What makes fresh cucumbers bitter. Why cucumbers are bitter in the greenhouse and in the garden, and what needs to be done

Kira Stoletova

At the end of the gardening season, many summer residents are wondering why cucumbers are bitter. Even with the right care, gardeners are faced with the fact that they do not get the quality of vegetables that they would like. There are a number of reasons why bitterness appears in cucumbers, but the measures taken in time allow creating such conditions to avoid this.

source of bitterness

By appearance a bitter cucumber is indistinguishable from a crispy sweet one, as a real fruit should have grown. An unpleasant bitter taste becomes noticeable only when eating cucumbers. The source of why cucumbers are bitter is a special substance found in vegetables called cucurbitacin. This inherently toxic element is quite abundant in greens, because the substance serves to protect young fruits from pests attacking them.

Cucurbitacin is produced and present in all varieties of vegetables, found in foliage, stems and fruits. But in order for the cucumbers to become bitter, it is necessary to exceed its concentration.

Causes

Let's highlight the common reasons why cucumbers are bitter:

• insufficient humidity regime in closed greenhouses,
• low temperature water used for irrigation
• lack of potash and nitrogen elements in the soil,
• an excess of sunlight or their lack due to excessive thickening of plantings,
• lack of moisture or waterlogging of the soil, as well as a violation of the regularity of irrigation,
• diseases of cucumber seedlings preceding planting,
• planting seeds collected in the back of vegetables.

Bitterness in greenhouse vegetables

Those varieties of cucumbers that are intended for cultivation only in closed greenhouses are considered quite capricious plants. They do not like a lot of sunlight and cannot stand the heat, and here summer residents make a common mistake by placing greenhouses exactly where the sun shines all day.

With the existing differences from a hot day to a cold night, the cucumber crop is subjected to significant stress, and this becomes the reason why the cucumbers begin to taste bitter.

The main factors for increasing the concentration of cucurbitacin in greenhouse-grown cucumbers are:

• restriction of living space by the design of the greenhouse, due to which the plants cannot grow freely and tangle and damage the lashes,
• excess of sunlight entering through the walls of the greenhouse,
• carrying out ventilation with a significant difference in humidity and air temperature inside and outside the greenhouse,
• missing humidity level in the greenhouse,
• mismatched temperature regime during the period active growth, which at the initial stage cannot be higher than 18 ° at night, and higher than 20 ° during the day, and at the fruiting stage should not fall below 28 °,
• insufficient fertility of the soil and the low content in it of the components necessary for vegetables, in without fail nitrogen and phosphorus must be present.

Bitterness in the open field

Why are cucumbers bitter when grown outdoors? The same reasons provoke a bitter taste in cucumbers as in greenhouse conditions. However, there are a number of additional reasons:

• receiving by plants a large number sun, which greatly exceeds what greenhouse plants receive, leads to the appearance of an aftertaste,
• irregular watering or unheated water is another reason why in open conditions get bitter cucumbers,
• sudden changes in temperature in the open outdoor conditions affect the plant more than when grown in a closed greenhouse, and this increases cucurbitacin,
• sowing seeds on low-equipped beds, which warm up worse and are more exposed to temperature changes,
• location of sown areas for cucumber crops near raspberry, strawberry and blackberry bushes, which in agricultural technology are considered aggressors, taking along with water from the soil useful elements becomes a bitter taste provoking factor.

Solution

Although they say that a bitter cucumber fruit is more useful than a sweet one, not everyone is ready to put up with a characteristic aftertaste. Given the reasons that lead to bitterness in cucumbers, a number of activities can be carried out.

Place to land

A correctly chosen place for planting a cucumber crop means that the beds on the open ground or in the greenhouse should be where it is not direct, but diffused sunlight. Many summer residents successfully use the shade from corn or from the branches of trees on the site, cover the beds with spunbod and paint over the walls of the greenhouse with chalk solutions.

