What to do if cucumber leaves turn yellow: effective folk remedies

Cucumbers are one of the most unpretentious vegetables. Even an inexperienced gardener can grow them, adhering to simple rules of agricultural technology. The main problem that beginners face is yellowing of the leaves, which can lead to the death of the bushes.

The reasons for this are different - from drying out of the soil to damage to plants by aphids or fungus. If measures are not taken in time, the harvest may not be seen. It is important to take into account that cucumbers perfectly absorb the chemicals that are sprayed on them. Why cucumber leaves turn yellow, what to do and what folk remedies to use, we will tell you in the article.

Why do cucumber leaves turn yellow?

Like any other plant, the cucumber lives through photosynthesis, which occurs in the leaves and stems. If the process is disrupted, the leaves turn yellow - the plant stops absorbing carbon dioxide and solar energy.

Severe yellowing leads to plant death. The main reasons for this:

• lack of nutrients in the soil;
• diseases – primarily fungal;
• pests - caterpillars, aphid;
• sudden changes in temperature;
• lack or excess of moisture in the soil;
• little sunlight;
• rotting of roots and leaves;
• root injuries;
• early end of the growing season.

Each of these problems can be dealt with, the main thing is to notice it in time.

Lack of sunlight

Cucumbers planted in the shade of trees or buildings regularly upset owners by drying out. yellowing leaves. Vegetables need bright light, so for beds and greenhouses you need to choose a sunny, bright place.

Lack or excess of moisture

Dim, with yellow spots the edges of the leaves can become either from a lack of moisture or from its excess.

It is easier to cope with drought - with the resumption of regular watering, cucumbers recover very quickly. If there is too much moisture, then due to excessive watering and constant rains, the roots and leaves may begin to rot.

Reference. For urgent rehabilitation of plants, a mixture of sand and wood ash is added to the soil under the bushes, after which the top layer of soil is loosened.

Hypothermia or sudden temperature fluctuations

With sudden hypothermia, the plant experiences stress - both the lower and upper leaves turn pale and yellow. To make cucumbers feel good in open ground, cover the beds with film on especially cold nights.

Root damage

When the roots rot or are damaged, the plant dies without receiving enough moisture and nutrients. The roots can be damaged by too deep loosening or inept weeding - in this case, the root system is restored quickly. If the roots rot, change the frequency of watering and sprinkle the soil with sifted ash.

Sunburn

It most often occurs due to improper watering, when the plant is watered in the very heat. If brown spots appear on the leaves, you should slightly shade the beds and be sure to reschedule watering until the evening or morning.

Fungal infections and other diseases

Fungal diseases can completely destroy an entire vegetable plantation in a few weeks. Fungal infection is easy to identify - it appears in the form of spots of various shapes on the leaves.

Cucumbers are affected by:

• powdery mildew;
• peronosporosis;
• fusarium;
• bacteriosis.

The most common type of fungal disease is late blight.

Pest infestation

Aphids, which are carried by garden ants, whiteflies, and spider mites, can gnaw through the leaves, damaging the tissue and sucking all the juices out of the plant.

At the site where the parasite appears, a yellowish-brown spot forms, which gradually spreads to the entire leaf.

Due to disruption of photosynthesis processes, the leaf turns yellow and dies.

Lack of nutrients

Poor, infertile soils cannot provide the plant with all the necessary nutrients. If the leaves turn brown from a lack of potassium or other microelements, it is necessary to apply complex mineral fertilizer and not forget about organic matter.

Physiological process of aging

In autumn, plants begin to turn yellow naturally - this is a process that cannot be influenced - and is not necessary.

Varieties of yellowing

The leaves themselves will tell you about the nutritional deficiency. If the plate turns pale and acquires a yellowish tint, there may be a nitrogen deficiency. Gradually, such a leaf will begin to curl its edges downwards.

Leaves turn yellow and curl

With a lack of calcium, the plates curl and die. Curling is also typical for plants affected by pests or fungal disease.

On a note. Curling leaves may also indicate a lack of nitrogen.

The lower leaves turn yellow

If the lower leaves of the bushes gradually turn yellow, there is no need to worry. The foliage of cucumbers is dense, so the lower leaves may simply not have enough sunlight. Yellowing and falling in this case is a normal physiological process of getting rid of excess foliage.

Simultaneous yellowing of leaves and ovary

The most dangerous thing in growing cucumbers is the simultaneous wilting of leaves and ovaries. Measures must be taken immediately, otherwise there may be no harvest at all.

Main reasons:

• lack of sunlight;
• starvation - lack of nitrogen and potassium, which are easily washed out of the soil with regular heavy watering;
• hypothermia of bushes.

To solve the problem, feed young bushes with complex fertilizer and cover the beds at night, as well as on cool, windy days.

