Soil temperature for planting cucumbers in open ground

For growing cucumbers, gardeners usually select a well-lit area that is protected from the north, as well as from the prevailing winds. Around the selected area, "backstage" is set up, which can serve as potatoes, sunflowers, corn, beans and even hemp. All these tall and fast growing crops are able to provide a suitable microclimate in the area where cucumbers are grown.

Planting cucumbers in open ground

Planting cucumbers in open ground can be carried out both with the help of seeds and with the help of seedlings. Let's consider the features of each of the methods in more detail.

Growing cucumbers

What points should you take care of?

If you are going to grow cucumbers, you must take into account a number of important nuances based on the characteristics of this crop. In a word, work should be approached comprehensively, without missing anything.

Table. Requirements for growing cucumbers

Temperature	Cucumber is a thermophilic crop, so it should be planted when the temperature of the topsoil is at least 13-15 ° C. But, which is characteristic, the cucumber does not like too high a temperature - if this figure rises above 28 ° C, then development may stop.
Food	The area for cucumbers must first be fertilized with chicken droppings, manure or mullein. This will not only provide plants with nutrients, but also disinfect the soil from pathogens of many diseases.
Humidity	The culture needs a permanent moisture regime. With a moisture deficit, the leaves will darken and become fragile, and the plants themselves will be under stress. Excessive watering is also harmful - there will be less oxygen in the soil, due to which the foliage will turn pale, and the development of lashes and greens will noticeably decrease. When watering, water should not be cold (otherwise the ability of the roots to absorb will deteriorate), but have a temperature of about 18 ° C. The ideal soil moisture is 80% (at 30% cucumbers wither).
Lighting	The culture described in the article represents plants with a short daylight hours, so it is better to grow it in mid-late summer.Despite the fact that the cucumber is light and thermophilic, it only needs 10-12 hours of photoperiod per day.

Special attention should be paid to the root system. In our case, it is superficial, so the vegetable needs a structured soil with high humidity and good oxygen access. The root of the cucumber (and this is about 1.5% of the total mass of the plant), being only 5 cm from the surface, can deepen by a maximum of 40 cm.In this regard, it is impossible to loosen the ground around the cucumber, since each such procedure leads to injury roots, and recovery takes more than 7 days. Therefore, instead of loosening and weeding, you need to resort to mulching, the introduction of organic fertilizing and the preliminary planting of suitable predecessors.

Mulching cucumbers

The latter include:

• salad;
• tomatoes;
• cabbage;
• potato;
• siderates;
• peas.

Unacceptable predecessors are carrots, beans, as well as all melons (they have common diseases with cucumber).

Crop rotation scheme

How to plant cucumbers in open soil

Having familiarized yourself with all the features, you can proceed directly to planting. The procedure is not complicated, but some important nuances still take place.

Growing cucumbers in the open field

So, the work traditionally should begin with the preparation of the site.

Stage one. Preparing the soil

Planting should begin with site selection and preparation. This is one of the most important stages, since the cucumber, as we have already found out, is photophilous and responds well to fertile soil. For this reason, it is better to organize the beds from north to south, and apply organic fertilizing under the previous crop, or, alternatively, fertilize the soil before planting a cucumber.

Fertilizers for cucumbers

The optimal fertilizer in our case is cow dung. Under the previous crops, it should be applied rotten (approximate consumption 5 kg / m²), and before planting - in the form of a solution (1 part of manure should be diluted in 5 parts of water). In the absence of manure, it is quite possible to use chicken droppings (stir in a ratio of 1:20) or any complex mineral fertilizing.

Mineral fertilizers

The importance of observing the dosage of the applied fertilizers

Note! Most suitable for cucumbers are warm beds over 20 cm in height. The organic "pillow" located inside such a bed will not only provide cucumbers with useful elements, but also warm the roots and saturate them with carbon dioxide.

Warm bed device

How to make warm beds

How to make biological heating correctly

Stage two. Planting cucumbers in open soil

According to many, a high yield of cucumber is possible only when grown in seedlings. But if the climate in your region is mild enough, then the seeds can be sown directly to the beds. However, in fairness, consider both methods.

Method one. Using seeds

Cucumber seeds

It is better to sow seeds in several stages, otherwise you can lose money with the timing (for example, the cold can unexpectedly return). In addition, this simple move will allow you to extend the fruiting period. Sowing can start in mid-May and finish in mid-June. You should not do this later, since the summer heat and long daylight hours are not the most favorable conditions for the development of culture.

Sow seeds in a few steps

Step 1. You should start with the preparation of planting material. Today, there are not only varieties that are regionalized for specific regions, but also hybrids that are more resistant to diseases. It is better to give preference to hybrids - this will allow you to get rid of unnecessary worries and significantly increase yields.

No less important are the ripening times (cucumbers can be early, mid and late ripening) and the specific purpose of the variety (for salads, for pickling, universal).

Note! If the purpose is not indicated on the package, then you need to look at the photo: vegetables intended for fresh consumption have white pimples, and those that are suitable only for conservation are dark.

Bee-pollinated hybrids and varieties of cucumbers for open ground

Also note that the seeds must be at least 2 years old. This is explained by an increase in the germination of seeds of all melons during storage (the optimal age is up to 6 years, by the 9th year the grains are already unsuitable for sowing).