Also, when growing cucumbers in the open field, it is important to correctly select their plant neighbors who would not take mineral nutrition and all the liquid from the soil.

Suitable soil

It is recommended to grow cucumbers so that bitterness does not appear in the fruits. loose earth or peat, diluted with ash, which reduces acidity. Clay soil is not suitable for cucumber culture.

Watering

Regular watering is the key to sweet fruits, since the alternation of excess with a lack of moisture causes serious stress in the plant and leads to an increase in the concentration of cucurbitacin and, as a result, the appearance of a bitter taste. In addition, watering cucumber bushes must be heated to room temperature water.

Climate

Excessive heat with dry air leads to the appearance of bitterness in the fruit. As well as too cold conditions. During the period when the temperature drops, the greenhouses are not opened so as not to create stressful ventilation for the heat-loving culture, and covering materials are used outside against the cold. For vegetables grown on open soil in the hot season, sheds are made of white material, and for greenhouse plants, mirror reflective films are created.

mineral nutrition

Proper fertilization of the soil will provide the plants with all the necessary nutrients and prevent the bitterness in cucumbers. It is forbidden to make fresh organic matter, including fresh manure, which provokes the release of bitterness in vegetables.

A beautiful, appetizing, resilient cucumber, but only after biting it, you realize that it is terribly bitter. Why are cucumbers bitter, can something be done to prevent this from happening? After all, so much work has been invested, so much time has been spent, and they are bitter and sometimes so bitter that it is impossible to eat them.

Causes of bitterness

Answering the question why cucumbers are bitter, breeders identify several reasons. It is impossible to answer unambiguously, as many factors influence this.

1. Why are cucumbers bitter and what to do about it? One of the reasons is the lack or excess of lighting. Both factors are detrimental to culture. It is necessary to plant cucumbers in well-lit areas, in the shade of trees. Diffused light will be useful.
2. The soil on the site should be moderately moist, drying out is also unacceptable, and an excess of moisture can cause bitterness in cucumbers. The historical homeland of culture is India, therefore vegetable crop loves moderately moist, warm soil.
3. Bitter fruits can be due to a lack of nitrogen, which is essential for the culture. It is necessary to enrich the soil with nitrogen even before planting. An ideal remedy for this is chicken manure.
4. For the growth of cucumbers, quite a lot is needed. high level acidity.
5. Sudden changes in temperature can significantly affect palatability, especially if .

Not less than interesting fact, which explains the bitter cucumber flavor. This is a failure to comply with the rules for collecting seeds. If the seeds are taken from the back of the fruit, then most likely the next crop will be bitter. Seeds taken in upper parts cucumber.

In general, cucumber is a delicate culture that reacts sharply to any changes. This is the main reason why fruits become bitter. But how can these be excluded? negative factors. To prevent cucumbers from being bitter, you must follow a few simple rules:

• prepare the soil in advance before planting;
• plant the crop in well-warmed soil when the threat of frost has passed;
• watering should be done only with settled, not cold water;

• regularly fertilize, this must be done immediately after planting, during flowering and fruiting;
• bitter cucumber can be if bitter pepper is planted next to the beds;
• cucumbers are bitter if they are planted on the beds where potatoes used to grow;
• properly form bushes so that sunlight evenly reaches each fruit.

But it often happens that no matter how hard the owner tries, the cucumber, especially the greenhouse one, is bitter. If in a greenhouse summer period, it is necessary to additionally provide protection from excess sunlight. To do this, the glass is covered with water, to which a little chalk is added.

Important! Polycarbonate greenhouses ideally scatter the sun's rays, protecting plants from harmful ultraviolet radiation.

It is the direct effect of sunlight on the fruits that is one of the causes of cucumber bitterness. But be that as it may, the fact is clear, and what to do with bitter cucumbers is not clear.

A draft is no less detrimental to cucumbers. It is necessary to ventilate the greenhouse with favorable conditions. weather conditions. Well, if it grows in open ground, then plant it in beds where drafts are not expected.

