Preparations for root rot of cucumbers in a greenhouse: control, treatment, folk remedies

Gardeners are often prevented from harvesting cucumbers by diseases. One of the most dangerous for crops is root rot. It develops “secretly” for a long time, and in the later stages it is impossible to cope with it. Therefore, prevention and competent agricultural technology are especially important. To prevent infection and combat the pathogen that has just begun to become active, there are preparations for root rot of cucumbers of chemical and biological origin, as well as folk remedies.

The causative agent of the disease

Root rot is a fungal disease. It can be caused by various microorganisms. Cucumbers are most often affected by plant parasites of the “category” Pythium – debaryanum, ultimum, aphanidermatum.

The “hidden” period of development of root rot of cucumbers stretches for 2-15 days

Causes

The fungus itself is carried by gusts of wind or “moved” with drops of water during rain. However, the presence of a pathogen alone is not enough for the development of root rot of cucumbers. It also requires conditions conducive to its active reproduction and the presence of mechanical damage to the roots of the plant and the base of the stem.

Factors that negatively affect immunity and increase the risk of developing root rot of cucumbers:

ignoring crop rotation rules;
long-term coolness or heat, sudden temperature changes;
frequent heavy rainfall;
lack of light and fresh air;
“crowding” of plantings;
planting cucumbers in a substrate that is too “heavy”, promoting stagnation of water;
use of soil, compost, humus infected with the pathogen of root rot;
increased soil acidity;
using excessively cold water for irrigation;
non-compliance with the soil moisture schedule in the cucumber bed;
damage to roots when transferring seedlings to the garden bed;
excessive deepening of seedlings;
improper hilling;
excess nitrogen fertilizers in the soil;
neglect of disinfection of garden tools, tools, and removal of plant debris;
“gnawing” of cucumber roots by pests.

If you loosen carelessly and too deeply, it is easy to damage the roots of cucumbers.

Important! The most “susceptible” to root rot are seedlings from cucumber seeds when growing seedlings, seedlings within 10-12 days after transplanting into the ground and plants during the first “wave” of fruiting.

Symptoms of appearance

The danger of root rot of cucumbers is that for a long time it develops exclusively on the roots, without manifesting itself in any way on the above-ground parts of the plants.The first alarming symptom is regularly losing tone and drooping leaves when the substrate is sufficiently moistened.

In the early stages of root rot development, the turgor of cucumber leaves is restored overnight

First, 2-3 lower leaf plates wither every day, gradually this symptom of root rot appears on the entire cucumber bush. The leaves begin to turn yellow, thin and die. Flowers and fruit ovaries fall off. Already formed cucumbers stop growing and darken.

As the disease develops, root rot of cucumbers manifests itself as a complex of symptoms:

the roots change color to black-brown, soften, and become slimy to the touch;
there is a pronounced putrid smell coming from the soil;
the base of the stem darkens and softens or becomes “woody” and cracks.

Severely damaged ones are unable to nourish the plant, so cucumbers die

Important! If nothing is done, cucumber rot will lead to the loss of 80-90% of the entire crop or seedlings.

How and with what to treat root rot of cucumbers

Treatment of root rot of cucumbers will be effective only at the early stage of the disease. When the development of the pathogen is far advanced, the plants can no longer be saved. Affected specimens are dug up and burned, the substrate is disinfected.

Chemicals

The main advantages of chemicals for combating root rot of cucumbers are speed and high efficiency. However, they destroy not only the causative agent of the disease, but also beneficial microflora. Most drugs are harmful to human health and fauna.

Previkur Energy

A chemical effective for the prevention and treatment of root rot of cucumbers in open ground and in greenhouses.Contains two active components - suppressing the development of fungus and destroying its spores. The product also helps strengthen the plant’s immunity and speed up its recovery after infection with root rot. The effect of the treatment lasts for 12-15 days; cucumbers should not be fed for two days after it.

A maximum of five treatments of cucumbers against root rot with Previkur Energy is allowed per season.

Fundazol

The benomyl contained in it is destructive not only for the causative agent of root rot of cucumbers, but also for any fungus. The drug is highly toxic; when working with it, you must strictly follow the instructions and use personal protective equipment to prevent it from coming into contact with the skin and mucous membranes. To cope with root rot of cucumbers, one treatment is enough.

Fundazol is not suitable for the prevention of root rot of cucumbers - after 2-3 treatments the pathogen becomes resistant to it

Tiram

Suitable for pre-planting treatment of cucumber seeds, prevention of root rot and other fungal diseases, and control of them at an early stage of development. It is a contact type drug – it destroys only the pathogen and its spores that it directly “touches”.

After treating cucumber beds with Tiram, the root rot fungus dies within 1.5-2 days

Important! The use of any chemicals against root rot on cucumbers is excluded if the plants have already begun to bear fruit.

Biological preparations for root rot

Biological products are less toxic than chemicals. While “suppressing” the activity of the causative agent of root rot of cucumbers, they do not “inhibit” the beneficial microflora. The products do not accumulate in tissues, therefore they are safe for humans.

Pseudobacterin

Contains bacteria that prevent the growth of the causative agent of root rot of cucumbers. At the same time, it is a biostimulant that strengthens plant immunity. Available in powder or liquid form.

Pseudobacterin is suitable for treating seeds and soaking the roots of cucumber seedlings

Fitosporin

Contains Bacillus hay, which, after spraying cucumbers, quickly spreads in the tissues and begins to “parasitize” the mycelium and spores of root rot, destroying them by “inhibiting” protein synthesis. The drug should not be abused; the pathogen is able to develop immunity to it.