Step 2. Before sowing, the selected seeds need to be warmed up for 2 hours at a temperature of 60 ° C (seedlings will turn out to be more friendly, and fruiting will come earlier).

Pre-sowing seed heating

Then you need to stand for 12 hours in a solution consisting of the following components:

• manganese sulfate (0.2 g);
• potassium nitrate (10 g);
• superphosphate (5 g);
• water (1 l).

Seed soaking

Disinfection

Treatment with biostimulants

Then the seeds are dried and sown.

Step 3. In the prepared area, furrows with a depth of 2 cm should be made in 50 cm increments. The seeds are placed in these furrows with a distance of 3-4 cm from each other. Average consumption - 50 g of grains per 10 m². If the soil is dry, then it must be watered before sowing, and the seeds should be sprinkled with humus, peat or loose earth with sawdust.

Sowing treated cucumber seeds outdoors

Sowing cucumber seeds

Step 4. It remains only to look around: if there are bird nests next to the site, then the bed needs to be thrown with brushwood, it is also advisable to put wind rattles and a stuffed animal. So birds do not peck young shoots.

Video - Sowing cucumbers in the beds

Method two. With the help of seedlings

Cucumbers can be planted on the site and seedlings. For this, seedlings are cultivated on a well-lit windowsill: in early May, the grains are sown in pots 10x10 cm or 8x8 cm in size, which are installed in boxes. Approximate consumption - 16-18 plants for each 1 m².

Method of planting cucumber seedlings in sawdust

Unfolding cucumber seeds

Particular attention should be paid to the substrate - it must be prepared from sawdust (25-30%) and peat (70-75%). First, 20 g of ammonium nitrate should be added to each bucket of sawdust, then mix the components and keep them in this form for at least 2 days. Then they are mixed with peat, potassium nitrate (8-10 g) is added. All this is mixed and aged for 2 weeks (during this time, the mixture must be mixed several times). The finished substrate is poured into pots and watered.

Holes 1 cm deep are made in the wet substrate, grains are placed in them (prepared as in the previous method, 1 for each pot) and sprinkled. The box is covered with a film that must be removed after the first shoots appear. It is not necessary to water the seedlings if the humidity in the greenhouse is somewhere around 80%. As for room conditions, here the air is drier, so watering must be done 2 or 3 times during the growing season.

Create greenhouse conditions

First shoots

7 days before transplanting, the seedlings are hardened, that is, they are accustomed to natural conditions. The first time it needs to be taken out into the fresh air in the evening, the second time - at lunchtime (always shading). On other days, the seedlings can remain open. The pots should be watered several times 24 hours before transplanting.

Cucumber sprout

The transplant should be done on a sunny day at an air temperature of 25 ° C. The soil temperature will be around 25-30 ° C thanks to the hot manure. The distance between shoots in a row should vary within 12-14 cm. What is typical, only the roots should be covered with soil. If the planting depth is too deep, there is a risk of root rot development.

Planting cucumber seedlings in open ground

Note! Further care is almost the same for both methods. However, with seedlings growing, the fruits will ripen 14 days earlier than with seed.

Video - Planting cucumber seedlings in open soil

Stage three. Further care

Growing cucumbers, care

In the first days after transplanting (in the case of growing by seeds - immediately after the appearance of the first shoots), special attention should be paid to soil moisture and the condition of the plants. If in the daytime the leaves wither, then in the evening the beds need to be watered, and the water temperature should be 20-25 ° C (approximate consumption is about 1.5 l / m²). When the plants close, they thin out (2-3 times in total) by removing the weakest seedlings. Leave 5-15 cm between the plants. In parallel with thinning, you should carefully loosen the soil and weed the beds. Subsequently, loosening must be stopped when the cucumbers grow to the middle of the row spacing, otherwise the root system can be damaged. It is also necessary to spread the developing plants evenly over the ground.

In the photo, cucumber lashes

Flowering will begin in 30-45 days (or earlier if the cucumbers are grown in seedlings), depending on the specific variety. When fruiting begins, the abundance of watering should be increased to about 3 l / m², and it should be watered almost daily (except for cloudy days).

In the photo, drip irrigation organized on the garden bed

Watering cucumbers in the garden

Top dressing is not required, provided the soil has been properly tilled. But if a low temperature is observed for more than a week, then the foliage may turn pale. To restore color, in this case, the leaves must be treated with any nitrogen fertilizer (for example, the same urea), while the consumption should be 7-10 g per bucket of water. This procedure is performed using a whisk or a hand sprayer, but always in the evening, otherwise the sun's rays can burn through the leaves through the droplets of solution that have covered them.

Spraying cucumbers

The collection of zelents is carried out in the morning.

Harvest of cucumbers

As a conclusion. Breeding features

If the selected variety gave a really good harvest, then it is advisable to collect seeds from it. To this end, a certain number of large fruits (maximum 3 per bush) are left on several plants and allowed to ripen. But it should be remembered that this procedure is only acceptable for real varieties. The fact is that hybrid cultures are incapable of repeating the mother culture from the grains, which means that it is pointless to leave them for breeding.

Spiny gherkins

How to collect cucumber seeds

Cucumber - belongs to the Pumpkin family (Cucurbitaceae), it is the most common vegetable crop, both in our region and around the world. You can grow cucumbers by seed and seedling methods, in greenhouse conditions and in the open field. Protection of the cucumber from diseases will make it possible to preserve a large amount of the crop.

