What to do if crocheted cucumbers: what is missing and how to fix the situation

There are many varieties of cucumbers, but none that offer unusual fruit shapes. Such cucumbers are a sign of improper plant development. One of the most common deformations of cucumber fruits is the hook shape. It makes the cucumbers look unpresentable for sale and complicates the preservation process.

Why do cucumbers grow in a crochet, what the plant lacks, what to do about it and how to prevent it? Find the answers in this article.

Why do cucumbers crochet

There are several reasons. Both one of them and their combination leads to the appearance of hook-shaped fruits on cucumber bushes. The most common reasons the fact that cucumbers grow in a crochet - lack of fertilizer, insufficient light and low temperature.

Lack of fertilizer

During the growing season, cucumbers are fed nitrogen-containing fertilizers, as they contribute to the rapid growth of the green mass of the bush. But nitrogen leaches potassium from the soil, which is so important for the formation and proper growth of fruits.

Important! It is the lack of potassium in the soil that most often causes the cucumbers to deform.

With an excess of nitrogen and at the same time a lack of potassium and phosphorus in the soil, during flowering and fruiting of the plant, the ovaries fall off, and the greens do not ripen.

Insufficient illumination

Cucumber is a light-loving plant. Ovaries on it are formed throughout the bush, including on the lower lashes. The overgrown green mass blocks the access of sunlight to some ovaries, which leads to their dropping or deformation of the fruit.

If, in pursuit of a bountiful harvest, you have planted plants too densely, do not be surprised at the hooked fruits, since the shadow from neighboring plants will also not let the sun's rays through to the cucumbers.

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Low temperature

Cucumbers grow comfortably at an air temperature of 20-26 ° С... If it rises higher, the fruits turn yellow and wilt. At temperatures below 20 ° C, cucumbers deform or stop growing altogether.

Incorrect temperature conditions pose the greatest danger in the last phase of the cucumber flowering period - just before the beginning of fruiting. Errors at this stage can lead not only to crooked fruits, but also to the dropping of the ovaries, that is, to a significant decrease in the yield.

Other reasons

If you find hook fruits on cucumber bushesAlthough all of the above reasons are excluded, check if you are harvesting on time, if you are watering the plants correctly. If you do this correctly and on time, the reason may be in violation of the rules of the neighborhood or the peculiarities of the selected variety of cucumbers.

Late harvest

The cucumber bush spends a huge amount of strength and nutrients on the ripening of fruits... If the fruit is overripe and hangs for too long, the plant does not have enough strength to form new ovaries and the normal ripening of new cucumbers.

Therefore, with a rare collection of cucumbers (less than once every two days), and especially at the end of the season, you will get crooked and small fruits on cucumber bushes. The harvest will be several times less in quantity than it could have been with a timely harvest.

Watering errors

Watering is an important point when growing any plant, especially a cucumber, because its fruits are 95% water. Watering cucumbers, you can make several mistakes that will lead to deformation of the fruit.:

1. Cold water. Watering with cold and ice water is stress on the roots of the plant, which leads to the appearance of barren flowers and deformed fruits.
2. Lack of moisture. In a drought, the cucumber withers, so water is extremely necessary for it for growth and fruiting. During the flowering period, gardeners are advised to limit watering the plant for the formation of female flowers. And with a lack of moisture during the fruiting period, cucumbers appear small and uneven.
3. Excess moisture... With an excess of moisture, trace elements are washed out of the soil and do not reach the fruits, which means that mature, even and large cucumbers will not grow on such bushes. In addition, excess water will lead to root rot and plant death.

Violation of the neighborhood rules

Surprisingly, the appearance of beautiful, even, healthy fruits depends on the plants in the neighborhood with cucumbers. It is impossible to have cucumbers of different types of pollination nearby. If self-pollinated plants and those that require insects for pollination are not isolated from each other, the fruits will be deformed.

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Features of the variety

Some varieties of cucumbers tend to produce more or less deformed fruit. Usually, hook fruits are formed in hybrids. Over the years of cultivation, statistics on the formation of a particular variety of irregular cucumbers have appeared.

Record varieties for the number of irregular cucumbers (hooked, round, pot-bellied, pear-shaped, etc.) by the end of summer: Champion, Patti, Buyan, Prestige. Slightly less than half of the crop is deformed in the second half of summer in such varieties: Prima Donna, Emelya, Talisman, Santana. Pasadena and Pasamonte varieties yield up to 30% of crooked fruits.

Problem arising in the greenhouse

Why do crooked cucumbers grow in a greenhouse? Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse can affect fruiting plants both positively and negatively. On the one hand, it is easier to maintain and regulate the conditions in which a crop grows in a greenhouse than in an open field. On the other hand, an inexperienced gardener can easily make a mistake, which will lead to improper development of fruits in the greenhouse.

In a greenhouse, it is more difficult to isolate plants of differently pollinated varieties from each other. and comply with the rules of the neighborhood. And for the correct growth of cucumbers pollinated by insects in a greenhouse, you have to resort to artificial pollination.

