Why cucumbers are bitter in a greenhouse: reasons, what to do, what to feed

Cucumbers are a heat-loving crop, so they are often grown in protected soil. Plants need to create favorable conditions. But if the cucumbers in the greenhouse taste bitter, it means the gardeners made mistakes. They can be associated not only with the wrong choice of seed, but also with agricultural technology. To avoid mistakes, you should understand the reasons.

If cucumbers are bitter, then it is better not to use them for salad.

Why do bitter cucumbers grow in a greenhouse?

Cucumbers can be bitter not only in a greenhouse, but also in open ground. It's all about a substance called cucurbitacin. It is always present in fruits, which is due to nature. Cucurbitacin saves you from stressful situations; the stronger they are, the more substance the plant accumulates. Moreover, it is present not only in the fruits themselves (especially in the “butts”), but also in the stems and leaves.

The appearance of cucurbitacin is most often caused by gardeners themselves, who provoke stressful situations, so the plants “remember” the protection that their ancestors experienced and begin to taste bitter. The mistakes of gardeners should be examined in detail.

Incorrect variety selected

Today, vegetable growers prefer to purchase cucumber hybrid seeds for sowing in greenhouses. The fruits have good density, and most importantly, they rarely taste bitter. But it’s impossible to get seeds from them at home (they don’t retain maternal qualities).

You can collect your own seed from varietal plants, but to do this you need to cut off 1/3 of the upper part of the cucumber with the stalk, in which cucurbitacin accumulates.

When purchasing seeds, you should pay attention to the characteristics of the fruit regarding bitterness.

Hybrids that do not taste bitter are especially popular for growing in a greenhouse:

  • Annushka and Athena;
  • Benefit and Egoza;
  • Zozulya and Zyatek, Quadrille and Grasshopper;
  • Masha and Chistye Prudy.
Advice! Many gardeners have already abandoned varieties such as Vyaznikovsky, Nezhinsky, Muromsky, since their fruits are almost always bitter.

Violation of the watering regime

Gardeners who come to their dacha from time to time often complain about the bitterness of cucumbers grown in a greenhouse. During their absence, the soil dries out. Lack of moisture leads to stress, as a result cucurbitacin accumulates, even small fruits begin to taste bitter.

Increased soil moisture can also lead to bitterness in cucumbers, since the roots do not receive the required amount of oxygen, and there are problems with the transport of nutrients.

For irrigation, you need to use water with a temperature of 20-22 ° C.The depth of moisture penetration is also important: the soil must be saturated to at least 15 cm. During fruiting, watering must be more frequent. After irrigation, be sure to loosen the soil.

Attention! To retain moisture, the area around the roots is mulched with dry grass or hay.

Lack or excess of fertilizers

To get a decent harvest of cucumbers in the greenhouse without bitterness, they should be fed correctly. You can use not only mineral fertilizers, but also organic matter.

Properly fed cucumbers do not taste bitter

To increase soil fertility in a greenhouse, you can use different options:

  • solution of manure and nitrophoska;
  • sulfate and slurry;
  • nitrophoska and chicken droppings;
  • slurry and superphosphate;
  • potassium phosphate and urea.

It should be borne in mind that such fertilizers are excellent for fruiting, but they must be prepared carefully, observing the proportions. Otherwise, instead of helping, you may damage the roots. And then the cucumbers will definitely not taste bitter - they will have to be removed.

Warning! Pure manure should not be used for cucumbers in a greenhouse or open ground; it must first be fermented.

Often cucumbers become bitter due to untimely fertilizing and its lack. The older the plants, the more nutrients they require.

Feeding time:

  • 14 days after planting cucumber seedlings in the greenhouse;
  • during the period of flowers appearance;
  • after the appearance of the first ovaries;
  • at the time of abundant fruiting.
Advice! Cucumbers in a greenhouse will not taste bitter if the soil and leaves are treated with a solution of wood ash.

Feeding cucumbers in a greenhouse is combined with watering

Unsuitable soil

High soil acidity levels are not suitable for cucumbers.In such soil, as in sandy-clay soil, vegetables most often taste bitter. The culture requires a light and nutritious base.

Comment! To prevent water from stagnating, it is necessary to lay drainage at the bottom of the bed in the greenhouse.

Before digging, it is recommended to add wood ash to the cucumber bed. This is not only a fertilizer rich in microelements, but also the prevention of certain diseases.

Temperature violation

Cucumbers also become bitter due to temperature changes. During the day it is high, and at night it usually drops by several degrees. The optimal temperature can be considered to be from 18 to 20 °C before flowering, and during the fruiting period - from 20 to 27 °C.