What to do with bitter cucumbers

It should already be clear why cucumbers give bitterness. Therefore, now we will tell you what to do with them. The reason for the bitterness is cucurbitacin, which is found mainly in the skin. By removing it, you can rid the vegetable of an unpleasant aftertaste. Many experts recommend eating bitter cucumbers as an excellent cancer prevention.

Despite the fact that such cucumbers will not bring gastronomic pleasure, they are suitable for conservation. Salt, heat treatment will do their job and the bitterness in such cucumbers will disappear. Well, if you want fresh without bitterness, you need to remove the skin and enjoy a pleasant aromatic taste.

In order to remove bitterness, you can cut the cucumbers and place them in cold water. This simple technique removes bitterness. Cucurbitacin is equally afraid of too cold water and too hot. But it is best to think over this issue even before planting the plant in open ground or in a greenhouse.

How to grow a sweet cucumber without bitterness

It is quite possible to grow a rich crop of sweet, fragrant cucumbers without bitterness. To do this, you must follow a number of simple rules.

• As beds for cucumbers, use beds that are located slightly north of the plots where they grow. high cultures. Corn, potatoes. Or planted under the crowns of trees that scattered sunlight fell on cucumbers.
• It is best to plant a crop in early May and use seedlings.
• Do not plant cucumbers until the soil warms up to 20 degrees and the threat spring frosts will disappear.
• After planting the plants on the beds, fertilize and do not water for the first two weeks. This will start the flowering period sooner.
• Constantly loosen the soil, carry out moderate watering with settled water, and remove weeds. Watering should be at the same time, preferably in the evening.
• When watering, do not forget to spray the foliage of the plant with water.
• Pre-enrich the soil with nitrogen using chicken manure.
• The same at least four times: immediately after planting, during the appearance of the first full-fledged leaves, during flowering and fruiting.
• Control the presence of diseases or pests. And if necessary, it is enough to treat the plant with a Bordeaux mixture.
• Remove dried or diseased leaves in a timely manner. They are disposed of. It can be burned, but it is not advisable to add to the compost. If the plant is diseased, fungal spores can quickly spread over the soil surface, infecting healthy plants.
• Control nitrogen-containing fertilizers, the same chicken manure or manure. An excess of nitrogen, as well as its lack, will give cucumbers unwanted bitterness.
• If there is too much on the site acidic soil, it is necessary to carry out liming

In Iran, cucumber is considered a fruit and is served exclusively as a dessert. Is it worth talking about such a dessert that is bitter? In order to eliminate bitterness, during the period of active fruiting, water the cucumbers daily using settled water of at least 22 degrees.

And in conclusion, the modern agricultural market offers gardeners varieties of cucumbers that are not bitter. If chosen common varieties, besides proper care must be protected from direct sunlight. Cucumber will surely thank the owner with a rich harvest of sweet fragrant cucumbers.

Why cucumbers are bitter what to do?

Plant varieties that are genetically bitter-free. They will never turn bitter under any growing conditions. In other varieties, substances that cause bitterness do not accumulate immediately and the slower they grow, the more bitter cucumbers. This happens when there is a lack of heat, light, moisture, nutrients. Create conditions for quick filling and cucumbers will thank you, they will not be bitter. Crunch on health!

Bitter cucumbers come from drought and heat. As a rule, these are old varieties. In modern bitterness does not accumulate at all. As I began to plant all sorts of gherkins, I forgot that cucumbers are bitter. And I eat them early. One and a half months after planting. And the seed consumption is small, soot after 40-50 cm, per seed. The branches bear fruit well. And before I remember, my father will plant and look in when the cucumbers appear, and there are only barren flowers. Waters them to a stupor, you start to eat the first - bitter. So, I watered a little.

Cucumbers become bitter from the fact that they do not have enough water, the temperature is unstable, the plant is too hot, or, on the contrary, there is not enough sun if you have gone too far with humus.

Water constantly, see that the cucumbers do not get too hot, make a greenhouse for them.

