Every year, gardeners look forward to the start of the summer season to go to the countryside and start growing he althy and tasty vegetables. For many people, this is not just a hobby, but a whole life. Experienced gardeners put all their love into growing vegetables and other crops and spend all their free time on work. Therefore, it is very disappointing when troubles happen to plants and they do not produce the expected harvest.
When growing cucumbers, many gardeners face a lot of problems. It is necessary to prepare the soil, grow seedlings and care for them in anticipation of the long-awaited harvest. However, during the growth process, unexpected metamorphoses can occur with vegetables. Sometimes the fruits are ugly and look the most unpresentable way. Therefore, it is worth figuring out why cucumbers are crooked or grow crocheted in a greenhouse or in open ground.
It's worth starting with the fact that the problem is not only that the fruits grow irregularly. It becomes difficult to process such a crop, as it is stored for much less time. To get delicious winterblanks that will delight throughout the year, it is important to consider all the reasons why crooked cucumbers grow and try to solve the problems.
Potassium deficiency
Due to lack of nutrients, cucumbers often grow irregularly. If the fetus does not get the right amount of potassium, this may be the reason why crooked cucumbers grow. The situation is exacerbated if the weather is cool outside. In cold temperatures, potassium is absorbed even worse.
The yellowing of the fruit and the thinning of the stalk will first of all indicate a deficiency of this microelement. Also, this problem can be seen long before the start of fruiting. If the cucumber leaves begin to curl down, then this may be a clear sign of a lack of potassium.
How to solve the problem
Having determined why crooked cucumbers grow, it is necessary to prepare a solution consisting of 25-30 g of potassium s alt dissolved in 10 liters of water. The liquid must be insisted for 4 days and shed the earth with it. After that, it is recommended to pour a little potassium sulfate on the soil (consumption of about 40-60 per 1 m 3 2).
You can also prepare a solution of ash. To do this, 0.5 l of dry matter is dissolved in a bucket of water. Each plant requires at least 1 liter of nutrient fluid.
Nitrogen deficiency
Guessing why crooked cucumbers grow, you should pay attention to the fruits. If they have become a light green hue and are very narrow from oneside, and on the other side thicken, this indicates problems. Also, there is a noticeable lag in the development of young cucumbers. All these signs indicate a lack of nitrogen, which explains why crooked cucumbers grow. How to feed the plant in this case?
How to solve the problem
In order to exclude the appearance of deformed fruits, it is enough to treat the plants with urea, 5 g of which must be diluted in 1 liter of water. The soil must be treated with a similar solution. After 5-6 days, you need to sprinkle the ground with ammonium nitrate (consumption - about 30 g per square meter).
However, do not overdo it, as excess nitrogen can cause the ovaries to crumble. Therefore, you should be careful.
Those who are wary of using this remedy are advised to use less aggressive organic top dressings. For example, you can prepare a solution of manure. To do this, mix fresh mullein with water in a ratio of 1:10. Also a lot of nitrogen is contained in herbal infusion. However, before using it, the concentrate must be diluted with water (1:10).
Wrong watering
This is another reason why cucumbers grow with crooked hooks. The fact is that for full ripening, these fruits require fairly warm water, heated to a temperature of + 25-28 degrees. Many gardeners neglect this recommendation, and as a result, cucumbers begin to deform in the process of growth.
If the plant is watered irregularly, this leads tofruit twisting. Therefore, when the first ovaries appear, it is very important to moisten the soil around the cucumbers at least 2-3 times a day. Starting from mid-August, watering is carried out much less frequently. Enough 1-2 times in 12 days.
However, not everyone can regularly supply plants with the necessary moisture. In this case, it is recommended to install a drip irrigation system. This will also prevent fungal growth on the plants.
Temperature fluctuations
This most often explains why cucumbers grow crooked in the open field. What to do in this situation and how to identify the signs of the appearance of this particular problem? Everything is very simple. If the cucumbers become narrow in the middle, then the point is temperature fluctuations. This happens when the air temperature is quite high during the daytime, but it drops sharply at night.
To solve this problem, it is enough to start covering cucumber beds in the dark.
Underpollination
If we talk about why crooked cucumbers grow in a greenhouse, then quite often such problems arise due to lack of pollination. You can recognize such a disease by the uneven color of the fruit.
To prevent such cucumbers from appearing, it is necessary to produce artificial pollination. However, gardeners often miss the right moment. Boric acid will help correct the situation. The solution is prepared from 3 g of the substance per liter of water. It is enough to spray the plants with the resulting mixture several times.
OnIn the future, it is recommended to purchase varieties of cucumbers capable of self-pollination.
Harvesting
It is worth considering that cucumbers need to be harvested once every few days. The fruits must not be allowed to overripe, otherwise they will begin to deform. In this case, there is an incorrect distribution of nutrients and cucumbers will begin to take on the most intricate shapes.
Lack of light
If the plants are planted too close to each other, they will not receive the right amount of sunlight, which in turn can cause unexpected deformation of the fruit. The same thing happens if the summer was overcast. Therefore, it is worth planting vegetables at a certain distance from each other and making sure that the process of photosynthesis occurs at the right level.
It is also worth considering the characteristics of the selected variety. Some of them are simply not suitable for specific regions or require special growing and care conditions. In addition, there are varieties for which such curvature is a common feature. For example, Chinese cucumbers quite often grow with a slight curve, and this is considered absolutely normal.
The recommendations given in the article will help you get the best quality harvest. The main thing is to approach the issue with all responsibility and provide the plants with the necessary care.
