Iodine and brilliant green to the rescue: secrets of processing cucumbers for a better harvest

Growing an environmentally friendly and healthy crop on your own plot is not an easy task. Almost all garden crops, including cucumbers, are susceptible to a number of fungal infections.

Some vegetable growers have learned to cope with fungal plant diseases using improvised means, in particular, with the help of iodine and brilliant green - well-known pharmaceutical antiseptics. Adherents of these methods believe that with proper treatment with brilliant green and iodine, cucumbers are less susceptible to disease, the plant's defenses are increased, and therefore the yield increases.

The article will tell you whether iodine and brilliant green are really useful for cucumber beds and, if so, how to properly treat plants with them.

Why are cucumbers treated with iodine and brilliant green?

Fungal infections of plants are considered one of the main “garden troubles”. Cucumbers, which love warmth and moisture, are often affected by fungi, mold, and root rot.

This occurs due to waterlogging of the soil, unfavorable weather conditions, lack of certain microelements in the soil or its contamination by pathogenic pests.

By treating cucumbers with solutions of brilliant green or iodine, gardeners protect plants from diseases (late blight, root rot, powdery mildew, etc.).

Processing of cucumbers is practiced for the following purposes:

1. Prevention and treatment of fungal infections.
2. Soil disinfection.

Beneficial properties of iodine and brilliant green for cucumbers

The agrochemical market offers many fertilizers and preparations that protect plants from pests and diseases. They are effective, but traces of them settle in the soil and are present in the fruits, making them less healthy and tasty. Solutions containing microdoses of brilliant green or iodine are safe for humans.

Important! Pharmaceutical preparations: Iodine 5%, 10 ml, and Brilliant Green Solution 1%, 10 ml, contain alcohol, so they are used for treating plants only in diluted form, strictly following the recommendations given below. An overdose can cause burns on cucumbers.

Useful properties of iodine

Iodine (I+KI+C2H5OH+H2O) is an antimicrobial and antifungal (fungicidal) agent.

The bactericidal effect of the drug is based on its ability to destroy proteins of pathogenic microorganisms, disrupting metabolic processes in the cells of parasites and fungi. Iodine can prevent viral plant diseases and suppress the development of fungal infections.

A weak iodine solution is an effective means for disinfecting soil in beds and in a greenhouse.. It will help get rid of soil pathogens such as late blight, fusarium, pythium, botrytis, which provoke fungal diseases, root rot, stunting and wilting of cucumbers.

The use of iodine in crop production has become so popular that domestic developers have launched a specialized biological product based on iodine, intended for treating plants and soil - “Farmayod”. It is used for the same purposes as solutions based on pharmaceutical preparations. The difference is that Farmayod is an aqueous solution that does not contain alcohol.

Useful properties of brilliant green

Brilliant green (C27H34N2O4S+H2O+C2H5OH) is a disinfectant and antimicrobial drug. It promotes rapid healing of wounds on human skin, copes with gram-positive bacteria, pathogenic fungi, Staphylococcus aureus and diphtheria bacillus.

Brilliant has an equally powerful bactericidal effect on plants. A solution based on the drug is an excellent tool that disinfects the soil and destroys spores of pathogenic fungi.

Mechanical damage to vegetables heals after treatment with brilliant green. Before transporting the crop, it is recommended to lubricate all scratches, abrasions and breaks with a solution of brilliant green.

Reference! Brilliant green is incompatible with disinfectants containing active iodine, chlorine, alkalis (including ammonia solution).

How to properly treat cucumbers with iodine and brilliant green

To properly treat cucumbers with antiseptics, it is important to follow certain rules:

1. In order not to make a mistake with the dosage when preparing the solution, keep in mind that standard pharmacy bottles contain 10 ml of iodine and brilliant green. A teaspoon contains 5 ml, a tablespoon contains 10 ml. The number of drops of the drug required for the solution is measured with a regular medical pipette or a disposable syringe.
2. The water used to prepare the solution should not contain chlorine. It is better to use rain or settled water.
3. Spraying on the leaf is carried out only in the morning or evening in calm weather.
4. When processing cucumbers, sprayers with a fine tip are preferred. They create a “cloud” that allows you to irrigate the entire green mass of plants.
5. Root watering of cucumbers and soil cultivation cannot be carried out on dry soil. Before the procedure, the soil is moistened.
6. After treating the soil with preparations based on iodine or brilliant green, the soil is recommended to be treated with live bacteria.

In cases of root rot

Root rot or Fusarium – a fungal disease caused by Fusarium spp. fungi found in the soil or in contaminated plant debris.

