Detailed Explanation of the Causes of Bent Cucumbers and the Solutions

Cucumber is one of our common vegetables, and whether you are a grower or a consumer, everyone prefers the kind that is uniform, straight and long. If bending occurs during cultivation, it affects the commercial value and leads to lower returns, which is a real headache. So what causes cucumbers to bend? How should it be solved? Let's take a look together.

1. Physiological causes

1. Insufficient fertility

During the growth of cucumbers, if the plant cannot supply sufficient nutrients, bent or deformed cucumbers are very likely to appear. So when the plant is bearing larger fruits, the demand for fertility is extremely great, and a large lack of nutrients leads to poor growth, affecting both yield and quality.

2. Poor temperature

The suitable growth temperature for cucumbers is 10-32 degrees. When growing in a greenhouse, if the daytime temperature exceeds 35 degrees while the nighttime temperature is relatively low, the large day-night temperature difference will affect the photosynthesis of the cucumber, causing its growth to bend.

3. Insufficient light

Light is also one of the causes of bent cucumbers. The length of light exposure is related to the plant's photosynthesis, making the synthesis of nutrients in the plant slower, so it cannot supply enough nutrients for its growth and development, leading to problems at every stage of cucumber growth and causing bent growth.

3. Improper watering

Cucumbers need a large amount of water during growth, but only at the seedling stage and the late growth stage of the cucumber. During the flowering period and just after fruit set, watering is not suitable, otherwise the fruit will begin to swell and become bent.

2. Physical causes

Cucumber is a vine-type vegetable. During cultivation, it needs trellising and vine guiding to grow vigorously and to improve yield and quality. However, when trellising, if the fruit is blocked by ropes, trellis forks, etc., deformed and bent growth will occur. In addition, if the cucumber touches or leans against the ground during growth, the narrow space will cause it to grow bent rather than straight, forming a root cucumber.

3. Solutions

For bending caused by physiological and physical reasons, preventive measures should be taken well: water and fertilize reasonably and scientifically, control temperature and light during growth, minimize cucumber bending, and promptly remove any root cucumbers found. When bent cucumbers appear, remedial measures should be taken. If it is a young cucumber with only mild bending, the method of hanging a weight from the bottom can be used to straighten it; it can also be treated by applying growth regulators, smearing gibberellin on the inner curved surface of the bent cucumber, and after a few days, the bent cucumber will become straight. Preventive measures can also be taken early on, such as appropriately increasing planting density and reducing the yield per plant, promptly thinning flowers and fruits, making the leaves more mature, and reducing the bending phenomenon; a solution of borax and monopotassium phosphate can also be sprayed regularly to prevent bent or deformed cucumbers.

The above are the causes of bent cucumbers and the solutions. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more about cucumber cultivation, please stay tuned to us.