What is barren flowers on cucumbers and features of its treatment that you may not know about

When growing cucumbers, beginners and sometimes experienced gardeners are often faced with the problem of barren flowers. The abundance of empty flowers on the wattle fences threatens with a low yield. Let's figure out why there are a lot of barren flowers on cucumbers, what to do in this case and how to eliminate the causes of this phenomenon.

What is a wasteland

Netherflower is a male flower that does not produce an ovary... Its function is pollination of female inflorescences. Barren flowers can be identified by the presence of pollen-laden stamens. Microspores are carried by insects to female buds, where the ovary will subsequently form.

There are also varieties that are capable of self-pollination (parthenocarpic) - they do not need to transfer pollen from male flowers to female flowers.

Male inflorescences tend to appear on common varieties of cucumbers.: Most hybrids are parthenocarpic and feminine bloom.

Important! Ignorant people rush to get rid of the wasteland, considering it useless. It is undesirable to cut off staminate buds with pollen, you can leave the plant without an ovary.

Ideal for high yields, - the appearance of the same number of male and female flowers on the wattle fence. The predominance of barren flowers or their lack leads to problems with pollination.

Why are there a lot of barren flowers on cucumbers

Large number of empty buds may be caused by a violation of the cultivation technology, non-compliance with the rules of plant care, low quality seeds... Having established the reasons that led to the appearance of an abundant barren flower, there is every chance to correct the situation.

Improper watering

Improper watering is one of the most common reasons for the predominance of male inflorescences over female ones.

The use of cold water leads to:

• the appearance of a large number of barren flowers;
• diseases and root rot;
• falling off of the ovaries;
• death of plants.

For watering plants, settled water warmed in the sun is used... Its temperature should not be lower than + 21 ° C and not higher than + 25 ° C.

You need to know not only how to water the plant, but also how to do it correctly. Warm water is poured gently, avoiding moisture on the leaves and erosion of the soil at the roots. Proper watering is especially important when buds are forming.

Important! Vegetable culture requires systematic watering, in which you cannot overdo it. Stagnation of moisture in the soil provokes not only abundant barren flowers, but also the fall of ovaries, diseases, and rotting of the root system.

Failure to comply with the rules of agricultural technology

The appearance of a large number of male inflorescences on wattle fences is due to improper agricultural techniques. To the most common errors, due to which cucumbers bloom with barren flowers, include:

1. Thickened sowing... Failure to comply with the recommended distance when planting seedlings is fraught with weak growth and slowing of plant development, barren flowers, problems with the formation of an ovary, even a complete absence of female flowering. With dense planting, the likelihood of damage to the vegetable crop by diseases and pests is increased. In order to prevent the problem, it is recommended to plant 1 sq. m of soil no more than 5 plants. The distance between the rows should be 0.7 m, between the seedlings - 0.20-0.25 m.
2. Planting seedlings in shady places... For cucumbers, the lack of light threatens the predominance of staminate buds with pollen over female flowering, as well as the fall of the ovaries.The problem can be prevented by providing the vegetable crop with adequate lighting.
3. Cold... For the correct formation of buds and the formation of ovaries, cucumbers need to provide root heat. Cold has a negative effect on the roots of vegetables. Cooling the soil and air is fraught with abundant barren flowers. You can protect the root system from the cold by laying fallen leaves, straw manure, and biofuel in the garden bed during planting.
4. Overfeeding nitrogen fertilizers... Excessive use of nitrogen-rich top dressing before flowering results in a lack of female buds. A plant that finds itself in such comfortable conditions gives only barren flowers. The situation can be corrected by feeding the vegetable crop with potash and phosphorus fertilizers.
5. Lack of conditions for pollination... The problem of the prevalence of male over female flowering can be observed when cultivating varieties that involve pollination by bees or wasps, if there are no insects nearby or cultivation takes place in closed conditions.

Sowing too young seeds and their quality

The reason for the appearance on the wattle in a large number of staminate buds with pollen often lies in the low quality of the seeds. Using too young seed is a problem.

It is preferable to take purchased seeds for sowing from a trusted manufacturer.... You can also use those prepared with your own hands. The ideal option is a four-year-old female cucumber, which has a tetrahedral shape and 4 seed chambers.

Important! Seed from a male cucumber will produce large amounts of barren flowers. The use of seeds less than two years of age will lead to a similar result.

How to get rid of the wasteland

If you find that there are only male flowers on the plants or there are no ovaries, take urgent action... Otherwise, there will be no good harvest of cucumbers.

