What to do if the fruits of cucumbers are twisted. Irregular-shaped cucumbers - what to do? How to deal with the curved shape of cucumbers

Simultaneously with the observance of the feeding schedule, it is necessary to carefully monitor the appearance of plants and fruits. At the slightest growth retardation, the formation of ugly fruits, the plants immediately “signal” about their poor health.
With a lack of nitrogen in the soil, the fruits, regardless of the variety, acquire a light green color, the upper part of the fruit (where the flower was) is narrowed, pointed and often bent, like a beak, the cucumber resembles a conical carrot in shape. At the same time, the lower leaves turn yellow, the growth of stems and side shoots in plants is delayed.
But there may be another reason. Not everyone knows that nitrogen is poorly absorbed by plants if there are not enough magnesium and iron ions in the soil. If you do not make up for the lack of these elements in time, then the leaves will take on a domed shape, and a light stripe will appear along their edges, which will darken over time. In this case, it is necessary either to apply complex fertilizers under the root, or to spray the plants on the leaves.
And if the leaves and lashes of plants, on the contrary, grow wildly and have a dark green color, then there is an excess of nitrogen in the soil. In this case, it is necessary to immediately feed the plants with superphosphate (preferably with an extract) or wood ash, otherwise you will not see a cucumber crop, because. there will be only leaves.
With a lack of potassium in the soil (this usually happens in the second half of summer), the fruits of cucumbers are narrowed towards the stalk, and at the top, regardless of the variety, they are spherical in shape and are very similar to an ugly green pear. At the same time, a light border appears along the edges of the leaves (starting from the bottom), in the heat the plants may fade slightly.
The reason here is that cucumbers in the first half of summer are often fed with infusion of manure, chicken manure, weeds, which are very rich in nitrogen. And gardeners forget about ash or potash fertilizers at this time.
Therefore, those doses of potassium that were introduced into the hole during planting are no longer enough for long and abundant fruiting. Therefore, against the background of increased nitrogen nutrition, potassium deficiency is acutely felt. In addition, potassium is absorbed worse by plants at low temperatures, and they are not uncommon in August and September.
You can correct the situation if the cucumbers are fed with potassium sulfate (along the leaves and under the root) or ash under the root and watering them only with warm water.
But there may be other reasons for the poor "well-being" of plants. If there is little phosphorus in the soil, then the growth of the lashes slows down, the leaves become smaller, turn dark green and dry quickly. All these signs will tell you the composition of fertilizers for subsequent top dressing of cucumbers.
If the fruit is narrowed in the middle and has a pronounced "waist", then this is due to a large difference in day and night temperatures or due to watering the plants with very cold water. And if the cucumbers are curved and have an irregular arched shape, then this happens when the soil is very dry or when the plants are watered very unevenly.
To achieve a quick effect, it is better to carry out foliar feeding, and not root.
And if you see that cucumbers need to be fed urgently, and you don’t have any fertilizers and you can’t buy them in the near future, then take a liter jar of earth from the place where you had a compost heap, stir it in a bucket of water and Pour cucumbers with this manure. This is quite enough to improve the soil in a greenhouse on an area of 2–3 sq.m.
To increase the yield and accelerate the growth of ovaries, an increased content of carbon dioxide in the greenhouse is of great importance. To do this, it is necessary to constantly keep a tank there with a solution of fresh mullein or bird droppings, which usually release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere of the greenhouse. And if you throw a piece of dry hay or a handful of sawdust into the tank, then fermentation intensifies, and the air of the greenhouse will be enriched with carbon dioxide to an even greater extent, which will affect the crop.

The ideal crop of cucumbers is smooth, crispy, fragrant fruits without bitterness and yellowness on the sides. Regular watering and fertilization helps to make the gardener's dream come true, but after the first wave of fruiting, one can often see not long smooth greens on the beds, but pear-shaped barrels, the taste of which will also not please.

Problem or varietal feature?