If you grow cucumbers yourself, then to avoid a bitter taste, you need:

1. Water cucumbers well and often.
2. Make sure that it is not too hot or too cold (if cucumbers grow in a greenhouse).
3. It is desirable that there are no sudden changes in temperature.

if the above points are not followed, then the plant is under stress and begins to produce the substance cucurbitacin, which is anti-stress and gives bitterness.

In general, cucumbers come from India, where they grow in the shade. tropical trees- they like warmth from here (they also need to be watered warm water) and moisture.

Another bitterness in cucumbers depends on the genes (or varieties) of cucumbers. There are specially bred varieties that never bitter.

The reason most often lies in adverse weather conditions. Either too hot, or too cold, or constant temperature fluctuations. What to do? Try to create conditions, ventilate the greenhouse, water a lot, protect from the cold. If grown, then you can pickle or pickle.

Cucumbers become bitter in taste if the rules of cultivation are not followed. Cucumbers can be bitter if not watered regularly. This means that they did not water at the same time, skipped the days of watering, and then poured with a margin. First there is not enough water, then there is too much water.

Cucumbers can be bitter due to cold weather due to lack of light.

If the cucumbers are large, but bitter, then the excess nitrogen in the ground is to blame. Too much fertilizer.

Cucumbers taste sweet when grown in pH 6-7 soils.

And the reason for the bitterness of cucumbers may lie in the tightness of the plants. grow on small area, stems and lashes are twisted. Then it remains to preserve the cucumbers.

The causes of the bitterness of cucumbers have long been identified, as for these very reasons, there are several of them. The most common are insufficient watering, watering with cold water, sudden changes in temperature, high humidity, lots of light. In order for the cucumbers not to be bitter, it is necessary to exclude all these reasons, only in this case there will be a chance that they will not be bitter. But, as you know, in reality it is very difficult to do this.

I have been growing cucumbers in a greenhouse for many years. I choose only hybrid seeds: in them, even with the stress that a plant can experience from dry air or soil, as well as watering with cold water, bitterness appears in microscopic doses that are indistinguishable in taste.

But then one day a varietal cucumber wormed its way into the greenhouse. And she watered it with warm water, and fertilized, not to mention the fact that the soil in the greenhouse is the most fertile ... So no, I still found some reason and all the fruits were bitter with him, no matter what I did.

She made one conclusion: the cause of bitterness is in the wrong seeds, period.

Hybrids can also be grown on the ground, and then neither temperature changes nor insufficient watering can turn delicious cucumber into inedible bitter byaka.

Cucumbers are often bitter due to a lack of potassium. In order to remove bitterness, fertilizers containing it should be used. For example, ash, as well as dolomite flour. You can spray with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Water more besides this. And at night, if the weather is cold, cover with foil. At night they grow the most. In addition, the film will help fight the voids that occur in cucumbers.

Hello dear friends!

It happens. They planted cucumbers. Watered, removed empty flowers. We tried our best, expecting a rich harvest of these juicy delicious vegetables. And they collected, and they turned out to be bitter in taste. What is the reason? What is wrong? And why are cucumbers bitter both in the beds and in protected ground?

What makes cucumbers bitter is the accumulation of excessive amounts of cucurbitacin in them. This bitter substance is often concentrated near cucumber tails. But for certain reasons, it can accumulate both in the peel and throughout the body of these vegetables. Such reasons include the following:

Care was carried out incorrectly;

The weather conditions were unfavorable;

Proper care

Cucumbers thrive in well-drained, porous soils. In order for vegetables to grow of excellent quality, it is necessary to add nitrogen fertilizers. But keep in mind that they do not tolerate fresh cow dung!

In the heat, water abundantly only with warm water. And when rainy weather sets in, stop watering altogether.

Do not plant cucumbers on solar beds. They do not like the abundance of the sun. The best cucumber bed is in the shaded areas of the garden.

