Benefits and features of using potassium permanganate for cucumbers

Chemicals, proven effective in combating parasites and diseases, are often used. But it's possible to find an equally effective, yet environmentally friendly solution. For example, watering cucumbers with potassium permanganate will also prevent many problems, and it doesn't accumulate in ripe fruits. However, the treatment must be carried out correctly, with proper dosage and safety precautions observed.

Description and purpose of potassium permanganate for cucumbers

Potassium permanganate is the potassium salt of permanganic acid. It contains potassium, manganese, and oxygen. Potassium permanganate is a black-violet crystal with a metallic luster. It dissolves readily in water and other organic solvents.

Solutions prepared from liquid and potassium permanganate have strong oxidizing properties. When interacting with organic matter, free oxygen is released, so the solution is used to extract it. The resulting solution can also be used to treat greenhouse surfaces and garden tools to remove dust, dirt, bacteria, and fungal spores.

Due to this property, potassium permanganate has found application in household and medical purposes.

Benefits and harms of the substance

Every year, gardeners wonder whether it's safe to water cucumbers with potassium permanganate. Each person decides for themselves how to treat their future harvest, but this agent is a powerful antiseptic, second only to iodine in its properties. Therefore, it's no surprise that potassium permanganate is used in gardening.

It has a visible disinfectant effect, so it can even eliminate fungus. Other characteristics of the product include:

• When it gets into the soil, oxygen is released, which has a beneficial effect on cucumbers - the root system is nourished by this gas;
• good feeding;
• disinfection;
• the quality of fruits improves – they become tastier, juicier and have a rich green color;
• the ripening process is accelerated;
• the number of ovaries increases;
• does not affect crops growing nearby;
• activation of metabolism.

Provided the permissible dose is not exceeded, potassium permanganate is non-toxic to humans, animals, and pollinating insects. Its main advantage over chemicals is the ability to harvest in a greenhouse on the same day of application. If poisons or chemicals were used, a 3-30 day waiting period is required. Furthermore, potassium permanganate is versatile and inexpensive.

While beneficial, treating cucumbers with potassium permanganate can be harmful, as it destroys not only pathogenic bacteria but also beneficial ones, which are essential for the formation of nutritious soil.

Using a potassium permanganate solution for cucumbers

Spraying cucumbers with a manganese solution is an effective way to combat viruses, infections, fungi, and parasites. It can also be used preventatively. As a result, the crop becomes resistant to diseases and various weather conditions.

To achieve maximum results for cucumbers grown in a greenhouse or open ground, alternate root and foliar feeding. This procedure should be performed in the evening or early morning, before exposure to strong sunlight.

Potassium permanganate is suitable for disinfection, fertilization, and pest and disease control. Each solution requires its own recipe.

Disinfection

Potassium permanganate is essential for disinfection, especially if seedlings are grown in a greenhouse. It is used to disinfect:

• seeds;
• tools;
• soil, soil mixture before planting seedlings, to destroy pests and their larvae, pathogenic microorganisms living in them, etc.;
• greenhouses, land inside the structure.

This requires a weak solution of potassium permanganate, the concentration of which depends on the intended use. For 10 liters of water, you need:

• soaking seeds – 3 g;
• Pre-plant treatment of the greenhouse, soil, and beds – 3-5 g. The greenhouse should be washed twice a year: after the end of the season and before spring work, paying attention to all structural elements. Disinfect the soil inside and outside the greenhouse 5-6 times per season;
• Disinfection of instruments – 2-3 teaspoons. Iron parts should be soaked in the solution for 5-6 hours, and wooden components for 1-2 hours. After the procedure, dry the equipment in the sun.

Disinfection is a mandatory procedure that should be carried out as a preventative measure not only for cucumbers, but for any type of vegetable crop.

Pest control

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Parasites that spoil cucumbers die after the fruit is treated with potassium permanganate due to:

• burn of the integument;
• poisoning from eating leaves;
• mechanical removal of pests and their larvae.

Therefore, it's necessary to begin spraying cucumber seedlings at the initial stage of fruiting and throughout the ripening period. Each effect can be enhanced by choosing the right concentration of the product.

Potassium permanganate is effective against aphids in open ground, and against aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites in greenhouses. These pests often not only destroy plants but also carry diseases, so treatment with potassium permanganate is doubly effective. However, if extensive damage is caused, insecticides will be necessary.

To get rid of "uninvited guests", you need to prepare a solution for which you will need:

• water – 10 l;
• potassium permanganate – 3 g;
• potassium salt – 30 g;
• infused mullein, diluted to the consistency of thick sour cream - 1 l.

Wet the leaves of the seedlings with this solution. Approximately 100 ml of solution is used per plant.

During the season, this procedure can be carried out no more than 5 times, with an interval of 3 to 10 days.

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Treatment for diseases

Potassium permanganate is effective in combating:

• powdery mildew;
• anthracnose;
• gray mold;
• Cladosporiosis.

Spraying should begin as soon as the first signs of the disease become visible. This approach will slow or even prevent further development, meaning the seedlings can be saved.

Disease treatments should be carried out using prepared solutions. All proportions are given per bucket of water:

1. Powdery mildew can be controlled by 3 g of manganese and 50 g of potassium nitrate dissolved in liquid. Spray the resulting solution 2-3 times, 72 hours apart, at a rate of 500 ml per plant. This concentration is suitable for cucumbers grown outdoors; for greenhouse cucumbers, 1 g of manganese is sufficient. Use no more than 5 times.
2. To get rid of late blight, mix 1 g of the substance with water and add 1 cup of garlic, minced or blended. Repeat the treatment every 10 days.

Before spraying cucumbers with potassium permanganate, remove excess leaves and shoots, weed, and tie up the plants. After watering and root cultivation, loosen the soil.

Plant fertilizing

There are two ways to feed green plants: root feeding and foliar feeding. The latter method allows nutrients to reach the green mass more quickly and begin performing their functions. The former method requires time for the fertilizer to be absorbed by the roots and reach its destination.

Fertilizing cucumbers with potassium permanganate is necessary to replenish potassium and manganese deficiencies, as well as for preventative purposes. These elements are essential for plant life, as they improve fruit quality and increase resistance to adverse environmental factors. Both watering and spraying are effective.

You can tell if your plant is lacking potassium by the following signs:

• forms on the leaves yellow border;
• the foliage becomes dark green due to impaired photosynthesis;
• new shoots begin to wither;
• the ovaries fall off, and new ones form slowly;
• fruits are crooked;
• cucumbers begin to taste bitter.

To fertilize, prepare a solution of 3-5 g of potassium permanganate per bucket of water. Before watering, moisten the soil, then apply the solution from a watering can. Apply the solution at a distance of 6 cm from the roots. For 1 m² The solution consumption should be 5 liters.

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Precautionary measures

Manganese is used in medicine, but it must be handled with care, otherwise it can cause poisoning. This applies to cases of safety violations when handling the substance.

To avoid such situations, protect exposed skin with gloves and your respiratory tract with a respirator mask. Experts also recommend wearing goggles to prevent potassium permanganate from getting into your eyes.

You also need to take care of the safety of children and pets, so keep the drug out of their reach.

Treating cucumbers with potassium permanganate is an effective way to combat diseases and parasites. The main thing is to strictly adhere to the dosage and safety precautions.