Treatment of barren flowers on cucumbers in greenhouse
Barren flowers on cucumbers in a greenhouse can appear even among experienced gardeners. First, you need to identify the cause of the appearance of the empty flower, and then eliminate it. This is what will be discussed further in the article.
Treatment of barren flowers on cucumbers in a greenhouse
What is a wasteland?
The barren flower is a unisexual staminate flower. Also, a barren flower can be called those flowers that, for some reason, did not have pollination. In fact, for a phased and optimal plant development, cucumbers must have an equally male and female flower. The presence of male and female flowers is of active importance for natural fertilization.
If only male or only female flowers predominate on the stems, pollination will not occur. The absence of ovaries and fruits can occur for various reasons. If you have little experience in growing plants, then unnecessarily do not interfere with the natural process of pollination of cucumbers. With proper planting care, plants develop and pollinate quite successfully.
Reasons for the appearance of a wasteland
- Failure to comply with the watering regime.
- Distance between landings.
- Soil nutritional value.
- Feature of the variety.
- Harvest time.
- Planting pests.
Non-compliance with the watering regime
Cucumbers prefer abundant moisture and good watering. Frequent watering affects not only the formation of empty flowers, but also the taste and shape of the fruit. The best time to water is noon. Water for irrigation should be warm, heated in the sun or under artificial lighting. When the temperature outside is low, the plants should not be watered, as this can provoke barren flowers and even the death of the root system.
Distance between landings
The neglect of the landing is of particular importance. Cucumbers located too close to each other receive less sun and water, are more likely to get sick and bear poor fruit. When barren flowers are on cucumbers in a greenhouse, what to do in this case? It is necessary to maintain a distance between plantings of at least 10-20 cm so that each sprout receives an equal amount of sun and does not interfere with the neighboring cucumber. What to do in case of violation of the regime and the distance between landings?
It is best to draw up a planting scheme and create optimal conditions in the greenhouse for growing. If it's too warm outside, then the greenhouse needs to be opened to ventilate the plantings. With an excessive planting density, it is recommended for the next year to more clearly calculate at what distance you can plant cucumber seedlings. Transplanting adult specimens to a new place in this case is not advisable and will not give a bountiful harvest.
Soil nutritional value
When preparing the soil for planting, it is recommended to add 3-4 buckets of rotted manure, 3-4 glasses of wood ash and 80-100 grams of nitrophoska to the soil for each square meter.In advance of planting, the mixture is evenly applied to the area in the greenhouse, which must be dug up and covered with a 15-centimeter layer of black soil before planting. If fertilizers are not applied, then the trunk will be thick, and the leaves will be large, and there may be no fruit at all.
Many gardeners are interested in large volumes of crops rather than empty ornamental plants.
If you want to get a healthy and plentiful harvest, then it is better to provide planting with carbon dioxide, overlaid with a mullein, when flowering with chicken droppings, and when fruiting with ash. This will significantly reduce barren flowers and increase yields. Cucumbers are best planted in the greenhouse with seedlings already matured and ready for open ground. In this case, the empty flower will be much less. The ground in the greenhouse should already be warm enough when the weather conditions no longer threaten to drop temperatures, the daylight hours are long enough, and the soil is fertilized and prepared.
Feature of the variety
You need to choose the right variety
There is a chance that the wrong variety is the culprit of the barren flower. Many summer residents recommend using varieties such as Golubok, Swallow or Nightingale. The listed varieties are best suited for a greenhouse, they are resistant to a wide range of diseases, and bear fruit well.
If you purchased a variety suitable for a greenhouse, but a barren flower appeared on the cucumbers, then most likely the reason is improper care or not following the watering and feeding schedule.
Harvest time
Affects barren flowers and harvesting, as surprising as it may be. Fruits that are ripe must be picked every two days. The fruits should be cut with a knife or carefully torn off so as not to damage the whip, which can provoke the death of the plant. Avoid overgrown fruits. When ripe, the plant loses great strength, leaves and whip harden.
Cucumbers are best harvested slightly unripe, so they will retain their taste and will not damage the rest of the plantings. After harvesting, if you notice that you have damaged the shoot, it should be processed to avoid contamination of the wound.
