Yellowing cucumbers: Several factors are to blame

You went to your cucumber patch and found that some of the cucumbers are tiny and yellow. What a nuisance. There’s nothing you can do with such small, yellow fruits—they’re basically good for nothing. You just need to think about what’s causing this and how to proceed so that it doesn’t happen to all the cucumbers on your plant. We’ve focused on yellowing cucumbers in this very article. It happened to us, too. In fact, you can see for yourself in the photos.

Nitrogen deficiency: A classic cause

Traditionally, the yellowing of cucumbers is caused by a lack of nitrogen in the soil. If your soil has very little nitrogen, the effects will be visible almost immediately. The fruits will turn yellow and stop growing. They’ll be tiny little cucumbers that are practically unusable. If you notice this, you’ll need to apply a nitrogen-rich fertilizer and correct the situation promptly. Nitrogen will truly help the plants.

Photo: Radek Stepan

Underdeveloped roots may also be to blame

If the plants develop very quickly, their roots won’t be strong enough, and they simply won’t be able to support the fruits. These fruits then stop growing, turn yellow, and remain tiny. Often, all you need to do is relieve the plant by simply thinning out a few fruits. The remaining ones should then develop properly.

Tip: Why are cucumbers bitter and how can you prevent it? We have some tips for you.

Watch out for spider mites

Small cobwebs and yellow patches begin to appear on the leaves. In this case, it’s a spider mite infestation. Spider mites aren’t bothered even by extreme heat and can cause incredible damage. A solution used by our great-grandmothers works well against spider mites. They mixed about 8 chamomile flowers with 1 liter of boiling water and let the mixture cool. They then watered the plants with the solution, and the spider mites disappeared.

Sources: Author, Meta

Photo and photogellery: Radek Stepan