Non-compliance with the technique of growing crops and cold, rainy summers are the two main root causes of the appearance of pear-shaped greens. But pot-bellied fruits with a thickened tip that have grown on the beds are not always a sign of non-compliance with agricultural technology or a varietal defect of the plant.

Pear-shaped cucumbers are not appetizing and are not at all suitable for conservation.

Reasons for the appearance of pear-shaped cucumbers

There are several reasons that significantly affect the change in the shape of cucumber fruits, as well as the taste and color.

Wrong choice of planting material that is not suitable for climatic conditions.
Excessive watering.
Too cold water to irrigate the beds.
Non-observance of crop rotation.
Poor pollination quality.
Pollination of parthenocarpic varieties.
Failure to meet harvest time.
Potassium deficiency.

Potassium is especially important for cucumbers, the lack of this element often causes the appearance of pear-shaped greens.

Video: why the shape of the cucumber fruit changes

When pear-shaped cucumbers are considered the norm

Unpretentious and long-fruited varieties of Chinese cucumbers (Chinese snake, Chinese miracle and others) are good in salads and are distinguished by long-term fruiting. Their feature of the development of the fetus is that as it grows, it increases in volume from the tail to the nose, acquiring the shape of a pear. Fully ripe greens are almost even, smooth and have the same thickness along the entire length.

Frightening at first glance, the name and appearance of the Chinese snake cucumber hides juicy tender pulp, indispensable in salads and snacks

Domestic summer residents can boast of unusual pear-shaped hybrids, which emphasizes the varietal feature, but is not a drawback. For example, watermelon-cucumber and the American white-fruited Long Mix hybrid do not differ in taste from ordinary cucumbers at all, they are suitable for conservation.

We solve the problem - we “align” Zelentsy

The situation with pear-shaped cucumbers is correctable, subject to agricultural technology and the correct selection of planting material. Often, difficulties in growing cucumbers arise due to ignorance of some of the nuances of plant biology.

Many varieties do not tolerate sudden changes in temperature. For cultivation in Siberia and the North-West of our country, it is necessary to select recommended cold-resistant varieties of cucumbers for open ground, heat-loving ones are suitable for growing in a greenhouse.
The soil on cucumber beds should not dry out completely. The ideal option is when the lashes are suspended on supports and are constantly ventilated, while the soil in the root space remains moist.
Cucumbers are watered with settled water, the temperature of which should not be lower than 20 ° C.
Violation of crop rotation in the beds with cucumbers leads to the depletion of the nutrient layer in the soil and reduces its water permeability. The number of weeds increases, which contributes to the reproduction of bacteria and pests. All these factors significantly affect the quality and quantity of the crop, it is best to plant cucumbers after legumes, cabbage and onions.
Poor pollination of bee-pollinated varieties affects the form of greens - small, underdeveloped fruits take the form of a pear and can fall off without fully ripening. To solve the problem, you will need to plant at least three of these varieties or resort to manual pollination.
If parthenocarpic varieties (which do not require pollination) are visited by pollinating insects, then the likelihood of pear-shaped greens is much higher. Therefore, parthenocarpics are recommended to be grown separately from bee-pollinated varieties both in open ground and in a greenhouse.
Cucumbers picked at the wrong time lose their shape and taste. Overgrown greens become barrel-shaped, the tips turn yellow, the fruits turn into a “pear”, the skin coarsens, the flesh empties and fades. Cucumber beds are harvested every two days.
The untimely application of mineral potash fertilizers and organic matter also affects the formation of the fruits of a culture popular with summer residents. It is especially important to feed on time when growing cucumbers in a greenhouse and at home (on a balcony, veranda).

Chicken manure, mullein and wood ash as a source of potassium are most preferred for top dressing during the period of active fruit ripening.

Half a bucket of rotted manure or chicken manure is stirred in 10 liters of water at room temperature. Add 2 cups of sifted ash and water the cucumber bushes during fruiting under the root twice with an interval of 10 days.

Ash is an organic fertilizer, which is completely safe to apply during the fruiting of cucumbers.

