Like powdery mildew. This is a fairly common virus that, unfortunately, many people have to fight. In our article we will look in detail at what powdery mildew is, why it appears on people and what measures exist to combat it.
Why is powdery mildew dangerous?
First of all, it is worth determining what powdery mildew is fungal disease . That is, it actively thrives in cold and damp conditions. It is dangerous because the infected plant, in addition to losing its decorative look, loses all vitality: it stops growing and developing, its shoots quickly wither, dry out and die, and the fruits turn black and rot. If you do not notice and stop the spread of the virus in time, it will very quickly attack everything, and even getting minimum harvest becomes unlikely.
Signs of appearance on cucumbers
Infection usually occurs at the beginning, when the heat is replaced by rain and a sharp cold snap. The first sign of this lesion will be the appearance of a white or yellowish coating on the lower leaves and on the bases of plant shoots.
You can also notice small brown balls (spores) on the greens. After these spores mature, droplets of moisture form on the surface of the plaque - this explains the name “powdery mildew.”
IN advanced cases the plaque becomes very dense and acquires a brown tint. It rises from below and attacks the entire plant - its stems, cuttings, leaves, stalks and fruits. The plant becomes lethargic and painful. 
Did you know? Powdery mildew is a universal fungus that attacks not only but also many other plants, such as cereals and many others. Breeders around the world are actively working, developing new varieties of these plants that are resistant to this disease.
Control measures
There are many ways to deal with powdery mildew on . But the main thing is to remember that regular thorough inspection makes it possible to detect infection in time, which means you have a greater chance of completely defeating the disease and saving the harvest.
Preventive and agrotechnical techniques
- The first thing you need to do to prevent this fungus on yours is to follow. You should regularly change places for sowing the same crops, since over time in one area there is a high probability of the proliferation of viruses and diseases typical for a particular plant.
- And phosphorus fertilizers increases resistance to this disease.
- Each one should do a deep digging of the beds, removing all residues and.
- To prevent powdery mildew on cucumbers, you should carefully monitor the maintenance optimal humidity and temperatures 23-25 degrees.
- The first stems and leaves covered with plaque should be immediately uprooted and burned.
- Sowing hybrids that are resistant and invulnerable to this virus will minimize your chances of “acquaintance” with it.
Folk remedies
- One of the effective treatments for powdery mildew is considered to be diluted in the affected beds. Manure is diluted one to three with water, infused for two days, diluted three times again, filtered and ready for use.
- You can also use an infusion. To prepare it you need to pour half a bucket of crushed flowers warm water for two days. After this, add 40-50 g to the strained infusion laundry soap and treat diseased plants.
- Horsetail, namely its decoction, is also a very popular remedy for this fungus. For 1 kg of fresh or 100 g of dry horsetail you need 10 liters of water. Pour the herb for a day, boil for two hours, cool and strain, dilute the finished broth again in a ratio of 1:5. This “medicine” can be stored for up to a week.
- If you dilute 1.5 g of potassium permanganate in 10 liters of water, you get good mixture for treating areas covered with powdery mildew.
- You can even use regular kefir. It needs to be diluted with water and sprayed on diseased plants.
- Can be diluted in a liter of water soda ash with laundry soap in a 1:1 ratio. The resulting solution can be sprayed on the affected stems.
- For 150 g of ash - a liter of boiling water and a little laundry soap. Leave the solution for two days, strain and irrigate the infected cucumbers with it.
Biofungicides
When deciding how to get rid of powdery mildew in their beds, many choose the method of using biofungicides. This biological drugs, used to combat fungus. Their undoubted advantage is safety and non-toxicity. They can be used even at the moment of fruit formation, which is very useful when we're talking about about the infection of vegetable crops such as.
The most popular products are: “Planriz”, “Pseudobacterin-2”,
Cucumber is an unpretentious vegetable crop. However, sometimes dampness or other unfavorable conditions lead to powdery mildew appearing on cucumbers. How to effectively combat dangerous powdery mildew on cucumbers, we will consider below.
If downy mildew suddenly appears on cucumbers, control measures must be taken immediately. However, first you should understand what is meant by the name of the disease, as well as where it comes from. This is a rather dangerous fungal disease. Its causative agent is a fungus that penetrates into plant cells, forming their own colonies there. The incubation period of this disease is about 3-5 days.
Powdery mildew on cucumbers often appears under conditions of a favorable microclimate for it. If the garden or greenhouse is constantly maintained high level humidity and temperature, the fungus can attack the crop immediately. With timely prevention, this disease can be prevented in time.
