Why do pumpkin fruits fall and ovaries turn yellow in the open field in the garden
Pumpkin is a frequent visitor to household plots, it is used for cooking and as food for pets. Why do pumpkin ovaries turn yellow and fall off? This question often arises before summer residents with the onset of the growing season. Pumpkin ovaries rot for various reasons. It could be bad weather, rainy summers, or lack of nutrients in the soil. Even when growing the best varieties, this problem is not uncommon. It will be possible to cope with it if you follow the rules of agricultural technology for growing melons and gourds. The laying of the future harvest occurs at the stage of planting seeds and growing seedlings. It is this stage that needs to be given special attention.
Difficulty germinating seeds
Pumpkin fruits fall off due to "drowsiness" and decay of planting material. Having planted seeds in cold soil in early spring, there is a problem with germination.
Planting in early spring causes the seeds to germinate poorly. This is due to the capricious weather, sudden cold snap and rains. Pumpkin seedlings are planted in open ground after the soil is well warmed up in the sun. You can plant seedlings in the sun. The optimal temperature is considered to be above +15 degrees. Before planting, dig out small grooves and spread a dense fabric on the bottom.
Then the seeds are planted, covered with earth and watered abundantly. Such a measure to prevent freezing of planting material in the spring at night, when there are occasional frosts.
Weak shoots
Another reason why the inflorescences are poorly tied, and the flowers turn yellow and fall off, are weak shoots. In this case, fertilizing with mineral and organic fertilizers is necessary for plants for good growth. A solution of poultry droppings should be used in a ratio of 1:15.
Planting and growing seedlings is a crucial moment, during which the foundation for the future pumpkin harvest is laid. If from year to year the sprouts sprout frail and turn yellow, then it will be possible to save the situation if, at the site of planting the seeds, build small mounds of rotted manure and potato tops.
Rotting roots after transshipment of seedlings
Often, after applying nitrogenous fertilizers after transshipment of seedlings, pumpkin ovaries fall off in the open field. This is due to the fact that when fertilizer is applied to unheated soil, it reduces the overall frost resistance of the soil and the root system of the seedlings begins to rot.
Experienced summer residents apply nitrogen-containing fertilizing after the soil warms up at least +12 degrees.To protect the seeds from frost, they are placed in a solution of potassium permanganate before planting.
Another reason for the rotting of the root system of seedlings in the seedling method of cultivation is that after thinning out weak shoots, the roots of neighbors are damaged. To prevent yellowing of pumpkin seedlings, weak sprouts are cut with a sharp knife at the very root.
Ovaries rot and there are few of them
The pumpkin does not bear fruit and forms a small number of ovaries if the weather is cold and rainy for the first time after planting and the emergence of sprouts. In this connection, pollination of inflorescences rarely occurs due to the absence of insects on the street. This happens most often in the northern regions, where the weather in summer is not always warm.
Artificial pollination will help to save the situation. In warm weather, the male inflorescences are cut off and the petals are carefully removed with tweezers. It is possible to distinguish male inflorescences from female inflorescences by their appearance, they differ in long pedicels and form several stamens. Then you need to press 2-3 anthers at the stamens with your finger to the protruding pollen of the pistil at the female flower.
An effective way to attract bees is to spray the plants with honey. Dissolve 50 g of honey in 1 liter of warm water. Mix thoroughly and treat each inflorescence with honey solution. After a while, the smell of honey will attract insects that will pollinate the inflorescences.
If little ovaries are formed in the greenhouse, then the reason is either the lack of pollination, or the lack of nutrients in the soil.
The soil in the greenhouse is different from the soil in the open field. It needs to be constantly updated and fertilized every season. Superphosphate is used as a top dressing. A tablespoon in a bucket of warm water. Fertilizers are thoroughly mixed and poured over the soil. In autumn, after harvesting, manure or bird droppings are introduced into the soil. Dig it up with fertilizer and leave it for the next year.
The second reason why few ovaries are formed in the greenhouse is the lack of pollination. When growing crops in greenhouse shelters, this problem is not uncommon.
It will be possible to solve it if, with the onset of the flowering period, the pumpkin is placed in greenhouse shelters with hives with bees. After a while, they will have to be removed. For a small greenhouse, one hive will suffice.
Lack of ovaries
The absence of ovaries can put an end to the cultivation of a good harvest. The problem of lack of ovaries in pumpkin is associated with planting planting material in poor, infertile soil. In such conditions, the pumpkin stays in growth, and does not form ovaries. You need to sow seeds in fertile soil rich in humus.
