by A packet of cucumber seeds always shows off smooth, attractive fruits. However, in real life, everything is not so beautiful. Perhaps every summer resident has at least once encountered cucumbers of a bizarre shape – crooked, twisted, with constrictions at the “waist”, etc.
Most often, they taste no different from the smooth beauties. But it is not very convenient to roll up such greens. In addition, the unusual shape of the fruit often signals some problems with the plants that need to and can be solved.
Today we will tell you why, instead of smooth green cucumbers, cucumbers that look like light bulbs can grow.
Reasons for the appearance of pear-shaped cucumbers
Most often, the reason for the pear-shaped form of cucumbers is associated with a lack of nutrients, or more precisely, a deficiency of potassium. This element is extremely necessary for cucumbers, especially during the period of budding and fruiting. With potassium starvation, the fruits grow narrow near the stalk, and closer to the flower they expand – the greens become like light bulbs. In addition, the following signs will also indicate a lack of potassium in cucumbers:
- the leaves begin to dry out – a light border appears along the edge of the leaf blade;
- over time, in addition to this, necrotic spots can be found on the leaves;
- leaf blades curl downwards;
- the fruits acquire not only an irregular pear-shaped form, but also a yellowish tint.
If the fruit thickens, on the contrary, near the stalk, and closer to the flower the cucumbers begin to narrow, somewhat resembling carrots in shape, the plants most likely experience a nitrogen deficiency. In this case, the situation will be corrected by feeding the cucumbers with nitrogen fertilizers – urea or ammonium nitrate.
What causes potassium deficiency in cucumbers?
First of all, it is a deficiency of this element in the soil. Sandy soils are especially poor in potassium, from where it is easily washed out. There is also little of it on calcareous, peat and podzolic soils. Plants will feel a deficiency of potassium in any type of soil even if potassium fertilizers were not applied either in the fall or in the spring.
Potassium deficiency also occurs when the temperature drops below 15°C. In such conditions, the process of potassium absorption by plants slows down sharply, which leads to its deficiency. To raise the temperature in open beds (and as a result, improve the absorption of the element by plant roots), build a temporary shelter over the plantings: install arcs and throw spunbond or film over them. In a greenhouse, bottles of hot water will help, which are placed between the rows.
Potassium is also poorly absorbed in acidic soils, with a pH below 5. No matter how much you feed cucumbers with potassium in such soil, the plants will still experience a deficiency of the element. Therefore, before applying potassium fertilizer, you should deacidify the soil. In summer, during the growing season, you can lower the acidity level with dolomite flour: 1-350 g of fertilizer is applied per 600 sq.m.
What to do when cucumbers appear like “light bulbs”
Feeding plants with potassium will help avoid the appearance of pear-shaped cucumbers. How can you quickly replenish the potassium deficiency in the soil? Ready-made mineral fertilizers will come to the rescue.
One of the most popular potassium fertilizers is potassium sulfate (potassium sulfate), which contains about 50% potassium. Another important advantage of this fertilizer is the absence of chlorine in its composition, which many vegetable crops, including cucumbers, do not like. For root feeding, dilute 30 g of the preparation in 10 liters of warm water and water the cucumbers under the root. Such feeding during the growing season can be done twice a month.
If there are obvious signs of potassium deficiency, foliar feeding with potassium sulfate will help quickly replenish the deficiency. To prepare a working solution, dissolve 15 g of the preparation in 10 liters of warm water and spray the cucumbers on the leaves. Spraying is carried out in the evening, in dry, windless weather or in cloudy weather, but not before rain.
Treating the plantings with a solution of potassium nitrate will also help to correct the situation: dissolve 20 g of fertilizer in 10 liters of water and water the cucumbers.
Instead of mineral fertilizers, many gardeners use wood ash to feed plants that are deficient in potassium, which contains not only potassium, but also two dozen other useful elements. To prepare a solution, dissolve 0,5 liters of ash in 10 liters of water. Let it sit for two days, and then water the cucumbers at a rate of 1 liter per plant.
There is no need to worry about the unusual shape of cucumbers, because the pear-shaped form of cucumbers, in addition to the reasons described above, can also be associated with the characteristics of the variety. For example, cucumbers of the varieties Chinese snake и Chinese miracle During the growth process, they gradually increase in volume, from the “tail” to the flower, acquiring the outline of a pear. However, after full ripening, the fruits are almost even along their entire length.
