Cucumbers: planting and care in the open ground

Common cucumber is an annual plant of the pumpkin family. The name comes from the Greek language and means immature. In reference books on botany it refers to false berries, but according to a number of culinary characteristics it is defined as a vegetable. Caring for the bushes is simple, but following the proposed recommendations, you can get a rich harvest when planting in the open ground.

Cucumber: the secrets of growing

Each gardener has his own secrets to growing. Some use the seedling method, others sow seeds directly into the ground, they can be sprouted or dry. The first option is suitable for those who want to get a crop 2 weeks earlier.

In open ground conditions, cucumbers can be grown in several ways:

• Warm beds constructed from wooden planks or a bulk earthen rampart, inside of which are overheating organics. An increase in temperature is due to the release of carbon dioxide.
• Plants attached to trellises.
• Shelters made of film or material with and without a frame.
• In a barrel.
• In a heap of compost.
• Laying out on beds, such cultivation requires a sufficient amount of free land.

The features of this vegetable crop are: the need for water and proper irrigation of the beds, adequate lighting, warmth, garters for supports and organic fertilizers.

The choice of cucumber varieties for open ground

Before planting cucumbers, it is necessary to determine the variety, which should be selected according to these characteristics:

• The region in which the crop will be grown. Plants intended for cultivation in the south, in cold climatic zones will not accept and die.
• The term for receiving the first cucumbers: early for a short cool summer, and mid-season and late for a hot and long summer.
• An important factor will be self-pollination of bushes or the need for pollen-carrying insects.
• Purpose of using greens: for fresh consumption or preservation, as well as flavor characteristics and size of the fruit.
• Resistant to pest attacks, diseases and weather conditions.

The cultivation of hybrids on the site also has a big plus - long fruiting. However, it is impossible to obtain planting material from such plants, since in the next season the seeds do not reproduce the characteristics of the mother bush.

Varieties of cucumbers for open ground

When choosing a variety, it is necessary to remember that the early ones have a short fruiting period and are more susceptible to disease than later ones. The table will determine the planting of a hybrid based on the mass of cucumber and yield:

Seedling growing cucumbers

This method is suitable for regions with a cool and long spring. There are several advantages of pre-growing seedlings:

• allows you to get an early harvest in late spring - in May;
• young cucumbers fall into the ground after return frosts and you can not be afraid of low soil temperatures;
• it is easier to inspect the seedlings, and to fertilize at home.

However, like any other, the seedling method has its drawbacks:

• The growing process is quite long and laborious. It is necessary to pre-process planting material and prepare a nutritious soil mixture.
• Bushes obtained in this way quickly cease to bear fruit and completely dry by the middle of summer.

Site selection and soil preparation

For the cultivation of cucumbers, you should choose a sunny area, with the access of light protected from drafts and cold wind. When planting, it is imperative to observe crop rotation; you can plant a plant in one place once every 4 years. It is best to place this vegetable crop after pepper, tomatoes, cabbage, onions or garlic.

The optimal soil for growing is neutral or slightly acidic pH 5-7. Alkaline environment is not suitable for planting, as it affects the yield.

Before growing, you need to prepare the bed in advance in the autumn period:

• dig the soil;
• add compost, humus or manure, and additionally potassium and superphosphate;
• instead of organic, also use mineral fertilizer: ammonium nitrate and urea.

You can build a warm bed on the site, for this it is necessary to make a platform about 1 m wide from decayed parts of plants and land, and lay hay on the sides. When the height is equal to 20 cm, you can proceed to the formation of the side, a mulle is perfect for this. The edge of the structure must be raised by 60 cm, and in the middle add fertile soil or humus. Then cover the structure with a film and wait 3-4 days. If straw was used, it must first be poured with boiling water, and then covered.

Landing in seeds and seedlings

In order for a vegetable crop to please an abundant harvest, planting in the ground must be carried out according to the rules. The homeland of the cucumber is the tropics and subtropics of India, this suggests that humidity and temperature become important parameters. The earth should be sufficiently warmed up, the minimum values ​​are + 10 ... +12 ° C, and the air up to + 14 ° C. Optimal: + 24 ... +28 ° C, and the maximum allowable value for growth and development is + 30 ° C, so it is also not recommended to tighten with seeding in the soil.

Seeds are usually used dry, without soaking or sprouting. However, it is important to disinfect: with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate, chlorhexidine, brilliant green or purchase the drug Fitosporin. Sunflower seeds have a long shelf life: 5-6 years, and it is better to use already lying 3-4 seasons. It is necessary to close it to the ground to a depth of 2 cm. For comfortable growth, the distance between the seedlings should be at least 50 cm. If the bushes are planted more often, weak ones must be removed.

If planting by seedling is chosen, it is better to calculate the time of sowing seeds, because the sprouts can grow and stretch or, conversely, it is not enough to get stronger by the time of transfer to the garden. Optimum seedling age: 20-25 days. In the South, this should be done in May, and in the middle lane in early June, after warming up the land and the absence of frost.

Before transshipment to a permanent place, cucumbers need to be prepared, for this, the day before the procedure, stop wetting the soil. If necessary, transport containers tightly in a box. If it’s cool outside, you can put a bottle of warm water between the cups for heating.

On the beds, you need to loosen the soil and dig holes with a depth equal to the volume of the container in which the seedlings are located. Before moving the bushes, the pits must be shed, however, excess fluid will adversely affect rooting. When transplanting, cucumbers must be carefully removed from the glasses, it is necessary to do this with a lump of earth, so as not to damage the delicate root system. You can not pull the top, you can break the seedling. It is not necessary to deeply dig into the substrate, and it is better to plant vigorous specimens under a slight slope. The maximum allowable depth is 1-2 cm.

