Quite often, when gardening cucumbers, gardeners-gardeners encounter such a problem as yellowing of fruits and falling of ovaries. Why do cucumbers turn yellow? Consider the most common causes of this color change in mature fruits and ovaries.
One of the most common reasons why cucumbers turn yellow and grow poorly is a commonplace lack of water. Cucumbers, in principle, do not need anything else except moisture and heat, so they should be watered abundantly and often. The lack of water is diagnosed quite simply - along with the yellowing of the cucumbers, they change color and the leaves begin to dry. However, if after heavy watering the problem did not disappear, then the reason lies in something else.
The reason why cucumbers turn yellow can also be adverse weather conditions - early frosts and sudden cold snap. Even cold water can cause such a stressful change, so it must be warmed up in the sun before watering. Covering material can save from cold snap if cucumbers grow in the open ground, or a heater placed in the greenhouse. With additional heat, fresh cucumbers will not disappear from your table until late autumn.
Also, a similar problem often arises due to lack of nutrients in the soil. That is why it is recommended to alternate crops, which must be done annually. Regular top dressing with potassium and phosphorus mixtures will be an excellent prevention, but care must be taken when adding organics. Together with such fertilizers, fungi and viruses, such as the tobacco mosaic virus, can get on the bed .
In addition, inexperienced gardeners can be reminded that the yellow color of the cucumber is a completely normal color for the ripened fruit. They are not consumed in food, so they can simply be thrown away or left on the seeds.
Why do small cucumbers turn yellow and fall? At the stage when the fruits are just formed, yellowing can occur for several reasons. Firstly, this is due to the large number of ovaries on one plant. Some types of cucumbers, especially hybrid ones, bloom profusely and can produce up to 150 ovaries. The root system of the plant simply does not have time to feed so many fruits, and they begin to dry out, turn yellow and fall off. The way out of the situation is simple - removing extra ovaries or flowers.
Another reason why the fruits of cucumbers turn yellow at the ovary stage may be insufficient pollination. If seeds do not form in the fruit, the plant may stop feeding it with its juices. In this case, you can self-pollinate the cucumbers with a soft brush or spray a solution of honey or sugar on the bed. Such a sweet bait will attract bees that pollinate all the flowers.
That's all the main reasons why cucumbers turn yellow. If your case does not fit into any description, most likely the plants are affected by a fungal or viral disease. In such a situation, the use of special drugs and, possibly, the destruction of affected plants is necessary.