You planted it for the first time, or before that you have been successfully growing cucumbers for many years using standard technology, without knowing any problems: you seem to have watered them enough, sometimes even fed them, but suddenly you discovered that not all, but many of the cucumber fruits are empty inside.
What happened? What could be the reason: is it a bad variety or is the cucumber lacking something?
Let's figure it out.
Causes of emptiness inside cucumbers
Cucumbers cannot be called a capricious crop that is difficult to grow. Vegetables are easy to care for, but some rules must still be followed in order to reap a rich and high-quality harvest.
By appearance, you can recognize that a void has formed inside the fruit . They look slightly concave, misshapen and wrinkled. You can make sure if you break a cucumber: the core is dried out, yellowed or completely missing.
Emptiness is the result of improper growth of the placenta , on which the seed rudiments are located. Why this happens, we will understand further.
Incorrect microclimate
This is a common problem familiar to summer residents who have greenhouses. The culture reacts sharply to temperature changes , which cannot be called a rare phenomenon in most regions. The difference between day and night temperatures can reach 12-15 degrees, which is detrimental for plants.
Reference. Cucumber is one of the few vegetables that grows at night. The optimal temperature should be no lower than +20°C.
A mandatory requirement when growing is compliance with the light regime . The leaves of the plant need bright sunlight, and when the fruits appear, it is recommended to slightly shade them.
If the greenhouse is too dark, they not only become hollow , but also lose their taste and do not grow to large sizes.
Errors in watering
Cucumbers are 90% water - the rest is juice and enzymes. Therefore, some gardeners are sure that they need a lot of moisture and often water the soil.
Both excess and lack of moisture are detrimental to the plant . The root system does not absorb enough water and microelements, the fruits begin to dry out and crack, tissue damage on the stems and vegetables leads to a loss of 40-45% of the mass.
To organize regular and moderate watering in greenhouses, a drip irrigation system is used, which evenly moistens the soil, directing the flow carefully under the root of the plant.
Soil quality
Crops receive all nutrients and microelements from the soil , therefore, the soil must be saturated and balanced. Inept use of mineral fertilizers and organic matter leads to poor harvest quality.
Important! An excess of nitrogen, urea or manure on the site is the main reason for the formation of voids.
The application of complex mineral fertilizers is carried out according to the scheme:
- when the ovaries are formed, more potassium preparations are added;
- When flowering, cucumbers need phosphorus;
- At the initial stage, with the growth of green mass, nitrogen is needed.
The soil should be soft; regular loosening will saturate it with oxygen and ensure its circulation . In addition, the land for cucumbers is cultivated before planting. It may contain pathogenic microorganisms, bacteria and infections that will cause viral diseases and disrupt the development of young tissues.
Varietal features
Cucumber hybrids are the most resistant to void formation ; they are marked with the letter F and one (F1). The most common of them are:
- Chistye Prudy;
- Green Wave;
- Brawler;
- Grasshopper;
- Marina Grove.
Hybrids do not have hereditary characteristics , so it is impossible to collect seeds from them for planting. To avoid the appearance of hollow fruits, take fresh planting material.
Diseases
With regular temperature fluctuations, the immunity of cucumbers decreases , they become vulnerable to infectious diseases. The appearance of defects is often associated with infection of the bush, which leads to a significant reduction in yield. For example, viral necrosis reduces yield by 30-50%.
Delayed harvesting
Vegetables are harvested immediately after they ripen. Specimens left on the beds overripe and outgrow, testes are formed in them , which becomes the cause of internal emptiness. The skin of such vegetables is hard and bitter, they actively consume moisture from the accumulated reserve.
What to do if hollow cucumbers appear
If hollow cucumbers appear on the site, this does not mean that the entire harvest is spoiled. Timely identification of the causes will help you understand how to get rid of this.
Plants need to be provided with comfortable growing conditions. First of all, it is recommended to review the watering scheme :
- Use only warm water (+26-28°C) - in this case, a sufficient amount of moisture will be absorbed by the roots, and the residue will quickly evaporate.
- Limit watering in cloudy weather, as the roots do not absorb liquid on such days.
- Moisten the soil with a weak stream, directing it carefully under the root so as not to damage it, and spray the above-ground part only after sunset.
If you come across a large number of empty cucumbers , correct errors in the organization of lighting: thin out the bushes so that they do not block the sun's rays. If the site is located in the shade, ultraviolet lamps are installed inside the greenhouse between the beds.
Deterioration in fruit quality can be corrected by applying fertilizers . Compost is the most effective fertilizer, which is almost impossible to overdose. But in combination with urea, it can deteriorate the quality of the soil, and therefore the taste characteristics of cucumbers.
