Why do barren flowers appear on a cucumber bed: here's how to solve the problem
Often, you can hear complaints from summer residents who have planted cucumbers on their plots that there are a lot of barren flowers and few ovaries in the beds.
An expert of the online publication BelNovosti, agronomist, landscape designer Anastasia Kovrizhnykh told what tricks gardeners resort to in order to avoid an abundance of barren flowers.
The "hassles" start already at the stage of choosing seeds. It is believed that it is better to take "older" cucumbers than those that were packaged quite recently.
From fresh seeds you will get more male flowers than female ones, that is, those same barren flowers.
The ideal option is when the seed material is 3 years old or more.
There will also be a lot of barren flowers if you generously fertilize the beds with manure in the fall. Humus contains a large amount of nitrogen, which, in turn, is an incentive for the growth of green mass and the appearance of male flowers.
Here is a solution to the problem: before planting, add ash to the hole or use a phosphorus-containing fertilizer for cucumbers.
To do this, you will need to mix 2 tablespoons of superphosphate in a 10-liter bucket of water and water the cucumbers when you notice 4-5 full-fledged leaves on the vines.
Finally, excess moisture can provoke the appearance of barren flowers.
Therefore, try not to overwater the beds where cucumbers are planted. By the way, only warm water should be used for watering.
