Using whey to treat cucumbers: how to spray and feed them correctly

Chemicals and home remedies are used to nourish and treat cucumbers. Whey, the leftover liquid from making kefir or cottage cheese, is a popular choice. This food product is used as a fertilizer, to protect against pests, both on its own and in multi-component formulations. It is most effective in high humidity conditions.

Beneficial properties of fermented milk products

When watering cucumbers with whey, it's best to use freshly prepared product. Its vitamin and mineral composition includes calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc, and B vitamins. It also contains organic acids and yeast fungi that inhibit the growth of various pathogenic spores. Lactic acid bacteria also accelerate the decomposition and absorption of organic matter, enriching the soil and oxygenating it.

Processing cucumbers with whey:

• stimulates development, which is beneficial for the growth and formation of ovaries;
• increases the availability of nitrogen fertilizers for plants;
• inhibits the development of rot;
• destroys insect pests.

Using natural fermented milk product for When treating seedlings or transplants in open ground, it's important to consider the short-term effect. Rainfall and watering wash away the serum, requiring repeated fertilization and watering. This can be costly.

You may be interested in:

How to fertilize cucumbers - in open ground, after planting, and when?
No gardener can do without cucumbers, which have gained popularity thanks to their special...Read more…

Serum solutions and methods of application

When using solutions based on fermented milk products for feeding cucumbers During active growth, foliar application is most often used. During the growing season, alternating with soil application is recommended, while during fruiting, it's best to limit application to spraying serum or pest control.

Watering should be done only in the morning or evening, avoiding direct sunlight. Use no more than 0.5 liters of solution per plant to avoid soil acidification. The bed should be thoroughly moistened beforehand, and the leaves should be sprayed.

From powdery mildew

The disease is easily recognized by the first sign—the appearance of a white, dust-like coating on the leaves. Cucumber serum should be applied at this stage, without waiting until the white coating turns gray and the leaves begin to wrinkle.

Types of solutions:

1. During the active stage of the disease and for prevention. It also acts as a pest control agent. Dilute at a ratio of 1 liter of fermented milk product to 13 drops of iodine. To increase effectiveness and extend the growing season, add a few drops of Fitosporin (read the instructions before diluting the chemical). The course of treatment is once every two weeks.
2. After temperature fluctuations. Treating cucumbers with whey and iodine is ineffective in high humidity and cold conditions. In this case, use a different method: 3 liters of fermented milk product: 7 liters of water: 1 teaspoon of copper sulfate.
3. First Aid. During the active stage of the disease, it is recommended to spray cucumbers with a concentrated solution of whey and iodine. It is best to use fresh kefir leftovers (with viable lactic acid fungi), preheated to 30°C. Dilute 0.5 liters of whey with 10 drops of iodine. When treating roots, do not dilute the solution; when spraying foliage, add water at a ratio of 1:10.

You may be interested in:

Greenhouse cucumber diseases and their treatment, photos
In many regions, people prefer to grow cucumbers in greenhouses to avoid dependence on weather changes, sudden…Read more…

It is permissible to use a solution made from natural and industrial ingredients. The most effective solution is:

• whey - 3 l;
• sugar syrup - 200 g dissolved in 1 tbsp. boiling water;
• liquid soap - 40 g;
• herbal infusion, left to stand for 7 days, 2 l (strain before use);
• Healthy Garden - 20 tablets;
• Ecoberin - 20 doses;
• EM - 30 ml.

Spray the vines; it's no longer suitable for use during the fruit formation stage. All formulations are used for both seedlings and flowering plants, but preference should be given to established bushes.

Downy mildew

Signs of damage: a white coating appears only on the underside of the leaves. As the disease progresses, rust-colored spots develop, and the stems lose their turgor. At the onset of the disease, treat with a mixture of 500 ml of fermented milk product: 25 g of urea: 1 ml of brilliant green: 1 liter of water. Three preventative treatments are recommended: before flowering, during fruit set, and after the growing season.

To enhance flowering

The active ingredient in this case is honey. Mix 1 cup of ash, 5 tablespoons of honey, and 10 drops of iodine into 2 liters of fermented milk product. Let it steep for 72 hours. Dilute with water 1:10 and use for spraying and soaking seeds.

The sweet smell attracts insects. To prevent pest infestations, set traps. You can hang fly tape or pieces of cardboard soaked in castor oil around the garden.

Against pests

The most commonly used formulations are those containing laundry soap. To treat cucumbers, dilute 1 liter of milk solution in 5 liters of water and dissolve 50 g of grated laundry soap. The latter ingredient creates a film on the surface, allowing for a reduction in the number of sprayings to once every 10 days. The frequency of application is three times per season.

You can make a trap for codling moths, leaf rollers, and caterpillars. Turn a plastic bottle with a cork upside down, cut off the bottom, fill it with 1/4 of a fermented milk product, and bury it in the ground. The pests fall and die.

They help combat not only downy or powdery mildew, but are also used as a preventative measure against scab, rust, leaf spot and fusarium.

