Why do pumpkin leaves turn yellow in the open field and what to do?

Pumpkin is considered one of the most useful vegetables that summer residents grow on their plots, but it is not always possible to grow a good harvest. Why do pumpkin leaves turn yellow and how to deal with this problem? In general, pumpkin is an unpretentious agricultural crop that is rich in vitamins and microelements useful for the human body.

Why can pumpkin leaves turn yellow?

Yellow leaves on a pumpkin do not always indicate that a disease has appeared on the culture. In some cases, this indicates that the plant is not properly cared for or lacks nutrients.

Leaves begin to turn yellow if the heat changes to a sharp cold snap. For plants, such a sharp temperature drop is stressful. Prolonged heat or prolonged cold snap also causes the foliage to dry out. At low temperatures, the leaves freeze slightly and turn yellow. During a drought, the foliage on the pumpkin begins to dry out from burns inflicted by bright sunlight. Bushes get burnt due to improper watering.

When the foliage turns yellow, it indicates that the pumpkin lacks micronutrients. Primarily nitrogen, magnesium, potassium or other substances. Minimize the damage if you take the time to care for the pumpkin.

Pests and diseases of pumpkin

If the pumpkin leaves turn yellow and dry, then the reasons for such negative changes are the appearance of pests and diseases on the bushes.To avoid these problems, you need to regularly inspect the pumpkin for damage. Preventing diseases and the appearance of harmful insects is much easier than treating affected bushes. The appearance of diseases is easy to get ahead of some external signs that are immediately evident.

Pumpkin diseases:

• Root rot (the disease occurs if the weather is unfavorable for growing pumpkins for a long time. Root rot is also promoted by improperly prepared soil for planting seeds. A characteristic symptom is thinning of the stem. Then the leaves begin to dry. In the advanced stage, save plant impossible).
• Powdery mildew (when growing crops in open ground, powdery mildew often affects the pumpkin. The first sign of damage is a white coating that appears on the foliage. Under the coating, you can see that the leaves turn yellow.Powdery mildew is caused by temperature fluctuations).
• Chlorosis (the main signs of chlorosis are the yellowing of pumpkin leaves and their uncharacteristic thickening. The disease occurs from a lack of nutrients in the soil, especially sulfur and potassium).
• Anthracnose (symptoms of the disease are yellowing of the leaves and their fall. The bush begins to die after the disease reaches the base of the stem near the root. The reason for the occurrence is frequent precipitation during the growing season and fruiting ).
• Spider mite (it is difficult to recognize the beginning of the appearance of a spider mite on bushes due to its small size and lack of signs of damage in the initial stages. After a while, the leaves become speckled and gradually dry out).
• Melon aphid (the aphid forms its colonies on the lower stems and leaves of the pumpkin. The pest mainly affects the shoots and inflorescences. The first sign of the appearance of aphids is a sharp fall of the inflorescences and twisting the leaves into a pipe).
• Growth fly (the larvae of this insect enter the stem and feed on their pulp. The larvae prevent the normal development of the root system, due to which the plants in the garden quickly die).

Proper care and timely application of mineral and organic fertilizers will avoid the appearance of these diseases on the pumpkin.

What if the leaves turn yellow?

In order for the bushes to stop drying out, a number of measures must be taken. It is also important to choose the right time to plant seeds in the soil to reduce the risk of disease.

Favorable weather conditions for landing:

• Sunny weather without prolonged rains.
• The soil should not be waterlogged.
• Before planting planting material in the soil, all weeds must be removed from the site.

Cold and rainy weather leads to the development of fungal diseases in the pumpkin area. And the presence of weeds in the beds contributes to the appearance of harmful insects.

The beginning of the planting season begins after warm weather has settled, and the threat of night frost has long passed. In order to prevent the appearance of yellowed leaves on the pumpkin, you should not pour the beds. If the soil does not dry well, reduce the amount of watering.

To prevent the appearance of insects, you need to choose pumpkin varieties that indicate that the variety is immune to them. In addition, to prevent insects, the soil is dug up and fertilized several times before harvesting.

To prevent the appearance of insects, it is important to adhere to the following rules for growing:

• Compliance with crop rotation (every year the planting site of the crop must be changed, planting a pumpkin in the old place is possible no earlier than after 2 years).
• After harvesting, no plants or residues from them should remain on the site, especially if they were sick.
• Spray bushes with special disinfectants.

Applying herbicides when the pumpkin dries out is not always effective.

What to do to get rid of spider mites:

• An infusion of garlic and onion husks helps to quickly get rid of spider mites and damage from them. Pour 250 g of dried husks with boiling water (1 liter). Insist 5-6 hours. Before watering the beds, dilute the infusion with warm water. Spray the bushes with the resulting infusion. The optimal time for spraying is in the evening after sunset. This will prevent the leaves from getting burned.

For breeding melon aphids:

• In order to get rid of melon aphids in the beds, you need to use wood ash. Dilute 250 g of wood ash in 10 liters of warm water. Then add 75 g of soap shavings or liquid soap. Spray the beds in the evening after sunset. If in the near future after spraying it started to rain, then after a while the treatment is repeated. Spraying continues until signs of leaf damage are eliminated.

Get rid of slugs in the area by loosening the soil around the beds. An effective way would be to dust the bushes with ash, tobacco dust or ground pepper. These recipes also help with diseases of gourds.

When a pumpkin is severely affected, traditional methods may not help, and then you have to resort to herbicides. But remember that you need to use chemicals with caution. And don't use the culture for food for a few weeks.

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