The infection causes rotting of the root part of the cucumber and develops as a result of a complex of unfavorable conditions:

1. Fungus-infected seeds or soil.
2. Damp, cool weather.
3. Excessive watering with cold water.
4. In the greenhouse: no tillage of soil and structure at the beginning and end of the season; high air humidity due to poor ventilation.

Signs of root rot on seedlings are usually not visible. They appear after transplanting the plant to a garden bed or greenhouse:

• wilting and yellowing of leaves at the bottom of the stem;
• the stem at the base is thin and has a yellow or brown tint;
• browned roots;
• fading ovaries.

For treatment, prepare a solution: 10 liters of water, 10 drops of brilliant green. Spray diseased plants every 7 to 10 days.

In case of severe root damage:

1. Prepare a medicine consisting of water and brilliant green, the ratio of ingredients is 2:1. For example, 20 ml of water and 10 ml of greenery.
2. Use the resulting product to lubricate the affected cucumber stem from the ground up at a distance of 10-15 cm.
3. Repeat the procedure every 3-4 days until the plant is cured. Experienced gardeners believe that 2-3 such treatments are enough.

For prevention: irrigate cucumbers brilliant green solution at the rate of 1 drop of antiseptic per 1 liter of water.

Reference! Water rate for irrigation: 4-5 l/m2 before flowering and 9-10 l/m2 during fruit formation. The optimal water temperature for irrigation is +25ºС, or not lower than air temperature.

With white rot

The causative agent of the disease is the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.It can develop both on the plant itself and in the environment. Fungal spores germinate in plant tissues, forming mycelium - a white coating resembling cotton wool. As the fungus grows, new fruiting bodies filled with spores are formed that can spread and infect both plants and soil.

Symptoms of white rot definite, they are difficult to confuse with other diseases:

1. Whitish, “cotton-like” growths on the vines, leaves, and ovaries of the cucumber.
2. Watery, wet spots.
3. Withering shoot tips.

Prepare a medicinal solution: 10 liters of water, 40 drops of brilliant green.

Spray the cucumber vines weekly and water the soil under the plants and between the rows.

For gray rot

The causative agent of this bacterial and fungal disease is the fungus Botrytis cinerea, found in soil and plant debris. Spreads by air, insects, birds, and garden tools.

Weakened and damaged plants with breaks and mechanical wounds are most often affected.

The appearance of light brown slippery spots on the leaves, stems and fruits of cucumber are the first signs of gray rot disease.

In the absence of timely treatment, the spots become covered with a fluffy gray coating, which indicates the development of the rotting process and can lead to the death of the entire plant.

One of the solutions will help in the fight against the disease, especially at an early stage:

1. 10 l. water, 10 ml of greenery.
2. 10 l. water, 30 drops of iodine, 1 liter of whey or milk.
3. 10 l. water, 30 drops of iodine, 10 g of boric acid, 1.5 g of potassium permanganate.

It is necessary to carefully treat the diseased plant, soil, and adjacent plantings every 5-7 days. After 4-5 procedures, the condition of the plants will improve.

For powdery mildew

powdery mildew, or ashtray, or belly - a fungal disease that is provoked by microscopic ectoparasites. This is a common cucumber disease that affects plants in early summer.

First, white spots appear on the leaves and young shoots - this is the mycelium of the fungus. Later, after the spores have matured, the spots become covered with drops of liquid that look like dew—hence the name of the disease.

Leaves located close to the ground are primarily affected, since the fungal spores live in the upper layer of soil. Gradually, the infection spreads to the entire plant, the leaves and stems wither and dry out.

One of the medicinal solutions will help:

1. 10 liters of water, 10 ml of brilliant greens, 2 liters of milk serum, 40-50 g of urea.
2. 5 l. water, 2 tsp. soap, 10-12 drops of iodine, 500 ml of whey.
3. 9 liters of water, 1 liter of low-fat milk, 10 drops of iodine or brilliant greens.

For preventive purposes: 2 liters of milk, 10 ml of brilliant greens or iodine. The soil under the cucumbers is treated with the solution, after moistening it. The solution should not get on the green parts of the plant.

Treatment of diseased plants should be carried out at intervals of 7-10 days; for disease prevention - 3 times per season: before flowering, after flowering and 10 days after the appearance of the first ovaries.

Downy mildew, or downy mildew

This disease is more transient and dangerous. It is better to take preventative measures than to fight an insidious disease. The solution consists of 8 liters of water, 2 liters of whey and 10 ml of brilliant green.

Preventive spraying is carried out 3 times per season: before flowering and twice more with an interval of 7-10 days.

Against late blight

The causative agent of the disease is the genus of lower parasitic fungi Phytophthora. The fungus lives in the soil, settling on the roots and above-ground parts of the plant.