What to do if it's cold at night

If cucumbers early variety, still do not rush to plant them in open ground. After all, in the spring at night there are often low temperatures and even frosts. There is a risk of low yield and bitter fruits. Therefore, vegetables at night, away from sin, must be covered with a film. Or even better - . During the day in warm weather, keep the windows of the greenhouse open, and close at sunset.

The "correct" seeds

Experienced gardeners usually harvest the seeds themselves, and do not buy them. When choosing them for the future harvest, it is necessary to take the source material from the front of the cucumber, from the pulp, which does not contain bitterness. It is impossible for planting purposes to select seeds from old cucumbers. Of these, fruits with a high content of cucurbitacin will grow 100%.

AT recent times obtained by breeders that do not have bitterness even near the tail. But compared to ordinary cucumbers with a bitter "butt", they are insipid and do not have a pronounced cucumber taste.

Instead of a conclusion

If bitter cucumbers still grew on the beds, there is no need to rush to throw them away.

Firstly, such vegetables are quite suitable. In the process of salting, bitterness disappears.

And secondly, sometimes it is useful to eat bitter cucumbers. They prevent the development of various cancers.

Now you know why cucumbers are bitter and you can prevent this cucumber "ailment". See you soon, dear friends!

Sometimes bitter greens grow on the beds. They also give an unpleasant aftertaste to the dishes they are included in. Why cucumbers become bitter is described in this article.

Why are cucumbers bitter?

All pumpkin plants, including cucumbers, produce the glycoside cucurbitacin. It is contained in aboveground parts plants, but its presence in the fruits is small. It is this glycoside that gives bitterness to cucumbers. When the culture is under stress, the content of cucurbitacin in greens increases dramatically. This is a defensive reaction of the culture that prevents animals from eating the fruits and allows the seeds to ripen.

Cucurbitacin itself has a number of useful properties:

• has an antitumor effect;
• has an analgesic effect;
• has anti-inflammatory activity;
• enhances the secretion of bile in the body;
• increases appetite;
• bitter cucumbers promote weight loss.

The highest amount of cucurbitacin is found in fresh gherkins. With the growth of Zelentsov, the glycoside content in them gradually decreases. The substance is destroyed during processing, so there is no bitterness in pickled and pickled cucumbers.

Bee-pollinated varieties of cucumbers contain a lot of cucurbitacin and are able to synthesize it quickly under unfavorable growth conditions.

Modern hybrids are practically devoid of such shortcomings. Now crop selection is aimed at reducing the content and production of glycoside by plants. Therefore, hybrids are practically not bitter. It is necessary to create conditions for them close to the death of the plant, so that the greens have such a taste.

Causes of Bitter Cucumbers

The appearance of bitter fruits is always the result of extreme situations. Bitterness appears for the following reasons:

1. Sharp fluctuations in temperature.
2. Irrigation with cold water.
3. Prolonged cold weather.
4. Uneven watering of cucumbers.
5. Highly hot weather and low air humidity.
6. Direct sun for more than 14 hours a day.
7. In varieties, seeds were obtained from the end where the peduncle (tail) was.
8. Thick shadow.
9. Lack of supplements.

There used to be some varieties that accumulated cucurbitacin even under normal conditions. Now they can only meet with an amateur gardener.

1 reason. Sharp fluctuations in temperature

This is a factor that a person cannot influence. It is only possible to mitigate the consequences to some extent, when bitterness in cucumbers accumulate less, but it is impossible to completely prevent the synthesis of cucurbitacin under such conditions.

What can be done

Very strong temperature fluctuations provoke an increase in the formation of cucurbitacin and its accumulation in cucumbers. When the temperature becomes even, there will be no bitter cucumbers.

2 reason. Prolonged cold weather

Another factor that cannot be controlled. With a prolonged cold snap, plants go into survival mode. They strive to give seeds as quickly as possible. Bitterness begins to accumulate intensively in greens, which only increases with growth.

