What to do if cucumber leaves curl
If you often ask yourself what to do if cucumber leaves are curled, then you definitely need to get recommendations from specialists. It is important to remember that it is impossible to get rid of such a problem on your own. You can only harm the plant. In order to determine why cucumber leaves curl, you need to consider each of the reasons.
Causes of curling leaves in cucumber
Improper watering
Curling of leaves in cucumbers can occur due to improper watering.
Insufficient watering
Pay attention to exactly how you irrigate. It is possible that you simply forgot to water when the temperature was high outside. As a result, cucumbers or cucumber leaves begin to curl inward. The farmer should only normalize the principle of watering: it should be carried out every 5 days to a depth of at least 12 cm.
If you water the crop too little, then the cucumber leaves curl inward, so it is necessary to set watering every 3-4 days. The duration of irrigation work should be at least 4 hours. During this time, all the necessary moisture will have time to penetrate into the soil.
If the leaves curl up at the top, it means that they do not have enough moisture, so do not forget to spray a little tops every day.
Abundant watering
The abundance of watering also negatively affects the plant. The main symptom is that the leaves are hanging and look lifeless. To remedy this situation, you need to wait a little with watering and begin to carry it out when the soil dries up. Only warm water is used. If it is cold, the plant will not be able to assimilate it.
Lack of nutrition
If you are thinking about why cucumbers curl, then pay attention to feeding and the quality of fertilizers. It is possible that the culture is not getting the right amount of nutrients. Pay attention to the nature of the change.
- If the leaves turn pale and the leaves of the cucumbers curl upward, then the vegetable crop needs nitrogen. For this reason, ammonium nitrate or urea should be immediately added to the soil. This will correct the situation.
- If the leaves of cucumbers curl inward or downward, it means that they need potassium fertilizers. You need to prepare a potassium solution: in 10 liters of water you need to dilute 5 ml of potassium salt and add it to the root system.
Prophylaxis
As a preventive measure, it is necessary to carry out top dressing in a timely manner. Fertilize cucumbers at least 3 times during the growing season:
1 top dressing is carried out after planting in the ground. For fertilization, superphosphate substances should be used.
2nd feeding is carried out during the formation of inflorescences. To do this, you need to use a potassium solution, which is prepared as follows: 5 g of potassium substance is diluted in 10 liters of warm water. This is necessary for the correct formation of ovaries and fruits.
The 3rd feeding is carried out during the fruiting period.At this point, it is better to use phosphorus substances that allow you to reveal the taste. If preventive maintenance is carried out, then the leaves will not curl or wither.
Weather
If the ambient temperature is too high or very low, cucumbers immediately begin to react to this. As soon as the temperature drops, the leaves of the cucumber may curl and turn yellow. Twisting of the upper leaves is observed with sunburns.
When growing cucumbers in a greenhouse, pay attention to the fact that the leaves of the plant do not come into contact with the glass surfaces, because the glass very abruptly takes on the ambient temperature and the vegetable crop gets burned. As a result, the leaf-rolling process begins. In open field conditions, you should make sure that other plants are planted around the cucumber garden, which can slightly shade the cucumber crop.
Parasites and diseases
At the first signs of the disease, you need to start treatment.
Quite often, there are situations when the farmer has completely prevented the influence of the environment, carries out all the fertilizing with high quality and watering correctly. But all the same, cucumbers have leaves curling downward.
Why do cucumber leaves curl? The reason for this change in vegetable culture is the invasion of parasites. You need to immediately look at the inner surface of the leaf. Perhaps spider mites or aphids have hidden there - these are the main enemies of the cucumber plant.
Do not hesitate to eliminate such parasites. After all, they are able not only to spoil cucumbers, but can carry various diseases. It is possible to get rid of aphids with the help of the chemicals Decis, Bargunchik or Aktara. But in the fight against ticks, drugs called Aktofit or Aktel will come to the rescue.
Influence of powdery mildew
In July, every gardener may face such a problem as powdery mildew. If this fungal infection is not seen in time, the cucumber leaves curl immediately. The main reasons are:
- excessive planting density;
- insufficient ventilation in greenhouse conditions;
- cold watering;
- sudden changes in ambient temperature.
In order to get rid of this infection, spraying with a special solution should be carried out. To prepare it, you will need 10 ml of Bordeaux liquid, which is diluted in 5 liters of warm water.
Root rot
Quite often, situations occur when cucumber leaves are curled from root rot. If you notice that the culture has begun to turn yellow and fade from the bottom, then the disease has a place to be.
To get rid of this disease, a manganese solution should be used before planting. They definitely need to cultivate the soil. Do not forget about airing the greenhouse and warm watering. You can use a drug such as Trichodermin.
Ammonia burns
Sometimes the leaves of cucumbers can curl due to the fact that low-quality humus or a large amount of ammonium nitrate was introduced as a fertilizer. Remember that saltpeter must be applied in accordance with the instructions on its packaging. And humus must be completely reflowed before introducing it into the plant.
To get rid of this problem, you should immediately remove all low-quality fertilizer that was applied. After that, it is important to water the bushes of the plant repeatedly abundantly until the nitrate is completely washed out.
Conclusion
If you do not know what to do if cucumber leaves curl. Over the years, active research has been carried out, which allows not only to determine the true reason why the leaves of cucumbers curl, but ways to solve the problem have been developed.