Should I pick off the leaves from cucumbers?

Should I pick off the leaves?

Pruning is an important step in cucumber care. It not only increases the yield but also significantly improves their quality. Cucumbers often develop male shoots on the main stem, which later develop into so-called "barren flowers," which produce no fruit. Pinching these shoots will encourage the development of female shoots, which form on the lateral parts of the stem.

Even if the harvest is good, don't overdo it with precious leaves, which use up a large amount of nutrients and moisture needed for fruit development and ripening. It's especially important to remove dead and diseased parts to prevent infections and pests from spreading further through the bush and causing the complete loss of the plant.

There's no need to completely strip the bush. It's best to leave some leaves, as healthy foliage provides the plant with essential oxygen and ultraviolet light, without which it could die.

Why and for what reason

Trimming leaves that don't contribute to photosynthesis and the seedling's nutrition will stimulate the plant's growth and prolong the fruiting period. Typically, trimming excess foliage that shades the plant and interferes with shoot growth is recommended.

As a result, nutrients are not wasted and promote accelerated ripening of cucumbers. Many gardeners note that unpruned male shoots often cause bitter taste in the fruit.

Video: "Thinning Cucumber Leaves"

A video about why and how to remove leaves from cucumbers.

Which leaves should be removed?

You need to trim the greens correctly, taking into account the cucumber variety, growing characteristics, pollination method and harvest time.

It is imperative to remove leaves that:

• damaged mechanically;
• infected with diseases or affected by pests;
• covered with unknown stains, rotting and drying out.

For hybrid plants, remove the entire upper part from the sixth leaf, leaving only three shoots. For regular cucumber varieties, train them into a single stem, and pluck off the remaining leaves and weaker shoots.

Self-pollinating plants contain most of their fruit on the main stem (1/3), so the vine is left on, and side shoots can be removed. The same applies to bee-pollinated varieties. Insects should be given access to the flowers by removing excess foliage.

Yellowed leaves located below the fruiting zone should be removed, leaving a few at the level of the fruit, and everything located above should be left alone.

If a greenhouse bush is overgrown with shoots, gardeners recommend trimming the growing tip, reducing nitrogen fertilization, and allowing the soil to dry out. This will direct nutrients to the fruit.

How to prune

All manipulations must be carried out correctly, otherwise the cucumbers will die. In any case, don't delay pruning, as the vines will begin to tangle and become thin.

Let's look at which leaves need to be trimmed and how to do it correctly:

• Pruning is done with sharp, sharpened scissors, because after breaking off shoots, wounds remain that take a long time to heal, and injured shoots begin to dry out;
• Yellowed leaves are picked off every 10 days;
• Empty flowers are completely removed.
• When the main stem reaches the wire, it can be wrapped around its base several times and secured with twine. The growing point after the fourth leaf is removed, as is the first shoot in the axil of the first leaf. The next three shoots are not torn off, but rather evenly distributed along the wire.
• The shoots are pinched at intervals of half a meter as they grow, leaving new shoots for weaving the bush.
• Shoots that extend beyond the row during the fruiting period are pruned.
• The upper leaves are not touched during harvesting, otherwise the stem will change its position, which will lead to slow growth and yellowing of the cucumbers.

Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse has its own unique characteristics. The vine can be divided into four zones:

• At the bottom, all ovaries and lateral shoots from the second to the fourth leaf are removed, and the tops themselves are left;
• In the next zone, the growth point is removed from four nodes, leaving 1 fruit and 2 leaves;
• At a bush height of one and a half meters, 2 leaves and 2 fruits are left in each of the three nodes;
• In the last upper zone, three leaves and three cucumbers are left.

To maintain bush growth, you can perform thinning pruning, removing the lower leaves. Leave two fruit ovaries.

By following some simple cucumber care recommendations, both in a greenhouse and outdoors, you can achieve a higher-quality and more abundant harvest. Remember that excess leaves and stems negatively impact plant growth and fruit flavor, so they should be removed promptly. This will ensure healthy, sturdy plants and juicy, crisp cucumbers.

Video: "We've got a harvest! Time to pick cucumbers!"

The video's author briefly describes his cucumber-growing method and demonstrates how to properly remove cucumber leaves and stems.