What to do with empty flowers on cucumbers in a greenhouse and how to prevent their appearance
Sometimes it happens that, walking around cucumber plantings, gardeners notice a huge number of flowers on them, but in the end, most of the supposed ovaries do not turn into the long-awaited cucumbers. Such flowers are called barren flowers.
What to do with barren flowers on greenhouse cucumbers, what are its causes and how to prevent this phenomenon? This is discussed in our article.
What is barren flower
Cucumbers have two types of flowers: female (pistillate) and male (staminate). The ovaries, and subsequently the fruits themselves, are formed only on fertilized female flowers. Male flowers, as well as unpollinated female ones, are called barren flowers. That’s why gardeners sound the alarm when they notice bushes with barren flowers: they won’t be able to get a bountiful harvest.
For optimal and natural development The plant should have approximately equal numbers of male and female flowers. If only one or the other is present on the plant, pollination will not occur.
Seeing an abundance of barren flowers on cucumbers in your greenhouse, don’t give up. There are many ways to fix the situation. But before taking any measures, it is necessary to determine the reason for their formation.
Reasons for the appearance of barren flowers on cucumbers
Why are there so many empty flowers on cucumbers? What am I doing wrong? - gardeners who are faced with a problem ask themselves. Reasons for the formation of barren flowers on cucumbers in a greenhouse can be divided into two groups: incorrect choice of seeds and incorrect care of the plant.
The main reasons for the appearance of barren flowers:
- low-quality seeds;
- varietal characteristics;
- improper watering;
- small distance between plantings;
- improper feeding;
- unsuitable temperature conditions;
- improper harvesting;
- pests
Poor quality seeds
Trusted manufacturers will not sell low-quality seeds. But when buying seed or seedlings, for example, at the market from unfamiliar sellers, you may encounter barren flowers.
If you decide to collect seeds from your harvest yourself, know that not all fruits produce high-quality planting material. Unsuitable seeds are produced by plants with a large number of barren flowers, irregularly shaped fruits, or those that have suffered from any diseases.
Another reason for empty flowers may be young seeds. Cucumber seed remains viable for several years. Last year's seeds are not yet ready to produce a good harvest - male flowers will significantly predominate on such plants.
Varietal features
The wrong choice of variety can also lead to barren flowers. for landing. Cucumbers, among other things, differ in the type of flowering. There are plants of the male flowering type, that is, with a predominance of male flowers on the bush, and of the female type, with a predominance of female flowers.
Choosing cucumbers that are prone to male flowering, do not expect a bountiful harvest. A cucumber will look beautiful in a garden bed or in a greenhouse - with a lot of large yellow flowers, but greenery will not form from them. This means that the plant will not be able to fully perform its main function - fruiting.
Important! Pay attention to the method of pollination of the selected plants.Cucumber varieties that are pollinated by insects are not suitable for growing in a greenhouse.
Improper watering
Both excessive and insufficient watering of the plant can lead to the appearance of barren flowers.
Excessive watering leads to rapid plant growth – its stems and leaves – and the formation of a large number of large yellow flowers, but, alas, male. They will not bear fruit. Drought also adversely affects the crop. Without enough moisture, the plant may die.
It is important to pay attention to the composition and temperature of the water., which you water the cucumbers in the greenhouse. A high content of salt impurities in water from a hose impairs the formation of ovaries on cucumbers. Watering plants with cold or ice water leads to the formation of empty flowers and poses a danger to the roots.
Small distance between landings
In pursuit of a bountiful harvest, gardeners often try plant as many plants as possible in a limited area. Due to the cramped conditions, cucumbers grow slowly and suffer from lack of moisture and light.
When planted densely The plants produce barren flowers and only sometimes female flowers. But due to the short distance between plantings, pollination may not occur, and you will not receive the expected harvest.
It can be useful:
Incorrect feeding
Not only excessive watering, but also overfeeding the crop with nitrogen-containing fertilizers. If you continue to feed the cucumber with nitrogen during flowering, it will not please you with a bountiful harvest.
