Cucumber chlorosis: causes, types and treatment of the disease

Often, seedlings and mature leaves of cucumbers in gardeners turn yellow, dry out and die. This disease that affects the leaves of plants is called cucumber leaf chlorosis. How to identify and fight it, consider below.

What causes and what does chlorosis look like?

The causes of this disease are many and very diverse in nature:

1. Lack or excess of trace elements.
2. Underwatering or overwatering plants.
3. The emergence of viral or infectious diseases.
4. Cold or hot weather.
5. Lack of lighting.
6. Pest infestation.
7. Permanent drafts.

This disease looks like this on cucumber bushes: first, yellow areas appear on the edges of the leaves. Then the areas between the veins become yellow, while the veins themselves remain dark green. Gradually, the greens of cucumbers completely turn yellow and die. This is due to a lack of chlorophyll, which is produced to color plants green. And chlorophyll cannot be produced for a number of reasons.

Types of chlorosis

The most common cause of cucumber chlorosis is a lack of trace elements. Find out what to do with a lack or excess of elements:

• Magnesium deficiency: This deficiency causes the underside of greens to discolor first.At the same time, the veins remain green for the first time, then the entire surface turns yellow. The next stage - they acquire a lilac hue along the edges, turn yellow from below and from above. To eliminate symptoms, feed with appropriate fertilizer.
• Nitrogen deficiency: the leaves begin to turn pale from below, gradually covering all the bushes. At first they become pale, then turn yellow, at the final stage they turn brown. In this case, the veins also lose pigment. During treatment, the bushes are fed with nitrogen-containing fertilizers.
• Iron deficiency: at the same time, the shoots at the top turn pale, the color gradually changes to brown.
• Zinc deficiency: individual areas between the veins turn pale, then the greens are completely covered with brown spots. The leaves take on a gray tint, and then bronze. To eliminate the disease, you need to feed the plants with trace elements containing zinc.
• Manganese deficiency: the areas between the veins turn pale, while the veins remain dark green. The edges then take on a rusty hue.
• Potassium deficiency: the lower leaves begin to turn pale at the edges, then the shade changes sharply to brown. No yellowing is observed.

Also, chlorosis appears due to changes in weather conditions or infection of plants with pests.

With an excess of moisture, they wither, turn pale, sag. Serous spots with rot appear on the plate. As a result, all the leaves fall off. If the cause is not eliminated, then a mold fungus appears on the shoots, and the roots become watery. The soil is excessively wet to the touch. To stop, you need to stop watering immediately.

When frostbite, the leaves also lose color, while they are completely discolored or in some areas of the leaf plate. To stop the process, you need to remove the damaged areas.

With a lack of light, the whole plant turns pale, the leaves grow small, and the stems stretch and thin.

Spider mite destroys seedlings from the bottom of the leaf plate. You can see small cobwebs there. At the same time, the green mass of cucumber seedlings turns pale, turns yellow, and then falls off.

How to deal with the disease?

With a lack of trace elements, you need to feed. Depending on the type of deficiency, cucumbers can be cured with the right element.

Iron extract can be prepared at home. To do this, 4 grams of citric acid and 6 grams of ferrous sulfate are added to 1 liter of boiled water. The mixture is thoroughly mixed. You should get a light orange solution. Water the plants with the mixture and spray the leaves.

Another effective method of replenishing iron in the soil is to bury a rusty nail in the ground, nothing complicated, but the result is excellent.

From insect pests that cause chlorosis, use ready-made solutions or powders sold in stores.

A folk method of pest control is an onion grated on a fine grater, infused for several days in water. This solution is sprayed with greens affected by spider mites or thrips.

Disease Prevention

To prevent chlorosis, it is not necessary to fertilize and treat plants every day. Cucumbers will grow even in the sand, if you dig in a large amount of last year's humus from grass and other biological waste. After introducing humus into the ground, the bed is dug up several times and seeds are planted. Humus in the process of growth decomposes into trace elements and is absorbed by cucumbers. Preventive measures:

• To prevent lack of lighting, you need to thin out the beds with plantings, plant beds in areas not shaded by trees or buildings.
• Water as needed to avoid excess moisture in the soil.
• Do not plant seedlings if frost is expected. In the event of frost or temperature changes, the plants are covered with foil.
• You can not plant cucumbers on the ridges, where there is a constant draft, they will weather and turn yellow.

If you follow these simple rules, you can not be afraid of chlorosis. Plantings will not die and will give a wonderful harvest.

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