Why are cucumbers empty inside: what to do to make the fruits "full"
You planted for the first time, or before that you have been successfully growing cucumbers for many years using standard technology, without knowing any problems: you seem to have watered enough, sometimes even fed, but suddenly found that not all, but many of the cucumber fruits are empty inside.
What happened? What could be the reason: is it a bad variety or is there something missing in the cucumbers?
Let's figure it out.
Content
Cucumbers are empty inside: reasons and what to do
In general, in scientific terms, voids inside cucumber fruits are formed in the event of a violation of the growth of the placenta, on which the seed buds are located, through which they receive nutrition, which at one time stimulates its development.
Thus, a violation of the development of the placenta and, as a result, the formation of voids inside the cucumbers occurs due to the fact that the plant, for some reason, ceases to receive adequate and balanced nutrition, or it does not come uniformly.
Unbalanced diet
A fairly common reason why cucumbers grow with voids inside is excess nitrogen against the background of a lack of phosphorus, potassium and calcium (calcium is more often referred to as meso- rather than trace elements), as well as poor digestibility of trace elements.
It is worth understanding! For example, "Overdose" with nitrogen can happen due to the fact that you brought only manure for digging (more than 10 kg per 1 sq.m. of the garden) and often fertilized cucumbers during cultivation urea or ammonium nitrate (both are exclusively nitrogen fertilizers).
What to do?
It is recommended to fill the planting beds with all the macro- and microelements necessary for full growth and development in the correct proportions. For example, you can use complex organic fertilizers such as compost, humus and wood ash, which have all the necessary macro and microelements. Or use mineral fertilizers (complex, such as nitroammophoska, potassium monophosphate, purely potassium - potassium sulfate, phosphoric — superphosphate). In other words, the diet should be balanced.
Advice! To quickly correct the situation, you need to conduct foliar feeding, i.e. conduct spraying cucumber bushes directly over the leaves.
Video: how to help cucumbers with a lack of calcium and trace elements (in the case of the formation of voids inside the fruit)
Important! Lack of nutrients can also expressed in deformation and curvature of the fruit, them bitterness, and the appearance of yellowness on the leaves of the plant, for example, a yellow border.
Improper watering
Another popular reason for the formation of loose cucumbers with voids inside is lack of wateringand also his uneven or irregular performance.
The point is that watering must be constant and even. So, if you do not water the cucumbers for a long time (more than 3-4 days), then the earth will dry out unnecessarily. Then, when you sharply pour a large amount of water, this can lead to tissue rupture, the formation of cracks in the lashes of the plant and empty cavities in the greens.
Note! But in general, improper watering causes not only the formation of voids, but also deformation of the fruit (they become crooked), Zelentsy can become bitter, a plant leaves turn yellow and dry.
How to be in this case?
Cucumbers need to be watered daily (especially if you have a hot climate) or at least every other day, doing it in the morning or evening, especially during the growth of the lashes and flowering.
It is optimal to do drip irrigation.
You should also periodically carry out shallow loosening, so that water and air can penetrate to the roots faster and better, or mulch your cucumber beds.
Advice! More details about the rules for watering cucumbers read in this detailed article!
Viral diseases
Various diseases, especially viral ones, due to which cucumber plants simply cease to function normally, and the fruits do not receive the necessary nutrition, can also cause the formation of friability and voids inside the zelents.
Unfavorable growing conditions
Naturally, the lack and imbalance of nutrition (moisture, macro- and microelements) is most pronounced under adverse weather conditions, namely in the heat (in June-July), when, in fact, active growth of cucumbers occurs.
By the way! The end of summer is the best time for picking cucumbers, ideal for canning, pickling and pickling. at this time, the most favorable conditions are formed - moderately warm (up to +30) and humid.
What to do?
If you grow cucumbers in a greenhouse, be sure to air it regularly and periodically (once a week) feed the cucumbers at least wood ash (solution, infusion or extract), mineral potash fertilizers, for example, potassium sulfate, and even better potassium magnesium (+ magnesium) or potassium nitrate (+ nitrogen).
Rules for growing cucumbers so that the greens are not "empty"
To minimize the chances of cucumbers growing empty inside, you must:
At first, choose a suitable hybrid or variety... The fact is that some varieties of cucumbers are more prone to the formation of voids inside zelents than others, which directly in the description of the variety contain the mark “without voids” (they also say that they are genetically “without voids”).
The following detailed review articles on the most popular and best varieties of cucumbers:
Secondly, apply correct agricultural technology growing cucumbers:
- observe the recommended proportions during the initial preparation of the garden (no more than 10 kg of manure, but better at all compost and necessarily not less than 100-200 grams wood ash for 1 square meter of garden), and with further feeding, use mineral fertilizers (for every 10 grams of nitrogen, at least 15-30 grams of potassium is needed, i.e. for 1 part of nitrogen - 1.5-3 parts of potassium), in no case forgetting about the need for calcium, magnesium and other trace elements.
By the way! About, how to properly prepare a garden bed and plant cucumbers with seeds immediately in open ground, written in detail in this material.
The site also has an article about how and what to feed cucumbers during the growing season (growth, flowering and fruiting).
- carry out correct and timely watering, avoiding sudden changes in humidity.
Advice! More details on how to properly water cucumbers in the open field and in a greenhouse read in this material!
- carry out preventive measures to protect cucumber plants from diseases.
- timely remove bushes affected by viral diseases from the garden.
Thus, now you know what reasons can cause the formation of voids in cucumbers, which means that the next time, using the correct agricultural techniques, you will definitely be able to grow crispy and "full" cucumbers.