Cucumber is a productive crop. But even a good return does not always bring joy to gardeners: magnificent-looking greens sometimes turn out to be very bitter in taste.
Cucumbers are often bitter
The culprit of cucumber bitterness – cucurbitacin – a natural compound for this culture, the concentration of which in the fruits (primarily the peel) varies depending on the growing conditions of the plant. Heat treatment of fruits easily destroys this substance, so such cucumbers can be safely put into canning. Fresh greens are much less bitter if they are peeled. But it is difficult to call these additional chores pleasant. Growing cucumbers for a bitter harvest is unlikely to seem interesting to anyone.
Most bitterness accumulates in the peel of cucumbers.
The right decision is to understand the reasons for the high concentration of cucurbitacin in fruits and find out what factors added bitterness to them. With this approach, you can try to smooth out adverse factors in the next season and try to get a rich harvest of cucumbers with excellent taste.
Reason 1. Wrong watering regimen
Cucumber is a native of the humid warm tropics, from where it was forcibly settled around the world. He adapted to the conditions of our middle zone with grief in half, but is not going to fully put up with them. First of all, this culture does not like the dry weather of our summer months, when not a single rainy cloud appears in the sky for a long time.
Cucumber – moisture-loving culture
In such difficult conditions, a moisture-loving cucumber can hope to quench its thirst only from the hands of a caring owner. But gardeners, as you know, are different: some are lazy, others visit the dacha only on weekends, and still others have not yet figured out the preferences of their green pet. The result in all cases is the same: the cucumber “bucks” from a lack of moisture and bestows bitter fruits on its negligent owner.
In the same way, a cucumber reacts to excessive watering, when the gardener’s attention, on the contrary, becomes excessive, and he literally floods the soil under the bushes with huge volumes of water. Such “care” becomes especially dangerous if the plants are watered with water from a hose. Tap water turns out to be too cold for this heat-loving crop, and its high pressure erodes the soil under the plants and exposes their root system.
Cold water from a hose is the enemy of cucumbers
With such watering, the tender roots of cucumbers are very quickly affected by root rot. Plants are unable to extract the required amount of nutrients and moisture from the soil, which immediately leads to a sharp increase in the concentration of cucurbitacin in the ovary.
Conclusion:
Cucumbers should be watered in such a way that the soil under the bushes is constantly in a moderately moist state. The frequency of irrigation depends on the weather and the type of soil on the site. For example, on sandy soil during a drought, daily watering may be necessary.
If you do not have the opportunity to visit the dacha as often as moisture-loving cucumbers want, mulch the soil in the garden with any material at hand, for example, with a thick layer of weeds, straw or rotted sawdust. Mulch will retain moisture in the soil for much longer and will reduce the number of waterings, as well as protect the plant’s root system from being exposed.
Cucumbers need to be watered with warm water
If you no longer want to eat bitter cucumbers, forget about hosing. Moisten the soil under the bushes only with warm, sun-warmed water, carrying out the procedure in the early morning or in the evening. If the water in the watering can is at a comfortable temperature and clean, do not forget to pour the cucumbers over the leaves – they love to “swim” very much.
Reason 2. Wrong feeding regimen
As already noted, the cause of the bitterness of cucumbers can be a lack of nutrients. The reason for this is not only diseases, but also the actions of the gardener himself, who is stingy (or lazy) to provide satisfying allowances to his green guests. Insufficient nutrition leads to increased production of cucurbitacin in the ovary, as well as fruit distortion – it is inconvenient to put such greens even in jars.
Cucumbers do not respond well to both lack and excess of fertilizers.
The line between adequate cucumber nutrition and excess is very thin. Inattentive summer residents often cross this line, believing that “you can’t spoil porridge with oil.” But this culture reacts to “overfeeding” (primarily nitrogen) in the same way as to hunger – it gives bitter fruits.