Optimal conditions for growing cucumbers:

• light and humus-rich soils;
• return to the previous place after 5 years;
• the best predecessors: tomato, peas, potatoes (early) and corn;
• the worst are all members of the Pumpkin family;
• soil temperature not less than 14 ºС;
• air temperature 25 - 30 ºС;
• a sufficient amount of soil moisture;
• sufficient potassium nutrition;
• the right amount of carbon dioxide in the air.

Growing cucumbers - sowing

Sprouts of cucumbers

You can plant cucumbers, like tomatoes, in two ways - seedling and reckless.

Seedlings prepared a month before planting. The seeds can be held in front of warm heating devices - this stimulates faster germination, friendly germination and a decrease in the number of barren flowers. After that, they must be disinfected. In greenhouse conditions, you can prepare a mixture of garlic pulp, with the calculation of 30 g of pulp per 100 ml of water. In such a mixture, the seed is kept for an hour. To accelerate germination, the seeds are soaked in a nutrient solution of nitrophoska and ash.in such conditions, the seeds are kept for up to 12 hours, after which they are washed with warm water and dried at a temperature of +20 ºС. It is important to make sure that the seeds swell and only hatch, but no more.

In the soil, seeds are planted with sufficient warming up - from 14 ºС and above, because the cucumber does not tolerate low temperatures very well. With this method of growing, you can get products much faster than with non-seedling. For example, when growing cucumber seedlings in film greenhouses from the second decade of May, the crop can be harvested at the end of June.

But it is important to remember that there should be 2-4 leaves on the seedlings and its age should be 2-3 weeks.

When sowing directly seeds, take into account the temperature of the soil - at a low temperature, the seeds will simply rot. Sowing depth - 2 cm. The number of plants per 1 m2 - 5-7 pieces. When using the non-seedling method, cucumber plants have a stronger root system, but they bear fruit for several weeks longer.

Growing cucumbers indoors

Cucumbers in the greenhouse

The best soil for growing cucumber seedlings in greenhouses will be a soil mixture consisting of 1 part of sawdust, peat, humus and sod land, and 6 parts of peat taken. Nevertheless, the cucumber is not whimsical enough to the variety of soil.

Further, beds are formed in greenhouses. For the prevention of diseases, it is recommended to treat them with copper sulfate a day before sowing or planting seedlings (the approximate consumption of vitriol is 1 teaspoon per 10 liters of boiling water).

Before sowing / planting itself, holes are made in the beds, 4 cm deep at a distance of 60 cm from each other. Seeds are sown in holes and sprinkled with earth, the seedlings are placed vertically and the earth is tamped around.

The area where cucumbers are grown must always be free of weeds. After the first 3 weeks after sowing, loosening is carried out by 2-4 cm. With the further course of the growing season, loosening is carried out every week.

When 5 or 6 leaves appear on the plants, pinch the main stem. This technological operation is carried out in order to increase the number of branches and female flowers, which inevitably leads to an increase in yield.

Growing cucumbers in the open field

With this cultivation of cucumbers, the initial stage of agricultural work will be tillage. The best options are loams of varying granulometric composition. But, as mentioned above, the cucumber is quite unpretentious in the choice of soil.

Soil cultivation begins immediately after harvesting the predecessor. First, disking or stubble cultivation is carried out to a depth of 8 - 10 cm. Then in the fall - autumn plowing with the simultaneous introduction of the main doses of organic and mineral fertilizers. In early spring, it will not be superfluous to harrow to close the moisture.

When growing cucumber, there are several schemes for planting cucumber plants - single-row and tape. The choice of this or that method depends on the preferences of the manufacturer. The sowing depth on light soils is 3-4 cm, on heavy soils a little less - 2-3 cm.

Growing cucumbers - watering

It is cucumbers that are one of the most moisture-demanding vegetable crops. After all, the fruit of a cucumber is 95% water.

In the summer period, which corresponds to the active growth and development of plants, the amount of water used for irrigation must necessarily be sufficient.

Watering is carried out every week before flowering, and every 4 days during fruiting. Water is used soft and warm. Low temperatures are fatal for a cucumber.

In modern agriculture, when growing cucumber, drip irrigation is widely used - both in greenhouses and in the open field. With this irrigation technique, water flows directly to the root system, which greatly increases the speed of plant development. Plus this is also from the economic side - water costs for irrigation are significantly reduced.

Drip irrigation is often carried out along with fertilizing, launching nutrient mixtures along with water.

Growing Cucumbers - Fertilization System

As with most vegetables, in order to grow a good harvest of cucumber, the presence of organic matter in the soil is important. In autumn, organic fertilizers are applied in an amount of about one and a half ton per hectare.

To obtain the best effect, it is better to apply mineral fertilizers in early spring, moreover, this will save money. Usually, mineral fertilizers are applied 3 weeks before sowing or planting seedlings. There should be at least 10 g of nitrogen, 12 g of phosphorus and 12 g of potassium per 1 m2.

If you want to grow a high yield of cucumber, you should know that the cucumber is very picky about feeding, therefore, when growing a cucumber, additional feeding is very necessary. In the best case, there should be at least 5-6 times during the entire growing season. Otherwise, the cucumbers immediately begin to hurt, change so that the presentation is completely lost. In addition, the quality of the grown products is greatly reduced.

