Whether in the garden or greenhouse , cucumbers can quickly show signs of deficiency if they are not cared for properly. The following article shows which defects are responsible for yellow leaves and the like.
Helle Blattränder
Deficiency symptoms such as light leaf edges and later light coloring of the entire cucumber leaves generally indicate a lack of nutrients. Immediate fertilization is the first step here. It is advisable to then carry out this fertilization regularly so that the plant can recover and bear many fruits:
- Use special fertilizer
- contains all important nutrients
- Nettle manure as well
- Guano also valuable
- fertilize every two weeks over the summer
- Observe the manufacturer’s instructions
- continue to fertilize regularly until harvest
Arched or curved leaves
If the leaves are curved or curved, this is usually a sign of a calcium deficiency. How to counteract this deficiency in cucumbers correctly:
- add calcium immediately
- avoid acidic soil
- sprinkle lime
- alternatively make lime milk and pour
- Lime fertilizer also available in liquid form
Yellow leaves with dark veins
If the color of the cucumber leaves changes from rich green to yellow, but the leaf veins show through darkly, then this is a clear sign of a magnesium deficiency. Here, too, first aid should be provided immediately so that the plant can still be saved despite these deficiency symptoms and bring a rich harvest of cucumbers:
- Epsom salt brings magnesium
- dilute well with water
- Cucumber roots do not tolerate salt very well
- therefore only administer magnesium in the event of a deficiency
- also contained in garden lime
- Compost from the initial fertilization of the bed contains magnesium
- don’t give it up
- acidic soil often with magnesium deficiency
Shoot tips die off
This sign is not an indication of a deficiency in cucumbers, but of over-fertilization of nitrogen. This can also happen if the fertilizer is not specially tailored to the cucumbers. In this case, however, it is very difficult to take measures that can save the plant.
- water a lot to flush nitrogen out of the soil
- Lay straw around plants
- attracts and fixes nitrogen
- alternatively change soil
- Be careful with large cucumber plants
- Roots could also be damaged
- change fertilizer immediately
- apply suitable fertilizer without nitrogen
Tips to avoid nutrient deficiencies
So that there are no symptoms of deficiency in the cucumbers in the first place and that they do not need immediate help, it is more helpful to fertilize correctly from the start. This starts before sowing or planting with the preparation of the soil in the garden bed and extends over the entire vegetation year up to the harvest:
- Prepare the bed with compost, horn shavings and manure
- two months before planting
- this allows nutrients to decompose
- Cucumbers need a lot of potassium
- Potassium regulates water supply
- dried plant can indicate potassium deficiency
- fertilize every two weeks over the summer (e.g. with guano or nettle manure)
frequently asked Questions
There are many other reasons for poor cucumber plant growth. This includes temperatures that are too low as well as heat damage or temperature fluctuations in general. When the sun burns, the leaves become light, when it is cold, they curl up. Irrigation that is too cold can also lead to the entire plant wilting immediately.
If you don’t want to go to the trouble of making fertilizer yourself or using compost, commercial cucumber fertilizer is a good choice. This has an optimal nutrient composition and also has a lot of potassium, which the cucumbers need. However, these special fertilizers are also more expensive than the home-made alternatives.
You can easily make the nettle fertilizer yourself. For this you need a kilo of finely chopped nettles and ten liters of water. Then simply place the mixture in a sunny spot in the garden for two to three weeks and stir it every day. Then simply pour them all through a sieve and mix the manure with water in a ratio of 1:10. Then you can water the cucumbers with this.
Yes, unfortunately, annual plants are heavy consumers and should therefore always be given enough fertilizer. It is also helpful not to raise them in the same bed with other heavy feeders and therefore to give them their own bed without being in the immediate vicinity. You should therefore avoid pumpkins, melons, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes and peppers in the immediate vicinity.
Cucumbers that receive optimal fertilization not only grow particularly well and offer a rich harvest. They are also better protected against many diseases and pests. Because they are healthy and strong, they can better protect themselves against an infestation, for example by powdery mildew or thrips. It is important that you neither over-fertilize your cucumber plants nor give them too little fertilizer.