To equalize the average daily temperature during the day, the greenhouse must be ventilated and closed at night.

It should also be understood that when hypothermia occurs, cucumbers experience stress. They begin to produce cucurbitacin, and this leads to the fact that cucumbers in the greenhouse become bitter.

Lack of lighting

Good lighting in a greenhouse where cucumbers are grown is also an important aspect of agricultural technology. Lack of light or too hot rays of the sun can cause stress, causing fruits to produce cucurbitacin, which makes them bitter.

Indirect light is best for growing vegetables. To do this, it is enough to paint over the glass in the greenhouse with lime or chalk. Sometimes gardeners use colored film for shading. In polycarbonate greenhouses, you don’t need to do any of this, since the coating has all these functions.

Cucumbers will not taste bitter if the greenhouse is illuminated for at least 12 hours a day. The culture also needs complete darkness for six hours. Otherwise, the flowers fall off, which sharply reduces the yield of vegetables.

Late harvest

Ripening of cucumbers lasts up to 12 days.If vegetables are not removed in a timely manner, they begin to experience stress, which leads to the accumulation of cucurbitacin. Overgrown cucumbers often taste bitter. Old varieties of crops are especially susceptible to this problem.

It is recommended to remove cucumbers after 1-2 days. If you need to leave for a while, you need to remove them and put them in the refrigerator. They will retain all the beneficial properties, but will not be bitter, since they will not accumulate cucurbitacin.

Overgrown cucumbers not only taste bitter: voids form in them, and the pulp becomes cottony

Other reasons

Cucumbers often become bitter not because of improper agricultural practices, but also for other reasons. First of all, this concerns diseases. Secondly, cucumbers become bitter when they are “attacked” by insects. These two situations cause stress; plants quickly produce cucurbitacin. So diseases and pests must be dealt with immediately.

Cucumbers taste bitter in a greenhouse even if they are planted frequently. There should be at least 20 cm between plants, and up to 40 cm between rows. The leaves at the bottom and top need to be torn off from time to time to ensure sufficient air circulation for the cucumbers.

Diseases and pests often live on weeds. They should not be in the greenhouse with cucumbers. In addition, weeds draw nutrients and moisture from the soil, which also leads to bitter vegetables.

Advice! Experienced gardeners recommend planting dill next to cucumbers in greenhouses.

What to do to prevent cucumbers from becoming bitter in a greenhouse

There are some points that you should pay attention to. Vegetables will not taste bitter if:

  • on the north side of the greenhouse there will be tall plants, thanks to which the light will be diffused;
  • seeds for seedlings are planted three weeks before placement in a permanent place;
  • systematically loosen the soil;
  • You need to water the cucumbers with warm, settled water either early in the morning or before sunset;
  • monitor the condition of the cucumbers and carry out treatments if signs of diseases or pests appear;
  • observe the temperature regime.

The taste of greens in a greenhouse largely depends on the conditions created

How to remove bitterness from cucumbers

Cucurbitacin is a beneficial substance. It promotes seed germination, repels insects, and increases the stress resistance of cucumbers. It does not harm humans in small quantities, since it has anti-inflammatory and antihelminthic properties. But eating cucumbers that taste bitter is not very pleasant.

Most of cucurbitacin is found in the peel, “butt”, and also in the leaves of the plant. That is why, before eating, the tip with the stalk is cut off from the cucumber, and the pulp is rubbed with salt until foam appears. This indicates that cucurbitacin is breaking down.

If cucumbers grown in a greenhouse are bitter, they can be soaked in warm water for 2-3 hours. These fruits are used to prepare fresh salads.

There is no need to throw away the fruits; they are suitable for canning. Pre-soak the cucumbers in cold water overnight and then marinate. When canning, the jars are filled with boiling water several times, only the liquid with cucurbitacin needs to be drained.

Comment! For the marinade, if the vegetables are bitter, you should use fresh water.

If cucumbers grown in a greenhouse are bitter, you can cut off their peel

Advice from experienced gardeners

Vegetables in a greenhouse become bitter for various reasons. Gardeners are always ready to share their experience. Their advice is worth listening to:

  1. There is no need to put fresh manure under the cucumbers. This organic fertilizer should “burn” for at least six months.
  2. You can find out in advance whether the greens will taste bitter. To do this, just taste the leaf. If the juice is bitter, then the fruit will be so too. It is urgent to create the necessary conditions.
  3. To retain moisture, the soil in the greenhouse should be mulched.

Conclusion

Cucumbers in a greenhouse are bitter for a reason. The gardeners themselves are largely to blame for not knowing how to create a special microclimate in protected soil. Pests and diseases affect the taste of greens. Only with hard work and patience can you get a harvest of useful fruits.

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