How to properly grow cucumbers on a windowsill in winter?

In winter, there is a lack of tasty and healthy vegetables and fruits. Buying plastic vegetables at the market or in stores is not something that you do not want, it is not recommended. The original way out is to plant cucumbers in containers in an apartment on a windowsill or balcony. But before starting the process, you should find out the technology of growing at home and the timing of harvesting.

Features of growing on a windowsill

Planting cucumber seeds on the windowsill does not require special training or special knowledge of care, so even novice amateur gardeners can cope with growing at home.

Important! When planting cucumbers at home, you need to check that there are no drafts anywhere. This cold air intake adversely affects young shoots. It is imperative to ensure that there is an optimal temperature for the germination of seedlings.

Do not overdo it with watering. Excessive irrigation leads to the appearance of fungi in the soil, which infect not one, but all young cucumber sprouts.

When preparing for the rooting of planting material, you need to purchase high-quality cucumber seeds. They must meet the following parameters:

1. It is recommended to choose a bushy plant, you should not take the vine. It will trail along one side, and the bush variety will stand in a lush ball.
2. When choosing a variety pay attention to the yield - Careful care and a small harvest can permanently discourage the desire to plant cucumbers in winter.
3. The unpretentiousness of the view - if the plant is overly demanding to care for, then it has every chance of not surviving on the windowsill. The main advantage of varieties of cucumbers for winter germination at home is the absence of high requirements for light and watering.

Such features of germination of young cucumber seedlings are optimal for growing in an apartment. Fulfilling not difficult conditions, you can get a high-quality harvest even in winter.

What varieties are suitable for growing in an apartment

Growing cucumbers in winter is quite common. All possible greenhouses are used for these purposes. But if the apartment has a heated balcony or a glazed loggia where you can equip a cucumber farm, then why not grow them at home.

Reference! For planting, breeders have developed a large number of different varieties. Usually, they are represented by hybrid species. They do not need help in pollination by bees, they tend to independently form fruits on female peduncles. Such hybrids are called parthenocarpic.

There are the following varieties of cucumbers for home cultivation on a windowsill in an apartment:

1. Khutorok - the first cucumbers can be picked within 30 days after the first shoots. This species is considered super fast. The fruits on it reach a length of 10 cm, on which black thorns are located. They require help with pollination. It is required to pick a male flower (barren flower) and transfer its pollen to a female one. Only in this case can ovary occur.
2. Shchedryk - ripens 1.5 months after planting. Cucumbers hang in an ovary in 6-8 pieces. In length they stretch to 11-12 cm, are presented in a rich green color with a dark shade. Growing it on the windowsill, up to 20 fruits can be removed from the bush.
3. Khrustyk - relatively fast view. Not earlier than after 50 days, the first fruits will appear on it, which can be used for food. Its plus is that it is completely self-pollinated. The variety is rich in harvests. With good care, its fertility reaches up to 40 pcs. from one bush.

Also among the best varieties of cucumbers for growing on the windowsill are: Courage, Our Masha, Prestige, Room miracle, Miracle on the window.

Thus, you can plant cucumbers yourself in an apartment and get a rich harvest in the cold winter months, you just need to choose the right varieties for growing at home.

How to plant and grow in an apartment - features, conditions and step-by-step instructions

Before starting planting work, you need to choose the right place for active growth. It is imperative to choose the optimal volume of flowerpots for certain varieties, into which you need to fill up the soil. The latter plays an important role in the rooting of green vegetable species.

Of no small importance is the specific preparation of cucumber seedlings for direct planting. And rooting work should also be carried out according to the instructions, according to which it is required to accurately measure the planting depth. Otherwise, the seedlings will not grow, but will rot in the ground.

What should be the place

A place for placing flowerpots with cucumber seedlings must be selected only on the south side. Young seedlings are sensitive not only to sunlight, but also to heat.

Important! The best option is a windowsill located on the south side, and even better a heated balcony or loggia. This arrangement will provide the plantings with illumination from all 3 sides throughout the day.

Video: growing cucumbers on the balcony

The winter sun is not long, and sunshine is important for cucumbers. Therefore, it is recommended to highlight the seedlings. special phytolampswhich will provide continuous lighting for 14-16 hours a day.

The best temperature for the rapid and active growth of cucumbers is +20 C. If the temperature in the room exceeds this level, then the humidity of the soil substrate should be constantly monitored.

