Glavred tells you what to do so you don’t lose your harvest.
Why cucumbers throw sprouts
When the plant forms its first fruits, it allocates most of its nutrients to them. If the root system cannot supply all the sprouts with food, some of them begin to turn yellow and fall.
What shoots and buds need to be removed
When planting cucumbers, in the first two axils of the leaves, it is necessary to completely remove both side shoots (shoots) and the first buds.
Starting from the third, as well as in the fourth, fifth and sixth leaf axils, there is no need to touch the gherkins themselves – the whole fruit load is left behind. Meanwhile, side shoots must be removed up to the fifth leaf.
The gardener advises not to bend the stick when plucking the lower fruits. There is a risk that the plant, which has not received any fruit load in the initial stage of its development, will begin to develop exclusively in a vegetative direction. Then we can see a big plant with big green leaves but very little fruit.
If the bush has already grown the first two cucumbers, it will try to give all its strength to them. Other sprouts will receive nutrients only according to the residual principle. If nutrients run out, they may fall off.
Shutterstock photo/Cucumbers and tomatoes in a greenhouse
How to fertilize cucumbers so that the sprouts do not fall
If the bushes lack the strength to develop, this may indicate a lack of nitrogen. In this case, an infusion of chicken manure can be used. It contains nitrogen, as well as potassium, calcium, magnesium and other elements important to the plant.
If their development was more active, we would no longer use chicken manure with a higher nitrogen content, and now we would use a 20-20 or 18-18 fertilizer.
How to properly water cucumbers with an infusion of chicken manure
As a rule, a half-liter jar of prepared infusion is taken for 10 liters of water. For young or weakened plants, it is better to reduce the concentration to about 300 ml per bucket of water.
Before fertilizing, the soil should be slightly moist. Mix the solution well and water each plant, pouring approximately 500-800 ml under the roots.
Such additional fertilizing will help the plant to grow stronger, provide food for the young sprouts and allow for a more abundant and high-quality harvest of cucumbers.
