Cucumber leaves dry: why and what to do

Cucumbers are considered one of the most common vegetable crops that can be found in summer cottages. Why do cucumber leaves dry in a greenhouse and how to deal with it? There are many reasons why this might be happening. Most often, these are various diseases and insects.

Why cucumber leaves dry

Cucumber leaf wilt is a common problem faced by every fifth gardener. Why do cucumbers dry, and what can be done to save the harvest?

Causes of dry leaves on cucumbers:

Fungal diseases

One of the most common causes of leaf wilt in the open field are fungal diseases. A sharp change in climate, prolonged rains, poor ecology - all this can provoke the development of fungi in the beds.

The reason for the yellowing of the leaves in this case is Fusarium. Fusarium is characterized by the appearance of small yellow spots on the foliage, which gradually increase in size. As a result, they fall off, and the plant itself begins to die.

Whitefly

Whitefly lays its eggs in beds, from which the larvae hatch. They suck the juices from the leaves of cucumbers, after which the plants begin to die.

Aphid

Aphids are one of the most common parasites that cause cucumber leaves to wilt. Just like whitefly larvae, aphids suck the juice from the stems.

Powdery mildew

Another reason for the wilting of cucumber tops is powdery mildew. First, white spots appear on the leaves, then the cucumber leaves dry, and the whole plant gradually dies.

Cladosporiasis

Kladosporiosis affects not only the leaves, but also the stem and root system of cucumbers. It begins to become covered with yellow spots, and then dries up. The disease also affects the fruits themselves.

White Rot (Sclerotinia)

With the development of this disease, the leaves of cucumbers in the greenhouse begin to become covered with white bloom. The disease appears when the humidity level in the greenhouse is too high or the temperature is high.

Root rot

Due to high soil moisture or watering with cold water, root rot can also develop. The first sign of the disease is the appearance of yellow spots along the edges, then the entire leaf begins to dry out. It is impossible to get rid of root rot. If the cucumbers began to suffer from root rot, then it will not be possible to save them.

Ascochitosis

The edge of the leaves may also turn yellow due to ascochitosis. The disease affects not only leaves, but also fruits and stems.

Why do cucumber leaves dry up? What other reasons are there?

It dries for the following reasons:

Downy mildew;
Peronosporosis;
Scutes;
Mealybugs;
Ticks.

Natural causes

Quite often, the lower leaves of cucumbers can turn yellow for quite natural reasons. This problem is especially common if seedlings are grown in greenhouse conditions or in a greenhouse. You should not worry about this, because this will not affect the amount of the crop. On the contrary, many gardeners recommend cutting off the lower yellow leaves of cucumbers.

Another reason is the natural yellowing of old leaves. Most often, these are large lower leaves.

Also, with a lack of nutrients in the soil, the tops of cucumbers in the garden may begin to dry out. In order for cucumbers to grow he althy, they must be regularly fed with mineral and organic fertilizers.

Frequent watering and waterlogging of the soil, as well as lack of water, can also be the reasons why cucumber leaves dry. When watering the beds during the day, when the sun's rays are very bright, the leaves can get severely burned. And from this start to turn yellow.In order for the plants not to get burned, it is recommended to water them in the evening, when the sun has already set.

What to do if cucumber leaves dry

First of all, you need to find out the reason why this is happening. And only then you can begin to treat diseases.

What to do if cucumber leaves dry due to insects and diseases:

In order to cure seedlings of fungal diseases, you can spray them with fungicides. For example, it can be drugs such as copper sulfate, Fitosporin, Bordeaux liquid or Kuproksat.
From the invasion of insects on plants, you can use chemicals such as Aktara, Fitoverm, Aktellik or Biotlin.
If the leaves of cucumbers dry up, you can use folk methods. It is undesirable to plant seedlings after pumpkin crops. It is desirable to change sites for planting seedlings every year.

Wood ash is very effective in yellowing cucumber tops. Wood ash can be added to the holes where the seedlings will be planted.
As a prophylactic, if the tops turn yellow, you can use bread infusion. Soak one loaf of bread in a bucket of warm water. The next day, knead the bread and add 1 vial of iodine. Dilute the resulting slurry with water and water the plants closer to the trunk with it.
What to do if yellow spots appear on cucumber leaves? The disease can be defeated with a decoction of onion peel. You can make it as follows: pour onion peel with 1 liter of water and put on fire. Boil 20 minutes. Then leave the decoction overnight to infuse. Dilute in 10 liters of water and pour over the tops of this decoction. It is very important to ensure that the onion broth gets on the yellowed tips of the foliage.
If the edges of the leaves began to turn yellow due to fungal diseases, then soda will help in this case. 100 gr. soda diluted in 10 liters of warm water. Water the resulting solution, both green and dry leaves.
If the foliage of cucumbers dries up, then you can treat them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. 50 gr. dilute potassium permanganate in 4 liters of water. All bushes should be treated with a solution 3 times a week. Instead of potassium permanganate, you can use regular kefir. The most favorable time for spraying is evening. If processed during the day, cucumbers can get burned.

How to treat cucumbers with natural yellowing of leaves

Sometimes the gardener himself is to blame for the fact that the leaves of cucumbers begin to turn yellow. What to do in this case and how to treat cucumbers?

First of all, if the leaves are damaged by marginal yellowing, then you need to check if the bushes have enough moisture. Cucumbers are moisture-loving, and they need to be watered abundantly. Especially if the weather is hot and dry. After watering, the soil around the trunks can be covered with fresh grass.The grass will retain moisture and also provide additional warmth to the root system.
The leaves can also dry out due to excessive moisture. You will need to stop watering for a while until the soil is completely dry.
Tops can dry out due to lack of nutrients in the soil. Mineral and organic fertilizers must be alternated, otherwise the bushes will begin to grow deciduous mass, and the fruits will cease to form. Wood ash is a good fertilizer. You can simply sprinkle it on the ground on cucumber beds.

Why do cucumber leaves dry up in a greenhouse

When growing cucumbers in a greenhouse, gardeners often face yellowing of the tops. The main reason for wilting is the wrong soil. Most often, when cultivating seedlings in greenhouse conditions, ordinary land from the beds is used. But such soil is only suitable for open ground.

For greenhouses and greenhouses, you must use a substrate that contains:

Peat;
Urea;
Compost;
Wood ash;
Urea;
Wood sawdust.

You can also resort to hydroponics. The essence of this method is that each seedling is grown in a separate container and the stems practically do not come into contact with the soil. It is very important to provide good lighting for the bushes.