Universal fertilizer

The video shows how to dilute the mixture and feed cucumbers in open ground. The water must be left to stand for at least 24 hours. This allows it to warm up. Mix 2 liters of whey with 10 drops of iodine and 2 tablespoons of wood ash. It is best applied to the roots of mature plants, 50 cm from the main stem. To water cucumber leaves, dilute the mixture at the standard 1:10 ratio with water. This mixture is the most aggressive, so it is recommended not to exceed the recommended dosage. It can cause foliage to dry out, cause early leaf fall, and shorten the growing season.

Compost

Homemade organic fertilizers are safe for children and animals. Even if a child eats a cucumber straight from the garden without washing it, there will be no harm after adding homemade compost.

Methods of preparation:

1. Fill a 20-liter container with 2-3 liters of chicken manure, add 1 packet (200 g) of fresh yeast, 1 cup of sugar, and pour in the whey, filling the container 2/3 full. Let it sit for 2-3 weeks. A lid is not necessary, but it's best to cover it with a mesh bag to prevent souring after fermentation.
2. Fill the milky liquid container with herbs. It can be used after 14 days.
3. Breeders have developed an effective recipe. A minimum 50-liter container is used for production. 0.7 kg of live yeast is fermented with 30-35 g of sugar and left for 72 hours. Then, the mixture is placed in a barrel, along with 1-2 kg of chicken manure, 1 kg of sand, 300 g of wood ash, 0.5 l of whey, 1 kg of turf, and 1/3 of a bucket of prepared compost prepared according to recipe #1. Fill the barrel to the brim with water and shake for a week.
4. Another compost recipe, designed for the same volume, is to fill the container with: 0.25 buckets of grass or straw, 1 liter each of turf and cow dung, 0.75 liters of sour jam, 100 g of stale black bread, and 250 ml of whey. Let it sit for 1.5 weeks.

Before applying the fertilizer, it must be diluted 1:10.

Greenhouse processing

Can be used in greenhouses The same compositions are used as in open ground, but the specific growing conditions must be taken into account. Indoors, a constant microclimate is maintained and the soil is not completely refreshed, so if the recommendations for preparing medicinal products are not followed, acidification can occur. To avoid this, pre-watering is recommended before applying fertilizer.

The solution concentration is reduced by 50% compared to open ground. This means that while it's recommended to dilute all solutions 1:10 when watering a garden bed, it's 1:20 in a greenhouse. Before applying root dressings, water with a hose, let them sit for 3-5 minutes, and then apply fertilizer using a long-spout watering can. Apply cucumbers to greenhouses in the morning to ensure proper ventilation. Temperatures drop in the evening, so it's not recommended to leave the greenhouse windows open for long periods.

Be careful - serum!

The above-described methods for treating and curing cucumbers are safe for people and pets. Cucumbers can be eaten skin-on within one day of the preventative and curative treatments; simply rinse. However, it's important to remember that overdosing can negatively impact cucumber development. Consider not only the potential for soil acidification but also the risk of damaging leaves or stems when spraying in direct sunlight.

If a soapy film remains on the fruit, scrub the surface with a brush. However, treating the fruit with a solution containing adhesion enhancers and reducing the frequency of treatment is not recommended during fruiting.

It's best to let the water used to dilute the mixtures settle. Ideally, let it sit in the sun to warm up, but a greenhouse will do. Avoid washing your hands in the prepared mixture after gardening, as this can introduce fungal spores. Since all products are used after preparation, the effectiveness of the treatment will be reduced. The viability of pathogenic microorganisms on the plant is supported by the additional introduction of pathogenic flora.

It's best to make your own whey. Store-bought whey is pasteurized before sale, virtually eliminating the live lactic acid bacteria. Furthermore, store-bought products often contain preservatives. The benefits of such a product are minimal.

When spraying, adjust the spray nozzle to produce a mist of water. Strain the liquid to prevent clogging the sprayer. This ensures even coverage of all plant parts, preventing drips or water accumulation in the internodes. Apply the spray to both sides of the leaves and to a 50 cm (20 in) radius around the plant. If additional compost is being added, apply it with a shovel or by regular watering, 50 cm (20 in) away from the stem. Three times a season for preventative treatment and once every 10-14 days for curative treatment.

Reviews

Elena, 21 years old, Yaroslavl:

I'm an inexperienced gardener, and I had to take care of the cucumbers unexpectedly when my mom went on vacation. When the leaves started turning white, a neighbor suggested spraying them. I did, without diluting the serum. Miracle! The plants survived, and my parents were happy.

Olga Valentinovna, 56 years old, Kaliningrad:

I didn't like any of the methods my neighbors recommended. I once tried using milk to treat my plants, but instead of a white coating on the leaves, I ended up with a swarm of insects. I had to resort to chemicals.

Vitaly Vladimirovich, 72 years old, p. Kalinovka:

My neighbors told me I was spending a lot of money on fertilizer. Water my cucumber beds with whey, iodine, and honey; they'll grow much better and you'll get a bigger harvest. I listened and was very pleased.

Irina, 32 years old, Orel:

I'm a lazy gardener. I see my neighbors burying their garden beds, so I decided to try composting with whey. The results were amazing, even though I didn't apply it every two weeks as recommended, but only twice over the summer. Next year, I'll make more of my own fertilizer.