“Green” fertilizers with the addition of dry baker's yeast (5 g per liter of infusion) have no less effect on the full fruiting of cucumbers.

Green fertilizer - infusion of nettle, wormwood, quinoa, dandelion. A barrel is filled to the top with chopped grass, poured with warm water and left for 2-3 weeks for the infusion to ferment. To speed up the process, add dry yeast (7–10 g per 20 liters) or crumble breadcrumbs. The finished mash is used at a concentration of 1:5, where 5 parts of water fall on one part of the herbal infusion. "Green" fertilizer is a source of micro and macro elements.

Bodyaga from herbs - an alternative to chemical top dressing in the beds

Cucumber beds require attention, but not extra efforts from gardeners. It should be remembered that cucumbers are a heat-loving and moisture-demanding crop. It is necessary to strictly observe the agrotechnical methods of cultivation, and when planting, take into account the climatic features of the region, then well-groomed beds with even juicy greens will delight until the end of August.

Every year, gardeners look forward to the start of the summer season to go to the countryside and start growing healthy and tasty vegetables. For many people, this is not just a hobby, but a whole life. Experienced gardeners put all their love into growing vegetables and other crops and spend all their free time on work. Therefore, it is very disappointing when troubles happen to plants, and they do not give the expected harvest.

When growing cucumbers, many gardeners face a lot of problems. It is necessary to prepare the soil, grow seedlings and care for them in anticipation of the long-awaited harvest. However, during the growth process, unexpected metamorphoses can occur with vegetables. Sometimes the fruits are ugly and look the most unpresentable way. Therefore, it is worth figuring out why cucumbers are crooked or grow crocheted in a greenhouse or in open ground.

It’s worth starting with the fact that the problem is not only that the fruits grow in an irregular shape. It becomes difficult to process such a crop, as it is stored for much less time. In order to get delicious winter preparations that will delight throughout the year, it is important to consider all the reasons why crooked cucumbers grow and try to solve the problems.

potassium deficiency

Due to the lack of nutrients, cucumbers most often grow irregularly shaped. If the fetus does not get the right amount of potassium, this may be the reason why crooked cucumbers grow. The situation is exacerbated if the weather is cool outside. In conditions of cold temperatures, potassium is absorbed even worse.

The deficiency of this microelement will be primarily indicated by the yellowing of the fruit and the thinning of the stalk. Also, this problem can be seen long before the start of fruiting. If the cucumber leaves begin to curl down, then this may be a clear sign of a lack of potassium.

How to solve the problem

Having determined why crooked cucumbers grow, it is necessary to prepare a solution consisting of 25-30 g of potassium salt dissolved in 10 liters of water. The liquid must be insisted for 4 days and shed the earth with it. After that, it is recommended to pour a little potassium sulfate on the soil (consumption of about 40-60 per 1 m 2).

You can also prepare a solution of ash. To do this, 0.5 l of dry matter is dissolved in a bucket of water. Each plant requires at least 1 liter of nutrient fluid.

nitrogen deficiency

When wondering why crooked cucumbers grow, you should pay attention to the fruits. If they have become a light green hue and are very narrow on one side, and thicken on the other, then this indicates problems. Also, there is a noticeable lag in the development of young cucumbers. All these signs indicate a lack of nitrogen, which explains why the plant grows crooked in this case?

How to solve the problem

In order to exclude the appearance of deformed fruits, it is enough to treat the plants with urea, 5 g of which must be diluted in 1 liter of water. The soil must be treated with a similar solution. After 5-6 days, you need to sprinkle the ground with ammonium nitrate (consumption - about 30 g per square meter).

However, do not overdo it, as excess nitrogen can cause the ovaries to crumble. Therefore, you should be careful.

Those who are wary of using this remedy are advised to use less aggressive organic top dressings. For example, you can prepare a solution of manure. To do this, mix fresh mullein with water in a ratio of 1:10. Also a lot of nitrogen is contained in herbal infusion. However, before its use, the concentrate must be diluted with water (1:10).

