What to do if cucumbers do not bloom?

What to do if cucumbers do not bloom?

As a rule, the first inflorescences on cucumbers hatch 30-45 days after planting the seeds. But what to do if it is already the second half of June, and the cucumbers are not even going to bloom yet? This article examines in detail the causes of this problem, which is relevant for many summer residents, and possible solutions.

What to do if cucumbers do not bloom?

What to do if cucumbers do not bloom?

Bad conditions

The most obvious reason why cucumbers do not bloom is poor conditions. Wherever you grow a plant – in a greenhouse, on a balcony, in open ground, on a windowsill or in a greenhouse – anywhere you can and should provide cucumbers with the most favorable environment for growth and fruiting. This includes a number of factors.

  • The air temperature is 23-30Β°C during the day and 18-20Β°C at night. Cucumbers come from humid tropical countries and are very fond of warmth. At temperatures below 15 Β° C, they simply stop growing, so in the northern and middle latitudes it makes sense to grow cucumbers in a greenhouse or under a film cover. However, it should be remembered that heat (35-40 Β° C and above) is also detrimental to this crop. At high temperatures, cucumbers need abundant watering, sprinkling and sun protection, and greenhouses need to be regularly ventilated.
  • Keeping distance between landings. The distance between the bushes should be 40-60 cm. If the planting is too dense, the plants will not be able to get enough light and air. If there is not enough space on the site, you can save space by growing cucumbers in barrels or on a trellis.
  • Optimal soil type. Cucumbers are capricious plants and extremely demanding on the soil. It should be loose, well-moistened, with a pH level of 6,2-6,8 and a minimum nitrogen content. Nitrogen, although it accelerates the growth of cucumbers, leads to the death of inflorescences and a decrease in yield.
  • Sufficient lighting. When growing seedlings, sprouts should be provided with 12-14-hour daylight hours. With a lack of light, the crop falls. Therefore, when growing cucumbers at home on the balcony, take care of buying a phytolamp.
  • The right “neighbors”. They should have the same soil and climate requirements as cucumbers, but they should not share pests with them or suppress their growth. Therefore, the best neighbors for cucumbers are corn, cabbage, beets, spinach, calendula, nasturtium, grapes, peas, beans, lentils, onions and celery.

But potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, herbs (with the exception of dill), pumpkins, watermelons, melons, eggplants and peppers are best not grown in the same garden with cucumbers.

What to do if cucumbers do not bloom?

What to do if cucumbers do not bloom?

Wrong Care

If cucumbers grow, but do not bloom, then perhaps the matter is in the wrong care. It should be remembered that the water for watering cucumbers should be warm – at least 25 Β° C. Moreover, before flowering, the soil should be irrigated abundantly, but during flowering, watering is temporarily stopped in order to stimulate the growth of female ovaries. During fruiting, the soil is moistened again, otherwise the cucumbers will be bitter.

As for fertilizers, you should not use preparations containing nitrogen. An excess of nitrogen in the soil leads to a deficiency of phosphorus and potassium, and as a result, only barren flowers form on cucumbers. You can water cucumbers for flowering with a special solution – 15 grams of wood ash is diluted in 10 liters of water and infused for a week. In addition, if there is no color, you can feed the plant with milk with iodine. To do this, combine 10 liters of warm water with a liter of skim milk and add 25 drops of iodine to the solution. Milk contains potassium, calcium, phosphorus and beneficial lactobacilli, and iodine will serve as additional protection against pests and diseases. Such organic top dressing is done 4-5 times a season.

The soil for cucumbers has been prepared since autumn. The soil is dug up, fertilized with ash and sulfate. In the spring, before planting, the ground is fertilized with humus and manure. If the cucumbers bloom, but the ovaries do not appear, the reason is insufficient pollination. In such a case, it is necessary attract insect pollinatorsby spraying the plant with sugar water, or pollinate the flowers yourself with a soft brush or a piece of cotton wool. But if the ovaries suddenly stopped growing, the cold and dampness are to blame, so you need to monitor the temperature regime. Low temperatures are especially dangerous at night.

It is best to grow cucumbers in a greenhouse or on a loggia. When growing in open ground, care should be taken to cover the plant with agrofiber and mulch the soil, and in cool weather, foliar top dressing should be carried out.

What to do if cucumbers do not bloom?

What to do if cucumbers do not bloom?

Diseases and pests

Cucumbers are susceptible to phytodiseases typical of all melons. These are powdery mildew, anthracnose, fusarium wilt, peronosporosis, gray and white rot, cucumber mosaic and bacteriosis. The main cause of diseases is excess moisture in rainy summer periods, cold water irrigation and non-observance of crop rotation in the area.

Subject to cucumbers and pests. Slugs and snails love to devour young leaves, aphids suck the juice from the plant and spread diseases, and besides, cucumbers are quickly destroyed by whiteflies, bears and spider mites. To protect the crop from diseases and pests, it is necessary to choose varieties and hybrids of cucumbers with resistance to most diseases. This does not guarantee that the plant will never get sick at all, but it significantly reduces the risks due to a more powerful root system, abundant vegetative growth and good immunity.

It is necessary to alternate planting, because each plant in a different way affects the condition of the soil. If you grow one crop for a long time in the same place, this will inevitably lead to diseases. For cucumbers, you should choose those areas of the garden where cabbage, onions, legumes or nightshade crops were grown last year.

It is also recommended to adhere to the following rules.

  • Carefully weed weeds and remove the remains of previous plantings.
  • Apply fertilizers in time, treat plants with insecticides and fungicides.
  • Digging and loosening the soil.
  • Disinfect greenhouses.
  • Regularly inspect plantings for pests: slugs and snails must be collected and destroyed manually.
  • Remove dry leaves, withered ovaries and rotten fruits.
  • Observe the watering regime, maintain the optimum temperature and fresh air supply.

What to do if cucumbers do not bloom?

What to do if cucumbers do not bloom?

Preventive measures

To prevent the formation of barren flowers on cucumber lashes, the following instructions must be followed.

  • Use for planting seeds with an exposure of 2-3 years, as young seeds give the most empty flowers. If there is no other way out than to use the seeds from last year’s collection, then you must first soak them for 30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then dry them thoroughly for a month.
  • Water cucumbers only with warm, pre-settled water. Watering is best done in the morning before midday heat or in the evening before dark. In hot weather, cucumbers should be watered twice a day.
  • Do not thicken landings. Female flowers will not form if the plants are uncomfortable and forced to compete with each other for a spot in the sun.
  • Regularly pinch, remove all unnecessary, weak and fading elements of the plant in time, correctly form cucumber lashes.
  • Do not forget about the care and fertilizing with organic fertilizers. The preparations “Ovary” and “Buton” have proven themselves well, contributing to the formation of full-fledged ovaries.
  • Observe the temperature regime, avoiding hypothermia and overheating of plants.
  • Take care of pollination. And for growing in greenhouses, it is better to choose self-pollinated varieties.
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Anna Evans

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