What container to plant

Cucumbers are unpretentious in the containers in which they will grow. Fit likedeep flowerpots for mass placement of seedlings, and single pots.

Important! It is necessary that no more than 5 pieces of young sprouts are placed on 70 cm. A large number in one flowerpot will not allow to actively develop and increase the mass.

The pot is selected with holes for excess moisture to escape, as well as a fairly wide volume. It must be remembered that a cucumber is a plant with a developed root system. In order for a green vegetable sprout to be comfortable, the container must contain at least 4 liters.

What kind of soil

For high-quality growth of young cucumber seedlings, it is required that the soil is fertile and loose, well permeable to liquid and air. These properties are possessed by purchased primer for indoor flowers or substrate for growing pumpkin breeds.

But the best soil for growing indoor cucumbers is a self-made soil substrate. Suitable for cooking:

1. Soil from the forest;
2. Garden soil;
3. Humus;
4. Ash (wood);
5. River sand;
6. Old, rotted sawdust, dark shade.

Attention! After mixing all the parts, a fertile substrate is obtained. It should be calcined in the oven at a temperature of +200 C for 20-30 minutes. And then spill with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Such preparation measures have a beneficial effect on the elimination of pathogenic bacteria and pests hiding in the ground.

Preparing seeds for planting

The varieties are pre-processed during packaging so that they can be sown directly into the soil without specific preparation. But then the planting will have to thicken and the germinated seeds dive into separate flowerpots.

To bypass this process, it is recommended to follow certain steps to prepare cucumber seeds for planting at home on a windowsill or balcony:

1. The seeds are placed in weak solution of potassium permanganate lasting half an hour. Floated empty seeds are removed, they still will not sprout. Then the seeds are rinsed in warm liquid.
2. Next 3 hours seedlings kept in a liquid with a temperature of +35 C.
3. Removing moist warm seedlings, place in wet sacking, neatly wrapping them and covering them with sawdust. In this form, they are laid out in a room where the temperature should be about +30 C.
4. Germination duration varies within 1-2 days. After the appearance of the first rudiments of roots, the seeds are immediately planted in the soil prepared in advance.

Before planting, it is worth pulling out the planting material from moisture and drying it. This process has a beneficial effect on the active growth of future seedlings.

Direct landing

Before the very planting of indoor cucumbers, the soil in the containers is spilled with liquid. The procedure is necessary for subsidence of the earth. If the seeds are planted in dry, airy soil, then when watering, the seeds deepen more than required.

Pre-prepared cucumber seeds are placed to a depth of 1.5 cm. Top covered with well-moistened soil.

Important! The container is covered with glass or covered with foil. This is necessary to create greenhouse conditions for the rapid germination of young shoots. The temperature for germination is +25 C.

After the appearance of the first timid shoots, the film is immediately removed. This is required so that it does not create condensation that provokes the onset of fungal diseases. Further temperature drops to +20 C, but at the same time, the stay on the sunny side increases.

Video: how to grow cucumbers on a windowsill at home

How to care after planting and before harvest - tips

Watering freshly planted plants are carried out in moderation without flooding the roots. It is best to supply young boring borers with liquid through a syringe, deep into the soil. This will not provoke root washout. Irrigation is carried out only with boiled water, settled for several hours.

Attention! Top dressing only organic composition should be applied. An infusion on banana peel (fermented) has an excellent effect on planting. It is diluted 10 times and fertilized at least once every 2 weeks.

After the appearance of 4 or 5 leaves, the upper point of growth should be broken off. It is necessary for the plant to release lateral shoots. Of these, no more than 3 lashes are left. They are allowed to grow up to 10 full-fledged leaves, after which they are pinched again. Thus, a lush bush is formed.

Mustache during sprawl it is recommended to delete. They tend to draw out a large amount of nutrients, preventing the fruit from developing fully.

It is imperative to carry out garter lashes. Each lash must be carefully guided and tied to the trellis. The fruits should not be thickened, this will allow them to develop well and receive a sufficient amount of sunlight.

Diseases and pests

In order for the shrub to bear fruit well and not get sick, the plant should be constantly monitored and well looked after.Otherwise, the following diseases may appear on the leaves of cucumbers:

1. Powdery mildew - a fungal disease, manifested by a white bloom on the leaf plates;
2. Anthracnose - the causative agent is a fungus. Both leaves and fruits suffer from it;
3. Root rot - manifested by the wilting of the entire bush. The roots suffer from the disease, which are constantly filled with liquid;
4. White rot - white bloom appears on fruits, foliage and stem.