What to do

1. Processing cucumbers with growth stimulants Epin-extra or Zircon. They strongly stimulate plants and help to survive the cold period with minimal losses.
2. Be sure to water with organic fertilizers.
3. Cover the cucumbers with covering material. If it is very cold, then the plants are additionally covered with hay.

Despite all the measures taken, there will still be a slight bitterness in cucumbers in such weather.

3 reason. Irrigation with cold water

Cold water in cucumbers causes many problems. And spoiled taste is not the most difficult of them, although rather unpleasant.

Cucumber does not tolerate cold weather or cold water. The culture is always watered only with warm settled water. Water temperature for irrigation should be at least 20-22°C. It is defended in greenhouses. In extreme cases, plants are watered from a kettle with water at room temperature.

4 reason. Uneven watering

Improper watering causes severe stress in cucumbers, which leads to increased synthesis of cucurbitacin and, as a result, the appearance of bitter cucumbers.

What to do to correct the situation

If it is impossible to visit the cottage regularly, you need to do it for cucumbers drip irrigation or grow them on hydrogel.

5 reason. Very hot weather and low humidity

Cucumbers are natives of India, where in vivo they grow under tree canopies in humid subtropical climates. In dachas, especially in the south, plants often suffer from too dry air.

To humidify the air in the borage, sprinkling is carried out. This is always done in the early morning, so that the water has time to dry before the onset of heat. Otherwise, the leaves may get burned. Sprinkling is not carried out in the evening, because at night the cucumbers emit moisture droplets and the humidity in the borage increases sharply, and this can lead to the appearance of diseases.

6 reason. direct sun

Cucumbers. Unlike many other plants, direct sun harms them. Under such conditions, plants begin to accumulate cucurbitacin, greens become bitter, and the plant itself quickly completes the growing season.

For plants, 4-5 in a row is enough sunny days so that a significant amount of cucurbitacin accumulates in greens. Therefore, when grown in sunny places, plants are shaded with agrofiber or mosquito net.

7 reason. thick shadow

Culture requires diffused light, but not a thick shadow. In full shade, it will either not bear fruit at all, or will produce a small amount of bitter greens.

8 reason. Wrong receipt of seed

If the seeds were taken from the end where the stalk (tail) was, then the plants grown from them can produce bitter cucumbers. This trait is inherited. The glycoside accumulates most of all in the upper part of the fetus. Its content decreases towards the middle of the greenery, and at the nose (where the flower was) disappears.

Therefore, if the seeds were taken incorrectly, nothing can be corrected, the cucumbers will be bitter. It remains only to salt the entire crop.

9 reason. Lack of top dressing

Cucumbers are often bitter due to a lack of nutrients. Hybrids under such conditions will not bear fruit at all, and varieties will give a small amount of small underdeveloped greens with bad taste. If there is top dressing, but there is not enough nutrition, then the greens also begin to taste bitter. The amount of cucurbitacin in them depends on mineral starvation: the stronger it is, the more bitter greens.

What to do and how to fix the situation

1. If cucumbers have grown with bitterness, then this cannot be corrected. So that the next harvest will have good taste, culture . Most of all, she needs nitrogen, so they make top dressing either with manure infusion (1:10) or with infusion chicken manure(1:20), or infusion of herbal fertilizer (1:10). Pig manure cannot be used as top dressing, it strongly acidifies the soil and leads the plants to death.
2. In addition to nitrogen, cucumbers require a lot of potassium and magnesium. Therefore, organics are alternated with mineral fertilizers. The most suitable for the culture of fertilizers are Kalimag, Kristallon cucumber.
3. Top dressing is carried out regularly. If the culture was not fed at all, then after the first application of fertilizers there will be an effect: the quantity and quality of the crop will increase, and the taste will noticeably improve.
4. Be sure to alternate root and foliar dressings.

Root top dressing is done after watering the plants.

10. What to do if the cucumbers have grown bitter?

If greens still contain bitterness, then it can be neutralized to some extent.