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When cucumber leaves or any other type of leaves start to turn yellow, it is an obvious sign of a disease, pest infestation, or malnutrition. But should I cut off yellow cucumber leaves?
Yes, you can cut off the yellowing leaves from your cucumber plants only if the entire plant has turned yellow. In some cases, only a few parts of the leaves turn yellow, and you can still address the problem.
This article will inform you how to cut your completely yellowed cucumber leaves, so they do not threaten other healthy plants.
Let’s get started!
Should I Cut Off Yellow Cucumber Leaves?
Yes, you can cut off the yellow parts of your cucumber plants, but you have to ensure that the entire plant has turned yellow first. There are some cases where there is still some green left in your plant, which indicates there is still some chlorophyll left.
Cutting off yellow cucumber leaves from your plant should be done with care. To cut these leaves off, ensure that you cut them from the base of the stem where the leaves meet the branch. You do not have to worry about other leaves getting infected.
Sometimes, yellow leaves do not even need to be cut off. The yellow color might result from malnutrition, overwatering and underwatering, or inadequate sunlight supply. All you have to do is fix these issues, and your leaves will return to normal.
What Causes Yellowing of Cucumber Leaves?
There are many reasons why your cucumber leaves would develop a yellow color. Some of the primary reasons why this happens include;
1. Over Or Underwatering
One of the most typical causes of yellowing in cucumber plant is either overwatering or underwatering. Many of you can picture how underwatering works, but not over-watering, so below is how it works.
When you overwater your cucumber plants, either in the soil or in a flower pot, the roots of your plant will dry in the moisture and will not be able to get adequate oxygen and nutrients from its roots.
This moisture would eventually lead to the growth of fungus, which starts to infect the root and eventually lead to root rot. Once all the plant roots start dying gradually, the entire plant will also die.
In the case of underwatering, your plants would not get the required amount of moisture, leading to the drying up of the roots.
To avoid overwatering your plants;
- Ensure that you always check the soil moisture before you water
- Make sure the number of drainage holes in the pots is sufficient
- Only use a pot that is manageable for your plants
- Make use of perfect soil
Once you work with those, you wouldn’t have overwatering problems with your cucumber plants.
2. Inadequate Sunlight
If your cucumber plant is not getting the amount of sunlight it needs, then there is a chance that the leaves will start to curl up and turn yellow. This is also most likely to be the issue after you have tried out other causes and found out that they are not the issue.
To fix this issue, you can move your flower pot to an area where it can receive adequate sunlight. If you plant in the soil and not in a flower pot, you should clear up other grasses preventing your cucumber plants from getting sufficient sunlight.
3. Pest Infestation
Pest infestation is widespread in indoor and outdoor plants, and yellowing is another sign of pest infestation in cucumber leaves.
Some common pests invading your cucumber plant leaves are mealy bugs, cucumber beetles, and squash bugs.
4. Temperature Of The Environment
If you place your cucumber plants under freezing weather, there is a very high tendency for them to start yellowing and curling up. Placing your cucumber plants in hot weather makes them turn brown instead.
Ensure that you place your cucumber plants in a warm environment for them to thrive properly.
Conclusion
Cutting off the yellow leaves from your cucumber plant is only necessary if your plants have developed yellow leaves. You should only take this step when the entire leaves are yellowing.
You can also prevent this by providing your cucumber plants with adequate sunlight, nutrients, and water.