Why the ovary of cucumbers turns yellow, dries up and falls off: reasons and what to do

Cucumber is one of the favorite vegetable crops, the unconditional value of which is the unique natural balance of water, fiber, vitamins and minerals, as well as its low calorie content. In fairness, it should be noted that the cultivation of cucumbers is up to any summer resident.

However, it often happens that cucumber ovaries suddenly turn yellow and fall off (they do not develop into full-fledged cucumber fruits). All this, in one way or another, is the result of a violation of the technology of seed selection and cultivation (improper care of cucumbers).

• What needs to be done in order not to be left without a crop?
• What could be the reasons for the yellowing and drying of cucumber ovaries?

Let's talk about this further.

Why the ovaries bloom, but turn yellow and fall off or the fruits are not set at all: reasons

Cucumbers can be tied normally, but for some reason they still do not turn into fruits (greens).

Next, we will analyze in detail the possible reasons why the ovaries turn yellow and fall off (the cucumber fruits themselves are not tied).

Poor quality seeds

As the saying goes, "Do not expect a good tribe from a bad seed."

• Firstly, self-collected seeds may be unproductive, possibly as a result of cross-pollination with hybrids... Therefore, it is still better to buy seed material from proven agricultural firms. Moreover, in no case should you collect seeds of hybrids (F1)

By the way! About, how to properly collect and harvest cucumber seeds readin this article.

• Secondly, even if you are 100% sure of your seeds, it is preferable to use seeds 2-4 years ago for planting. Only in this case, female flowers will appear earlier than male flowers or at the same time, and there will be no problems with pollination.

Weak roots

The root system may be underdeveloped, because of this, the plant is unable to provide itself with sufficient moisture and, accordingly, nutrition. In other words, if you are growing cucumbers through seedlings, then you should not plant them too early or in any way injure the plants during transplanting and picking. On the other hand, if you overexpose the seedlings, then it will not do anything good either.

Advice! The site already has material about when and how to plant cucumber seedlings in the ground.

Cold soil

If the soil is not sufficiently heated, then even despite its fertility, as well as the fact that you have planted healthy and strong seedlings, the root system of the plant simply will not be able to receive the necessary nutrients from such cold soil, moreover, it will not be able to take from it necessary nutrition (fertilizers).

In other words, it is necessary to plant it only after the soil has warmed up enough (up to +12 degrees).

In this case, in order to restore the plant and correct the situation, you should carry out foliar top dressing, that is, to spray.

Note! How to properly feed cucumbers throughout their growing season - read here.

Lack of sun

Due to the lack of good illumination, so to speak, solar energy, the suppression of the processes of photosynthesis in the leaf system of the plant will surely begin. Therefore, you should not rush to plant seedlings early (especially in a greenhouse), when the daylight hours are not yet so long.

Lack of nutrition or insufficient soil fertility

Even if the root system of the plant is sufficiently developed, and the cucumber seedlings are planted at the optimal time, when it has already become sufficiently warm and light, but the soil will not have the necessary nutrientsthen cucumber ovaries will not form. During flowering, special nitrogen-potassium fertilizing should be carried out for future better fruiting (more potassium is required during the fruiting period!). But in general, initially you need to properly prepare the garden for planting cucumbers, well seasoning it with organic matter.

By the way! Wood ash (this is potassium, which is responsible for ovary and fruit formation) cucumbers can be fed almost the entire season.

Also, the problem of the absence of cucumber ovaries or their yellowing may be lack of trace elementssuch as boron, zinc, molybdenum and even iodine.

Wherein especially often the ovaries turn yellow due to a lack of boron... therefore during budding and flowering you should feed the cucumbers boric acid.

Air temperature too high or too low

The bottom line is that at a low temperature (below +14 .. + 12 degrees) the pollen does not mature, and at an elevated temperature (above +30 .. + 33), the pollen becomes sterile. The optimum temperature for setting cucumbers and their normal development is +20 .. + 28 degrees.