Important! If you do not take action, then the diseases grow with unprecedented force, completely affecting the plants. The fight is carried out by spraying with chemical insecticides.

In addition to diseases, shrubs can be attacked spider mites, aphids and whiteflies. When they first appear, they can be removed by hand. With an increase in numbers, you will have to seek help from drugs that kill parasites.

The main thing is to monitor any reactions of the plant. If you carefully monitor the condition of the pet, you can avoid a strong proliferation of diseases by eliminating everything at the first stages of formation.

Germination dates and harvest

The germination time depends on each variety separately. In most cases, all plantings appear within 1-2 days after rooting. The duration of growth is determined by the types of cucumbers. Some are able to give the first harvest in 1 month. Others take up to 45-50 days to mature.

Attention! For harvesting, you need to focus on the volume of cucumbers. If the size of the fruit reaches 10 cm, then it can already be plucked. If you do not provoke the overgrowth of vegetables, then the plant can bloom again, giving another crop.

Many varieties grown during the winter months are suitable not only for eating live, but also for salting. But do not rely on crops from the windowsill to successfully do seaming during the winter 🙂

Thus, do not miss the opportunity to plant cucumber seedlings in your window and get fresh vegetables in the middle of winter. During germination, you need to provide good care and an abundance of light. Then you can collect a sufficient number of cucumbers from the bush right at home. Even novice gardeners can grow cucumbers at home on the windowsill.

Winter is a time of sleep and rest for all plants, but gardeners have learned to deceive nature and today they grow vegetables in the cold season on windowsills. If you want to enjoy green and crispy cucumbers all winter long, you need to carry out sowing work in several stages. To get the fruits of our own production for the New Year's table, the seeds must be sown in early October. Then, at the beginning of January, the peak of fruiting will come. If you sow cucumbers in early December, then at the end of February you can already collect the first fruits. By March 8, the zelents planted in early January will ripen.

Interesting facts about growing cucumbers

• Cucumbers are thermophilic plants. They do not tolerate extreme heat and love moisture. For successful fruiting in the room, they need to create conditions close to the natural environment.
• The root system of plants lies close to the soil surface, so it is advisable to cover cucumber bushes with mulch not only in the garden, but also on the balcony or windowsill.
• The more often you harvest cucumber bushes, the better they will bear fruit.
• Daylight is a prerequisite for fruit set. For a full growing season, the plant needs 10 hours of light. In winter, it is necessary to turn on the fluorescent lamp over the plants so that they do not stretch out and do not grow ugly fruits.

Secrets and Tips

Agrotechnology of growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter is a simple science and even a novice gardener can master it. In order to prevent important mistakes that will lead to loss of the crop, you must adhere to the recommendations and tips that will tell you: how to grow cucumbers at home in winter and get a rich harvest.