Important! Both a lack and an excess of nutrients can lead to empty flowers on cucumbers in a greenhouse.
Unsuitable temperature conditions
So that as many ovaries as possible appear on the cucumber, monitor not only the temperature of the water for irrigation, but also the air temperature in the greenhouse. Cucumbers are adversely affected by both low and too high air temperatures.
Cucumber is a southern plant, so it is not used to the cold. At air temperatures below 15 °C, female flowers on the crop stop forming, and the risk of barren flowers appears is high.
Plant propagation at temperatures above 27 °C also not possible. At high air temperatures, pollen from male flowers cannot fertilize female flowers, so green flowers do not set.
Improper harvesting
Surprisingly, even when harvesting, you can influence the formation of barren flowers on cucumbers. By picking ripe fruits from a bush, you can accidentally harm it. If the whip is damaged during harvest, the plant may die.
If you collect fruits too rarely, By waiting for overgrown cucumbers, the plant simply will not have the strength to form new ovaries. In this case, all the nutrients will go into the growth of existing greens.
Pests
In addition to the wrong choice of seeds and improper care of the plant pest attacks lead to the appearance of barren flowers. If you notice that your cucumbers produce mostly male flowers and the bush is not going to bear fruit, although you follow all the recommendations for caring for the plant, check it for the presence of insects and mites.
Noticing on the leaves and stem of the plant yellow spots, dark spots, cobwebs or pests themselves, urgently take measures to combat them.
The main enemy of cucumber is spider mite. Signs of its appearance: light spots on the leaves, cobwebs, slower growth of the bush, and subsequently yellowing of the leaves and wilting of the plant. This pest multiplies at a tremendous speed, so it must be dealt with immediately.
To defeat spider mites (pictured), use folk remedies or acaricides. If these control methods do not help, immediately remove the infected plant from the greenhouse so that the mite does not have time to move to neighboring healthy bushes.
Another pest that leads to barren flowers there are ants on the cucumbers in the greenhouse. They carry away pollen from male flowers, so fertilization slows down and the amount of harvest decreases sharply. To combat ants, before applying fertilizer, the soil is spilled with boiling water, and a water barrier, for example, a stream, is created in the greenhouse. Through it, ants will not be able to enter your greenhouse and attack the plants.
What to do
Prevention mainly helps against barren flowers on cucumbers in a greenhouse.. But some influencing factors can be eliminated after the appearance of barren flowers.
First check, are all the listed causes of barren flowers excluded? The easiest way is to check whether you are caring for the plant correctly: watering, fertilizing, temperature, harvesting. It is easy to notice pests and the density of plantings. If everything is fine, most likely the problem lies in the seeds.
Ways to combat barren flowers on cucumbers divided into agrotechnical techniques and folk methods.
Agrotechnical techniques
Agronomic practices will help, if the reason for the appearance of barren flowers lies in the wrong choice of cucumber variety and improper care of the plant.
Variety
If you have chosen the cucumber variety by mistake, which requires pollination by insects that are not in the greenhouse, do not be discouraged. You can use artificial pollination. To do this, pollen from the stamens of male flowers is carefully transferred with a brush or rubber band to the pistils of female flowers.
Watering
If you understand that the reason for empty flowers lies in the wrong watering the plant, it's easy to fix. Normalize the amount of moisture for the bush: water so that the soil has time to dry completely - at this moment female flowers form on the cucumber.
The ideal water for watering cucumbers is rain. It contains fewer salt impurities, which has a positive effect on both the formation of ovaries and the taste of the fruit. Water your plants with water at room temperature. If you water with a hose, do it in the evening, after the water in it has warmed up in the sun.
Planting density
The distance between plantings should be at least 10-20 cm. If you realize that you have planted cucumbers too densely and it is no longer possible to plant them, there are two options:
- Sacrifice a few bushes to increase the spacing between other plantings.
