Most often, in vegetable gardens crops such as tomatoes, potatoes and cucumbers are grown. Like all other garden crops, cucumbers can sometimes be sick and damaged by parasites. Preplant seed treatment is a preventative measure, but if the plants are really sick, urgent treatment must be started. Let’s consider what pests of cucumbers are and what plants are sick with.
- improper care;
- non-observance of crop rotation rules;
- change in weather conditions.
When the first symptoms of the disease are detected, often, you need to immediately remove the damaged foliage or the entire bush to prevent infection. In addition, preplant planting of seeds and soil should not be neglected. One of the important preventive measures is the introduction of manure into the soil in the autumn.
Powdery mildew
The most common disease is powdery mildew.It affects not only cucumbers, but also many other garden crops, as well as flowers. It appears on the leafy part, sometimes a white coating is found on the fruits. Initially, this is a small white spot with a fluffy structure, which expands and dries out the sheet over time.
As a result, the dried leaves begin to fall off. Untreated culture does not bear fruit well. Most often, affected bushes die completely. The fungus progresses when constant temperature changes and high humidity are observed. Also, the disease develops quickly when watering with cold water, in areas heavily purged.
The fungus spreads through:
- soil;
- weedy grass;
- plantain;
- roots of plants left over for the winter.
Treatment and prevention
Prevention is planting only the strongest varieties. At the first symptoms of the disease, it is necessary to eliminate the affected parts of the tops and burn them. To deal with powdery mildew in a greenhouse is much easier, you need to lower the level of humidity, but in the open field treatment with sulfur-containing substances is needed.
When the first symptoms of powdery mildew appeared, potassium top dressing will cope perfectly with the situation. If the disease progresses, chemical treatment is necessary. Often used Topaz, Oksikhom.
Peronosporosis
This ailment can very quickly destroy an entire field of cucumbers.The first symptoms of the disease are yellow-green spots, covered with a light green coating. The development of the disease begins with the upper leaves. The spots quickly spread to neighboring plants, forming a purple bloom on the inside of the leaves.
The disease is instantly transferred to neighboring plants
Most often, the disease is observed in June-July. It affects not just one plant, but several. Downy mildew progresses in humid conditions with frequent temperature changes. The disease spreads very quickly, is carried downwind.
Treatment
Seed disinfection before planting with potassium permanganate. Do not allow increased soil moisture and its strong cooling. A mandatory measure is regular feeding at all stages of the growing season.
If the symptoms of the disease have already appeared, healthy seedlings should be treated with milk solution or urea. In severe cases, the use of chemicals for the treatment of peronosporosis is recommended. When the disease occurs, it is not recommended to plant cucumbers on this site for 5 years.
White rot
The disease quickly penetrates the structural units of the plant, affecting all its parts. Cucumbers covered with mucus with a coating. Often the disease progresses in greenhouses with high humidity.In addition, the reasons for the development may be:
- too dense stands;
- stagnation of air masses;
- temperature differences.
Treatment
First of all, you should restore the conditions that will contribute to the normal functioning of the culture. Damaged branches and leaves must be removed immediately and destroyed. The remaining cuts must be dusted with wood ash to prevent infection.
It is necessary to completely disinfect the soil, and in the greenhouse all the walls. It is important to remember that the pathogen can remain in the ground or on other objects for a very long time. Processing is carried out with copper sulfate or urea solution.
Insect pests
Pests of cucumber are quite diverse. The main method of protection against insects and diseases is the proper care of your plantings, increasing the content of nutrients and air in the soil. All seeds must be decontaminated before planting.
Before planting, the soil must be treated with preventive solutions for disinfection. Often use a solution of potassium permanganate. The most common pests:
- aphids;
- spider mite;
- slug;
- bear;
- thrips.
Aphid
From invasion of aphids, a plant may die
Most often, of all the insects that cucumbers eat, melon aphid is found. To avoid being noticed, aphids usually hide on the inside of the leaves. When leaves actively begin to fall from plants, this is the first sign of the appearance of aphids. Productivity sharply decreases. Plants can even die if you do not intervene in time. The aphid has an elongated oval body, 2 mm long. Female females have no wings, and larvae can be with or without wings. Insects begin to multiply in spring, when the air warms up to 12 ℃. Females can produce up to 20 generations of aphids per season.
How to overcome the pest?
In the autumn, after harvesting, you need to completely remove the remaining leaves and roots, cultivate the soil correctly technique and make organics. It is important to follow crop rotation rules. When aphids appear, the bushes must be treated with a solution of fermented grass or ash.
With a small number of parasites, it is recommended that the foliage be treated with soapy water or just water pressure. You can fight parasites with the help of preparations Spark or Fitoverm. After processing, you need to wrap the plants with a film.
Many people prefer to use natural methods of controlling insects.To do this, plant aphid repellent crops:
- mint;
- mustard;
- coriander;
- garlic.
Spider mite
The spider mite is found both in open ground and in the greenhouse. Can live in any region and any climatic conditions. The insect clings to the inside of the leaf, sucks out the juices from it and wraps it in a web. In the end result, the tops are completely dry. These insects are not so easy to destroy.
Fighting them requires a serious approach. It is recommended to spray the seedlings with insecticides. Control methods also include the option of settling the territory, a natural enemy of the tick, phytoseyulus. It needs to be shared every 2-3 weeks; it effectively destroys egg clutches. The entomophore fungus Ajara will help get rid of the spider mite.
Slugs
Slugs can cause the development of diseases of the deciduous part of cucumbers. It is these parasites that transmit spores of powdery mildew and gray rot. Usually slugs spread quickly in conditions of high humidity, in areas where there are many weeds, and also when there are many air voids in the soil.
To protect seedlings from slug damage, it is recommended to plant the crop in early spring. After harvesting, it is very important to remove the entire tops and dig the garden. Means of protection from slugs is their manual collection with tweezers.It is recommended that grooves be established in the garden that will interfere with the normal movement of slugs.
Of the chemicals used, metaldehyde, fluff lime. Spraying of seedlings is carried out several times with a frequency of 2 weeks. Proper care and attraction of natural enemies of insects will guarantee their absence on the site in the future.
Medvedka
Medvedki are malicious pests on all cucumbers. These are relatively large insects, up to 5 cm in length, sometimes more. Adults and larvae can cause harm. They eat the root system of plants, multiply rapidly and are able to capture the entire territory in a short time.
It is recommended to process cucumbers in the open ground with ready-made solutions, like Medvedko-s . After exposure to drugs, insects die within 3 hours. It is better to use this method right away, since in the fight against the bear, folk remedies are mostly powerless.
Thrips
Thrips appear on leaflets of cucumber seedlings. These pests can produce up to 7 generations per season. Both adults and small individuals are very dangerous for cucumbers. The first sign of a thrips attack is a change in the color of the green. As a result, the plants die.
After harvesting, it is necessary to disinfect the soil. Spray cucumber seedlings with drugs to prevent the appearance of insect pests. Processing cucumber seedlings can be carried out with the help of infusion of hot pepper and soap.Repeat spraying with an interval of 5 days. Proper care will help to avoid the appearance of parasites and the development of many diseases.
Pests of cucumbers can ruin your crop if you do not take this matter seriously.