First feeding for cucumbers closed ground spend 2 weeks after planting. This is a root dressing for which you can use both organic and mineral components. There are several options:

1. 4-5 g of ammophos is scattered on 1 m2 and covered while loosening the soil;
2. for 10 liters of water, 1 tablespoon of urea and 60 g of superphosphate is taken;
3. organic feeding with slurry, concentration with water 1: 8;
4. fresh chicken manure in a 1: 5 ratio with water.

Second feeding carried out with the beginning of flowering plants:

1. root - 10 liters of water are mixed with 10 g of potassium magnesium and an extract of 40 g of superphosphate;
2. foliar - 2 tablespoons of superphosphate per 10 liters of water;
3. root - a glass of ash for 10 liters of water.

Cucumbers are fed for the third time during the fruiting period. The options are as follows:

1. root - 50 g of urea is taken for 10 liters of water;
2. foliar - 1 tablespoon of urea is taken for 10 liters of water;
3. root - 2 teaspoons of "Gum" per 10 liters of water.

The fourth time the cucumbers are fed for maximum benefit from the harvest.

1. Root - 1 tablespoon of soda is spent on 10 liters of water.
2. Foliar - 10-15 g of urea should be taken for 10 liters of water.
3. Foliar - spraying the aboveground part of cucumbers with hay infusion (1: 1 to water).

In greenhouse conditions, the types of dressings can be alternated with each other. That is, you can start with mineral, the next will be organic, or vice versa. It is best to feed the plants after watering to avoid damaging the leaves and other organs.

When growing cucumber inopen ground, they are fed immediately after planting in the soil. For this, a solution of superphosphate, ammonium nitrate, potassium salt and potassium chloride is used. After 2 weeks, organic feeding is carried out.

In principle, in the open field, the amount of dressing is slightly less than in the closed one. Their number depends on external factors of development. If the cucumbers are lagging behind in growth, seemingly underdeveloped, then they need fertilizers.

You can use the same schemes as for greenhouse plants.

If, when growing a cucumber, it lacks minerals, then the fruits are deformed. If the fruit resembles a small pear, it means that there is a deficiency of potassium in the diet. In case of tip whitening, there is not enough nitrogen supply.

Growing cucumbers - harvesting

Cucumbers in boxes

When growing a cucumber, the crop is harvested several times, since cucumbers are that tweed of vegetables that bears fruit more than once during the growing season. You need to harvest immediately when the fruits reach the desired size. For different purposes, different fruits are needed - for preservation, salting and eating.

During the period of mass fruiting, the crop is harvested every 2 days. Otherwise, they outgrow and become so-called yellows. In addition to collecting the finished ripe products, all diseased and crippled fruits should be removed to prevent mass infection and death of plants.Harvesting is an important part of growing cucumbers.

Protection against pests and diseases of cucumbers

The most common pests on cucumbers are spider mites, melon aphids, ants, slugs and whiteflies.

To combat insects, cucumber plants are sprayed with insecticides. When growing cucumbers, pests can cause great harm and result in large crop losses.

Insecticides to protect cucumbers from pests:

1. Inta-Vir, vrt (d.v. cypermethrin 3.75%) - used against whiteflies and aphids in the amount of 1.5 liters per 10 m2
2. Slaked lime and ash are a reliable means of protection against ants.
3. Metaldehyde, granulant (a.i. polyacetaldehyde, 6%) - used for the extermination of slugs in the area with a consumption of 15 g per 50 m2.

Of the diseases, cucumbers are most often affected by their mushroom species. For example: Alternaria, Anthracnose, White Rot, Cladosporium, Peronosporosis. Bacterial - bacteriosis of leaves, viral - viral mosaic.

Recommended fungicides for cucumber protection:

1. Trichodermin p. (ae: culture fluid containing spores and mycelium of the antagonist fungus Trichoderma lignorum, as well as biologically active substances produced by the culture of the fungus in the process of industrial cultivation).
Apply:

• against gray, white, root rot, fusarium, alternaria, wilting, bacteriosis, powdery mildew (80 ml per 10 l of water).
• Presowing seed treatment. Consumption rate: 20 ml of preparation / kg of seeds.
• Adding to the nutrient mixture at sowing. Consumption rate: 2 ml of preparation / pot.

2. Quadris, sc (d.v. azaxistrobin, 250 g / l) Used against powdery mildew, peronosporosis. The drug is used only in a system with other fungicides. Spraying during the growing season with 0.04–0.06% working solution: before flowering; after flowering with an interval of 14-16 days.

3. Ridomil Gold MC, v.d. (d.v. Mancozeb + Mefenoxam, 640 + 40 g / kg) It is used against late blight and Alternaria with a consumption rate of 2.5 l / ha, with a working fluid flow rate of 300-500 l / ha.

Fungicide Ridomil Gold MC, v.d. apply 2-3 times per season, with an interval of 10-14 days only for the first treatments.

4. Planriz - biological product (d.v. Pseudomonas fluorescens strain AP-33). It is effective against helminthosporium rot, powdery mildew, brown rust, spots, late blight of potatoes, gray and fruit rot on fruit and berry crops, black leg, mucous and vascular bacteriosis of cabbage, has a biostimulating effect.

5. Topaz, C.E. (a.v. penconazole, 100 g / l). Recommended against powdery mildew. 3 treatments are carried out during the growing season with a consumption of 2 ml / 10 liters of water.