• The soil for sowing seeds and planting seedlings must be sterile.Today, among experienced gardeners, a popular method of growing vegetables hydroponically. It is especially relevant in the winter season, but it must be used carefully so as not to exceed the dosage of mineral fertilizers.
• When buying seeds, you need to consult with sellers and inform him that seed is needed for winter cultivation.
• Before sowing, it is advisable to disinfect and treat the seeds with a growth stimulant. If the manufacturer has taken care of this and they are covered with a special film, then there is no need for processing.
• Coated seeds require a lot of moisture and germinate a week later than usual.
• It is better to plant cucumbers in separate small containers, 2-3 seeds per pot. After germination, excess plants are removed and one bush is left.
• You can save planting material and germinate cucumber seeds before planting. The largest seeds are selected and soaked in a soft cloth for 12 hours. Those that are suitable for planting will swell. They can be sown in pots.
• For sowing cucumbers, a 1: 1 mixture of peat and sand is suitable.
• In wet soil, small depressions up to 2 cm or furrows are made and seeds are placed in them at a distance of 1 cm.
• If the sowing is carried out in a common large container, then the distance between the plants should reach about 3 cm. Thanks to this technique, the seedlings can be transplanted to a permanent place with a large clod of earth and not injure the roots.
• After sowing, the holes and grooves are tamped with a palm or a spatula, and the container is placed in a greenhouse or covered with a transparent film to maintain moisture in the soil.
• The ideal temperature for a friendly emergence of shoots is 22 degrees.
• The first shoots appear from several days to two weeks, depending on the type of seeds and temperature conditions.
• At this time, it is necessary to spray, since many sprouts cannot get rid of the seed film on their own. It is also advisable to lower the temperature to 20 degrees, increase the daylight hours to 12 hours so that the plants do not stretch out.
• Full watering is carried out after the appearance of the first true leaf. At this time, you can begin to apply fertilizing with microelements and mineral fertilizers.
• The third true leaf is a signal that the bush must be transplanted into a permanent container. It must be selected so that at least three liters of space are passed per plant.
• For planting seedlings, it is advisable to use a mixture of turf and humus (1: 1), wood ash, potash and phosphorus fertilizers. It's good if there is vermiculite. Then another liter of vermiculite is added to three liters of this mixture. Cucumber plants love to eat, so the soil for them should be nutritious and loose. With the help of coconut fiber and peat based on sphagnum moss, the air permeability of the soil can be increased.
• Before asking the question of when to plant cucumbers on the windowsill, you must remember that it is winter outside and plants need lower heating, distance from the window, and a lot of sunlight.
• The stretch mesh will help solve the problem of keeping the distance from the cold window and will serve as an excellent support for the cucumber shoots. The main thing is to correctly place the shoots on the net and regulate the load.
• Cultivars with two types of flowering require a pinch of the central shoot in order to increase the number of female flowers on the bush.
• During flowering, shake the bush or support net several times a day to speed up the pollination process.
• It is very important to maintain a high percentage of moisture and not allow the soil to dry out. The temperature should not drop below 20 degrees.
• You need to be very careful about watering. In case of overflow, the plant can get sick with a black leg. Better to water every day in small doses.
• During the flowering period, cucumbers need additional feeding. During this period, wood ash tincture is best suited: 1 glass of linden ash, maple (but not oak) per 10 liters of water.Micronutrient fertilization for cucumbers also promotes better fruit setting. Fertilizers can be applied no more than once every two weeks.
• Daily picking of fruits will prolong the life of the cucumber bush and increase its yield several times.

The correct approach to growing cucumbers in winter will help experienced and novice gardeners to get a rich harvest of juicy and crunchy fruits. And so that all efforts do not go down the drain, it is also necessary to choose the right variety suitable for growing indoors in winter.

The best varieties of cucumbers for growing on a windowsill in winter

To get a good harvest, you need to choose the right varieties of cucumbers for growing on the windowsill in winter.

It is best to sow self-pollinating hybrids that set fruit on their own.

Among the great abundance, it is worth highlighting such hybrids as "Marinda F1", "Masha F1", "Legenda F1", "Moscow Greenhouse F1", "Romance F1". These plants are distinguished by high productivity, undemanding to the conditions of keeping and resistant to diseases.

When choosing a variety, it is necessary to focus on the type of flowering, the vigor of the vines and the time of entry into fruiting. In indoor cultivation, early maturing bush cucumber hybrids with a female type of flowering have proven themselves well.

Among varieties with two types of flowering, cucumbers of the "Boy with a Thumb" variety are best suited for the balcony and windowsill. Whichever variety you prefer, it should be understood that without care and maintenance, a cucumber vine will not bring the desired result.

Video about growing cucumbers on the windowsill

How to grow cucumbers on a windowsill in an ordinary city apartment, recommendations for novice gardeners.

Varieties of cucumbers for growing on the windowsill

For growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter, only parthenocarpic hybrids of an early ripening period with small lashes are suitable. Bush cucumbers are also unacceptable, as they require a large area of ​​food that cannot be provided on a windowsill.

Parthenocarpics have a predominantly female or only female type of flowering and do not require pollination. Bee-pollinated cucumbers are categorically unsuitable for winter cultivation, and self-pollinated varieties need the pollen to somehow get onto the pistil. Since there are no insects or wind on the windowsill in winter, it is necessary to artificially pollinate each flower when growing such cucumbers.

Long-leaved cucumbers are also not suitable for growing on windowsills. Their whips are 3 or more meters, and they will have nowhere to develop. In addition, long-leaved cucumbers tend to grow longer and begin bearing fruit later. With winter cultivation at home, it is necessary to get a harvest of zelents as soon as possible. This saves a lot of time and money.

Growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter, tips for beginners

Cucumbers, with proper care, can be grown all year round. The cultivation of crops in greenhouses is based on this feature. You can grow cucumbers in winter and on the windowsill in an ordinary apartment.