Using seeds for sowing will help to forget about the empty flower self-pollinating or a self-fertile variety. Self-pollinating varieties are characterized by flowers with a pistil and a stamen. Self-fertile plants tend to produce fruit without a seed. They have no need for pollination.

Proper planting and care can avoid the problem of abundant barren flowers when growing varieties that give dioecious flowers.

Compliance with the following conditions will prevent the appearance of a large number of male flowering:

1. Use of seed 2-4 years of age... Last year's seeds can be sown for seedlings, preheating them for 1 month on a battery or calcining in a pan for at least 2 hours. Before planting the seed, additional preparation will be required to increase the germination rate and stimulate female flowering. It consists in soaking the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate, boric acid or in a ready-made commercial preparation.
2. Planting seedlings in compliance with the norms by the distance between rows and plants.
3. Full light mode.
4. Literate systematic watering in compliance with the norms for the volume of water per plant. It is necessary to provide abundant watering for cucumbers before flowering and during the period when the plant bears fruit. Blooming vines do not need it. Cucumbers should not be watered if the ambient temperature is below + 16 ° C.
5. Cold protection... In cold weather, the plants are covered with foil and adjustments are made to the watering regime. Otherwise, a large number of male flowers will appear on the wattle fence.

It is possible to stimulate the development of female inflorescences through a short drying of the soil.... The duration of the process is determined by the appearance of the plant. It should look a little sick. Slight wilting of leaves is a signal for resuming watering and carrying out the next feeding.

Fertile soil is poured under the bush and fed with mullein solution... The solution is made on the basis of proportions: 10 liters of water are taken for 1 kg of fresh raw materials. Watering is carried out at the rate of 1 glass of liquid per bush. When the cucumbers begin to bear fruit, feeding is carried out twice.

Carbon dioxide deficiency can also delay the appearance of fruiting flowers.... It is necessary to periodically loosen the soil after watering or heavy rain. It is also recommended to cover the plant with a mullein.

For reference. You can install a container with fertilizer directly in the greenhouse. This will increase the concentration of carbon dioxide, which will reduce the amount of barren flowers.

Recommended to resort to pinch upper leaves on the main stemto reduce the number of male inflorescences. Early varieties need to be pinched after 8-10 leaves, later ones - after 6-8 leaves on the stem. The manipulation will cause intensive growth of the lateral lashes. Female buds will be formed on them.

At the time of fruiting, it is recommended to harvest in a timely mannerwithout overexposing ripe cucumbers on the stem. This measure stimulates the appearance of new flowers and leads to an increase in the yield of the bush.

Tips from experienced summer residents

Experienced summer residents claim that the empty flower problem is more common when growing cucumbers in a greenhouserather than outdoors. Staying a plant in a greenhouse excludes its natural pollination by insects. In such a situation, you can resort to artificial insemination. The best time for it is from 9 to 12 noon. The technology is simple - a bud with pollen and apply it to a female flower. The pollen should come from the stamens of one inflorescence on the stigma of another.

You can use the folk method and attract bees to the greenhouse... For this, a bouquet of dandelions or perennial onions is placed in it. It is permissible to use a honey solution as a bait, which is sprayed with bushes. The honey scent will attract insects to the greenhouse.

In a greenhouse, experienced summer residents are advised to monitor the temperature... If indoors it is above + 35 +С, then more buds with pollen will be tied. Moreover, the humidity in the greenhouse should not exceed 90%.

Special attention should be paid to cases when the activity of the sun reaches its peak. and the temperature regime in the greenhouse is growing rapidly. In such a situation, immediately after planting and in the process of caring for cucumber bushes, soft diffused lighting will be required. Experienced gardeners provide it by irrigating the outside of the greenhouse wall with an aqueous solution of chalk.

Seed hardening will also help accelerate the emergence of fruiting inflorescences.... The manipulation is carried out with swollen seeds. First, the cucumber seed is left on a damp cloth at room temperature for swelling, then transferred to the refrigerator.

It is recommended to keep the seeds in the cold for two days, after which the seed is dried. Only after that sowing is carried out. Hardened seeds will germinate faster even at temperatures not exceeding + 10 ° C. They will give female buds earlier.

It can be useful:

Why cucumbers do not grow in a greenhouse: effective solutions

Requirements for the soil for cucumbers in the greenhouse and the rules for its preparation

Conclusion

Barren flowers are male flowers necessary for the fruiting of a cucumber bush. Improper care and poor seeds are the main reasons for the appearance of a large number of staminate inflorescences with pollen. The advice of experienced gardeners and adherence to agricultural technology will help to cope with the problem of barren flowers.