To prevent the spread of diseases and pests, you should:

• remove plant residues;
• process the soil;
• maintain a favorable microclimate;
• disinfect greenhouses;
• process and dress seeds.

Growing cucumbers - productive varieties and hybrids

For indoor use: Spring, Zozulya, Evita, Patti, Korolek; Prestige.

For open ground: Farmer, Othello, Leandro, Regina, Evita.

Cucumber 54 cm long (grown in a greenhouse)

In this material, we will look at how to plant cucumbers in open ground, how to properly care for this crop in order to harvest good harvests throughout the season.

Planting timing and soil preparation

Cucumber is a rather capricious crop that requires careful attention, adherence to all planting and growing rules. Only in this case, you can get a good harvest, prevent the appearance of various diseases, and minimize problems caused by unfavorable factors.

Cucumbers require careful maintenance.

It is very important, first of all, to comply with the landing dates. Since this culture is thermophilic, then plant cucumber seeds (if we are talking about a greenhouse) in a heated ground. If you immediately decided to plant cucumbers with seeds in open ground, then work should be started no earlier than the first days of June - during this period the earth will already be warmed up.

Before proceeding with the direct landing, a number of preparatory work should be carried out. So, before planting, you need to loosen the soil well, add additives. Be sure to treat the soil with copper sulfate, as this will disinfect the soil. Also add superphosphate and ash to the garden bed.And all the work needs to be done in the fall.

In the spring, before planting seeds, you need to loosen the soil again. By the way, the preparation of the land in the greenhouse is carried out in the same way.

How to prepare seeds correctly?

Seed treatment is another important activity, without which it will be quite difficult to get a good harvest. For example, for planting cucumbers in open ground, it is better not to use seeds grown last year - it is best to take older ones, for example, collected two years before planting. In this case, seed germination will be better, and the harvest will be more abundant and large.

It is also important to prepare the seeds themselves - some gardeners, however, avoid these procedures, because they do not want to waste time. But as practice shows, the preparation of planting material will improve germination, make the seedlings healthier.

For example, initially you need to sort out the grains, remove low-quality ones (for example, damaged, with dark spots, traces of mold). Then, for two hours, the grains are kept in water heated to +40 degrees. Additionally, you can process the seeds with a solution of potassium permanganate, which will minimize the risks of developing various diseases.

Recommendations for the correct planting of seedlings

It is best to plant seeds in the second half of April, be sure to cover the planting with foil or glass to create a "greenhouse effect", so that the seedlings will appear much faster. Seedlings grown in a glass or other container must be planted in a new place very carefully so as not to harm the root system. The soil for planting should be slightly moistened.

Also try to follow the correct planting scheme so that there is an interval of at least 50 cm between the plants. This will avoid the appearance of various diseases, and the seedlings themselves, with such a planting, will quickly take root in a new place.

Focus on climatic indicators when choosing planting dates. If the thermometer has a stable above zero temperature during the day, but frosts are possible at night, it is better to wait a week or two, and only after that carry out the landing. Otherwise, young seedlings may die.

By the way, when choosing a place for planting cucumbers, remember that the best predecessors of this culture are onions, cabbage, peppers and tomatoes, and potatoes.

How to grow cucumbers on trellises?

Cucumbers are very whimsical to the surrounding conditions: they easily get sick, therefore it is so important to regularly monitor the planted seeds or young seedlings, to prevent moisture stagnation in the container, which can provoke the development of rot.

And to increase the quantity and quality of the crop, many experienced gardeners recommend growing this crop using the trellis method, because in this case the stems will be arranged vertically.

Trellis will help to avoid fruit rotting.

Let's take a closer look:

1. Seedlings are planted, while pillars are installed in the center of each bed in advance (their height should be at least 2 meters).
2. We stretch fabric strips or a net between the posts - this way it will be more convenient for young cucumber stalks to grow.
3. We fasten the lower row at a height of about 15-18 cm from the ground, the second - at a height of at least 100 cm, the third - 200 cm.

By growing cucumbers in this way, you can achieve the distribution of lighting for each plant separately, you can also achieve uniform watering of the soil. But the main advantage of the trellis growing method is that the plants planted in this way will be less susceptible to various diseases, and the fruits themselves will be of better quality.

Early Harvest Tips & Techniques

Since cucumbers are a thermophilic crop, planting dates must be observed. And to speed up the ripening time, you can make small greenhouses in each garden bed.

Land preparation begins in March. Organic matter is added to the soil, for example, bird droppings or manure in a layer of 50 cm.The earth is laid on top and everything is watered abundantly. When the temperature inside the greenhouse reaches +25 degrees, seedlings can be planted. Due to such conditions, it is possible to achieve harmonious growth and rapid establishment of plants.

By the way, we recommend that you definitely use self-pollinated cucumber varieties with this growing method.

Rules for caring for cucumbers in the open field

Let's take a closer look at the main points of caring for this crop, which will allow you to get a truly large harvest of tasty and juicy cucumbers.

Watering Tips

Proper watering is incredibly important for the proper growth and fruiting of this crop. Lack of moisture will lead to a deterioration in the taste of the fruit - it is insufficient watering that leads to the fact that the cucumbers begin to taste bitter.

It should be remembered that watering affects the taste of the cucumbers.