However, few gardeners know that they sometimes independently reduce a plant’s resistance to fungal disease. This happens when there is a sharp difference in day and night temperatures. Without a doubt, it is almost impossible to control the temperature in the garden, but when it comes to growing cucumbers in a greenhouse, stable temperature indicators are one of the key tasks.
Signs and symptoms
If powdery mildew suddenly attacks your cucumbers, how to deal with it at an early stage and in a much more advanced situation - many gardeners ask these questions. Study the main signs of the disease to clearly understand when it is necessary to treat the crop by special means. Interestingly, gardeners most often encounter powdery mildew in early summer. During this period, weather fluctuations are not uncommon, and after the heat there may be a sudden cold snap with heavy rains. It is not surprising that fungal spores become more active.
The first thing you should pay attention to is the appearance of a white or yellowish coating on the leaves and shoots of cucumbers. Powdery mildew first attacks the lower sheet plates, so start inspecting your plants with the most problem area. The main symptoms also include the appearance of brown balls - fungal spores.
If powdery mildew appears on cucumbers, treatment must be provided promptly and with high quality. Please note that inaction will not only lead to the death of cucumber shoots. This disease is universal, therefore it affects cucumbers, grapes, gooseberries, currants, and even peach trees. If you do not want the disease called powdery mildew to become spontaneous, you need to start the fight as soon as possible.
Features of treatment
If powdery mildew appears on cucumbers, what control measures are recommended to be taken first? For those who crave quick results, the best option will be the use of store-bought chemicals. They quickly neutralize fungal spores, which is why they are often used by gardeners. However, take one point into account: when using chemicals, it is very important to adhere to the dosages indicated in the instructions so as not to cause complications. Generally, chemicals fall into two key categories:
- fungicides. Sold in the form of powders or aerosols. Dilute them strictly according to the instructions and do not forget to use the drug exclusively during the growing season of the plant;
- biofungicides. These remedies will carefully cure the agricultural crop from the disease, but only at an early stage. They are environmentally friendly for the plant, so they can be used not only during the growing season, but also during the period of fruit ripening.
If powdery mildew of cucumbers has become a reality for you, treatment can be carried out using either store-bought drugs, and using folk remedies. Treatment with traditional methods, of course, is not always as effective as the use of chemicals, but they will not cause harm to plants. Consider what is recommended to treat cucumbers against powdery mildew:
- a mixture of grated soap, milk and iodine. To achieve results, it is advisable to carry out treatment at least once every week and a half;
- composition of whey and water. Before use, the serum must be diluted with liquid in a ratio of 1:10. Stir thoroughly until the mixture is homogeneous. The resulting mixture can be poured into a spray bottle and then just spray the plant;
- Among the effective folk remedies used for powdery mildew on cucumbers is a weed tincture. Pick them in the garden, then pour boiling water at a ratio of 1:1 and leave for several days;
- grated soap can also be mixed with soda and dissolve the mixture in water. Every week, try to spray the crop twice a day, and the result will soon be noticeable.
Downy mildew on domestic cucumbers - dangerous disease, however, you can cope with it even by using folk remedies. The main thing is not to forget about the need to regularly treat the bushes.
Effective prevention
You can get rid of downy mildew, but you will have to struggle a lot. If you want to protect your cucumber plantation as much as possible from fungal disease, it is best to resort to preventive measures. First of all, you need to regularly clear the area of weeds. Buy varieties of cucumbers that are resistant to diseases, then you will have to process them much less. As a preventative measure, many gardeners water cucumbers with boiling water even before the leaves open. This procedure can prevent various diseases.
Saving cucumbers from powdery mildew Cucumbers are almost always a hassle - as soon as they gain strength, they begin to bloom profusely, green plants appear, and then the cucumbers are just right, downy mildew attacks, or even viral diseases, fruit rot. This is where you have to decide: apply strong drugs immediately chemicals or try simpler, ancient remedies. I choose the latter. And these products help my cucumbers. If I notice that the cucumbers are unhealthy, I first treat (spray) with a weak solution of urea - 1 g per 1 liter. In the fight against diseases of cucumbers, I also use a solution of milk with the addition of iodine. I prepare this solution like this: I take 10 parts water and 1 part milk, add 5-10 drops of iodine and carefully spray the cucumber lashes on both sides. If I notice signs of white or gray rot, I sprinkle the diseased, affected areas with crushed coal or chalk, and remove all diseased cucumbers away from the area. To prevent cucumbers from getting powdery mildew, I spray the young shoots every week until the cucumbers appear with the following solution: one tablespoon baking soda dissolves in 4 liters of water. And, of course, I water the cucumbers only with warm water.