Conclusion:
Try to remember the correct feeding scheme for cucumbers and do not exceed the following fertilizer doses:
- 1st feeding in the phase of 2-3 true leaves with a solution of mullein (1:10) or a solution prepared from 10 liters of water, 10 g of urea, 10 g of potassium salt and 10 g of superphosphate;
- 2nd top dressing at the beginning of flowering with infusion of fermented grass (1:5) with the addition of 10 cup of ash for every 1 liters or a solution prepared from 10 liters of water, 30 g of urea, 20 g of potassium salt and 40 g of superphosphate. During this period, foliar top dressing with a solution of boric acid (10 g per 10 liters of water) will also be useful;
Top dressing with a solution of boric acid will increase the number of ovaries
- 3rd top dressing during active fruiting with a solution of 10 liters of water, 0,5 liters of mushy mullein and 1 tbsp. spoons of a complete mineral preparation;
- 4th top dressing to extend the fruiting period with a two-day infusion of rotten hay (1 kg per 10 l) or infusion of fermented grass (1:5) with the addition of 1 cup of ash and 1 tbsp. spoons of baking soda
Carry out root dressing in the evening on pre-moistened soil, pouring 1 liter of nutrient mixture under each bush. Foliar spraying will be more beneficial in the evening or early morning hours, and on a hot afternoon it can cause burns on the leaves.
Reason 3. Excessive or insufficient lighting
Cucumbers love bright but diffused light, and they react to direct sunlight that burns them in hot summer weather with increased production of cucurbitacin. Especially bitter greens are obtained, which are directly illuminated by the sun. Therefore, it is not uncommon to find fruits of different tastes on the same bush: those that were shaded by foliage turn out to be quite edible, and those that were “fried” in the sun all the time are unbearably bitter.
Direct sunlight adds bitterness to greens
Cucumbers that grow in exactly the opposite conditions also have a bitter taste – in low light, which was caused by thick planting or strong shading by taller neighbors.
Conclusion:
Start taking care of the good taste of cucumbers from the moment you plant them. Do not thicken the plants and plant seeds or seedlings on the bed with an interval of 20-30 cm in a row and 40-50 cm between rows. Pinch long-climbing varieties in a timely manner and do not let the shoots grow more than 1,5-2 m.
Ideal light conditions for this crop are created in a polycarbonate greenhouse – the material of this design gives a bright but diffused light. The ceiling and walls of a glass greenhouse in hot weather can be whitewashed or shaded from the outside with light-colored sheets.
In a polycarbonate greenhouse, the light is bright but diffused
To reduce the harmful effects of direct sunlight on open ground cucumbers, corn or sunflowers are planted in advance on the south side of the garden. Plants fixed on a trellis can be easily protected from the scorching sun by throwing a light non-woven material over the top bar of the structure.
Reason 4. Stressful situations
Cucumber is a gentle creature that prefers constancy. He reacts sharply to any disturbing changes. These include unstable weather with sharp changes in day and night temperatures, strong gusty winds, prolonged cold rains and indelicate actions of the gardener, primarily his careless handling of lashes. The cucumber reacts to any stressful situation with an increased release of bitterness into the fruits, and an absolutely inedible crop falls into the hands of the summer resident.
During harvest, try not to damage the shoots of plants.
Conclusion:
It is impossible to influence the weather conditions, so experienced summer residents have long transferred the cultivation of cucumbers to a greenhouse – the plants feel safe in a quiet and cozy house. If building a greenhouse is not yet in your plans, try to at least reduce the stress for cucumbers, which directly depends on your arms and legs. Do not trample or turn over the lashes of plants if they grow in spreading, and very carefully pluck greens, avoiding the slightest injury to foliage and shoots.
Do not pull or twist the whips when picking greens
Reason 5. Varietal features
The production of cucurbitacin is a genetic feature of any cucumber, the strength of which depends on the growing conditions of the plants. Ancient varieties like Nezhinsky, Muromsky and Rodnichka react quite sharply to adverse conditions. While modern hybrids, which breeders endowed with “defensive powers”, survive the same conditions more steadfastly and produce very tasty greens.
Conclusion:
Experiment with varieties and hybrids of cucumbers and select those that will work best in your area. Give preference to modern varieties (‘Courage F1’, ‘Gerasim F1’, ‘Zyatek F1’, ‘Chinese F1’, etc.) – they are less sensitive to stressful situations and are more resistant to adverse weather conditions.
It is unlikely that cucumbers are delighted with the fact that they are forced to grow and bear fruit in unsuitable conditions for them. But since we have moved them from the tropics to our climatic zone, we must try to smooth out adverse conditions and provide the plants with suitable care. The reward for work will be a generous harvest of delicious greens without the slightest hint of bitterness.
The fruits of modern varieties and hybrids are bitter much less often.
Dear readers, surely some of you have had to harvest bitter cucumbers. Tell us in the comments what, in your opinion, caused such an unpleasant phenomenon, and how you were able to solve this problem in the future.
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