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Why do cucumber leaves turn yellow and dry, what to do
If the leaves of cucumbers turn yellow, become dry or lethargic, then the plants are suffering from diseases, improper care, or harmful environmental factors. In such a situation, it is very important to take timely measures that will help preserve the harvest.
Why do cucumbers and cucumber leaves turn yellow?
The most dangerous cause of leaf discoloration is fungal diseases. Usually, signs of fungal infection are detected after a sharp change in weather conditions. First, pale green or rusty spots appear on the greenery, then the leaf blades completely change their color, wrinkle, dry out and fall off.
Cucumber leaves may turn yellow due to whitefly damage
Often the color of greens changes due to mistakes in care. The causes of plant damage can be:
- drought;
- dampness, excess moisture;
- lack of light;
- deficiency of nutrient compounds;
- hypothermia;
- damage to plant roots;
- an abundance of weeds in the beds;
- sunburn.
The leaves of cucumbers turn yellow and dry when insect pests grow in the garden, sucking all vital juices from the shoots. Most often, plants suffer from whiteflies, melon aphids and spider mites.
What to do if cucumber leaves start to turn yellow?
If yellowness appears on cucumber leaves, care should be taken to ensure that the plants receive the necessary care. To do this, you need to regularly water the plantings, protect the beds from night frosts and scorching sunlight.
Cucumber leaves that turn yellow and dry need to be trimmed
Greens that have changed their color should be carefully examined. Pest infested cucumber bushes can be treated with safe folk remedies. This requires:
- spray the garden with whey or a mixture of low-fat kefir and water 1: 1;
- water the crops with a saturated decoction of onion peels;
- process greens with a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
- feed the plants with a urea solution;
- sprinkle cucumber leaves with saturated infusion of matured hay.
With a fungal infection of cucumbers, you can use more powerful medications – “Trichodermin”, “Kefalon”, a solution of polycarbacin or copper oxychloride. The listed products contain a whole complex of substances that destroy the fungus, but do not harm humans or pets.
Yellowing of cucumber leaves can be prevented. This requires:
- follow the rules of crop rotation and plant cucumbers in the same place no more than once every 4 years;
- do not plant cucumber bushes in those areas where zucchini, watermelons, melons or pumpkins grew last season;
- cover plants with bubble wrap or lutrasil during frosts;
- air the greenhouses with cucumbers in hot weather at least 2 times a day;
- fertilize the soil before planting with rotted manure or other organic fertilizers;
- plant no more than 3 cucumber bushes per 1 sq. m of soil;
- spray plants for prophylactic purposes with antifungal agents and preparations that protect greens from insect pests;
- make sure that there are no more than 25 flowers on each bush;
- remove weeds from the garden as they appear;
- sprinkle the soil at the roots of the plant with fresh cut grass in hot weather.
It is very important to ensure that the cucumbers are properly watered. The garden bed can only be watered in the evening after sunset. To irrigate the soil under the cucumbers, you need to use warm water. Watering frequency is twice a week in cloudy weather and daily in drought.
There is no guarantee that after the above measures are taken, the cucumber leaves will not turn yellow or dry out. However, only with the help of these measures can the risk of plant death and crop loss be reduced.