It happens that you grow beautiful seedlings cucumbers according to all the rules, water, feed, rejoice at the first ovaries and look forward to picking sweet, refreshing fruits... And you pick a cucumber, and suddenly it’s bitter! Or cucumbers begin to turn yellow ahead of time. Why does such annoyance happen? Cucurbitacin is to blame Bitter cucumbers look no different from their ordinary brothers - the same bright green, pleasantly smelling, with a crispy crust. And only the taste disappoints. Of course, you can cut off the peel, but it contains the most useful vitamins and microelements. The vegetable garden and dacha are the most useful community for summer residents! Subscribe and invite friends
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The cause of bitterness is the substance cucurbitacin. It is found in all cucumbers, but some have more, while others, for example, hybrid ones, have less. The amount of cucurbitacin may increase due to lack of moisture, irregular watering, excess sun, direct impact sun rays, lack of nitrogen-potassium fertilizers, abundance of moisture on cold days. The fruit may also be bitter if you took the seeds from the back of the seed cucumber. The content of cucurbitacin also increases during careless harvesting, when cucumber vines are damaged and twisted. The fruits begin to taste bitter even if after the heat there is a long cold spell with rain. Be more careful with watering To prevent an increase in cucurbitacin, water the cucumbers with warm water, increasing the dose of moisture on hot sunny days and stopping it on cool days. The soil needs to be moistened to a depth of 10-15 cm. In hot weather, it is also advisable to spray the plants with water in the mornings or evenings. It is better to feed with potassium nitrate and complex fertilizers with a balanced composition nutrients. Remember that cucumbers cannot tolerate fresh manure. You can play it safe by buying varieties and hybrids that contain a gene that prevents cucurbitacin from accumulating. In this case, the package with seeds says that the fruits will not be bitter. The downside is that, most often, such cucumbers are less soft and have a not very expressive taste. If the cucumbers have already grown bitter, they can be pickled or salted - during processing, cucurbitacin is broken down.
Why do they turn yellow? Cucumbers turn yellow if: - they do not have enough light; - the earth is drying up; - there are more than 20-25 ovaries on one plant; - little phosphorus and nitrogen; - cucumbers grow in the same place for several seasons in a row, which is why fungal spores and infections accumulate in the ground. Do not spare the extra shoots. To keep the cucumbers green, it is also important to water them correctly. It is advisable to use settled water. During fruiting, give the plants more moisture. On sunny days, water in the morning, on cloudy days in the evening. Poor soil with insufficient nutrition also causes yellowing of fruits. It is useful to add mullein solution and complex mineral fertilizers. But keep it in moderation - an overdose is also harmful. If more than 25 ovaries form on the plant, pinch out new shoots, otherwise they will delay the formation of green shoots. When there are too many ovaries, they form small, unsightly fruits that quickly turn yellow and begin to deteriorate. Ladybugs - to the rescue! Cucumbers also turn yellow due to disease. If you notice white or light yellow dots on the leaves that develop into spots, then the plants have been attacked spider mite. It entwines the leaves from below with an almost imperceptible web and drinks the juice from them. The pest is difficult to notice, its size is only 0.5 mm. To combat it, collect affected leaves in a bucket and burn or bury deep in the ground. During the growing season, it is advisable to treat cucumbers several times with insecticides, for example, Agravertine, Fosbecid. You can spray with Karbofos, especially paying attention to the lower part of the leaves. To prevent spider mites from bothering you, it is better to destroy weeds around plants more often. A vegetable garden and a summer house are the most useful community for summer residents! Subscribe and invite friends
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small insect melon aphid She loves not only zucchini and pumpkins, she even really likes cucumbers. It settles on the lower part of leaves, flowers, ovaries and shoots, and the plant begins to curl and dry. In the fight against it, it is also important to remove weeds in a timely manner. And they can also help out ladybugs that feed on aphids. Treat on time Cucumbers often suffer from fungal diseases. For example, from gray rot on the stem and in places of branching, large gray or brown spots, and on the fruits there is a gray fluffy coating. Then a lot appears male flowers, barren flowers rot and healthy areas are affected. Sore spots should be sprinkled with ash and watering should be stopped temporarily. If the disease does not stop, remove the damaged parts and burn them. To make rot less of a concern, do not plant cucumbers too densely. Whitish or reddish spots on the leaves are powdery mildew. Dust unhealthy areas with wood ash or remove them completely. You can spray cucumbers with a solution of mullein or colloidal sulfur.
Everyone, both beginner and experienced gardener be sure to plant at least a couple of these tasty and healthy vegetables, How . The vegetable contains many vitamins B and C, as well as a sufficient amount of minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and magnesium. Cucumbers are an integral part of our diet in raw, salted and pickled form. Growing them is quite simple, but you need to be prepared for unpleasant surprises, namely, the plant is susceptible to such a common disease as downy mildew.