The beds are usually watered once a week, but if the weather is too hot, the amount can be increased. Try to focus not only on the weather, but also on the condition of the soil, preventing it from drying out. Stop watering if it rains heavily. And in some cases, plantings generally need to be protected from precipitation, for example, drainage furrows are laid so that water does not stagnate in the soil, as this can lead to rotting of the root system.

It is best to water the beds in the morning or in the evening after sunset, while the water temperature should be around +20 ° C. When watering young plants, use about 10 liters of water for each square meter; for adult bushes, a similar volume is used for one bush.

Loosening and mulching

After watering, it is advisable to loosen the soil to a depth of about 5 cm, but this work must be carried out as carefully as possible so as not to damage the plant roots.

In addition, do not forget to mulch using manure, straw, polyethylene. You can also use black film, which is especially important in extreme heat, since in this case the soil temperature will be reduced by an average of several degrees.

Top dressing

Lack of nutrients can cause disease, crushing fruits, and deterioration in taste. Therefore, during the season, cucumbers must be fed. In total, you need to carry out about three dressings.

The first time fertilization should be applied after the shoots appear. In this case, you need to use mullein or chicken droppings (mix 1 kg of the product with 10 liters of water), add 200 g of ash and mineral fertilizers there:

• 50 g superphosphate;
• 15 g of urea and potassium sulfate.

When fruiting, the amount of nitrogen fertilizers should be doubled.

Try not to overdo it.

Foliar feeding is also helpful. For example, every three weeks, treat plant leaves with a mixture of:

• 5 g of ammonium nitrate and potassium sulfate;
• 10 g superphosphate;
• 10 liters of water.

Pinching and tying

As soon as more than 6 true leaves appear on young plants, you need to pinch the main stem over the fifth leaf. This will lead to branching of the bushes, the appearance of lateral stems, and an increase in yield.

Also, do not forget to tie the seedlings to trellises to avoid diseases.

A few secrets for growing cucumbers outdoors

There are several subtleties, the observance of which, when growing, will further facilitate the care of plants throughout their development.

For example, one of the main mistakes is loosening the soil. Theoretically, such work will enrich the earth with oxygen, but in practice this often leads to a violation of the root system, which grows very close to the soil surface. Therefore, it is best to use mulching, which is especially important if you have planted cucumbers in the garden using the Mittlider method.

How to properly plant and care for corn outdoors? We will tell you in our material.

Here you will learn all the practical tips for planting parsley and dill.

How to grow cauliflower and how to properly care for it? We will tell you about it here.

In addition, it is very important to prepare the site in advance. So, having collected the previous crop, clear the beds from plant debris, remove the layer of top soil (about 10 cm) or treat with a solution of copper sulfate. Dig up the ground again, and only after that you can start growing.

It is also worth remembering that healthy seedlings can only be grown in healthy and nutrient-rich soil - without fertilizers, it is impossible to get a good harvest. Therefore, when growing seedlings, you should definitely use ready-made mixtures. In addition to the main feeding, you must additionally use special preparations for processing.

There are also other important points:

1. Reduce male ovaries by pinching.
2. Reduce the amount of watering during the budding period.

Now you know how to properly plant cucumbers in open ground and how to care for the plantings so that they give a good harvest. But remember that you need to harvest every three weeks, because an untimely harvest will hold back the growth of a new crop.

Cucumbers will be an excellent addition to any table, even in the summer, even in the winter. Fresh salads, young juicy fruits in the heat, crispy, spicy gherkins from a jar in winter on New Year's holidays - there are many appetizers from cucumbers grown in a summer cottage.

Vegetables are planted by seeds in open ground, or seedlings are first grown in greenhouses and at home. Seeds and sprouts are planted in heated ground; for middle Russian latitudes, this time comes in late spring (in May) and early summer (in June).

Soil preparation

Humus lands are considered correct for the growth of a vegetable, but any types with good aeration and drainage characteristics are used. An ideal place for planting is where crops of cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins and squash (pumpkin group) did not bear fruit in previous years. The beds are prepared in advance by choosing a warm and well-lit place.

After harvest in the fall, they collect the remains of foliage and lashes, dig up the roots. Before the next digging of the earth, dolomite flour and superphosphate are scattered over the entire area of ​​the garden, the first substance is taken in a glass, and the second two spoons per 1 square, the fertilizer should penetrate into the ground by 15 centimeters.

Autumn digging is carried out to the depth of a shovel bayonet, at this time manure is introduced (one bucket is taken per square of the garden) and humus. In the following periods, organic matter is not introduced, minerals are used. For preventive spraying plots against pests on a bucket of water dissolve a spoonful of copper sulfate. A liter of the resulting liquid is sprayed on each square meter.

Same

During spring tillage, a bucket of manure, humus, old ripe sawdust from wood, peat per 1 square meter is introduced into it and dug into it with a bayonet in depth. After harrowing, water heated to 60˚C is poured with a rake at the rate of 6 liters per square. Alternatively, add 1 g of potassium permanganate or a spoonful of liquid sodium humate to a bucket of liquid.

A prepared and enriched garden bed for planting cucumbers in open ground is covered with polyethylene, cellophane or other waiting materials. Plant seeds or seedlings into the heated ground so that there is no frost on the soil. At the same time, it is allowed to plant dry seeds a little earlier, since the sprouted seedlings rot when the soil is cooled in late frosts.