Wrong watering

This is another reason why cucumbers grow with crooked hooks. The fact is that for full ripening, these fruits require fairly warm water, heated to a temperature of + 25-28 degrees. Many gardeners neglect this recommendation, and as a result, cucumbers begin to deform in the process of growth.

If the plant is watered irregularly, then this leads to twisting of the fruit. Therefore, when the first ovaries appear, it is very important to moisten the soil around the cucumbers at least 2-3 times a day. Starting from mid-August, watering is carried out much less frequently. Enough 1-2 times in 12 days.

However, not everyone can regularly supply plants with the necessary moisture. In this case, it is recommended to install a drip irrigation system. This will also prevent the appearance of fungus on plants.

Temperature fluctuations

This most often explains why cucumbers grow crooked in the open field. What to do in this situation and how to identify the signs of the appearance of this particular problem? Everything is very simple. If the cucumbers become narrow in the middle, then the point is temperature fluctuations. This happens when the air temperature is quite high during the daytime, but it drops sharply with the advent of night.

To solve this problem, it is enough to start covering the beds with cucumbers in the dark.

Underpollination

If we talk about why crooked cucumbers grow in a greenhouse, then quite often such problems arise due to a lack of pollination. You can recognize such a disease by the uneven color of the fruit.

To prevent such cucumbers from appearing, it is necessary to produce artificial pollination. However, gardeners often miss the right moment. Boric acid will help correct the situation. The solution is prepared from 3 g of the substance per liter of water. It is enough to spray the plants with the resulting mixture several times.

Harvesting

It should be borne in mind that cucumbers need to be harvested once every few days. The fruits must not be allowed to overripe, otherwise they will begin to deform. In this case, there is an incorrect distribution of nutrients and cucumbers will begin to take on the most intricate shapes.

lack of light

If the plants are planted too close to each other, they will not receive the right amount of sunlight, which in turn can cause unexpected deformation of the fruit. The same thing happens if the summer was overcast. Therefore, it is worth planting vegetables at a certain distance from each other and making sure that the process of photosynthesis occurs at the right level.

It is also worth considering the characteristics of the selected variety. Some of them are simply not suitable for specific regions or require special growing and care conditions. In addition, there are varieties for which such curvature is a common feature. For example, Chinese cucumbers quite often grow with a slight curve, and this is considered absolutely normal.

Kira Stoletova

When growing a cucumber crop in a greenhouse or in open ground conditions, some summer residents wonder why cucumbers have an irregular shape: either the vegetables are crocheted, or they grow in the form of an uneven pear, or they turn out to be pot-bellied and hook-shaped. It turns out that in order to get even fruits, it is not enough to plant seedlings in a greenhouse. It is necessary to eliminate the reasons for the formation of irregularly shaped cucumbers, including ensuring proper care, good nutrition, the required agricultural technology and timely harvest.

Improper nutrition

Incorrectly selected mineral nutrition, when vegetables lack useful components, can also be the reason why cucumbers grow in crooked, irregular shapes.

Potassium deficiency

The lack of a microelement responsible for the formation of cucumber fruits is one of the most common causes of changes and distortions in the shape of cucumbers. Lack of potassium at the stage of flowering and before direct fruit formation leads to potassium starvation of plants, as a result of which a narrow “butt” begins to form in the fruit and the lower part of the fruit is rather wide in comparison with it. The deformation of the shape of cucumbers in the form of a pear, when there is not enough potassium, is also accompanied by the appearance of a yellow border on the edges of the leaf blades.

To compensate for the lack of potassium, you can use ready-made fertilizers that have the desired component in their composition. Potassium sulphate is diluted at the rate of 3-4 large spoons per 10 liters of water and cucumber bushes are watered with a consumption rate of 0.5 liters for each seedling.

To correct the situation so that the vegetables change their appearance in time and become classically straight, you can use additional foliar feeding, which is carried out with preparations containing potassium with a concentration 2 times less than when watering.

Lack of nitrogen

When the foliage on a cucumber bush changes color and begins to turn pale, and the fruits are twisted or formed with a wide base and a narrow end, these are signs that the vegetable crop lacks nitrogen.