What is dangerous and where does it come from?
Downy mildew is a fungal disease that affects the foliage and stems of plants. Downy mildew can destroy a plant in as soon as possible or significantly reduce its yield. 
The best environment for harmful spores is moisture, which is why plants most often begin to get sick after rain or excessive moisture. Air temperature also plays an important role: if at night after rain the thermometer drops below 9 degrees Celsius, plants automatically fall into the risk group, since it is in such weather that numerous species of pseudofungi from the Peronosporaceae family progress.
Another cause of downy mildew may be too alkaline. Fungal diseases They are characterized by increased winter hardiness and are able to maintain their viability in soil and seeds for up to 6 years.
Signs of appearance
You will immediately understand that the plant is sick: yellow or brown spots will appear on the upper part of the foliage. Soon the lower part of the leaf is also affected, which becomes covered with a purple-gray coating. progresses incredibly quickly, the leaves turn yellow and dry out. After 4-5 days, only stems may remain from the plant. Naturally, this contributes bad ovary or slower fruit growth. Cucumbers affected by the fungus lose their taste. 
Important! The disease spreads very quickly and can damage other crops–In this it is helped by pests that can spread spores, for example, aphids and whiteflies.
Most often, the disease affects plants in the phase of fruit formation or ripening; it all depends on the time of planting. In this case, harmful spores can calmly remain in the soil, and the disease will be initiated under conditions that are comfortable for them. It is believed that the fungus can cause the most harm.
Prevention
First of all, preference should be given to those resistant to the disease. You also need to be careful about sowing: before planting, the seeds must be treated, for example, in a solution of potassium permanganate. Better to plant early varieties to prevent downy mildew spores from developing before the crop ripens. 
Experts do not recommend planting cucumbers in the same place every year - change the location of the beds every season, and this will reduce the risk of infection. When finished, cut off the stems and leaves and burn them. If the crop is grown in greenhouse conditions, then, in addition to removing plant residues, it is necessary to remove top layer soil and disinfect.
Agrotechnical control methods
First of all, location plays a role. You should avoid areas that are too wet and adjacent to buildings in places where water may accumulate or drops may fall from the roof. You need to make it a rule to treat the seeds before planting. One of effective methods considered processing planting material hot water(50-55°C). 
The seeds are soaked for 10-15 minutes, after which you can start planting. Plants should not be over-watered; watering should be timely but moderate. Should not be neglected regular feeding: If cucumbers receive enough nutrients, the risk of peronosporosis is significantly reduced. Preventive spraying of young plants, which are widely represented on the market, is encouraged.
Important! At greenhouse cultivation When growing cucumbers, the humidity in the room must be constantly monitored. As soon as spots appear on the foliage, you should quickly remove it so that no petioles remain.
Step-by-step implementation of preventive measures does not guarantee 100%, but significantly reduces the chances of contracting fungal diseases.
Active struggle
If it was not possible to prevent peronosporosis of cucumbers, treatment should be started immediately. The method of control depends on the severity of the disease and your preferences. 
In order to defeat the fungus, first of all it is necessary to remove its foci - parts of the plant that are already damaged, and immediately burn them. After this, you can begin therapy.
Chemicals
The most effective chemicals are considered in the fight against downy mildew. These substances are used both to combat fungus and to treat seeds. At the early stage of plant disease, 0.5% solutions are used, "Kurzata" and.
Spray both the affected plant and the soil around it. Such preparations for downy mildew on cucumbers should be used with caution, not forgetting their high toxicity and the danger of such control measures for people and animals. 
Did you know? The spines on cucumber fruits are needed to get rid of excess moisture.
Folk remedies
If you prefer safer traditional methods fight against fungus, then in this case there is an incredible amount in various ways. It is believed that regular soda very effective against downy mildew on cucumbers.
For cooking medicinal solution you will need 30 g of soda, 5 liters hot water and 5-10 ml liquid soap. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed until completely dissolved, then the mixture is allowed to cool. After this, you should spray the soil and plants. In order to defeat the fungus, at least 3 such procedures will be required. Two sprayings are carried out in a row, and the third is carried out after 7 days to consolidate the result.
To treat plants, a mixture of iodine and milk is used. To do this, 10-12 drops of iodine need to be dissolved in one liter of milk (fat content does not matter) and diluted with 10 liters of water. Then use a spray bottle to spray the plants. Capable of defeating harmful fungi and weak solutions. 1-2 g of the substance is dissolved in 10 liters of water and sprayed on the plants.
You can also fight downy mildew using ash: it is dissolved with boiling water. Take 2 tbsp. substances per 3 liters of water. The resulting mixture is allowed to infuse, and then filtered and sprayed on the plants and soil.