Regardless of whether you grow cucumbers in open ground or in closed structures, the yield of the crop directly depends on the timing of fruiting of the bushes. During the active fruiting phase, numerous vital processes simultaneously occur on each cucumber vine: budding, flowering, formation of ovaries, filling of gherkins, growth of new shoots and formation of leaf apparatus.
It is at this time that cucumbers become especially vulnerable to pathogenic microflora (fungal spores, bacteria, viruses) and parasites. And if your plantings are attacked by pests, or the plants suffer from one of the many diseases of pumpkin crops, then there is no need to prepare for long and full fruiting. Seedlings weakened by fungi and parasites spend energy on restoration instead of providing the ovaries with adequate nutrition, and then begin to wither and, ultimately, dry out and die.
Prevention of diseases and pests is a proven way to prolong the fruiting of cucumber plantings
But strong cucumbers with high immunity can effectively resist phytopathogens and harmful insects, continuing to form more and more new fruits on rapidly developing branches. That is why experienced plant growers recommend systematically treating cucumber plantations with biological or synthetic agents, starting from the stage of growing seedlings or the formation of the third true leaf on seedlings, and not waiting for problems to arise.
However, it has long been known that during the mass filling of greens, the use of pesticides with insecticidal and fungicidal properties (“Dnok”, “Maximus”, etc.) leads to the accumulation of toxic substances in the ripening fruits. Depending on the chosen drug, used in the midst of an epidemic or pest invasion, harvesting is delayed for several days, and even this does not guarantee that the fruits are completely free of compounds hazardous to health.
Fans of organic farming, who fundamentally do not use pesticides to protect plants, know many recipes for biological solutions that are completely safe for plants, humans and the environment. One such remedy is a solution of whey and ammonia. The bioactive components of these products completely decompose in nature within a few hours, so irrigation of plantings can be carried out at any stage of cucumber development.
Benefits of whey for cucumbers
The cheapest dairy product is called whey. A light, cloudy liquid with a slight greenish tint is obtained during the process of fermenting milk and preparing cottage cheese.It contains nitrogen substances, potassium, phosphorus and a whole complex of microelements that are beneficial for cucumbers and other vegetable crops. Therefore, spraying seedlings with solutions containing lactic acid products is considered an effective foliar feeding.
Cucumber leaves treated with a serum solution are covered with an invisible film, through which the penetration of fungi into the plant body is very problematic. Not particularly pleasing is the presence of a shell invisible to the human eye, which makes it difficult to extract plant juices from the leaves, and small parasites - melon aphids and spider mites. This is why serum appears quite often in recipes for biological insecticides and fungicides.
The benefits of ammonia for cucumbers
An aqueous solution of ammonium hydroxide (the concentration of ammonia in water is 10%) is available in every first aid kit. This cheap product, diluted in the required proportion, saturates plants with nitrogen substances, increases their phytoimmunity and prevents the appearance of diseases and pests in plantings.
Feeding gherkins with nitrogen fertilizers, including ammonia solution, accelerates the formation of new shoots, increases the absorption of nutrients from the soil and prevents premature aging and yellowing of leaves.
Preparation and use of a solution of whey and ammonia
For 4.5 liters of settled water at room temperature (22-24 degrees Celsius), you will need 500 ml of whey and 2 tbsp. l. (30 ml) ammonia solution (10%). Ammonia is poured into the lactic acid liquid, mixed thoroughly, and only then added to the water. Spraying of cucumber lashes is carried out using a fine spray, not forgetting to treat the back side of the leaf plates.
For preventive purposes, cucumbers are treated with a biological insectofungicide every week until the end of fruiting. The first time the plantings are sprayed with nutrient liquid after the third true leaf has formed on the seedlings.
In greenhouses and greenhouses, cucumbers are irrigated by leaves at any time of the day. In open beds, to prevent the formation of sunburn on the leaves, the event is carried out either in the early morning or after sunset. If after treatment precipitation occurs that washes away the protective film, the procedure is repeated.
In addition to cucumbers, a serum solution with the addition of ammonia can be sprayed on all pumpkin plants: squash, zucchini, pumpkins, as well as other vegetable crops, for example, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers to prevent the development of late blight and the spread of whiteflies.
We wish you excellent harvests of juicy greens in the greenhouse, greenhouse and garden every year!