But you should not apply too much fertilizer to the soil. In Dug up soil, plants form long whips and a large amount of foliage, rather than ovaries and inflorescences.
Only in the soil in which there are enough nutrients does fertilization and the formation of ovaries occur. The male flower forms enough stamens to pollinate the female inflorescences. Therefore, for planting pumpkins, you need to choose areas in which fertilizers were applied 1-2 years ago. During this time, other plants will not have time to pick up all the nutrients, but there will be no overfed soil either.
Abundance of irregular ovaries
The reason why the pumpkin fruits turn yellow and fall off may lie in the formation of irregular inflorescences. Such an inflorescence draws out most of the nutrients, while preventing other inflorescences of the correct shape from developing normally.
If several such lashes are formed on each bush, then this significantly affects the yield of the pumpkin as a whole.
To prevent the formation of irregular ovaries during flowering, the lashes are formed independently. When pollination is completed, 3 lashes are formed on large-fruited varieties.Each lash should not have more than one ovary. As a last resort two.
In June, over 5-6 leaves, pinch the tops after the fruit. In small and medium-sized varieties, all barren flowers are removed. Pinch them in early August. After the last fruit, 3-4 leaves are left.
Irregular ovaries are also formed due to lack of nutrients. To prevent the formation of "ugly" ovaries, top dressing is performed on the leaves. Use organic fertilizers or phosphorus and nitrogen-containing complexes.
Slow fruit development
When grown, pumpkin grows poorly and forms few ovaries due to the strong foliage of the plants. The leaves prevent the sun's rays from reaching the ovary, and from this they lag behind in growth. Pumpkin fruits wither and turn yellow from this. Bees do not always pollinate all inflorescences under the dense canopy of foliage. And if its female flowers are pollinated, then there is no need to wait for a good harvest.
To make the pumpkin grow well, remove excess leaves that darken the entire bush. The leaves are cut with a sharp secateurs. It is important to ensure that the cut is straight. Another reason for the slow development of pumpkin fruits is poor absorption of nutrients by the plant. For this, the base of the stem is sprinkled with earth and lightly tamped.
Fruit breaking off and rotting
If the pumpkin rots in the garden and the fruits rot, then most likely the ripening fruits are on the ground. Especially if the weather is rainy for a long time and the soil does not have time to dry out, the pumpkin begins to rot and break off.
To solve this problem, it is enough to put a wooden board under the fruits. Hanging fruit can be placed in the net and tied to the support so that the net does not touch the soil.
How to prevent yellowing of ovaries
Pumpkin belongs to unpretentious crops, but it also needs minimal care at the stage of ovary development and fruit formation.
Tips for preventing crop spoilage:
- If it should be raining, and the ovaries have begun to rot, then you need to make an outflow of water from the garden.
- The soil must be loosened regularly.
- If the warm weather at night has not yet settled, then the pumpkin is covered with material. It is desirable that it allows oxygen to pass through. If this is not at hand, then several small holes are made in the film. This is for air circulation.
- To improve the fruiting of pumpkin, once every 2 weeks, the bushes are watered with a fruit-forming stimulator, for example, Gibbersib-U.
- If yellow leaves began to appear in the garden, then the pumpkin is fed with potassium sulfate. Mullein diluted in warm water is suitable for feeding.
- Pumpkin bushes are watered only with warm, settled water.
- Pumpkin belongs to crops that prefer to grow in open, sunny areas. The bushes planted in the shade begin to turn yellow and form few ovaries.
- An excess, as well as a lack of nutrients, negatively affects the process of inflorescence and fruit formation. With an excess of nitrogen, the pumpkin whips become large, and the foliage is very thick.
- Ovaries fall off with a lack of phosphorus and potassium. With its excess in the soil, the same thing happens.
- When the temperature outside becomes high (above +30 degrees), the inflorescences become sterile. And even if bees pollinate them, the ovaries will not form in the future. At low temperatures up to +16 degrees, the plants begin to feed poorly. In this regard, it slows down the growth and formation of pumpkin ovaries, if inflorescences appear, then they quickly crumble.
- With an excess of moisture in the soil, the inflorescences and fruits begin to rot and then fall off.
- Pests often cause poor ovary formation. The bushes are regularly checked for the presence of a meadow moth. By removing weeds, it will be possible to prevent the appearance of insects on the site.
Observing the peculiarities of growing pumpkin, it will be possible to immediately prevent problems with the formation of ovaries on the bush and the fall of inflorescences.