If the temperature in the greenhouse you can still somehow adjust, for example, ventilate by opening the door at night, then in open ground you only have to do special canopy... Therefore, it is also initially necessary to decide on the best place (light partial shade) for direct sowing of seeds in the ground or planting seedlings of cucumbers.

Improper watering

If during the formation of ovaries on cucumbers you will not enough moisture and water, and the beds will remain dry for a long time, then the plant will begin to redirect all moisture to the leaf system. And if the heat also covers, then strong evaporation from the leaf apparatus will begin, and therefore nothing will go to the fruits, the ovaries of cucumbers will simply begin to crumble.

There are also situations where you poured the soil under the cucumbers (although cucumbers love water, you should still follow the correct watering regime). In this case, on the contrary, it follows dry the ground and not water for a couple of days... When the leaves droop, only then you need to water and wait for the appearance of female flowers.

By the way! All the information about how to properly water cucumbers in the open field and in a greenhouse, you'll find in this article.

Problems with pollination of cucumbers

If the flowers of cucumbers are not pollinated, then there is no need to dream of any fruits.

Actually, this is important when it comes to bee-pollinated varieties of cucumberseven though self-pollinated (parthenocarpic) hybrids at low temperatures, the pollen does not ripen, and at high temperatures, it becomes sterile.

Important! Bee-pollinated varieties of cucumbers should not be planted in a greenhouse, because bees and bumblebees are unlikely to be frequent guests of greenhouses. But even if you have a self-pollinated (parthenocarpic) hybrid, then in this case, pollinating insects will always be welcome guests in the greenhouse.

Of course you can spend manual pollination, but this process is quite laborious and long, although it is worth trying it once.

The process of pollination of cucumbers with your own hands is shown in the picture:

To stimulate fruit setting, including in unfavorable conditions, you can try to treat cucumbers with special preparations (stimulants of fruit formation), for example, "Ovary" or "Bud".

Video: "Ovary" for cucumbers

Forming cucumbers: pinching or pinching

Now, as a rule, most gardeners grow self-pollinated hybrid cucumber varieties, which is more correct to call parthenocarpic.

Such plants form only female flowers, and the ovaries are formed independently without any help, and in huge quantities (this is especially true bunch cucumbers (with a bouquet ovary). This means that they need very high amount of nutrients, which are spent on the formation of more and more shoots and ovaries. The plant no longer has the strength to develop the fruits themselves. To redirect nutrition to the fruits themselves, you must perform correct formation of cucumber bushes, in other words, it is obligatory pinch and pinch.

Advice! The site already has an article about how to form cucumbers correctly (pinch and pinch).

If you do not remove stepchildren, then due to lack of nutrition, you can lose most of the harvest, because young cucumber ovaries will simply dry out.

And if you you are growing a bee-pollinated variety, then you at least need pinch the main stemthat as many side shoots as possible were formed, on which female flowers (future zelents) will form. But you should not remove the stepsons.

Timely harvest

If you leave cucumbers on the lower branches for a long time and forget to pluck them in time, then they will pull all the juices over themselves, trying to ripen and give seeds. All cucumbers and ovaries that grow and form higher will lose nutrition, begin to turn yellow and dry out.

Video: why the ovaries on cucumbers turn yellow and dry

Barren flowers

Important! If after flowering flowers fell without ovary, then you must understand that it was barren flowers (male flowers)from which fruits are not formed from it.

Female flowers always have an ovary rudiment behind, and male barren flowers - no.

If you do not want to lose most of the ovaries on cucumbers, which simply turn yellow and fall off, then at the stage of seed selection, focus on the full-fledged planting material, carefully and carefully approach the pollination procedure for female flowers, place special emphasis on the competent formation of cucumber bushes. Also, do not skip regular feeding and timely harvesting. And then, in the foreseeable future, you will be able to multiply the number of ovaries on cucumbers, and therefore the harvest itself.

Video: why there are no ovaries on cucumbers or they turn yellow and fall off