What to do if cucumbers from the greenhouse are bitter and why does this happen?

Cucumbers require careful care and attention. An unpleasant feature of cucumbers is the appearance of a bitter taste in the fruit. Why cucumbers are bitter in a greenhouse and what to do to prevent this problem, you will learn from this article.

Reasons for bitterness in cucumbers

Cucumbers, like all vegetables of the Cucurbitaceae family, are genetically determined to contain cucurbitacin. This substance is distributed throughout all parts of the plant, from roots to fruits.

Cucurbitacin is very useful: it helps seeds germinate faster, increases their germination rate, repels pests, and makes plants more resistant to stress. When the content of cucurbitacin is small, it has a beneficial effect on the body - anti-inflammatory, antihelminthic.

However, as the concentration of this substance increases, the fruits become bitter. What leads to a large amount of cucurbitacin:

• incorrect choice of seeds for planting;
• too dry and hot climate;
• unsuitable soil composition;
• cold water for irrigation;
• bacteria and pests;
• too much or, conversely, insufficient watering;
• temperature changes;
• lack of fertilizers, improper application of fertilizers;
• cucumbers grow too thick;
• the stems twist among themselves.

How to remove bitterness from cucumbers

Cucurbitacin is more concentrated in the skin and tip of the cucumber near the stem, so peel the skin and trim the ends. If the flesh is bitter, lightly salt the cucumber before eating.

Soaking the fruits in warm water will help get rid of bitterness, as will any heat treatment. If these methods do not help, use such vegetables for canning, pickling or pickling. With this treatment, the bitterness will disappear.

How to prevent bitterness

To prevent cucumbers from disappointing with their bitterness, it is better to take care in advance to prevent the appearance of an unpleasant taste.

Soil and fertilizing

The soil for growing should be light, fertile, loose and well fertilized. Clay or sandy soils are not suitable: in such soil, cucumbers grow poorly and become bitter much more often. If you have such soil in your greenhouse, remove the top layer and replace it with more fertile soil.

Be sure to add fertilizers containing potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus to the soil to provide adequate nutrition for vegetables. Observe the dosage: if you exceed the nitrogen concentration, this will also lead to bitterness. Neglect of fertilizing and lack of microelements also have a bad effect on the taste of the fruit.

Reference. Urea or potassium nitrate is used to fertilize bushes in the early stages of development. Then they are fed with mullein or chicken droppings.

Seeds for planting

If you are growing cucumbers for seeds, take them from the front of the fruit. Seeds taken from the back part, closer to the stalk, often grow into bitter cucumbers.

Hybrid varieties are selected from purchased seeds. The newest hybrids do not taste bitter and do not form voids inside the fruit.

Experienced summer residents and experts do not recommend using seeds of the following varieties: Vyaznikovsky, Nezhinsky, Muromsky. They almost always grow up with an unpleasant bitter taste.

To grow delicious juicy cucumbers, buy varieties:

• Zyatek;
• April;
• Ginga;
• Marina Grove;
• Masha;
• Quadrille;
• Chistye Prudy;
• Ant;
• Brawler;
• Benefit;
• Fidget.

These varieties are also resistant to unfavorable growing conditions.

Important! Plant the seedlings in the greenhouse after 4 leaves appear on the bushes in heated, prepared soil. The air in the greenhouse should warm up to +18°C.

Watering and moistening

Lack or excess of moisture is the main reason for the appearance of bitter cucumbers. Therefore, carefully monitor the condition of the soil and do not allow it to dry out. Cucumbers love warmth; do not water them with cold water. Ideally, water for irrigation should be +22…24°C. To heat water in a timely manner, place a barrel of water in the greenhouse so that the water in it is always warm.

If the weather is hot for 4-5 days in a row, the number of bitter fruits increases sharply. Therefore, if you do not have the opportunity to water the cucumbers in a timely manner, install drip irrigation. Increase the frequency of watering in hot weather if cucumbers are planted in a polycarbonate greenhouse.

In open ground, cucumbers also need regular watering. In very hot weather, water more often, and during prolonged rains, cover them with film. Excess moisture leads to root rot and plant death.

Advice. Water the bushes at the root using a watering can. You can also water from a hose or bucket, but make sure that the pressure is minimal. This way it won’t wash away the soil and expose the roots.

Temperature conditions in the greenhouse

Protect cucumbers from temperature changes day and night. This happens often, especially in Siberia, and it causes plants to become stressed. While the bushes do not bear fruit, the optimal temperature during the day is +20°C, at night - +18°C. During the fruiting period, the maximum daytime temperature is +27°C, night temperature is +20°C.

To equalize the average daily temperature, the greenhouse is ventilated during the day and closed at night. Hypothermia also leads to stress.Therefore, do not open the greenhouse when it is cold outside.

Correct lighting

The cause of bitterness also lies in improper lighting in the areas where cucumbers are grown. This is a heat-loving plant, but excess sun rays can harm the bushes, leading them to further stress.

Sunlight should be diffused. To do this, the walls of the glass greenhouse are painted over with lime or chalk. The film greenhouse is covered with a darker colored film on top. The light in a polycarbonate greenhouse does not need to be further diffused; its walls already protect cucumbers well from excess sunlight and from cold.

Cucumbers do not require additional artificial lighting. During the day, cucumber beds should be illuminated for at least 12 hours. Cucumbers must spend at least 6 hours a day in complete darkness, otherwise the bushes will lag behind in development and the flowers will fall off.

Shoot care

Cucumbers are often attacked by aphids, whiteflies, mole crickets, spider mites and other pests, and also suffer from fungal and infectious diseases. This also causes bitterness. Therefore, when pests appear, take action immediately. For example, treat the bushes with an infusion of onion peels or tobacco dust.

Thin out too dense seedlings if you plant seeds directly into the ground. Cucumber bushes require a lot of space to grow fully. The distance between plants should be 20 cm, and between rows - 40 cm.

Get rid of weeds. They take away most of the nutrients and moisture, which leads to bitterness in cucumbers. In addition, weeds attract pests.

In open ground, plant tall plants, such as corn or sunflowers, next to the cucumbers. They serve not only as additional shading, but also as support for bushes.

Timely harvesting

During the period of active fruiting, cucumbers are harvested at least every 2-3 days. If you collect fruits less often, even once every 5 days, they will become overripe and begin to taste bitter. For the same reason, voids may appear in cucumbers. Such fruits have an unpleasant taste and are not suitable for pickling.

How to grow cucumbers without bitterness: advice from experienced gardeners

We offer some advice from experienced gardeners:

1. Do not use fresh manure as fertilizer. It is better to add it to the soil in the fall when digging the ground. Then by the next season its concentration will decrease, and such fertilizer will be more beneficial.
2. You can find out in advance whether cucumbers will taste bitter even before the fruit appears. To do this, pick a leaf, squeeze the juice out of it and taste it. If the juice is bitter, then the fruit will be bitter. In this case, either the bushes do not have enough moisture, or the temperature in the greenhouse is uncomfortable.
3. Try the first ripe cucumber. Its taste will also tell you whether the next fruit will be bitter. Before they appear, you will have time to find and eliminate the cause of bitterness.
4. Mulch the soil after watering. To do this, use mowed grass or hay. This way the moisture evaporates more slowly and the soil remains protected from drying out. Simply place bunches of dry grass or hay under each bush and water from above.

Conclusion

In order not to regret the effort spent while harvesting cucumbers, immediately after planting, begin to monitor the condition of the soil, water and air temperatures. Protect bushes from insects and weeds. Only then will the cucumbers not be bitter and delight you with a fresh taste.