Seed sowing dates

In winter, cucumbers can be grown on the windowsill in 3 terms.

1. Sowing in December. Zelentsy appear by the beginning of February
2. Sowing in January. Harvest in late February and early March.
3. When sown in February, the first cucumbers appear at the end of March.

But in reality, the best options for planting are January and February. In December, cucumbers do not have enough light for normal development, and they will grow only with prolonged illumination.

At home, you can plant cucumbers in September-October, but with a diminishing daylight hours, it is impossible to get a good harvest of zelents.

To get a very early harvest, cucumbers are planted on the windowsill in March-April, but this method is suitable for those who do not have a summer cottage, as well as those who grow early cucumbers for sale.At this time, everyone else's windowsills are occupied by other seedlings and there is no time for cucumbers.

How to grow cucumbers on the windowsill

Cucumbers in the apartment are grown only in a seedless way. Seeds are sown in prepared containers. The root system of the culture is rather weak, but when planted in a common seedling box, each plant needs a feeding area of ​​at least 100 cm2, and a depth of at least 15 cm.

Therefore, it is better to grow cucumbers at home in individual containers. Large plastic cups with a volume of at least 1 liter, plastic bottles, flower pots are suitable for this. At the bottom of the container, a drainage hole must be made to drain excess water.

Peat pots are suitable for cucumbers in the initial period of growth. When the plants grow up, they, together with the pot, are placed in a larger container and covered with earth. With this method, the roots of the culture develop evenly, do not braid with an earthen ball, and, therefore, do not suffer from a lack of nutrition and moisture.

Soil preparation

For the cultivation of cucumbers, highly fertile, loose, water and air-permeable soil mixtures with a reaction of the medium of 5.5-6.5 are needed. Plants can grow well on slightly acidic soils with a pH of 5.1-5.4, but the yield in this case decreases, albeit slightly.

Peat soil mixture is the best suited for planting cucumbers, provided that such soil has a low acidity and a sufficient humus content. In winter, if the land has not been prepared since autumn, cucumbers are grown on purchased soil mixtures with a peat content of no more than 50%.

If possible, you can prepare the ground yourself. The soil mixture is prepared from peat, humus and fine-grained river sand in a ratio of 3: 3: 1. The sand can be replaced with coconut flakes.

Coconut shavings have a neutral reaction (pH 7.0), retain moisture very well, loosen the soil well and allow air to pass through. To prepare the soil, coconut chips are poured with water according to the instructions. After 1-2 minutes, the shavings will begin to absorb moisture and swell strongly. After 30-40 minutes, the soil will be ready and can be added to the soil mixture.

Cucumbers can also be grown in pure coconut soil, but it is necessary to slightly acidify it before sowing the seeds. To do this, the chips are soaked in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate.

To remove spores of diseases and hibernating pests, the earth is frozen. Freezing is preferable to calcining, since at high temperatures the fertilizers applied to the soil mixture decompose, and at low temperatures they are preserved. The earth is taken out into the street or in a room with subzero temperatures and left for 5-7 days, then brought into the house. The earth must completely thaw and warm up, then it is again taken out into the cold. The procedure is repeated 3-4 times.

Fertilizers are applied to any self-prepared soils:

• ammonium nitrate or urea 1 tbsp / kg;
• superphosphate 1 tbsp / kg;
• potassium magnesium or potassium sulfate 3 tbsp / kg.

You can apply liquid or solid complex fertilizers according to the instructions.

The soil must be warmed up before sowing. At ground temperatures below 17 ° C, the seeds will not sprout. To warm up, the earth in bags or boxes is placed on a battery and kept for several days.

2-3 before sowing, the soil is disinfected by spilling it with a warm pink solution of potassium permanganate or Fitosporin. You can add Trichodermin to the soil instead of Fitosporin, but they cannot be used together, since these are different types of microflora, and they will only mutually destroy each other. If the soil is purchased and biological products have already been introduced into it, then it is not necessary to additionally disinfect it.

Preparing seeds for planting

Cucumbers are usually warmed up before sowing. This is done to increase the production of female flowers. However, all modern hybrids have a predominantly female type of flowering, a small number of male flowers are formed, or they do not appear at all. Therefore, it is not necessary to warm up such seeds.