Saturate the soil with nitrogen-containing components allows chicken manure or herbal infusions.

Chicken manure is used in the form of compost prepared with peat, sawdust and straw for 1.5-2 months or in liquid form when it is diluted with water 50/50 and left for 2-3 days. Concentrated solutions are diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 and the aisles are already poured with working fluid.

Among the suitable herbs for preparing solutions, nettles are distinguished, the foliage and stems of which are crushed, poured with water and fermented for 7-14 days, diluted again with water in a ratio of 1:10 for irrigation or 1:20 for spraying with foliar top dressing and used at intervals of 2 weeks until the condition of cucumber plantings improves.

Violation of agricultural technology

One of the main reasons why cucumbers are deformed by a hook and become pear-shaped is a violation of the rules of agricultural cultivation of cucumber crops.

Crop rotation

Cucumbers planted after pumpkin crops, strawberries, eggplants and tomatoes, which take all potassium from the soil, grow irregularly shaped: they become pear-shaped or hooked.

In conditions of limited sown area, it is possible to replenish the fertility of the soil by planting green manure cucumbers before late planting. Oats are considered the most potash green manure of all green manure.

Unsuitable varieties

Cucumbers are bent, become round or twisted if the variety is chosen incorrectly: it does not fit the description for a particular season. So, light-loving and heat-loving varieties by the end of the summer period will certainly begin to react to a decrease in ambient temperature and a decrease in daylight hours, which is why they will begin to change their shape.

Early varieties of cucumbers that love light and warmth need to be planted a little earlier and harvested from them until the end of August.

In terms of the percentage of potential formation of ugly vegetables, the Twixie, Paratunk and Othello hybrids are least likely to appear. By the end of August, in 100% of cases, it will be possible to get twisted fruits with a thin stalk or an ugly shape from Patty, Champion and Thumb Boy by the end of August.

Wrong neighborhood

Do not plant next to each other, especially in a closed greenhouse, pollinated and parthenocarpic varieties of cucumbers. Parthenocarpic varieties are intended for cultivation mainly indoors, as hybrids form an ovary without pollination. But when their flowers in the neighborhood of inflorescences of classic varieties attract pollinating insects, in most cases this leads to deformation of the fruit and the growth of irregularly shaped cucumbers.

Neighboring varieties, while saving the sown area, are isolated from each other with a non-woven covering material. Also, when growing hybrid varieties, you should not often open the windows in the greenhouse, so as not to attract insects and eliminate the risk of cross-pollination of parthenocarpic varieties with other varieties.

Violation of the rules of care

Improper care of cucumber plantings can cause deformation of cucumbers.

Thermal regime

Too low a temperature or indicators above 30-35 ° C lead to a decrease in the absorption of potassium by cucumber culture, resulting in a change in the shape of cucumbers.

In the hot time of the day, regular ventilation of the closed greenhouse is required. Some summer residents whitewash the roof of greenhouses for the summer season so that a lot of sunlight does not pass through it. To save cucumber bushes from cool weather at night, barrels of water installed during the daytime help, which gain heat during the day, giving it away on a cool night.

When growing cucumbers on open soil, mini-greenhouses are installed to protect against coolness. From excessive heat, they use covering materials and create a shadow.

Crooked cucumbers? Causes and elimination.

The irregular shape is obtained from cucumbers and when watering a vegetable crop with too cold water. In this case, the vegetables form screeds in the middle and the cucumbers look like crooked barrels.

So that the shape of the cucumber does not twist into a hook and the vegetables do not become bitter, when watering, use water not lower than 18 ° C.

Late harvest

An untimely harvest of cucumbers can also affect the further change in the shape of future fruits. The overgrowths present on the cucumber lash not only lose their taste characteristics, but also inhibit the further development of young vegetables, disrupting the supply of full-fledged mineral nutrition to them, as a result of which the shape is not at all the same as that of a classic cucumber.

