2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Cucumbers are one of the most widespread and favorite crops grown in our latitudes. But the harvest of these useful vegetables does not always please us, and sometimes this happens due to the appearance of barren flowers on cucumbers (that is, when male flowers devoid of ovaries prevail on the plants). Why do our favorite cucumbers upset us with the appearance of a barren flower, and is it possible to somehow cope with this misfortune?
Wasteland - what is it?
In order for plants to develop normally and bear fruit well, they should have approximately the same number of male and female flowers. If either male or female flowers predominate on them, it will be almost impossible to achieve correct pollination and adequate fruiting (especially in the first case).
Almost every summer resident knows how to recognize a barren flower - in female flowers between the petals in the inner part, you can see small green cylinders, somewhat reminiscent of miniature cucumbers. It is from these cylinders that the formation of ovaries will subsequently occur. But the male flowers on cucumbers are considered to be barren flowers - such flowers differ from female flowers by the absence of a mother liquor and the presence of anthers. They are called barren flowers because of the impossibility of forming ovaries.
Why is the barren bloom appearing?
The most common cause of barren flowers is the use of extremely poor quality seed. As a rule, good results are obtained by sowing only those seeds that have been successfully "matured" for two to three years - in this case, the number of male and female flowers formed on the plants will be approximately the same.
Another fairly common reason is crop thickening. Ideally, when sowing cucumbers, the row spacing should be about seventy centimeters, and a distance of twenty to twenty-five centimeters should be maintained between individual seeds. In addition, it is highly undesirable for more than seven plants to be planted on each square meter of the area.
It may well cause the appearance of barren flowers and improper watering - despite the fact that cucumbers are quite hygrophilous, they need to be watered correctly. The temperature of the water used for irrigation should be in the range from twenty-two to twenty-five degrees (in order to heat the water, many summer residents insist on it throughout the day in the sun). And if the air temperature is below sixteen degrees, watering should be temporarily abandoned altogether. And one more important nuance - cucumbers usually need intensive watering, from the moment of germination to flowering, as well as during the fruiting period.
Sometimes barren flowers on cucumbers can also appear due to a lack of lighting - this is especially true for cucumbers grown in greenhouse conditions. In order to avoid such a nuisance, the growing cucumber bushes must be thinned out in a timely manner. If cucumbers grow in open ground, it is extremely important to try to create and maintain a special microclimate for them, providing them with reliable protection from strong gusts of wind and from cold weather. To achieve this goal, you can place corn or some other plants of a very impressive height on the north side of the bed.
Control measures
In order to encounter barren flowers as rarely as possible, it is better not to place cucumber beds on dry and hot elevated areas. However, in the lowlands, cucumbers are also unlikely to grow well, since such areas are characterized by an accumulation of moist and rather cold air masses. Ideally, in order for the cucumbers to develop intensively and give an excellent harvest, it is recommended to place them on trellises - the whips curling along the supports will in this case receive sufficient amounts of light and heat.
The composition of the soil is no less important - the soil must be enriched with all nutrients necessary for the full development of cucumbers. And in no case should there be an excess of nitrogen in it, since the vegetative mass will rapidly develop to the detriment of fruiting processes!
If a lot of barren flowers have appeared on the cucumber lashes, it is recommended to feed the plants with liquid organic solutions: either bird droppings combined with water in a ratio of 1:20, or mullein diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10.
And cucumbers, if possible, should be protected from adverse weather conditions - this culture will not please with good development when night temperatures drop to eighteen degrees or even lower, however, a prolonged drought will also cause no less harm to cucumbers: if the thermometer rises above twenty-six degrees, contained in male inflorescences, pollen will simply become sterile. So it is advisable to mulch cucumbers growing in open ground from time to time. All kinds of high crops can be planted in the aisles. And in order to regulate the temperature regime in the greenhouses, it is necessary to equip them with doors and windows that can be periodically opened and closed.
And one more little secret - in order for more female flowers to appear on cucumbers, you can preheat the seed material intended for planting in a thermostat or on a battery!
Have you ever come across a barren flower on a cucumber?
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