Before sowing, the seeds are soaked for 1-2 days. If they are old, then growth stimulants (Gibbersib, Gibberellin, Zircon) are added to the water. Although it is written on the bags with the seeds of the hybrids that they are sown without preliminary treatment, experience shows that then their germination is much worse.

To prevent black leg, the seed is immersed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes. The skin of the cucumbers is sensitive and, if the solution is too strong, they can be burned. The seed is always processed, even though it has already been processed. The period of protective action of fungicides is several months and by the time of sowing, as a rule, it has already expired.

1-2 days after soaking, the seed is dried, without waiting for it to peck, and sowed.

Sowing seeds

After soaking, there is no need to wait for the seeds to peck. After a maximum of 48 hours, they are dried and sown. Sprouted cucumber seeds (and pumpkin seeds in general) do not germinate well, since the root that appears (and it is it that germinates) breaks off very easily when covered with earth. Damage to the seedling root means the death of the seed. It will be better if the seeds are swollen, but not yet germinated.

Cucumbers are sown immediately in the container in which they will grow. The prepared warm earth is well spilled and 3-4 seeds are sown in each pot. Sprinkle them with a layer of 1.5-2 cm dry earth. After sowing, the soil is not moistened, otherwise the seeds will go deep into the soil. The pots are covered with foil and placed on a battery until shoots appear.

As a rule, 1-2 cucumbers sprout in one pot. But even if everyone sprouts, it will be possible to choose the most powerful one, cut the rest off the ground.

Care for cucumbers on the windowsill

• If the ground is warmed up, seedlings appear quickly - for 4-6 days.
• At a soil temperature of 18-20 ° C, sprouts appear in 10-12 days.
• At soil temperatures below 17 ° C, cucumbers will not sprout.

As soon as the plants have sprouted, they are placed on the windowsill, where the temperature is at least 20 ° C. The culture tolerates partial shading well, and in the southern regions, where there are enough sunny days in January-February, cucumbers can be grown on the eastern and even northeastern windowsill. In northern areas, with sufficient light, the east side is suitable, but the south and west windows are more suitable for growing.

Temperature

Immediately after germination, the temperature cannot be lowered, since at this stage the cucumbers are very sensitive to cold. Until 2-3 true leaves appear, the plants are kept on a warm windowsill (temperature is at least 20 ° C, and preferably 23-25 ​​° C). And only after the appearance of a few true leaves can the temperature be reduced. But this is extremely undesirable, since for fruiting the plant needs to collect the amount of active temperatures. In winter, this can only be done with artificial heating.

If it is cold on the windowsill, the plants are additionally heated, otherwise there will be no harvest. In winter, soil cooling often occurs on the window. Cucumbers stop growing, leaves turn yellow. For heating, boxes with containers are placed on a battery for several hours, and in order to keep heat in the future, each pot is covered with foam.

Backlight

In winter, plants must be illuminated. Cucumbers need at least 13-15 hour daylight hours to grow. But in winter, when there is not enough light, the backlight should be more intense. Therefore, before the start of the formation of lashes, they are supplemented by at least 17-18 hours in December-early January, 15 hours in February-March. To increase the illumination, reflective materials are placed on the windowsill: foil, mirrors.

For the beginning of flowering and fruiting, a cucumber needs a shorter daylight hours. Therefore, as soon as the lashes are formed, the additional lighting is reduced. If the culture bears fruit in December, then supplementary lighting should be at least 16 hours. This is due to the fact that in December it is almost always cloudy, and the sun lamps will not be completely replaced anyway. If December is sunny, then the cucumbers are illuminated for 15 hours.

In January-February, the plants are illuminated for 12 hours to form buds.

Watering cucumbers

Water the cucumbers only with settled warm water (not lower than 20 ° C). Cold water in winter, especially when there is a lack of heat, can provoke the death of roots.

Cucumbers are very moisture sensitive. Watering is carried out as the soil dries up. If the ground is damp to the touch, but does not leave marks on the hands, it is necessary to water, if the hands get dirty, watering is not required. Drying out has a detrimental effect on plants.

When growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter, water them in the morning, or in the afternoon, but not in the evening. The culture evaporates the largest amount of moisture in the morning. Therefore, when watering in the evening in the morning, there will be droplets of moisture on the leaves and the window, since the plants saturated with water begin to release water. Such intense evaporation in the dry air of an apartment is extremely undesirable and does not occur when watering in the morning and afternoon. Wet leaves and moist soil are a source of fungal infections.

Cucumbers are watered only at the root.