There are two common options for planting cucumbers outdoors:

• seeds;
• seedlings.

Sowing in the ground

Planting cucumbers in open ground is quite common, the main rule is not to miss the planting time, since the seeds need time to germinate directly in the soil, and then form fruits. Delaying planting dates leads to late breakthrough of shoots, the formation of ovaries and a decrease in yield. This is due to the factthat by the end of summer, the intensity of the solar flux decreases and less cucumbers are harvested from each square meter by 1 kg for each overdue week before planting seeds.

Gardeners are independently engaged in the extraction of seeds from the fruit. After cutting the seed cucumbers with a knife, the seeds are taken out by hand and left to ferment for 5 days at an ambient temperature of 21-25 ° C in small plastic or plastic containers. The specified period is maintained correctly and do not exceed due to possible premature germination.

Every day, the seeds are stirred for the best separation from the mucous membrane, at the end of the term, the seed is washed. The upper part of the mass with floating seeds is removed, and the lower full-fledged seeds are washed in running water, then dried and poured into bags for storage.

Seed treatment

Painstaking work is carried out in the process of selecting full-weight seeds. High-quality material is treated with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate, then kept for 20 minutes in clean water at a temperature of 25 ° C to float up empty and low-quality seeds. Remaining good seeds can be planted in fresh soil or used for seedlings. Germination of seeds makes it possible to additionally sort out low-quality representatives.

If it is written on the pack with the seed that it cannot be soaked, then this is not done, since it is a foreign hybrid, and it is planted dry in a prepared bed. All other varieties are soaked in modern growth stimulants or in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Some gardeners successfully use aloe juice solution for soaking, which is at least two years old. The cut off leaf of the plant is placed in the refrigerator for 6-7 days, then juice is squeezed out onto the cooked seeds. If not enough, a small amount of raw water is added.

Germination takes place 12-14 hours before planting in the ground, warming up takes a little longer, for which the seeds are suspended in a gauze bag near a battery or other heating element. They must be at ambient temperature about 35 ° C to start the growth mechanism.

How to get a good harvest

The correct place for the garden is in a well-lit area not exposed to strong winds. It is recommended to plant tall corn stalks along the edges of the beds, leaving the southern direction open for heating. The air temperature for active growth is 26–31˚С, indicators below 15˚С lead to a slowdown in growth, and frost will destroy sprouts and seeds. When planting seed in the northern regions of Russia, a film coating is used in the first weeks or days.

For a large harvest different varieties are planted, which, in addition to the species pollinated by bees, also contain self-pollinated ones. The beds are located at a distance of a meter to 80 centimeters from each other. Before planting, water the soil using approximately 5 liters per square of area. The seeds are buried in the ground by 2 or 2.5 cm, and after the leaves appear on the sprouted sprouts, they are thinned out.

Thin the plantings until 15 cm between the bushes are formed in late ripening varieties or 10 cm in early ripeness cucumbers. To obtain a large number of ovaries pinching the tops of the sprouts - this will increase the number of female flowers. The diameter of the hole when disembarking is at least 25 centimeters. After placing the seeds in the ground, the garden is poured with hot water and ash is sprinkled on it, on a square in a glass.

Sometimes, for the growth of cucumber lashes, a trellis is made, on which branches are fixed. In this case, the distance between the holes is increased to 20 centimeters, and 3-5 seeds are placed in the hole. The seeds are not pre-germinated, but must be soaked. Professional gardeners they constantly thin out the crops so that strong plants develop under normal conditions, and weak ones do not interfere with them.

When thinning, weak shoots are cut with a knife or scissors, and not pulled out. This prevents the plant from receiving unnecessary stress and the root system of other specimens from one hole is not injured. In late varieties, pinch the upper bud so that ovaries and inflorescences appear sooner.

Growing from seedlings

The method of planting cucumbers in the beds in the form of ready-made seedlings is good because the crop ripens earlier due to the readiness of the sprouts for the period of heating the soil to the planting temperature. But the difficulty isthat the roots of cucumbers are fragile and can be injured during transplantation, and when grown, the bush can give improper development.

Seedlings are grown in peat pots, each sprout separately. This method allows you to place the shoots in the hole without injuring the roots, which grow freely through the walls of the pot, and it gradually dissolves in the soil, feeding the cucumber bush. When growing seedlings in large common containers, space is saved, but disturbed roots take root less well in the soil.

Not used for growing seedlings plastic containers from fermented milk products, since such bacteria are the worst enemies of cucumbers and cause root diseases in young seedlings. The porosity of the walls of peat pots allows organizing the correct air regime of the root space in the soil layer. Peat products do not contain toxic components and are mechanically strong in wet and dry conditions.

After placing the seeds in pots, they are placed on pallets and sand, soil and gravel are poured inside. The pots are watered, keeping the soil wet, preventing it from drying out. The pots are placed more freely after sprouting for the best light. Before planting in open ground, each sprout should have 5 leaves, and a height of at least 25 centimeters.

For vertical growth of seedlings, the pallet is turned in all directions so that the sprouts do not lean in one direction towards the light and are tied up.

Landing in the soil

Seedlings need to be planted in warm ground, before that, having well moistened the entire area of ​​the garden. Pots with peat walls are buried to the depth of the container, while there should be another 3 centimeters of soil above the top. After covering with soil, the bush is watered and left to grow, if necessary, under a film, which is determined by weather conditions.

