Newcomers to gardening may face the fact that the cucumbers they planted do not grow. The problem can arise at different periods of development: at the stage of seedlings or seedlings, during flowering or fruiting. Plants planted in a greenhouse and in open ground can stop growing. Below are the reasons why the cucumber bushes stopped growing, and tips are given on what to do in this situation.

Why cucumbers grow poorly: the main reasons

Most often, cucumbers do not grow or do not begin to bear fruit when the rules of agricultural technology are violated when planting or caring for the crop.

Errors include:

• planting poor-quality or unprepared seeds;
• poor soil;
• wrong landing place;
• insufficient lighting;
• violation of the irrigation regime;
• diseases and insects.

Consider each reason.

Did you know? Ecuadorian cucumbers reach the size of a melon.

Bad soil

At all stages of the growing season, cucumbers need fertile land from which they receive nutrients. Acidic and non-nutritious soil is not suitable and needs preliminary preparation. It is necessary to neutralize the acidity and fertilize in the autumn, during the digging of the site. If this is not done, the seedlings will not germinate or will grow very slowly.Such plants are unlikely to produce fruit or they will be small and ugly. The soil in the greenhouse may be bad for cucumber culture if it has not been updated for a long time. Also, you can not plant cucumbers on one site from year to year. The soil is depleted and becomes poor in nutrients, while accumulating dangerous diseases and larvae of harmful insects.

Did you know? Europeans love smooth cucumbers, and they call spiky "Russian cucumbers."

Lack of lighting

Cucumber culture is photophilous. Especially in need of a lot of sunlight during the growth of seedlings. The lack of lighting can be determined by the weak elongated sprouts on which the leaves turn yellow.These signs are observed in seedlings, the boxes with which are in a place with poor lighting, for example, not on a sunny windowsill. Plants also lack light when planted densely. They obscure each other and therefore grow slowly.

Bad planting seeds

If not all seeds sown have sprouted, and do not grow further or develop, but slowly, late come into fruiting, most likely the reason lies in poor-quality planting material.

Seeds can be called bad:

• hollow and barren;
• stored in poor conditions;
• infected with diseases and not etched with fungicides;
• collected last year.

Important! From annual seeds, bushes grow, which give many male flowers or empty flowers. The most fertile are 3–4 year olds.

Wrong landing

Errors of the gardener include non-compliance with the rules for sowing seeds and planting seedlings.

Landing is incorrect if:

• the seeds are deepened by more than 2–2.5 cm, which is why seedlings will appear later than expected or not at all;
• plants in the greenhouse or in the open ground grow densely and obscure each other, preventing the access of sunlight and fresh air, so they are weak, elongated, throw out a lot of barren flower, that is, male flowers;
• the landing site is in the shade (under the trees), and the bushes lack light;
• in a greenhouse where there is no access to insects, not self-pollinated (parthenocarpic) grow, but bee-pollinated - the ovaries are not formed.

Wrong watering mode

Cucumber is a moisture-loving culture. It can be badly damaged if you ignore the rules of watering.

The following disorders can slow down the growth of plants:

• excess moisture leads to stunting, decay of the root system and death of the bush;
• insufficient moisture (less than 2 times a week), in which the soil dries out strongly, stops the development of young and adult plants, they dry out, the leaves turn yellow, and the resulting ovaries fall off very small;
• watering with cold water can lead to fungal diseases;
• improper watering method: a strong stream of water from a hose exposes the root system, depriving it of soil protection and nutrients.

Diseases and pests

Cucumbers can suddenly stop growing, as well as partially or completely get rid of greenhouses due to illness (powdery mildew, anthracnose) or attacked pests (spider mite, aphid). Novice gardeners may not immediately determine why the plants do not grow. When signs of the disease become apparent, it is too late to start treatment.

What do we have to do?

There are many reasons why cucumbers do not develop well, bloom and bear fruit. Having determined the exact diagnosis, you need to act immediately to save the situation.

Recommended Actions:

1. Ground for cucumbers must be prepared in advance. How to feed: in the autumn during digging, add organic matter (peat, humus or chicken droppings), and in the spring 2 weeks before planting - nitrogen mineral fertilizer (urea). Some gardeners already fertilize when planting directly in the holes. In the greenhouse, the old soil should be replaced by new: remove a 20-centimeter layer of earth, pour as much fertile soil, a little sand, humus and dig.
2. Seeds should be taken dry and not last year, but they have lain 3-4 years. When selecting planting material, you need to pay attention to the appearance: the same size and color, without damage and traces of mold. It is advisable to prepare even beautiful seeds for planting: disinfect with a solution of potassium permanganate or a fungicidal agent, treat with a growth stimulant and sprout on a wet towel. If the seeds are still fresh, then their heating stimulates the flowering of female, not male flowers.
3. Follow the landing rules: do not plant in the same place, choose a sunny area, keep the minimum distance between seedlings at least 20 cm.
4. Set the correct watering mode: every 2-3 days, but at least 2 times a week. If the plants froze due to waterlogging, you need to postpone watering for several days until the soil completely dries. It is important than watering: only with warm, settled water. It is also impossible to pour with a strong stream from a hose directly under the root. The ideal option is drip irrigation.
5. For any growth disturbance (there are a lot of bushes, but they do not grow, or the fruits are tied up but grow poorly), it is necessary to carefully examine each plant for signs of disease or the presence of pests. If at least one of the suspicious symptoms is found, you should immediately treat all the bushes with chemical or folk remedies.

Important! If it is found that a bee pollinated variety has been planted in the greenhouse, artificial pollination should be carried out: touch the empty flower (male flower) with a soft brush and then transfer the pollen to the female flower (with a hint of ovary).

Preventative measures

Prevention is proper agricultural technology:

• plant in good fertilized soil;
• use only high-quality seeds that have undergone preparatory treatment with fungicides;
• pick up a sunny area for landing;
• Do not plant nearby different varieties requiring different care;
• adhere to the correct landing pattern;
• observe the correct watering regime.

A mandatory preventive measure is weekly plant nutrition:

• at the seedling stage - with nitrogen-containing fertilizer;
• during flowering and fruiting - fertilizer with potassium, phosphorus and magnesium.

How to determine what fertilizer is missing:

• the leaves are coarse, the fruits are deformed, thorns grow on them - lack of nitrogen, feed with urea;
• Zelentsy are pear-shaped and poorly poured, the border of yellow leaves - not enough potassium, fertilized with potassium sulfate or wood ash;
• the foliage is lush and beautiful, there are a lot of empty flowers, if the fruits have appeared, they dry up - the cucumbers “eat” from an excess of nitrogen, it must be removed from the diet and fed with superphosphate.

Useful tips gardeners

Experienced gardeners know many tricks on how to stimulate the growth and fruiting of cucumbers.

They recommend:

1. Trimming bushes: pinch the main stem at the level of 1 m, and additional whips - at 40-60 cm. This is necessary, since the fruit embryos are tied on the side lashes. Without pinching, many small fruits can be tied, but they will not have the strength to grow.
2. Harvest on time. If this is not done, mature cucumbers will pick up all the plant juices. Embryos of new greenbacks will appear, but will hang small and will not be able to fill.