Fitosporin is the most popular biological product among gardeners against root rot of cucumbers.

Glyocladin

It comes in the form of tablets that need to be added to the soil before planting cucumbers. It suppresses the development of not only the causative agent of root rot, but also other pathogenic fungi. They are not able to develop immunity to it.

Glyocladin helps restore microflora beneficial to plants in the soil and remove “toxins” from it.

Important! To prepare a working solution of biological products against root rot on cucumbers, use soft water at room temperature.

Folk remedies for root rot of cucumbers

Such “medicines” for root rot of cucumbers are only useful for preventing the disease. Gardeners recommend using:

Sifted wood ash. It is used “in its pure form”, dusting the soil in the garden bed and the base of cucumber stems, or preparing an infusion.
Kefir or whey with added iodine. The dairy product is diluted with water 1:9, 3-4 drops of iodine are added to each liter of solution.
Baking or soda ash. For 10 liters of water take 40-50 g of soda.The beds are first watered with plain water, then with the solution, avoiding its contact with the cucumbers themselves.

Wood ash not only prevents cucumbers from becoming infected with root rot, but is also a natural source of phosphorus and potassium

Important! The effectiveness of folk remedies is ensured by their antiseptic properties or the ability to create an acidic environment that the causative agent of root rot of cucumbers cannot tolerate.

Preventive measures

The specifics of the development of root rot make it difficult to treat cucumbers infected with the fungus. Therefore, it is recommended to regularly pay attention to the prevention of its development.

Seed treatment

Before planting, cucumber seeds are pickled in a solution of any biofungicide to prevent the development of root rot. Processing takes a maximum of 15-20 minutes.

Important! The seeds of many cucumber hybrids are treated with fungicides by the manufacturer. Information about this is always on the packaging.

A bright pink solution of potassium permanganate will give a similar antifungal effect, but the soaking time will increase to 1.5-2 hours

Soil preparation

If cucumbers are grown as seedlings, the soil in which the seeds are planted must be disinfected. It can be frozen outside in winter, calcined in the oven, or spilled with a solution of any biofungicide or potassium permanganate.

Preparing the soil in the garden bed to prevent root rot includes removing all plant and other debris and digging. Next, disinfection with the same preparations is necessary.

Important! If you neglect the rules of crop rotation and plant cucumbers in one place for several years in a row, even proper soil preparation will not help against the development of root rot and other diseases.

Greenhouse care

Cucumbers grown in a greenhouse suffer from root rot more often than when planted in open ground. To minimize the risk of pathogen development, you need to:

Carefully remove plant debris.
Every autumn, wipe all wooden or metal parts with a 3% solution of copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture. Wash glass or polycarbonate with laundry soap.
With the doors tightly closed, burn a piece of sulfur bomb inside.

The soil in the greenhouse for planting cucumbers for the next season is prepared in the same way as in an open garden bed. Some gardeners prefer to completely change the soil in the greenhouse, but this is a very labor-intensive process.

Sulfur bomb destroys not only pathogenic microflora, but also eggs and larvae of pests

Proper planting and care

The best prevention of root rot on cucumbers is competent agricultural technology and taking into account the “requirements” of the plant for the planting site:

Ensuring good lighting and access to fresh air.
Place a maximum of 3-4 cucumber bushes per 1 m².
Maintaining a constant humidity in the greenhouse not higher than 70-80%, ventilating it regularly.
Water the plants exclusively with soft and warm water.
Control of substrate moisture level.
Application of fertilizers necessary for cucumbers at a given stage of development and in the required proportion.
Regular shallow loosening and mulching of the soil.

“Crowding” in the garden deprives cucumbers of light, fresh air and sufficient nutrition

Important! In order to promptly detect the first signs of root rot, it is recommended to inspect cucumbers in the open ground and in the greenhouse once every 5-7 days.

Cucumber varieties resistant to root rot

There are no cucumber varieties with resistance exclusively to root rot.As a rule, it comes “bundled” with immunity to other fungal diseases.

Herman F1

Self-pollinating, early-ripening, high-yielding hybrid. Suitable for planting in open ground and in greenhouses. Gherkin fruits are very dense and crunchy, the lack of bitterness is genetic. The hybrid is resistant to root rot, powdery mildew, and various types of mosaic virus.

Herman F1 cucumbers are valued by gardeners for their compact plant size due to the small number of side shoots

Courage

An ultra-early ripening self-pollinating variety with a bouquet type of fruiting. The bushes are relatively compact. Cucumbers are one-dimensional, universally used, and characterized by keeping quality. The variety is resistant to downy mildew and root rot.

All the flowers on the Courage cucumber bushes are female; this leads to high productivity

Murashka

Mid-early variety, suitable for open and closed ground. The bushes are tall, densely leafy. The type of fruiting is bouquet, flowering is female. Cucumbers are resistant to root rot, olive spot, and powdery mildew.

The disadvantage of Murashka cucumbers is tolerance to peronosporosis

Conclusion

Preparations for root rot of cucumbers of chemical and biological origin are the main means of combating the disease and preventing it. Folk remedies will be useful to prevent infection. It is equally important to follow the basic rules for caring for crops - this is also effective prevention. In advanced cases, root rot cannot be treated; the fungus can destroy up to 80-90% of the cucumber crop.