Planting pests
If sluggish lashes, dry flowers have become noticeable on the plantings, this may indicate pests. All parts of the plant must be carefully examined. When attacked by insects, cobwebs, oil stains or sticky mixtures may remain on the landings.
Spider mite
The most dangerous pest is considered to be a spider mite. It can be found at the root of a plant exclusively through a magnifying glass. If a spider mite is found, the planting should be treated with garlic broth. The pungent smell repels pests. If a spider mite has filled all the cucumbers, then the garlic decoction may not work properly on the pests, since it only works at the initial stage of infection. To treat plants, you can use a preparation such as Spidex 2000. This is an excellent remedy for spider mites. You need to use the drug for processing cucumbers according to the instructions.
Ants
Ants are also a big enemy of cucumbers. These insects carry off pollen and slow down pollination, which can lead to barren flowers or even loss of crops. Many gardeners, before fertilizing, spill the soil with boiling water to destroy unwanted pests. For ant control, it is best to keep insects out of the greenhouse. To do this, you can build a water barrier, for example, make a stream or pour water into small containers. As a rule, ants will not pass through the water and will not enter your greenhouse. Some gardeners practice dragging the ant hive to a new location. Move the nest to a sunny and warm place and you will see the ants leave the greenhouse.
Wasteland Heal
You can reduce the number of barren flowers
What to do if a barren flower is found on your plantings? As such, no treatment is performed in the absence of male or female flowers.The main rule is to standardize the level of fertilizers, observe the lighting and irrigation regime. The cardinal method of treating cucumbers for infertility is to pinch off the top of the main stem. This measure contributes to the active growth and development of lateral branches, on which female buds are formed.
The pinching procedure should be performed on early and young plantings, after the appearance of 10 leaves, on older ones it is possible after the appearance of 8 leaves.
If you have found that your plantings lack the normal amount of nutrients, then the cucumbers need to be added first of all with carbon dioxide, overlapping the plantings with a mullein. Chicken droppings or mullein are recommended to be applied before flowering, and during fruiting, a special mixture of potassium sulfate, superphosphate, mullein and an extract from wood ash is needed. Calculate the dosage based on what is indicated on the package. On average, 100 grams of mullein and 500 grams of ash per 10 liters are used to prepare top dressing.
Care advice
Small sprouts of a plant need good care, careful handling. The presence or absence of a bountiful harvest directly depends on how correctly you take care of the plantings.
- Dive seedlings into a greenhouse or into open ground when the air and soil temperature is at least 15-17 °.
- Observe the scheme for tying cucumbers.
- Maintain a certain temperature in the greenhouse and protect the planting from direct sunlight.
- Prevent leaves and shoots from drying out. Water the cucumbers with exceptionally warm water, do not spray on a hot day, as this can lead to burns.
- Monitor pollination and open access to bees. If necessary, spray with a sweet solution attracting insects.
- Destroy pests in time.
- Do not constantly fertilize the soil with nitrogen.
- When planting, be sure to observe the distance between the cucumbers. You need to plant very carefully so as not to damage the root system.
- It is recommended to use natural fertilizers and do not forget about mulching.
- Also, to increase yields, you need to prepare plantings and a greenhouse in spring. To increase the level of moisture and vitamins in the earth, the soil is laid along with a lot of snow and adhere to this rule until spring.
- On an industrial scale, cucumbers can be sown along with corn. Such a planting will have a beneficial effect on the further harvest.
- It is unacceptable to loosen the soil at the rhizome of any kind of cucumber. You can damage the roots and add dryness to the earth, which will adversely affect such plantings.
- From diseases and excessively high temperatures, cucumbers save umbrella plants such as dill and coriander.
Conclusion
Healthy plantings have juicy green leaves and a plump stalk, they grow actively, there are usually a lot of fruits, about 10 kg per bush. If the harvest on your plantings is more modest, then it is worth analyzing what the plantings may lack. If you properly care for the plantings and follow all the necessary recommendations, then the crop can be harvested two or even three times a year.