Cucumber's Bitter Taste: Understanding the Causes and Prevention Methods
Caring for Cucumbers: A Guide to Growing and Enjoying Bitter-Free Fruits
Growing cucumbers can be a rewarding experience, but ensuring they remain free of bitterness is essential for a delicious harvest. This article explores the common causes of bitterness in cucumbers and offers solutions to help you grow tasty fruits.
Why do cucumbers become bitter?
Cucumber deformation and bitterness can occur due to various mistakes in care. Plants grown outdoors may become bitter because they release bitter substances when they experience stress, which can come from environmental factors like weather, water conditions, or damage. Lack of regular watering is the most common cause of bitterness, with overdoing it on fertilizers, especially nitrogen-based ones, also contributing.
Reducing bitterness in cucumbers
Soaking cucumbers for several hours in water can help reduce bitterness. If a fruit is only slightly bitter, it can be salted, pickled, or masked with spices and seasonings to reduce the bitterness. The fermentation process during salting or pickling can further reduce the content of cucurbitacin.
Preventing bitterness in cucumbers
To prevent bitterness, it's important to ensure regular watering, especially during droughts, using 8 to 12 liters of warm water per square meter. The water should penetrate the soil to a depth of 20 cm. Mulching can help protect the soil from overheating and drying out.
It's best to avoid overexposure to sunlight, so if there's too much sunlight, plants should be shaded. Specialists recommend choosing cucumber seeds that are resistant to cucurbitacin formation.
Caring for cucumbers during fruiting
Caring for cucumbers during fruiting involves scheduled fertilization. In the second half of July, plants can be fertilized with cow manure. In August, the Russian Agricultural Center recommends another fertilization using cow manure with the addition of potassium salt.
Other causes of bitterness
Other common causes of bitterness in cucumbers include insufficient or excessive light, lack of potassium or nitrogen, sudden temperature fluctuations, overheating of the soil, and late harvesting of fruits. Temperature fluctuations negatively affect cucumbers, requiring greenhouses to be closed during cool nights and open ground plants to be covered with protective material.
Overripe cucumbers tend to accumulate cucurbitacin in themselves, making it important to harvest the crop in time. Modern hybrids are usually free of the genetic predisposition to accumulate cucurbitacin.
In conclusion, by understanding the causes of bitterness and adopting the right care practices, you can grow delicious, bitter-free cucumbers. Happy gardening!
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