Diseases and pests of cucumbers.

Everyone loves crispy, juicy cucumbers. And many gardeners grow them right on the site. This culture is quite unpretentious, but it also requires care, because diseases and pests can get to cucumbers. Let's figure out how to do this, and what, besides the scorching sun and drought, can harm this culture. Cucumbers, like all melons, also get sick. Let's find out which diseases of cucumbers are most common, how to treat them, and which pests are most dangerous.

Fusarium.

The most common disease of this culture is fusarium. What is it, you ask? This is a fungal disease in which cucumbers first wither, and then the stems die off. The spores of this fungus are stored in the ground for more than 10 years, so your plant can get sick completely unexpectedly. Excessive moisture contributes to the development of the disease, namely prolonged rains and a cold snap. Under such unfavorable conditions, the color of the cucumber stalk first changes. And then a whitish or pink bloom begins to form. At first, only 1 part of the plant can die, and then the whole lash.

Very often this fungus infects cucumbers during flowering. In order to prevent the death of plants from this disease, you need to often change the location of crops and not plant cucumbers in the same place for several years in a row. This process is called crop rotation. It is also advisable to use treated seeds, and the affected plants must be removed from the site and watered with warm water. Occasionally, you can cure the plant with special medications available from gardening stores.

Anthracnose.

If the leaves of cucumbers begin to wither, and yellow-brown spots appear along their perimeter with slightly noticeable cracks, then anthracnose has probably begun on your site. This time, this disease affects not only the root part of the lash, but also cucumber leaves, and even fruits. Over time, this leads to the death of the plant. This disease also appears with high humidity, but in this case, not with a cold snap, but, on the contrary, with a high temperature. Remember that anthracnose is afraid of open sun and drought. Therefore, always monitor the moisture level in the soil and weed the cucumber beds often.

Powdery mildew.

If a whitish bloom and spots appear on the leaves of cucumbers, then, most likely, the cucumbers are affected by powdery mildew. Most often, these diseases appear at the end of summer. Temperature changes, watering with cool water, frequent drafts or excessive nitrogen feeding are considered a favorable environment for the development of the disease. Gradually powdery mildew spreads to all plants, and cucumbers begin to die. In order to overcome this disease, you must first tear off the affected leaves, then feed with potassium fertilizer and moisten the leaves of the bush with mullein infusion. You can also ask a gardening store for help.

Downy mildew.

If the leaves of cucumbers began to become covered with yellow spots, then this is downy mildew. Over time, the yellowness turns into a gray-purple hue, and the leaves begin to dry and crumble. The favorable conditions for the development of this disease include high humidity and watering with cold water. To combat this disease, it is necessary to stop watering and feeding in a timely manner and treat the bushes and Bordeaux liquid.

Bacteriosis

It's funny, but plants also have this disease. If holes begin to appear on the leaves of a cucumber, and sores on the fruits, then this means that the plant is affected by bacteriosis.As you understood from the name, bacteria are the causative agent of this disease. Moreover, these bacteria are transmitted through the contact of plants with each other and with water droplets. The development of bacteriosis also occurs with changes in temperature and high humidity. In order to avoid bacteriosis, you need to plant treated seeds and observe crop rotation.

Rot.

Root Rot is very common in cucumbers. The leaves begin to wither, and the root part of the plant becomes brown, while the roots practically dry out and turn into rotten remains. More often, this disease occurs in greenhouses when irrigated with cold water and prolonged heat. In order to overcome this disease, you can try to get the lateral roots of plants to function more efficiently. To do this, try to huddle each bush and water it well. But if you are unable to save the plants, then you can turn to chemical help, namely to a biological preparation - "Trichodermin".

Gray and white rot.

If you notice a gray bloom on the fruits, then this disease is gray rot. It sometimes infects both plant leaves and stems. If a white bloom appears on the cucumbers, then this, of course, is white rot, also a fungal disease. The tissues of the plant become soft and begin to rot over time. In order for this disease not to develop, you need to weed the beds in time and monitor the ventilation. Avoid waterlogging the area.

Pests of cucumbers.

In addition to diseases, pests can also "process" your crop. Among them, slugs, spider mites and aphids are considered harmful. If you begin to notice that at night someone is feasting on young leaves, then most likely these are slugs. They are very fond of moisture, so it is advisable to collect them by hand, set traps for them and destroy every pest. And for prevention, you just need to keep your area clean, weed and loosen the soil in time. If you begin to notice sticky bloom and holes on the leaves, then this is aphid. Try sprinkling the plants with ash, residues of laundry soap, or treating them with infusion of garlic, then feeding them with phosphorus-potassium fertilizer. If that doesn't work for you, go to your gardening store for chemicals. Sometimes a cobweb appears on the inside of the leaves of a cucumber, which means that there is a spider mite somewhere nearby. It is not very harmful to the plant. However, in case of mass damage to plantings, a solution of the "Fitoverma" preparation should be used.

Now you have learned what diseases and pests of cucumbers are. Fight them right and don't leave your plants in trouble.