Why do bitter cucumbers grow? Why does bitterness appear in cucumbers? Most often called one reason: lack of moisture in the soil. It is in dry soil or during irregular watering that cucumbers often grow that are bitter. But there is another reason for the bitter cucumbers - improperly collected seeds. Few people know about her. If they are bought in a store, then there is no sense to be offended by the manufacturer. And if you dare to plant your own, then blame yourself. The planting material was collected from the wrong cucumber. This is not about hybrids. We will learn to collect seed from varietal cucumbers. So how do you collect your seeds to grow delicious cucumbers? How to prevent a bitter crop? There are some secrets here.
The benefits of bitter cucumbers
Yes, it turns out there are benefits from bitter cucumbers. And not only from cucumbers. Bitterness in any vegetable or fruit can stimulate the outflow of bile, therefore it will not bring harm to health.
By the way, studies of cucurbitacin, and this is the main cause of bitterness, led to the conclusion that its presence in bitter cucumbers along with saponins and special lipids contributes to weight loss.
It is proved that cucurbitacins inhibit the growth of pathological cells and tissues, therefore, they can be anti-cancer agents. The analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of cucurbitacins are also known.
The Chinese even specially grow bitter cucumbers to get the basis for medicines.
We will keep just in case information about the benefits of bitter cucumbers, but still, our task, as gardeners, is to get a tasty crop.
What cucumber should be left on the seeds so that the bitter does not grow
In our Kuban, yellow-brown overripe cucumbers specially left for seeds are called yolks. So, if you find yourself in the situation described above and planting your seeds, you get plants where there are more empty flowers than ovary flowers, then you know, you left the wrong yellow to ripen.
To obtain high-quality planting material, the first cucumber is usually left on the whip. Take your time, take a closer look at the shape of the vegetable. Why pay attention to the form? It turns out the fruits are of two types - female and male. They are easy to distinguish: they have a different shape. The female type cucumber has a tetrahedral shape, and the male one has a trihedral shape. I repeat, we are now talking about varietal cucumbers. Planting material should not be collected from hybrids.
I have been planting Phoenix cucumbers for many years. Now you can buy seeds of varieties Phoenix 640 and Phoenix Plus. They are fruitful, drought tolerant. Good in salads, canning. With them almost always I have a good harvest. Of course, I grow other varieties as well. But I collect seed material only from this variety. I do this not every year, since there is enough planting material for a long time. It is believed that old seeds germinate better and can give even a larger crop.
So, if you collect seeds from fruits of a trihedral shape, then sowing them, you will get plants with a predominant amount of empty flowers (stamen flowers). And from the seeds from the tetrahedral fruit (by the way, there are always fewer of them in terms of quantity), you will get plants with pistil flowers. This means that the flowers on the whip will initially be ovary.
If you cut the fruit across, you will see that the seeds in the tetrahedral cucumber are in four segments, and in the trihedral - in three.
So, you have found the lash with the first tetrahedral cucumber. We leave it to sing it. Count from him 5-6 leaves and pinch the whip. Let all the nutrients go to the fruit left on the seeds. Just do not tear it, but leave it to sing in the bud. Only when it turns brown, its skin will become stiff, it will become rough - is it ready to collect planting material from it.
What seeds does a bitter cucumber grow from?
So, pick seed cucumbers when they become brown or whitish in color, not later, otherwise they will germinate in the fruits.
But there is another secret that will reveal to us the secret why cucumbers grow bitter if the weather is good and watering is regular. Indeed, the reason for the bitter cucumbers is not only in the planting material. But more about that below.
Now I want to focus your attention on the seeds. What delicious cucumbers do not grow from? Seed grains should be selected only from the front half of the fruit. The back part is rejected, because in most cases bitter fruits grow from its seeds. Like this! Consider this when preparing planting material!
How to properly collect and store seeds
How to collect planting material, how to save it for sowing? Now, your seed fruit has ripened, or rather overripe. He became brownish, rough, soft to the touch - it's time to start. Cut it lengthwise, immediately cut it off and discard the back of both halves. Collect all the seeds from the front half. Leave them to roam in a cup for 2-3 days. This is necessary so that they clear themselves of mucus. Rinse them. Lay out in a thin layer to dry. All. You can put them in a paper or linen bag - a good, tasty, not bitter crop is provided to you! By the way, cucumber seeds do not lose their germination within 6-8 years.
What prevents tasty cucumbers from growing
There are many reasons.
First, cucumbers can be bitter from uneven watering. They poured it over, then forgot it. Could not get to the cottage on time. Summer turned out to be hot, and these vegetables are very fond of moisture. Their roots lie close to the surface of the soil, so it dries quickly. This is the difficulty in growing a delicious vegetable in dry, hot weather.
Secondly, the fruits may become bitter with an excess of nitrogen in the soil. Cucumbers love nitrogen, but only in the first half of the growing season. And if flowers and fruits have already appeared on the lashes, then nitrogen fertilizing should be stopped. During this period, feeding with the use of phosphorus and potassium is more appropriate.
There are still reasons for the appearance of bitterness:
- watering with cold water;
- thickened landings, i.e. lack of sun and airing;
- on the contrary, excess of sun, heat, high temperature of air and soil;
- old varieties often give a bitter harvest, update planting material, because it is not in vain that breeders grow more and more new varieties and hybrids.
Many practical gardeners believe that only those cucumbers that grow too slowly become bitter. Yes it is.
One reason for slow growth is dry, hot weather. Exit: water more often, do not let the soil dry out.
The second reason for slow growth is a decrease in ambient temperature, cold nights. If this happens in the first 2-3 weeks after transplanting, then it is possible to cover the plantings with agrofibre for a while. But if this happened later, when the lashes are already mounted on the trellis, then, alas, there is no way to help your favorites. This applies to cucumbers growing in open ground.
I read all this information about the reasons for the appearance of bitter cucumbers in the garden in the old magazine "Household Farm". I have been successfully applying it in practice for many years.