Tips for growing cucumbers on a balcony: no yellow leaves, and a single vine can bear dozens of cucumbers
Cucumber is an indispensable vegetable on our dining table. Eaten raw, it is crisp and refreshing; served in cold dishes or stir-fried, it has its own fans. In summer, when the climate and temperature are suitable, you can grow a few plants on your own balcony, which is both attractive and practical.
If the cucumber leaves grown on the balcony turn yellow, what is causing it? Let's take a look:
1. Overwatering
If you are too impatient and always want it to grow faster, you end up watering too much! However, if the amount of water is excessive, the roots cannot absorb it all and it cannot drain away. The excess water stays in the potting soil, and the root system is stuffy, wet, and unable to breathe, so it becomes damaged and rots. At this point, the plant's leaves turn yellow, and the yellow leaves increase more and more. In more serious cases, the cucumber plant wilts or even dies.
Therefore, do not water it repeatedly. Just keep the soil moist, or water it by the "dry-wet cycle" method, so the plant's root system can extend and absorb normally and work properly, and the plant can grow vigorously.
2. Excess fertilizer or insufficient nutrients
Cucumbers need a lot of fertilizer during their growth process, but you cannot increase the amount of fertilizer at will. If too much fertilizer is applied, the excess fertilizer cannot be absorbed by the plant and will remain in the potting soil. Under high-temperature transpiration, it will scorch the plant's root system, burning the roots! Once the roots are damaged, they cannot absorb nutrients normally, and insufficient nutrients will lead to yellow leaves.
Therefore, fertilization must be done in the right amount. During the bud stage and the fruiting stage, you can use fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus and potassium, two to three times a month. This kind of fertilizer is beneficial for the plant's root system to absorb and can also increase yield.
Conversely, if too little fertilizer is used and you do not fertilize it again after planting, letting it develop on its own, the nutrients in the potting soil will be almost used up. The cucumber plant will not get enough nutrition and will also have yellow leaves. At this point, the plant grows thin and spindly, sallow and listless, and the cucumbers it produces are big at one end and small at the other, too awful to look at.
3. Lack of trace elements
During the growing period, cucumbers also need many trace elements, such as magnesium, iron, zinc, and calcium. If these are lacking during growth, the leaves will also turn yellow. It is recommended to spray a cucumber-specific foliar fertilizer during the growing period to supplement these trace elements and improve the quality of the cucumbers.
4. Pests and diseases
When cucumbers are infested with insects, they mostly gather on the leaves, causing the leaves to become mottled yellow and green, with yellow leaves, variegated leaves, or leaf drop.
Usually, observe the plant's growth status more often. If you find insects, control them promptly. If there are not many insects, you can use pungent vegetables such as garlic, chili peppers, and ginger, chop and mash them, mix with water, and then spray the whole plant. Or dilute high-proof liquor with water and spray it. Both work well. If the pest infestation is severe, you will have to use a specialized insecticide spray for control.
There is another possibility: it is a natural phenomenon during the growing period, just like human metabolism. When new leaves grow, the old leaves at the bottom of the plant cannot get light and do not have enough nutrients, so they gradually turn yellow and fall off. This is normal and you do not need to worry about it.
These situations of yellow cucumber leaves are all quite common. Detect them early and correct them early, and the cucumbers will return to a normal state! When your balcony is full of cucumbers hanging one by one, lush and green, won't you also be very delighted?