Reasons for stunted growth
There can be many reasons why cucumbers grow poorly. This is facilitated by improper care, poor quality seeds, mistakes made during planting, diseases and pests.
Attention! If cucumbers do not grow in open ground, and before this the seedlings were completely healthy, then the reason is the improper transfer of plants to the site. It is better to ask for seedlings in small pots and transfer them into the ground together so as not to damage the root system.
Water the cucumbers with warm water
Cucumbers need high soil and air humidity. This is almost the most moisture-loving vegetable crop on our plots! The roots of the cucumber are poorly developed, and the leaves are wide and evaporate a lot of moisture. The greatest need for moisture in a cucumber is during massive fruit growth. At this time, you need to water the cucumbers once every 3-4 days, ideally every other day. A sufficient amount of moisture stimulates the growth of ovaries.
The water must be warm! Watering with cold water causes various diseases, stunted growth and even death of plants. Cucumbers can also grow bitter and crooked from improper watering.
Before flowering, cucumbers need to be watered by sprinkling, then water is poured under the bush. The best time to water is in the evening, before 6 o'clock.
Bad Seeds
When seeds “sit in the ground” for a long time, it is due to poor quality seeds. Therefore, you need to carefully consider the process of choosing planting material.
Also, the reason may be excessive penetration of seeds into the soil. Make sure that they are no more than 3 cm deep.
Bad soil
It is worth paying attention to the soil when cucumbers grow poorly in open ground. The soil is considered poor in the following cases:
- the ground is too dense. In this case, it is difficult for the sprouts to germinate, absorb moisture and nutrients, which causes slow growth;
- not enough nutrients, which makes cucumbers weak, susceptible to disease and unable to fully develop;
- excess of nutrients. If the gardener overfeeds the plants, then the green mass actively grows, but the cucumber fruits do not develop.
The soil needs to be prepared in the fall. If a gardener decides to fertilize himself, then it is important not to forget about the benefits of humus and peat.
For the winter, it is necessary to dig up the area, carry out a disinfection procedure and apply fertilizer. In the spring, you need to thoroughly loosen the soil and add the missing fertilizer.
Lack of fertilizing
Just filling the soil before sowing cucumbers is not enough. Without fertilizing, you can’t expect a good harvest. The good thing about organic matter is that it gradually releases nutrients and absorbs salts. But the roots of cucumbers cannot withstand its high concentration. Adding all the fertilizers at once will only cause harm.
It is advisable to feed every week (you can use full mineral fertilizer). Increasing the dosage is justified only if there are obvious signs of starvation (but remember, if you apply a lot of fertilizers, abundant watering is required).
Bad light
Often, when figuring out why cucumbers do not grow, a gardener realizes that the reason for this is an insufficient amount of light and sunlight. If cultivation occurs in greenhouse conditions, then the problem is solved with the help of additional lighting with fluorescent lamps.
But when a lack of light occurs during a period of active growth due to bad weather, then it is almost impossible to correct the situation. We can only hope that the weather will improve soon.
Also, the reason for the lack of lighting may lie in the wrong place. When planning a cucumber bed on your site, eliminate the possibility of tall crops growing next to it, which will create shade. To correct the situation, you will have to move the cucumber bed, which will cause unnecessary trouble.
Too tight fit
Don't plant cucumbers too close to each other. The lashes must be blown by the wind. Otherwise, thickened planting leads to crushing of the fruits, a decrease in their quantity, and sometimes even the occurrence of fungal diseases.
The optimal distance between cucumber bushes should be at least 20 cm, and between rows - from 1 m or more. In greenhouses, it is desirable that this distance be greater than 1 m so that the plants receive enough sunlight to grow well.
Improper watering
For cucumbers, not only good lighting is important, but also a sufficient amount of moisture. When watering, it is important to consider the following:
- the water should be at room temperature. It is advisable to prepare it a day before the intended watering so that it has time to settle;
- watering is carried out in the early morning or late evening;
- the soil should not be allowed to dry out;
- When spilling from hoses, do not apply strong pressure so as not to damage the root system.
Important! A little time after watering, you must remember to loosen the soil so that the moisture does not evaporate and a hard crust does not form, which impedes the growth of plants.
Cucumbers have stopped growing because it’s cold - what to do: tips
During spring frosts, some gardeners cover cucumbers with the help of metal arcs and modern textiles.
In cold weather, plant growth is inhibited, the roots do not absorb nutrients well so that the cucumbers grow, experienced vegetable growers advise spraying the bushes after watering, in the morning or evening, in cloudy weather cucumbers completely, with aqueous solutions (10-15 g of product per 1 bucket of water) of “Kemira”, “Kristallion”, “Rastvorin” products. When it's cold, it's better to feed cucumbers through the leaves . You can also spray the bushes with water with a growth stimulant added to it (Epin).
Other fans of growing vegetables in beds, during cold weather, install arcs and cover them with film , but under the film the plants are cold and damp, so it is better to cover them with a special material (agrotex, lutrasil) , which appeared not so long ago. It is also known that plants in the dark tolerate cold better, so experienced plant owners cover the plants with a tarpaulin, rags and straw during frosts.