The edges of the leaves turn yellow

Cucumbers darken along the edges of the leaves due to a lack of nutrients, mainly potassium. If a border appears on the bushes, which has a characteristic greenish-yellow color, apply complex mineral fertilizer or feed the cucumbers with an infusion of wood ash.

Leaves turn yellow in spots

Most often this indicates infection with late blight or some other fungal disease. The leaves turn yellow unevenly and when pests appear and bite through the leaf tissue, it is at the puncture site that the first brownish-yellow spot forms.

Also, spotty coloration may indicate a deficiency of specific microelements:

• with a lack of potassium, spots appear that resemble a sunburn;
• with a lack of magnesium, the spots are yellow-green, gradually spreading to the entire leaf.

If you do not fertilize, the plates will continue to dry out and die.

How to fight yellowing with folk remedies

If the problem cannot be solved by adjusting watering and covering the beds, it is necessary to take measures to eliminate the main problem. You can feed plants and kill pests without using serious chemicals.

How to treat cucumbers if there is a lack of nutrition

An excellent top dressing that supplies green vegetables with all nutrients is an infusion of ash and mullein.

To prepare the fertilizer, 300 g of dry sifted ash is poured into a 10 liter bucket, 200 g of dry mullein is added and left for 24 hours. After this, water the plants at the rate of 1 liter per bush.

After a week, feed the plants again. Then apply fertilizer every two weeks until harvest is complete.

Treatment against diseases and pests

You can cope with any type of fungus using a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture. A solution of “Nitroammofoski” (2-3 ml per 10 liters of water) copes with aphids.

Colloidal sulfur solution destroys spider mites – for treatment, dilute 80 g of sulfur in a 10 liter bucket with water and process bushes every 3-5 days.

You can wash leaves affected by fungus or aphids with a mild soap solution (use only unscented laundry soap). After washing, sprinkle the dark spots with sifted ash - it will create an alkaline environment in which the fungus cannot survive.

It is necessary to repeat the soap treatment and powder every 3-4 days until the symptoms disappear completely.

If the fungus is persistent, treat the bushes with a weak solution of natural soda. A tablespoon of powder is diluted in a 5-liter bucket of water and the leaves are treated with a spray bottle.

Important! When treating with natural soda, follow the dosage. A more concentrated solution may cause burns and blackening of the leaves.

A stronger solution (half a glass of soda per 10 liters of water) is used to wash the walls of the greenhouse every three days.

In other cases

To prevent yellowing of leaves and urgent rehabilitation, it is useful to treat plantings once every two weeks with solutions according to folk recipes:

1. Milk-soap composition. In a 10-liter bucket, take 8 liters of water, add half a liter of low-fat milk, 20 g of simple laundry soap and 20 drops of iodine. Stir until the soap shavings are completely dissolved. Treat the leaves with the solution every 10-12 days to prevent the appearance of caterpillars, aphids, viral diseases and fungus.
2. Rye bread with iodine. A loaf of dry rye bread is soaked in a bucket of water for 12 hours. After complete soaking, the bread is ground in water by hand, and 30-40 drops of iodine are added to the mixture. The solution is filtered through several layers of gauze and poured into a clean bucket. Greens are sprayed with a solution every 14 days - against pests and for additional feeding.
3. Infusion of onion peels. An excellent tool that has been used by experienced farmers for many decades. Grinded husks in an amount of 30 g are poured into 10 liters of water. The mixture is boiled for one minute, cooled and infused for about a day. Strain, dilute with water 1/1 and spray the leaves with the resulting solution. The infusion is not stored - the remains are poured under the bush: this is an excellent fertilizer for cucumbers.

If vegetables grow in a greenhouse or under film, the bushes must be regularly ventilated by opening the greenhouse door or raising the cover. Excessive humidity creates a favorable environment for the development of diseases, especially fungus.

How to prevent cucumber leaves from turning yellow

To ensure that the cucumbers are strong and healthy, the leaves do not turn yellow and remain green, it is enough to follow simple rules:

• cover plants with film during periods of sharp drop in air temperature;
• do not allow the soil under vegetables to dry out;
• treat the greenhouse, soil, fruits and leaves from pests;
• do not neglect fertilizing;
• do not water the plants in the heat of the day - watering is carried out either early in the morning or in the evening, when the temperature drops and solar activity is minimal.

Conclusion

Caring for cucumbers is not a difficult task, but even in this case you should not neglect the rules of agricultural technology so that the leaves of the plant do not begin to turn yellow. In this case, there is a risk of being left without a harvest.

The main task when yellowing of cucumber leaves appears is to establish the cause and eliminate it as soon as possible. If the fungus, aphids are promptly destroyed or fertilizer is added to the soil, the problem will disappear in a few days.