Crochet cucumbers in the open field

When cucumbers grow in an open garden, the gardener harder to influence temperature conditions and watering (for example, with an abnormal amount of precipitation).

Easier in the open field observe the rules of the neighborhoodby planting bushes of variegated varieties in different places. At the same time, it is much more difficult to protect self-pollinated cucumbers from insects than in a greenhouse.

What to do

If you notice gnarled fruits on cucumber bushes, first determine the reasons for their appearance. Some of them can be easily fixed, others are much more difficult to fight.:

1. Take immediate action to avoid harvesting the whole crop of hooks. During the flowering and fruiting period, remove nitrogen-containing fertilizers from the fertilizing, add potassium and phosphorus.
2. If the bushes are planted too close and shade the sunlight, and it is no longer possible to plant them wider, cut off the extra leaves. If that doesn't work, you will have to sacrifice some plants.
3. Remember that at air temperatures below 20 ° C, cucumbers slow down or stop growth, and the fruits are crocheted. Try to regulate the temperature in the greenhouse to the optimal temperature for cucumbers (20–26 ° C), and in the open field in cold weather, stop watering the plants.
4. It is imperative to harvest cucumbers every 2-3 days, at least. Experienced gardeners are advised to pick the fruits a little immature. So the taste will be at its best, and nothing will harm the plant and future fruits.
5. The ideal water for watering cucumbers is soft, rainy, room temperature. Pay close attention to watering your plants. If you find violations, fix them. In hot and dry conditions, water the bushes abundantly twice a day during the fruiting period. Do not overdo it with watering so as not to spoil or even destroy the crop.
6. If you violate the rules of the neighborhood, you can artificially protect different varieties of cucumbers from each other, and some from insects. Block insects from entering the greenhouse to save self-pollinated plants, and use artificial pollination for insects. In the open field, self-pollinated bushes during the flowering period are best covered with gauze.

How to feed

To get a plentiful, healthy and beautiful harvest, plantings should be fertilized mullein, during flowering - chicken droppings, and during fruiting - ash.

Important! During flowering and fruiting, exclude nitrogen from the fertilizer complex, use potassium and phosphorus.

Top dressing is a complex process when growing cucumbers... Both a deficiency and an excess of useful elements in the soil leads to a poor harvest. The main ingredients for cucumbers are potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, iron and copper.

Prevention measures

How to prevent the fruit from starting to swirl? It is necessary to comply with all conditions and rules for caring for cucumbers from the very beginning.... Then you do not have to take measures in a panic that do not always lead to the expected result.

Crop rotation is an important point in prevention.... First, cucumbers are not planted in the same soil for four years. Secondly, after crops such as pumpkin, zucchini and dill, there are practically no macro- and micronutrients left in the soil. This worsens the fruiting process, the cucumbers are deformed.

Special attention should be paid to the choice of the variety... According to statistics, the least fruits curl in such cucumbers: Octopus, Twixi, Othello, Paratunka. For the greenhouse, choose self-pollinated varieties, for open ground - inseminated ones.

Pay attention to two points when landing: neighborhood and distance between bushes. According to the rules, self-pollinated and insect-pollinated varieties of cucumbers must be planted as far as possible from each other (preferably at different ends of the greenhouse or plot).

Important! When planting, the distance between the bushes growing nearby should be at least 10–20 cm so that they do not impede the penetration of sunlight.

Tips from experienced gardeners

Every gardener at least once came across crocheted cucumbers in the garden or in the greenhouse. Growing healthy, even and juicy fruits will help the advice of experienced farmers:

1. Observe the crop rotation. The best precursor crops for cucumbers are tomatoes, peppers, carrots, cabbage, and onions.
2. For balanced moisture, mulch the soil with straw or peat after each watering.
3. Stop watering when the air temperature is below 15 ° C.
4. Pluck cucumbers 4–6 cm long from the whip.
5. Feed the cucumbers with wood ash infusion and potash fertilizers every two weeks.
6. In late summer, use closed beds and greenhouses to avoid cold temperatures.
7. Be sure to heat the water for irrigation in the sun, and in bad weather, boil and dilute with cold water.
8. Treat the greenhouse thoroughly at the end of the season, disinfect it from diseases and pests that may remain in the soil or settle on the inner surfaces of the greenhouse.

Important! Water and spray the cucumber bushes early in the morning (before 10:00) or in the evening (after 6:00 pm). In the heat, with daytime watering, the plant can get sunburn.

Conclusion

Gardeners have different attitudes towards irregular cucumber harvests. Someone does not care what a cucumber looks like, the main thing is that it is juicy and tasty.For others, it is important to grow cucumbers in the correct shape.

Remember: even fruits are an indicator that the plant is healthy, does not suffer from a lack or excess of any nutrients and improper care. Carefully follow the recommendations and tips for the prevention and control of deformed fruits, and your plantings will thank you for this with beautiful, tasty and crispy cucumbers.