In the case when it is not possible to maintain the cucumber harvest with the proper frequency, experienced gardeners recommend harvesting vegetables at least once every 2-3 days all at once - from fully ripened to small gherkins that have grown up to 4 cm. attention to the quality of cucumber lashes:

it is important that they do not change and do not rot,
old ones that have begun to dry out should be removed,
Zelentsy with signs of pathology and disease do not leave either.

Kirill Sysoev

Calloused hands do not know boredom!

Content

Each farmer wants to get a presentable crop, because the buyer is primarily focused on external parameters. Problems often arise with cucumbers, especially if they are grown in greenhouse conditions - vegetables are twisted. This does not affect the taste, but consumers try to avoid deformed goods.

Why do cucumbers curl in a greenhouse

The first fruits almost always have a beautiful shape - they are even and small. Why then do cucumbers grow crochet in a greenhouse? This is due to poor conditions of detention, features of the neighborhood and specific varieties. Some nuances of the fruit twisting process:

The combination of many phenomena affects the condition of the fruit. Since the microclimate is artificially maintained in the greenhouse, a person can easily make a mistake when forming optimal indicators. The method of disembarkation also affects the process.
A cucumber loses its normal shape if it lacks nutrients, light and warm water. Because of this, it slows down its growth, the skin thickens, not enough liquid is retained in the pulp, and the fruit begins to curl.
If the cucumber is pear-shaped (thickens where the flower was), it lacks potassium. The reverse form of "pot-belliedness" indicates a deficiency of nitrogen, sunlight and watering.

Why crooked cucumbers grow with an unsuccessful neighborhood

It depends on the neighboring plants how beautiful and generous the harvest will be. Why do cucumbers grow crochet in a greenhouse, and how do nearby crops affect the shape of green fruits? The reason for the failure is the following: the proximity of varieties of different types of pollination. It is not necessary to cultivate close to each other plants pollinated by bees, and parthenocarpic varieties (self-pollinated - hybrids). If they are not isolated from each other, then there is a high probability of getting a crop of crooked cucumbers.

What to do? Block pollinating insects from entering the greenhouse. When leaving cultures outdoors, cover them with gauze. It is better if cucumbers of different varieties grow in different parts of the garden or greenhouse. The least crooked fruits are obtained from such hybrids:

"Othello";
"Octopus";
"Paratunka";
"Twixie".

Only 5% of cucumbers of these varieties are twisted. The fruiting of "Pasamonte", "Pasadena" is not so successful, since about 30% of the fruits are crooked. “Santana”, “Primadonna”, “Talisman”, “Emelya” have poor performance - closer to autumn, almost half of the crop has an irregular shape. Things are even worse with the Prestige, Champion, Buyana, Patti varieties: almost all of these cucumbers do not grow well and have a crooked shape by the end of summer.

Why cucumbers are deformed in violation of agricultural technology

The reason for the formation of irregular fruits is a lack of potassium. Nitrogen, phosphorus and organic fertilizers are often more than applied, and potassium-containing top dressings are forgotten. Remember a simple rule: while the plant is in the vegetative period (does not bear fruit), fertilize the crop with phosphorus. During flowering and fruit formation, cucumbers should be fed with nitrogen and potassium. Observe the necessary proportions and technology for fertilizing.

Why do cucumbers grow crochet in a greenhouse and how to fix it? Watering with cold water also leads to deformation of the fruit. The liquid must be defended in the sun, then the crop will be even. The second point regarding watering is that the procedure should be carried out in the morning and water should be applied in sufficient quantities. If the soil stays dry for a long time, then the growth of cucumbers will slow down, the fruits will harden and deform.

In order for the cultivation of this crop to give positive results, it is necessary to properly care for the soil. Dense soil with a crust on the surface prevents normal air exchange. Using a hoe or tool with teeth, you need to loosen the ground before sowing. Then you should do it very carefully or completely abandon the procedure - there is a risk of damaging the root system. To prevent the formation of an earthen crust, the soil is mulched - the surface of the soil is covered with peat and humus.