Late blight loves moisture and warmth; the spread of the disease is also facilitated by excessively dense planting of cucumbers. The consequence of the disease is rotting, drying out and wilting of the plant.

The first signs of the disease are the appearance of small brown spots on the leaves of cucumbers. On the underside of the leaf there is a barely noticeable white cobweb. If treatment is not started on time, the affected leaves turn yellow, curl and fall off. The fruits are also covered with brown spots of rot.

Treatment should begin at the first signs of illness. First of all, you need to tear off the leaves affected by the fungus, and then treat the plants with a medicinal solution: 10 liters of water, 20 drops of brilliant green or 20 drops of iodine.

Irrigation should be carried out in the evening, the interval between treatments is 4–5 days.

To cure late blight, 2-3 such treatments will be required.

Iodine and brilliant green help well at the initial stage of the disease, but if the disease progresses, then the use of chemicals (CHOM, Oksikhom, etc.) will be required.

It is more correct to carry out preventive treatment of plants against this insidious disease.

To do this, you need to prepare a solution: 9 liters of water, 1 liter of whey or skim milk, 2 ml of iodine. Treat 1-2 times at weekly intervals.

Iodine and brilliant green as a preventive measure

Treatment of cucumbers with folk remedies, including the use of brilliant green or iodine, gives lasting results. However, it is better to take preventive measures and prevent plants from becoming infected with dangerous fungal diseases.

Prevention begins with seed treatment. An effective means of disinfecting seeds is an iodine solution (1 liter of settled water, 1 drop of iodine), with which a piece of gauze is moistened and the seeds are placed in it for 6-8 hours.Then the seeds are dried and used for their intended purpose - for planting in a garden bed or in a seedling container.

Before transferring seedlings to a garden bed or greenhouse, it is advisable to spill the soil with a weak iodine solution: 10 liters of water, 3 drops of iodine.

Inclement rainy weather or excessive heat provoke the development of root rot in cucumbers. A low concentration iodine solution will protect plants and prevent disease: 10 liters of water, 1 ml of iodine. Each bush is spilled at the root, using 1 liter of solution per plant.

To prevent powdery mildew, late blight, white and gray rot of cucumbers, it is advisable to use another method - foliar spraying of stems and leaves. The purpose of the event is to disinfect, “burn” the leaves and vines of the cucumber and prevent the development of pathogenic organisms on them. For treatment, a solution is used: 10 liters of water, 5–10 ml of brilliant green.

To disinfect the soil, use the following solution: 10 liters of water, 10 drops of brilliant green. Water the soil three times per season: at the fourth leaf stage, at the beginning of flowering, after the first ovaries appear.

Attention! Any treatment is stopped a week before harvest.

All recipes using brilliant green and iodine contain minimal doses of drugs that cannot harm human health. Moreover, those micrograms of iodine that can settle in the fruits will not be harmful, but, on the contrary, beneficial to residents of central Russia who live at a considerable distance from the sea.

Important features and differences between processing in a greenhouse and in open ground

Cucumbers grown in a greenhouse and in open ground are exposed to different conditions of light, air temperature and humidity. Therefore, there are some peculiarities in caring for them.

In the greenhouse

In a greenhouse where air humidity is high, with insufficient ventilation and excessive watering, there is a high probability of root rotting. Therefore, special attention is paid to preventive treatment against root rot. Irrigation with antiseptic solutions, root treatment and soil treatment are indicated.

Remember that processing in the greenhouse is carried out only in the morning, since at night, when the air temperature in the greenhouse drops, the humidity rises and condensation forms. Evening spraying will aggravate the situation and create the preconditions for the development of pathogenic fungi.

Treatment with iodine solution in a greenhouse is carried out less frequently than in open ground in order to avoid excessive concentration of the product in the soil.

In the fall, at the end of the season, it is recommended to replace the fertile soil layer in the greenhouse, and then treat all greenhouse structures and the soil itself with an iodine solution.

Attention! When irrigating plants and soil in a greenhouse with solutions containing iodine, it is recommended to protect yourself by wearing a respirator and safety glasses. Processing must be carried out with the doors open.

In the open ground

The health of cucumbers growing in open ground largely depends on weather conditions: prolonged rains contribute to waterlogging of the soil, heat leads to drought, and wind carries and spreads infections. At the first signs of illness, adequate measures must be taken immediately.

Remember that it is recommended to irrigate cucumbers in open ground in the morning or evening, in the absence of direct sunlight, in dry and windless weather.

Conclusion

Many vegetable growers successfully use such simple and effective preparations as brilliant green and iodine when growing cucumbers.They are cheap and available, and are used in small quantities for processing plants.

In household plots, medicinal solutions based on iodine and brilliant green are used not only for growing cucumbers, but also to improve the growth and development of many other vegetable crops.