Also, some vegetable growers recommend making “warm beds” for planting cucumbers in the fall . They are done like this:
- We dig a groove 30 cm deep
- We spread it with a thin layer of tops, potato peelings, grass without seeds, and cover it with earth.
- In the spring we plant cucumbers; they are much warmer in such a bed than in a regular bed.
So, now we know what to do if the cucumbers grow poorly, the leaves turn yellow, and the cucumbers do not set.
Diseases
It is not uncommon for various plant diseases to cause poor growth of cucumbers. You can figure out the specific reason for the poor growth of cucumbers using different symptoms.
For example, when rot develops, wet spots of different colors appear on the plant. The disease begins to affect plants from the root, moving to the top.
When powdery mildew becomes the cause, a white coating is visible on the leaves. When cucumbers are infected with angular spot, olive-colored spots appear on the underside of the leaves.
Pests
Pests can hinder the growth of cucumbers. In this case, the plant leaves are damaged and insects or their larvae may be present.
If cucumbers are attacked by spider mites, it is difficult to notice them in the early stages. But its presence can be detected by a coating that glitters in daylight.
Insecticides and herbicides are used to control diseases and pests. You can also use folk remedies, which is most important during the fruiting period, when it is not recommended to use chemicals.
Cucumbers set fruit but don't grow: What are they missing?
They don't have enough food! But nitrogen is extra. The abundance of nitrogen in fertilizing reduces the yield. At the fruiting stage, it is better to exclude this element and feed the cucumbers with fertilizers high in phosphorus and potassium (superphosphate, potassium sulfate, ash).
During fruiting, cucumbers need potassium most of all. A deficiency of this microelement in the plant “menu” leads to the fact that the fruits set weakly and take on a pear shape.
Cucumbers need feeding on average every 12 days.
Unfavorable environment
If when growing cucumbers in a greenhouse, the gardener has the opportunity to create all the necessary conditions for the plants, then when growing on the plot, this is impossible. You can only protect the plant from the wind by building fences, but you won’t be able to change the temperature.
Often, it is the unfavorable environment that becomes the reason why cucumbers do not grow on the balcony; there are many ovaries, but they do not grow. There may be several reasons for this, including a lack of oxygen, light and sunlight, which together affect the development of plants.
To avoid problems with the growth of cucumbers, try to think through all the nuances in advance during planting and caring for the crop.
In this case, you will not be able to completely eliminate the problem, but you will definitely be able to minimize the likelihood that your cucumbers will not grow well.
Folk remedies for cucumbers that grow poorly
Many summer residents prefer traditional fertilizers to mineral fertilizers. We offer two of the best home remedies for watering cucumbers that are not growing.
You will be interested to know: Why voids appear inside cucumbers: reasons and what to do to prevent the fruits from being hollow
Yeast infusion
One of the best growth stimulants for cucumbers is yeast feeding. Thanks to it, plants will begin to grow and develop quickly. The effect can be seen within 1-2 days. But only in warm weather. At temperatures below +15 degrees the expected result will not be achieved.
How to prepare a yeast infusion for watering cucumbers:
- Prepare 10 liters of settled water. It should be warm, above +12 degrees.
- Chop 100g live baker's yeast or break the bracket into small pieces.
- Instead of a pack of live yeast, you can use 10 g of dry yeast.
- Pour the yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar into the water.
- Stir thoroughly to completely dissolve them. To make the process easier, you can first dilute everything in a small volume of warm water.
- Place in a dark, warm place for a day or at least 2 hours.
- When the yeast solution is adjusted, you can feed the cucumbers with it. But this turned out to be a mother infusion, each liter of which must be diluted in 5 liters of water before use.
About an hour before, water the bushes with plain warm water.
Feed each small bush with 200-500 ml of infusion, and large plants with 2 liters. That is, the larger the bush, the more solution will be needed.
During the season, it is enough to fertilize cucumbers with yeast once at the beginning of growth. You can also water it on adult cucumber plants that look bad and don’t grow. But not earlier than two weeks after the first use of the yeast infusion.
Sourdough from black bread
Instead of yeast, you can prepare an infusion of black bread and feed it to the cucumbers. After a few days you will see that they have started to grow.
How to prepare bread dressing:
- Prepare a 10 liter bucket, black bread crackers and warm water. Maybe not crackers, but just bread. Dark peels are best.
- Fill the bucket 2/3 full with bread crumbs or pieces and fill with warm water. But not to the very top.
- Press down the crackers with pressure.
- Place in a warm, dark place for 7-10 days.
- Strain.
- To feed cucumbers, dilute the bread starter in a ratio of 1 to 3. That is, for 1 liter of infusion - 3 liters of warm water.
You will be interested to know: Dates for planting cucumbers for seedlings and in the ground in the Leningrad region in 2022
Water the cucumbers in moist soil with bread fertilizer. You can feed it every 10 days.
Is it possible to water with mullein?
Many gardeners will ask, why not feed cucumbers with manure to grow? You should know that mullein is a very slow nitrogen release. And we need to choose a fertilizer that will quickly make the cucumbers grow. Therefore, we do not recommend watering them with manure infusion for growth.