Maintain an optimal microclimate
| Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse You can use a polycarbonate option or make a simple film shelter. This method provides a stable microclimate and plants are less susceptible to temperature changes. In such conditions, cucumbers bear fruit more consistently . No voids are formed due to unfavorable conditions | |
| Cover outdoor plants If you have open beds, they are exposed to temperature changes.. This is especially felt at the beginning and end of the season. In the spring, you can make small greenhouses . Plants develop normally under shelters, which are then removed. For shelter at the end of summer, you can make an option like in the photo - a bed that is covered with agricultural canvas if necessary | |
| Use early varieties In order not to think about what to do during cold spells at night, you can plant varieties that have time to bear fruit before the August cold weather. You can plant seeds for seedlings to further speed up ripening |
Preventive measures
Choose suitable varieties for planting that are adapted to the climatic conditions of the region. To prevent the appearance of voids in fruits, it is recommended :
- avoid excess nitrogen in fertilizers;
- spray the fruits to prevent diseases (1 kg of mullein per 3 liters of water, leave for 3 days, strain and bring the volume to 6 liters);
- to prevent cracking and internal emptiness, treat the bushes with water with the addition of sour milk (in equal proportions);
- spray plants and soil with manganese solution to prevent viral diseases.
In greenhouses, cucumbers are treated with a formaldehyde solution at the rate of 1 liter of 2% composition per 1 sq. m. Every evening the greenhouse room is ventilated, and on cloudy and humid days it is kept open.
Important! Follow the rule of crop rotation: do not plant cucumbers in the same place for 4 years in a row.
When the thermometer drops below +20°C, shrubs in the open ground are insulated by covering them with film, and heaters are installed in the greenhouse at night.
Reviews from gardeners
Irina, Valuiki
Salad bowls are often empty. If, in addition, your cucumbers begin to taste bitter, then most likely this is due to insufficient or uneven watering. During flowering and active growth of cucumber crops, they greatly need additional moisture. It is especially good to water cucumbers at night.
Source: chudo-ogorod.ru
Svetlana, Smolensk
The reason for the emptiness may be not only the climate, but also the soil; it may lack the necessary elements. I know a lot of gardeners like this - they planted and only watered and weeded, without fertilizing at all. For the normal development of any crop, it is necessary to additionally feed it, as well as planting cucumbers.
Source: www.ogorod.ru
Why are cucumbers empty inside when pickled?
Main causes of the problem:
- selection of low-quality, overripe, initially empty fruits;
- violation of salting technology.
Overripe fruits are not recommended for canning or pickling .
Only young cucumbers collected in a timely manner will do. It is not recommended to store them for a long time. Some varieties are not suitable for harvesting for the winter , especially salad varieties - a cavity may form inside the fruit.
During pickling, even high-quality vegetables can spoil . The appearance of emptiness inside is associated with the development of microorganisms that practically process the pulp into gases and destroy it. These fruits are recognized externally: they are swollen and increased in size.
Important! Experienced housewives soak the collected fruits in cool water for 2-3 hours before pickling, and if they are clogged, they make several punctures on the skin with a needle.
Common Questions
- variety (special pickling varieties of cucumbers are recommended);
- fruit size (from 5 to 13 cm);
- degree of maturity (incomplete);
- peel (lumpy, thick, preferably prickly);
- freshness (the freshest);
- color (juicy, green);
- taste (not bitter).
There are many reasons for getting soft and hollow pickles. Among them are improper selection and preparation of fruits, containers, saline solution, poor water quality, violation of the tightness of jars, temperature and timing of pickling, as well as storage. They can influence separately or in combination, so it is important to exclude each negative factor.
Sources:
https://vizazh-2.ru/ogurets/urtsy-vnutri-pustye/ https://udachnayadacha.ru/ogorod/ovoschi/ogurtsy/pochemu-ogurtsyi-pustyie-vnutri.html https://ogorod-bez-hlopot .ru/solenye-ogurcy-stali-myagkimi.html
Tips and tricks
Before planting, it is recommended to treat the seeds with a solution of wood ash . This composition saturates the seed with essential nutrients and increases plant immunity. The culture becomes more resistant to climatic conditions and diseases.
To avoid problems when growing, it is recommended to use trellises for cucumbers . This will avoid lack of lighting.
The hardening procedure is effective . Before planting, seeds are placed in a damp cloth or gauze and left in a warm room with an air temperature of at least +25°C. As soon as several young shoots hatch, the seed is placed in the refrigerator for 24 hours. After this, the seeds are kept in a cool room, for example, in a cellar or on a balcony, so that they recover from the cold.
plays an important role in the development of cucumbers . They get along well with garlic and onions, legumes and lettuce, celery and beets. And if you plant shrubs next to corn, you can collect juicy, slightly sweet fruits.
