Why does the stem of cucumbers dry at the base: causes and treatment

There are many reasons why cucumber stems crack. This phenomenon can be provoked by pests, such as cucumber mosquito, or diseases that affect a plant crop. Also, drying out and thinning of the stem can cause adverse environmental conditions, insufficient plant care.

Cucumber diseases

When planting seedlings in contaminated soil or spreading the infection along with water, the plant culture can be affected by various diseases that provoke the drying of the stem. Also, a similar effect of infection can occur when infected seeds are used to grow seedlings.

Anthracnose

A characteristic feature of this pathology is the appearance of black drying pigments on the leaf plates and stem of the tomato. With the subsequent development of the disease, it also spreads to the fruits, the trunk gradually becomes thinner, as the spots deepen by 3-5 millimeters, dries up, the leaves fall. The reason for the development of anthracnose is the use of infected seeds for growing seedlings or planting grown material in infected soil.

If this pathology is detected at the initial stage, it can be cured. For this, Quadris, sulfur-based preparations, Bordeaux mixture are used.

Root rot

Root rot can be spread when a crop is infected with bacteria or fungi. Most often, plant infection occurs when it is transplanted into infected soil or when using seeds taken from diseased crops. Signs of pathology:

during hot hours the leaves become lighter and begin to dry;
root darkens, becomes rotten;
plant stops growing;
the trunk near the ground dries up and starts cracking.

When the root dies completely, the plant dies. You can stop the development of the disease with Fitosporin-M.

Grey Rot

This disease is manifested by the fact that the leaves, stem and flowers are covered with brown watery spots, covered with a gray coating. If the disease progresses, the stem and leaves will wither, and the plant will cease to bear fruit and die.

When the pathology spreads, the affected areas are treated with a fungicide. The best option is to use Rovral or Bayleton. All affected parts of the plant are removed and burned.

Mosaic

When cucumbers are affected by a mosaic, the leaves begin to turn yellow and curl. If this pathology is not treated, the plant stem begins to dry at the base, and then a crack appears along its entire length. Most often, the first symptomatology appears even in seedlings. In this case, such seedling material should be discarded.

When a mosaic is detected, it should be treated immediately: such measures will reduce the activity of development or completely stop the disease. Planting should be processed by Aktara or Aktellik.

Sclerotinia

If the bush began to thin, most likely it is affected by sclerotinia. This disease affects all areas of the cucumber plant. A white coating appears on various parts of the plant culture, which gradually forms into black spots. In conditions of high humidity, the plant begins to rot.

If watering was stopped during this period, the cucumber stalk begins to dry out, the dry stem will cover a rotten coating.

It is expedient to treat the disease only at the stage of spreading white plaque. This should be done with the help of Fitosporin-M.

Powdery mildew

Unless powdery mildew is treated, this pathology dries up the stem of cucumbers. You can recognize this disease by the following symptoms:

at the initial stages: distribution of gray plaque on the leaves, which has a pink tint;
the appearance of black dots on the leaves, their withering and wilting;
with the further development of the pathology, weeping areas, black darkening are formed on the roots, which is why the base of the stem begins to dry out, gradually dries up and the top of the plant, the culture dies.

If the cucumber stalks have shrunk or begun to dry out, the affected bush should be removed from the site, otherwise powdery mildew will spread to other crops.

Downy mildew

Another name for this disease is peronosporosis. It is included in the group of fungal pathologies and spreads when infected seeds are used to grow seedlings. The disease most often does not manifest itself in seedlings, but is activated during the formation of a fruiting plant. The disease develops inside, moving in the direction from the bottom up. Signs:

appearance of oily yellow spots limited to veins on leaves;
over time, the spots darken, the leaf dries up, the stem is damaged;
the stem dries from the bottom up, the antennae are damaged;
cucumbers are dying.

It is worth considering that this pathology grows very quickly on cucumbers, so it should be treated immediately - immediately after the detection of primary symptoms. For treatment, it is necessary to use MC, Kuprosat, Ridomil Gold.

Cladosporiasis

The reason for the development of this fungal disease is strong temperature fluctuations, accompanied by an increase in humidity. Infection occurs when a fungus enters a he althy plant culture. The defeat of the plant culture begins with the leaves and stem. The primary symptom of pathology is the spread of olive spots on the leaf and stem.

In advanced cases, fruits are affected, spots form into ulcers, the affected cucumber turns white, and the trunk begins to dry out.

Cladosporiosis should be treated immediately after the appearance of spots. This is required with the help of a Bordeaux mixture or any preparations made on the basis of copper oxychloride. Processing is done 4 times a season.

Anthracnose

This disease is characterized by the spread of brown spots throughout the plant. At the same time, the plant stops growing, its leaves begin to turn yellow and gradually dry out, and the base of the trunk begins to become thin. Activation of the spread of the disease occurs when the crop is irrigated with cold water, as well as sudden changes in environmental temperature indicators.

What to do to eliminate anthracnose if the stem has begun to thin? To combat this disease, once a week until harvest, the plant should be sprayed with 1% Bordeaux mixture. It is also required to treat each affected area with copper sulfate in a state of 0.5% solution. After applying copper sulfate, the treated area is sprinkled with coal or lime.

Pests

Why does the stem dry at the base of cucumbers if there are no signs of pathologies on the bush? Pests can be the cause of drying stems in cucumbers. It is worth considering that most of them lead their lives in places invisible to the human eye.

Aphid

This pest is located on the inside of cucumber leaves. The plant reacts to the defeat of aphids by folding. Gradually, the leaves begin to fall off, and the stems crack and dry out. Infection of an aphid plant is also dangerous because this insect is a carrier of a huge number of diseases that can aggravate the he alth of a plant crop. Most often, aphids spread in greenhouse structures, affecting almost all plantings.

In order to get rid of this pest, you need to treat the affected plants with a special solution. It is prepared from 100 grams of laundry soap, 200 grams of lye, 200 grams of wood ash, 10 liters of water.When spraying the plant with the prepared liquid, special attention should be paid to the underside of the leaf.

Cucumber mosquito attack

The cucumber mosquito pest infects plants growing in a greenhouse. These insects weaken the plant, leading to the formation of root rot. These pests spread during transplantation of seedlings, along with contaminated soil or fertilizers. The cucumber mosquito causes great harm to seedlings. Its larvae damage the stem structure: they make passages inside the seedling material, because of which the planted cucumbers in the greenhouse quickly die: their trunk suffers from cracks and bursts.

Flies

Flies can also infect cucumbers. These insects lay eggs in the ground, which damage the plant during its germination. The affected plant can be recognized if the surface of the sprouts turns white and acquires a slightly bluish tint.

If you do not fight this pest, the plant begins to dry out gradually. In formed bushes, the top dries first, and in young seedlings, the base of the stem dries. Gradually, the plant dies completely, it should be removed and burned as soon as possible, and the soil should be disinfected.

All of the listed diseases and pests can damage not only the stem of the plant, but also its foliage, fruits, flowers. If a summer resident notices that a stem has cracked in one of the plantations in the middle or at the base, he needs to inspect the culture for symptoms of diseases or pests.

When a plant is damaged in a greenhouse, it is necessary to process all plants, as well as to disinfect the soil. This is due to the fact that in conditions of high moisture, pathologies spread rapidly and can infect new plants. With timely treatment of plant crops, they will stop drying out, and after restoration they will release a new batch of whiskers.