Air humidity

A culture for normal growth requires an air humidity of 80-85%. In winter, the humidity in the rooms is 40-50%, which is bad for cucumbers. At low humidity, the lower leaves of the plants begin to turn yellow and dry, the stem gradually becomes bare. Seedlings on the windowsill can dry out without producing true leaves.

Therefore, immediately after the emergence of seedlings, cucumbers are sprayed at least 1 time in 2-3 days. Water containers are placed on the batteries under the windowsills.

Feeding cucumbers in the apartment

If the soil was filled with fertilizers during sowing, then fertilizing begins only when the first true leaf appears. They are carried out during the entire growing season with an interval of 5-6 days.

When growing cucumbers in winter, you need to feed them more intensively than in summer. They are very fond of fresh manure (except for pork). But when grown on a windowsill, due to a persistent unpleasant odor, this method is excluded. Those who keep birds in cages (or chickens in the yard) are in a more advantageous position.Cage bedding soak in hot water for 20-30 minutes, until the droppings get wet, then filter. The resulting solution is diluted 1:10 and the cucumbers are fed. Bird lovers are usually less sensitive to odors in the room.

Plant residues from indoor plants (broken twigs, wilted and fallen leaves, potato peels, banana skins) are suitable for preparing herbal infusion. Plant residues are poured into a saucepan, poured with water and insisted for several days. Then the solution is filtered, diluted 1: 3 with water and the cucumbers are fed.

Ash infusion... Ash is now sold in garden stores, so it's easy to find it even in winter. Prepare the infusion according to the instructions on the package. The finished solution is diluted with water and top dressing is done.

Humates and liquid fertilizers for cucumbers used only if there are no other organic fertilizers. 1 cap (5 ml) is diluted in 10 liters of water, the cucumbers are fed with the resulting solution.

Complex mineral fertilizers this is the worst feeding option. But when growing cucumbers in winter, in the absence of other fertilizers, you have to use it. For cucumber, those fertilizers are suitable where there is a sufficient amount of nitrogen, and the dose of potassium exceeds the dose of phosphorus. But on some mineral fertilizers, the cultivation of cucumbers in winter is impossible. During the growing season, there should be at least 4 organic dressings.

It must be remembered that organic matter improves soil fertility, while mineral water affects plants. Cucumbers need not so much food as high soil fertility.

When feeding, you should not abuse nitrogen. Zelentsy easily accumulate it and become dangerous for humans.

But a lack of nitrogen leads to a decrease in yields.

• Cucumbers gain a lot of green mass, but bloom poorly - an excess of nitrogen.
• Cucumbers are weak, their whips are thin, the greens that have been tied up are crumbling (with proper watering) - a lack of nitrogen.
• In order not to disturb the balance of elements, fertilizing containing nitrogen is alternated with ash, which does not contain it.

After the first week of fruiting, cucumbers, if they were previously fed with mineral water, need intensive organic feeding, since during this time they consume all the substances introduced into the soil before.

Forming cucumbers on the windowsill

Strong-leaved cucumbers always lead to one stem. It is impossible to feed several stems on a windowsill in winter; neither the plant nor the owner can pull it. Cucumbers definitely need a trellis to curl. On a bare windowsill, the lashes will be too cold and dry. All emerging lateral shoots are pinched.

Weak varieties can be led in 2-4 stems. A small lash is unable to produce a large number of cucumbers, especially when grown in winter. The main stem is pinched after 3-4 leaves. From the appeared lashes of the 2nd order, 2-3 the strongest are chosen, which are allowed to go along the trellis or tied up. When grown in winter, the plant cannot feed more than 3 short strings. So that the lashes do not get confused, they are sent in different directions. Each lash should have its own support.

After removing the first cucumbers in winter, the lower leaves of the culture begin to dry very quickly. This is a normal process. The plant cannot feed all the leaves, flowers and greens at the same time, therefore it gets rid of unnecessary "freeloaders". If the lower leaves turn yellow, they are removed.

Harvesting rules

Early varieties of cucumbers (and others are not grown on the windowsill in winter) begin to bear fruit 40 days after germination. At this time, the plants have not yet matured. Therefore, the first set fruits are plucked at the ovary stage.

The first zelents for culture are the most difficult. A plant that is not yet fully formed gives them all the strength, which inhibits its growth and further development. Thus, having given the lashes to grow stronger, in the future they collect a much larger harvest than if the first-borns are raised to a normal full-fledged state.