The adaptation time in the soil is 5-6 days, the leaves should straighten and the stems straighten. If the bushes look weak, initial top dressing is applied. With temperature changes, several days young plants can be covered with material or film.

Features of cucumber care in the open ground

Caring for cucumbers in the open ground is quite simple and consists of forming a bush, timely fertilizing and watering. If you approach this responsibly, you can get healthy bushes and good fruiting.

Watering

Cucumbers are a culture that loves abundant and regular watering, however, in heavy rains and roots, plants can be prone to root rot. To avoid diseases, it is necessary to stop moistening the soil at temperatures below +15 ° C, it is better to simply loosen the ground between the bushes. Due to the risk of disease, you should try not to get liquid on the green of the plant.

The best water is the rainwater in it with the most oxygen and useful nutrients, it is necessarily warm, the temperature is + 22 ... +25 ° C. Watering cold is not recommended, because of this, the bushes grow more slowly, poorly formed and ovaries fall. The best time for moistening the soil is late evening.

However, with a lack of fluid, not only the bushes and the root system suffer, this affects the appearance and taste of the fruits. They grow small and become bitter.

Those gardeners who cannot regularly visit summer cottages, but want to provide vegetables with everything necessary for growth, should build an irrigation device from plastic bottles. The advantages of the method are its availability, ease of manufacture and repair. In a container filled with water, an awl or a needle, make 3-4 holes with a diameter of 1-2 mm at a distance of 2 cm from the bottom. Bury the container in the ground, leaving a lid on the surface through which you can add fluid as it empties.

Top dressing

Top dressing is an important part of cucumber care. For the entire vegetation period, it is necessary to fertilize 3-4 times so as not to be mistaken, this should be done according to this scheme:

• After adapting the seedlings, to improve the soil and make diluted manure at a rate of 2: 1, to defend for 5 days. For healthy bushes per bucket of 5 liters, and for the weak per liter.
• The second time when buds and ovaries are formed, they are fed with the same composition to which potassium and phosphorus can be added.
• During the period of active fruit formation: 1 tbsp of ash per 1 m. Also, make every 10 days a solution of mullein with the addition of nitroammophoski: 1 tbsp. l 10 liters

Fertilizers for soil alternate with foliar. Well sprayed with urea, from which you need to make a solution: 1 tsp. on 10 l of water. This will greatly help cucumbers during the period of building the green crown. However, it is necessary to be in time with such processing before the appearance of flowers. From yellowing of sheet plates, diluted soda will help: 0.5 tbsp. l for 5 liters

Formation

Correction of bushes is an important part of caring for cucumbers, this prevents plants from many diseases, and also positively affects the ripeness of greenhouses. The most convenient way to grow is to tie lashes to wooden trellises with rare cells. Designs look very decorative in the garden and provide access to all plants and easy care. Each bush needs to remove the lower leaf plates and shoots, the upper part can be left.

If pegs or cords are used as a support, then the cucumber is grown in one stalk, and all side lashes are removed.

An important point is - pinching, the fruiting and life expectancy of each bush depends on them. So that the plant is not too tall, and the cucumbers ripen faster on the side-running shoots, you need to remove the growth points. With proper adjustment, the bush should look like a long stalk with short lashes extending from it. Manifesting small fruits in the region of 3-4 leaves also break off, because they inhibit the formation of a large number of ovaries.

Harvesting

It is necessary to collect cucumbers once every 2 days, when they reach the optimum size for this variety, and do not store on the bushes. The most suitable watch is morning, so the green leaves do not fade and remain elastic for a long time. Do not tear off the fruits from the whip with your hands, but cut off with scissors or a sharp knife. Shoots should not be often turned over, leaf plates should look up.

Diseases and Pests

Every season, when growing cucumbers, gardeners encounter pests and the first signs of disease. Not only the future harvest, but also the plant's health sometimes depends on timely treatment. The table below will help identify the cause and find an effective solution.

Mr. Dachnik advises: recommendations for growing cucumbers

In order for the harvest to be plentiful, and caring for the plant does not cause inconvenience, there are several more tricks:

• The most convenient way to grow is vertical. Weed control is minimized by just mulching the soil.
• During fruiting, the bushes may not support the weight of the cucumbers and break, in order to avoid this, additional support is required.
• Wooden pegs can start to rot if moisture gets on them. To avoid this, the ends before placing them in the ground are treated with a solution of salt with gasoline per 1 liter of 200 g, and the upper part with 5% copper sulfate.
• If there is a lot of sunlight in the selected area, you can plant high crops such as sunflower or corn. When they grow up, stalks of cucumbers planted on their sides can be attached to them.
• Strong, non-sagging two-wire wires are perfect for tying shoots to the rods.
• From long rains the bushes will be protected by a stretched plastic film. And from the cold will protect the soft material with which you can hide the trellis with plants attached to them.
• For small gardens, constructions of bicycle wheels and metal pipes are suitable. In this case, the lashes are attached to the rim or knitting needles through one in a circle.
• Instead of ordinary water, irrigate acidified water. Add apple cider vinegar to the well-kept or rain, for 200 liters 1.5 tbsp is enough.

Growing cucumbers in a summer cottage is a troublesome but fascinating activity. With the right choice of variety and consistent observance of the rules for caring for this crop, you can get a rich harvest of delicious fruits without bitterness.

Watch the video: How to Grow Cucumbers - Complete Growing Guide (May 2024).