Gradually, the walls of the pot dissolve in moist soil and create additional feeding for the cucumber bush. Plants in the garden are placed in two-line order. Passages of 90 centimeters are made between the landing belts, and 30 centimeters are left between the lines themselves. The spacing between bushes in a row depends on the circumstances and is stipulated above. Planting density is applied at 7 pieces per square, if cultivation is carried out in southern regions with a long period of daylight hours, then the density can be increased to 7.5 pieces per square.

General rules of care

The main thing for the bush is this is constant loosening, weeding and watering, as well as feeding the plants. After watering or feeding, a little fertile soil is poured under the cucumber plants, thereby replacing the loosening process. The root system lies below the surface, so deep loosening can damage individual roots.

For the same reason, loosening of the soil is done only in the aisle, it is stopped after the cucumber lashes close on the path and, if the crust is broken, they can be accidentally cut off. Vertical punctures are made with a pitchfork to better saturate the soil with moisture.The interval in harvesting is done for 3-5 days, and during mass ripening every day, sometimes in the evening and in the morning. The fruits are removed from the bush so that the stalk does not come off, this prolongs the shelf life. Damaged and rotten cucumbers are removed so that they do not inhibit the growth of lashes and the formation of ovaries.

Lack or lack of ovaries

In a month or so after planting cucumber bushes flowering begins, and ovaries appear. The beginning of this period depends on weather conditions, soil moisture, fertilizing and pollination of flowers by bees. The female flowers that are not pollinated in time will disappear and the development of the fetus will not occur. Sometimes there are no male representatives on the plant, in any case, you should try to pollinate the cucumber flowers by hand using a brush with soft hairs.

Problems can be avoided by planting specially cultivated cucumbers of parthenocarpic varieties, which have female and male sexual characteristics in the form of pistils and stamens, on the garden bed. They don't need insects for pollination, cucumbers self-pollinate for fruit development.

Feeding cucumbers

After the beginning of flowering, the bushes are watered with water, to which potassium salt and superphosphate are added, 40-50 g per bucket of water. A liter of water is enough to moisten the soil under four bushes. At the very beginning of the formation of flower buds, liquid feeding is poured under the root of the plant mixtures of mineral fertilizers:

• zinc sulfate - 0.1 g;
• manganese sulfate - 0.3-0.4 g;
• boric acid - 0.5 g.

The weight of the substances is indicated on a ten-liter bucket of water. Water so that the solution is not sprayed on the leaves to prevent burns. After the morning feeding, the plant is washed off in the evening with clean water, spraying it drip or using a strainer put on a watering can. Plant feeding is done regularly during flowering, then repeated every 10 days.

As an organic matter, a solution of chicken or pigeon droppings at a concentration of 1:25 is recommended, sometimes mullein is used at a ratio of 1:10. On the square of the garden, 5 liters of the mixture are applied.

Watering

When forming ovaries, cucumbers are often watered, while the water consumption per square meter is about 3 liters. The frequency is determined by the activity of sunlight and rainfall. In dry weather, vegetables are watered almost every day, which requires warm water. Get a decent amount warm water can be placed by placing a metal or plastic container next to the garden in an unshaded place for heating by the sun.

In any case, regardless of the sun's rays, at the end of August, watering is significantly reduced and even stopped altogether, since cold moisture will lead to decay of the roots. If there is a severe drought, then watering is done in two times:

• at the first stage, 2 watering cans are poured on a square square;
• after a while, the remaining water is added, bringing the total amount of moisture per square meter to 9–10 liters.
• It is advisable to water in the evening, with an oblique ray of the sun or after sunset. The growth of fruits makes you take care of constant soil moisture, watering every 3-4 days or even every day.

Diseases and pests

The development of diseases is largely promoted by non-observance of crop rotation. Fungal bacteria are activated by the planting season and expect a solid habitat in the form of cucumber seedlings. If, at the same time, cold water is used for irrigation, or organic fertilizer seeded with bacteria is used, then an increase in their number and the development of diseases are expected. Common cucumber diseases are:

• rotting of the root;
• plant bacteriosis;
• gray and white rot;
• ascochitis;
• peronosporosis;
• powdery mildew.

You should worry after the appearance of characteristic signs that change the appearance of the plant and fruit. The leaves change color, brown or yellow-whitish spots appear on them in a chaotic manner. The stem becomes lethargic and may twist in an unusual shape. The fungus is destroyed by copper sulfate, the solution of which is used for spraying plantings. Thorough cleaning of the affected bushes and burning them without fail is important.

Preventive treatment is done after the development of three leaves on the sprout, contact fungicides are used:

• perchloric oxide of copper;
• Bordeaux liquid;
• quadris.

For persecution of pests, irrigation solutions are used with the addition of Previkur, Bazudin, Forte Decis, Tatu, Aktar.

Harvesting

You can not overexpose the fruits on the bush, if this is not necessary to obtain testes, which take all the nutrients from the plant, which leads to a decrease in the development of young cucumbers. There are varieties that give from 2.5 to 10 kg per square meter of the garden, it depends on the number of flowers in the ovary. But if there are even a lot of them there, then it is not a fact that everyone will be pollinated and give life to a cucumber.

Growing cucumbers is a fascinating and useful activity, the main thing is to take into account all the subtleties of care.

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