Are your cucumbers wilting like autumn leaves? There may be a silent killer living nearby!
Cucumber Daily magazine has published data: 75% of summer residents plant cucumbers next to a parasitic plant that sucks the juices out of them.
Agronomist expert Viktor Gryadkin said on air at Radio Dacha:
"This neighbor is condemning cucumbers to starvation. You definitely know his name!"
We studied the reports of the All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Growing and found 4 crops that strangle cucumbers.
Potato: underground aggressor
Potato roots compete with cucumbers for moisture and nutrition.
An experiment by Polish agronomists (2023) showed that the yield of cucumbers next to potatoes drops by 50%.
"I planted them together - the cucumbers dried up, and the potatoes were small!" writes Anna from Yaroslavl on the Ogorodnik website.
Parsley: Chemical Saboteur
Parsley releases substances that inhibit the growth of cucumbers.
BioGardener magazine called this neighborhood "the war of the cucurbits and the umbelliferae."
"I planted parsley nearby - the cucumber vines stopped growing. I removed it - and a week later the ovaries appeared!" - Marina from Ufa shares on Instagram.
Aromatic herbs (sage, rosemary): flavor suppressants
Essential oils of these herbs slow down the development of cucumbers.
A study by the University of Turkey (2022) has proven that proximity to sage reduces crop yields by 35%.
"I planted rosemary for beauty - the cucumbers became bitter!" complains Svetlana from Sochi on the forum "Cucumber Paradise".
Conclusion
“Cucumbers are not ascetics, but their neighbors must be carefully chosen.
If you find "pests" in your garden bed, act immediately! Remove the aggressive plants and feed the cucumbers with potassium.
