very often, in order to keep seedlings at a comfortable temperature, gardeners use polystyrene foam, which during manufacturing is treated with special impregnations that release toxic substances into the atmosphere. The plant can be poisoned by these toxins, which leads to yellowing of the foliage.

Cucumber leaves turn yellow on the windowsill (balcony)

Or in an apartment it is practiced by those who like to enjoy fresh vegetables even out of season, or by those who do not have summer cottage. Very often in such cases a problem arises with the leaves of the plant; they begin to turn yellow and dry out; there are few reasons why this happens.

The solution to the problem is to eliminate errors in care.

• It is important to follow the watering schedule. Cucumbers grown at home are watered as moisture-loving ones. houseplants: 1 time per week, but generously, making sure that there is no stagnation of water. Otherwise, the root system will begin to rot, and the leaves will continue to turn yellow and dry.
• Establishing an adequate humidity regime in the room. To do this, you need to regularly spray the leaves of the plant, and it would also be a good idea to build some kind of greenhouse by stretching the film over the window.
• Be sure to regularly fertilize the crop.
• Buy quality ready soil, or, if the soil is taken from the garden, spill it with a solution.

Yellowing of cucumber leaves in a greenhouse

Many gardeners are engaged in growing cucumbers indoors, and many of them have probably encountered at least once that the foliage unexpectedly turns yellow. However, not everyone knows what causes this phenomenon and what needs to be done to prevent it.

Did you know? It turns out that the first greenhouse cucumbers appeared in Ancient Rome because the Roman ruler Tiberius expressed a desire to see a fresh, crisp vegetable on his table every day.

Why does this happen

The reasons for the yellowness and drying of leaves of cucumbers in a greenhouse are similar to the previous cases, although they have their own specifics:

What to do

• It is necessary to provide additional insulation of the greenhouse in case frost returns.
• Maintain an adequate indoor microclimate: moderate temperature at all times, high humidity, ventilation.
• Periodically add microelements to plants; you can use any industrially produced universal mineral fertilizer.
• It is important to remember that the reason for the deterioration of the foliage of a plant may be associated with the manifestation of diseases characteristic of a given crop: root rot, bacteriosis, a number of other fungal diseases. To combat these ailments, industrial products are used in parallel with the normalization of humidity and the removal of affected plants.

Cucumber leaves turn yellow in open ground

Garden cucumbers are the most resistant, but also more susceptible to external factors than others., so the appearance of yellowness on the leaves is quite common for them.

Prematurely yellowed leaves of cucumbers are a problem that signals a plant disease, which will certainly affect its yield. To avoid the death of the plant and maintain a high yield, you must first understand why exactly the leaves of cucumbers turn yellow. And there may be several reasons for such an unsightly phenomenon. About the most common of them, as well as what to do if cucumber leaves turned yellow, and will be discussed further.

Why do cucumber leaves turn yellow - the main reasons

Experts identify several main reasons that can cause yellowing of cucumber tops. One of the most common is improper watering. Moreover, this can be either a lack of moisture or its excess. So, too little water leads to drying and yellowing of the leaves. And abundant watering erodes the root system, the roots of cucumbers rise to the surface where they are exposed to aggressive external factors, for example, direct sun rays. In addition, the leaves of cucumbers turn yellow even if cold water When watering on a hot sunny day, the surface gets on them and leads to a burn. Therefore, it is recommended to water cucumbers in the early morning or evening hours, when the sun is no longer so aggressive.

The next reason why cucumber leaves turn yellow is also associated with the sun, or rather, with its lack. If the lower part of the tops in the middle of the bed is yellowed, then, most likely, this is due to the banal death of leaves due to lack of light. This process is absolutely natural and does not require any action on the part of the gardener. But if the cucumber leaves are covered yellow spots, reminiscent of rust, then this is already a reason to sound the alarm. As a rule, this is a sign that the cucumbers have been affected by a fungal infection, such as pythiosis or fusarium. In this case, the leaves will quickly turn yellow and dry out, and then fall off.

Cucumber leaves can also turn yellow due to insect pests. For example, a spider mite sucks out all the juices from a plant, which first leads to yellowing of the tops and then to the death of the plant. Also, the condition and color of the tops is greatly affected by the lack of minerals in the soil and the lack of timely feeding. For example, a lack of potassium and magnesium is reflected in the yellowing of the leaf edges.

The leaves of cucumbers have turned yellow - What to do

Now let's figure out what to do if the cucumber leaves turn yellow and dry. First of all, you need to establish the root cause, and then deal with its manifestations. For example, normalize watering if yellow leaves are a consequence of its lack. It is also important to consider the location of the plants. For example, cucumber leaves in a greenhouse often turn yellow and dry out due to improper air exchange and impaired temperature regime. In this case, it is important to ventilate the greenhouse as often as possible, while avoiding sudden temperature changes.

In addition, proper crop rotation must be observed. In other words, you shouldn't plant cucumbers in the same place year after year, as this encourages accumulation in the soil. You should also not plant cucumbers in places where other pumpkin crops, such as zucchini, previously grew. Ideally, replanting cucumbers in the previous area is possible no earlier than after 4 seasons.

How to feed cucumbers if their leaves turn yellow and dry

If the reasons for yellow cucumber leaves lie in a lack of minerals in the soil, they must be “fed”. To do this, you can use both specialized fertilizers and folk remedies. Preference should be given to organic and mineral fertilizers. In this case, the choice of feeding should depend on the lack of a certain mineral. For example, without potassium and magnesium, the edges of the leaf begin to turn yellow and dry out. If only the top leaves turn yellow, this indicates a lack of copper. And here are the green veins in the background yellow leaf signal iron deficiency. You can find out how to feed cucumbers if their leaves turn yellow and dry from the video below.

How to water cucumbers so that the leaves do not turn yellow: folk remedies

In addition, there are a number of folk remedies that help fight yellowed cucumber tops. The simplest and effective method- water the cucumbers with herbal infusion with ash. Most often, a collection of several herbs is used for these purposes: nettle, horsetail, chamomile, tansy. To prepare the infusion you can use fresh leaves these plants, and dry herbs. The crushed herbs should be poured into a non-metallic container and filled 3/4 full with warm water, cover with a lid and leave in the sun for 3-4 days to ferment. The finished infusion for irrigation should be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:9 and wood ash added.