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Cucumbers belong to the cucurbitaceous family and so they naturally contain the chemical compounds known as cucurbitacin B and cucurbitacin C which makes the cucumber leaves bitter. Cucurbitacin is contained in the leaves, stems and roots of the plant which humans do not eat. In certain conditions, these compounds move into the fruits and then we are able to detect their bitter taste when we eat them. In most occasions, the bitter taste is concentrated at the stem ends and the areas right under the skin of the fruit. Another reason besides the natural/genetic factor which could cause cucumber fruits to taste bitter is the environmental factor; such as stress experienced by the cucumber plant while growing. The following environmental factors are reason the reasons why your cucumber fruit is bitter:
- Insufficient nutrients.
Insufficient nutrients in the soil also known as Lean soil could lead to cucumbers becoming bitter. Cucumbers are known to be heavy feeders and so require soils rich in nutrients, this is why organic manure is usually added to the soil to enhance the soil nutrients, when there is a lack of nutrients in the soil, this causes cucumber plant to be stressed as a result of trying to maintain the little nutrient available, giving you bitter tasting cucumber fruits, sufficient nutrients in the soil helps to produce less stressed cucumbers and subsequently better tasting cucumbers. It is also ideal to supply your cucumber plants with organic fertilizers weekly as supplements.
- Insufficient sun light/ Excess sunlight
Planting cucumbers in areas that do not receive enough sun light e.g. areas with taller trees that tend to shade the cucumber plant, have been known to produce bitter tasting cucumbers. So it is advised to plant in areas where sufficient sunlight is readily available to avoid getting the plant stressed. High or extreme temperatures can also lead to cucumber fruits tasting bitter due to heat stress, it has been discovered that the organic chemical cucurbitacin rises with a rise in temperature and so the fruits should not be completely exposed to the sunlight or harvested mid day when the temperature is high. Fluctuations between these high and low temperatures could also lead to stress and produce bitter cucumbers.
- Insufficient watering/uneven watering
Another reason for cucumbers turning bitter is insufficient watering or uneven watering. Keeping your cucumber plant well watered especially in very hot or dry seasons goes a long way to prevent bitter cucumbers, when a cucumber plant suffers a long period of hot dry weather without watering or supplying it with water irregularly, the alternating events of experiencing dryness and overwatering by cucumber plant could lead to stress causing the it to produce bitter fruits. To avoid this, ensure that you water your cucumber plant regularly and with sufficient water both mornings and evenings, also ensure that the water goes deep into the soil especially during dry seasons; drip irrigation is very suitable for this kind of watering, and also mulching planting areas helps conserve moisture thereby preventing dryness.