- Periodically, carefully remove the leaves from the plants to reduce the density of the greenery and provide access to the sun's rays for each cucumber.
Top dressing
Let's assume that everything is in order with the previous points, but there are still empty flowers. Then check the feeding. Cucumbers may be lacking nutrients, or on the contrary, there are too many of them.
Important! During the flowering period, do not fertilize plants with nitrogen under any circumstances. At this time, it is better to feed the cucumbers with potassium and phosphorus fertilizers.
Temperature
Now let's move on to air and soil temperatures. Cucumber seedlings are planted in the ground when the soil warms up to 15-16 °C. If the summer turns out to be cold and the air temperature in the greenhouse suddenly drops below 15 ° C, stop watering.
In case of heat above 27-30 °C, on the contrary, switch to intensive watering 2 times a day. But when growing cucumbers in a greenhouse, try to adjust the temperature to the optimum - 20-25 ° C.
Harvesting
If you got your first harvest, but for some reason the bush refuses to bear fruit any further, check whether you are picking cucumbers correctly. Harvest ripe fruits every two days. Carefully pick the cucumbers or cut them with a knife so as not to damage the vine.
Attention! Make sure that the cucumbers do not overripe - harvest every few days.
Pests
Acaricides will help against spider mites (since it is not an insect, but an arachnid). Infected leaves are torn off and burned, and in case of severe mite infestation, the entire plant is removed from the greenhouse and also burned outside the site.
From ants the soil before applying fertilizers They pour boiling water over it, build a water barrier in the greenhouse, and treat the soil and stem of the plant with an ant repellent approved for use in garden beds.
Traditional methods
For a bountiful and healthy harvest The plantings are covered with mullein, during flowering - with chicken droppings, and during the fruiting period - with ash.
From spider mites if detected early gardeners use infusions and decoctions of herbs:
- Marigold decoction: pour half a bucket of marigolds with warm water and leave for two days. After this, strain the broth and add 40 g of laundry soap. Spray the plants with the resulting solution.
- Infusion of tomato tops (pictured): soak a kilogram of dry and fresh tomato tops in a bucket of hot water for 4 hours, then add 40 g of soap.
- Hot pepper decoction: boil 100 g of hot pepper in 1 liter of water for 2 hours. Dilute every 150 ml of broth in a bucket of water, adding 40 g of laundry soap.
- Dandelion infusion: leave 25 g of dandelions in a liter of warm water for 2 hours.
Spraying the plant once is not enough. Spraying is carried out 1-2 times a week for a month, then take a break of 20 days, then repeat the procedure.
Preventive measures
To prevent barren flowers It is necessary to initially follow all recommendations for caring for cucumbers and constantly check the plantings for the presence of pests.
When choosing seeds, give preference to 3-4 year old ones. Choose a variety with a predominantly female type of flowering, pollinated without the participation of insects. Hybrids are famous for their abundant harvest. Warm and treat seeds before planting.
Advice from experienced farmers
During flowering, give cucumbers a drought – this stimulates the formation of female flowers. Do not spray plants on a hot day to avoid causing sunburn. The optimal time for watering and spraying is before 10:00 in the morning and after 18:00 in the evening.
Do not loosen the soil near the rhizome: You can damage the root and dry out the soil. Dill saves cucumbers from a large number of diseases and pests. Plant it around cucumber bushes. Buy seeds from a trusted agricultural company.
Traditional methods of pest control are not always effective. Do not neglect chemical and biological preparations in advanced cases, otherwise you may be left without a harvest.
Important! When working with chemicals, strictly follow the instructions and do not forget about safety precautions.
Conclusion
You need to fight barren flowers on cucumber bushes in order to get a rich, healthy and tasty harvest. Now you know how to do it. Taking into account recommendations for choosing seeds, proper plant care and prevention - these effective measures will save you from the appearance of barren flowers.