Cucumber mosaic alert: How to protect your garden from this viral threat

We enjoy the harvest of field cucumbers roughly from mid-July to the end of September. But if you notice spots on the leaves and the vegetables themselves and do not react quickly enough, you may lose your crops. This is a sign of a common disease called cucumber mosaic.

Do you have a home garden? Here’s what you need to know about field cucumbers. They are very sensitive to temperature conditions, so they can only be sown when the soil temperature reaches 12 degrees Celsius, which is usually after 15 May.

The cultivation site must be well sunlit. As for the soil, the best is one that is neutral and rich in humus. Cucumbers should be watered in the morning, especially frequently from the beginning of flowering to the end of harvest, which lasts roughly from the second half of July to the end of September.

Inspect your cucumber garden regularly. Otherwise, you might miss the moment this common viral disease spreads. Cucumber mosaic manifests primarily as yellow-green spots on the leaves. The leaf structure also changes—the leaves wrinkle and shrink, which limits photosynthesis.

As a result, the fruits are susceptible to pests, do not reach full size, and the cucumber skins are hard and bitter. Such crops are a real disappointment.

How can this problem be addressed? Observe and react as soon as possible. Affected stems should be carefully removed and burned. No sap must come into contact with healthy plants, as cucumber mosaic spreads easily. Aphids and greenhouse whiteflies can also carry it.