Zelentsy is removed every 2-3 days. On the windowsill, the borage can be viewed every day and take off full-fledged fruits. If the crop is not harvested in time, the growth of further ovaries and the formation of new fruits are noticeably inhibited. One overgrown cucumber in winter stops the growth of the entire lash. If this is allowed, then in winter conditions on the windowsill the plant can generally complete its development.

In winter, cucumbers do not grow to the same condition as in a greenhouse. Such a fruit in winter conditions with a lack of all growth factors is an overgrowth and inhibits further fruiting. This is especially true in the cultivation of cucumbers in December-January. Zelentsy shoot smaller in winter than in summer.

Diseases and pests of cucumbers in the apartment

Pests

When growing cucumbers at home in winter, they are not threatened by any insects, most of which have a dormant period at this time. But in indoor conditions in the spring and late autumn, mushroom mosquitoes are active. They are omnivorous and cucumbers will not be ignored either.

Mushroom mosquitoand these are the same indoor midges that annoy so much in autumn and spring, when supplies of vegetables appear in the house. The midges themselves, apart from aesthetic discomfort, are not harmful. Plants are affected by their larvae, which live in damp earth. They eat up the roots. Even minor damage is dangerous for cucumbers. They mainly attack plants in October and from mid-March.

Midges and their larvae do not tolerate dry air and insufficiently moist soil. But when growing cucumbers on the windowsill, you can neither reduce the intensity of watering, nor reduce the humidity of the air. Therefore, the only way out is to water the plants with insecticides: Mukhoed, Zemlin, Aktara, Bazudin.

Diseases

There are also few diseases in cucumbers on the windowsill.In the premises, with all diligence, the air is dry enough, so pathogens practically do not develop. The only thing that can seriously threaten cucumbers during winter cultivation is a black leg. It can appear at any stage of development, but most often it affects seedlings and young plants with 1-2 true leaves.

If the stem is thinned at the ground, and a constriction has formed, the plant is removed, the rest are watered with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Mistakes in the winter cultivation of cucumbers

All of them are associated with the inability to create favorable conditions for plants on the windowsill.

1. Seeds do not germinate. If they are fresh, then there are no shoots due to the cold ground. Cucumbers need a soil temperature of at least 18 ° C for germination. It is necessary to warm up the ground and re-sow.
2. Seedlings are stretched. Insufficient lighting. To gain green mass in winter, the culture must be supplemented. Although it grows well in the shade, light is necessary for normal development.
3. Cucumbers do not bloom for a long time. Excessive lighting. 35-40 days after germination, the plants are illuminated for only 12 hours a day. Then they will move on to flowering and fruiting.
4. Plants shed their ovaries. Lack of nitrogen. Organic feeding should be done.
5. The culture is powerful, actively growing, but blooms poorly and forms few greenbacks. Excess nitrogen. It is necessary to reduce the nitrogen component and increase the dose of potassium in the top dressing.
6. Leaves dry. Air is too dry. It is necessary to increase the humidity. Cucumbers are regularly sprayed.
7. Only the lower leaves dry, otherwise the cucumbers are healthy and bear fruit well. Normal phenomenon. Culture pays all attention to the Zelensk people. She lacks the strength to feed the extra "freeloaders". The yellow and dry leaves are removed.

In early varieties, fruiting ends 30-35 days after the appearance of the first cucumbers. Further feeding and other favorable conditions cannot change the situation. Plants have given up everything they could and their potential has been exhausted.

Conclusion

Growing cucumbers at home in winter is extremely troublesome.

1. First, it is very expensive. The costs of growing several dozen zelents are much higher than the costs of buying finished products in the store.
2. Secondly, the process is very time consuming. Cucumbers on the windowsill constantly need to be given a sufficient amount of time and effort. If this is not possible, then there is no harvest.
3. Thirdly, the taste of zelentz is not up to par. They taste like cucumbers grown in greenhouses, that is, the cucumber smell and taste are practically absent.

If you have the opportunity and desire to get fresh cucumbers for the holiday, you can try to grow them. Unlike tomatoes and peppers, they are easier to care for, but the culture takes up much more time.

It is quite possible to grow cucumbers on the windowsill and collect a good harvest. Caring for a plant in winter will take more time and effort than in summer - a heat-loving culture needs certain conditions. But with the correct implementation of all the recommendations and tips for growing cucumbers at home, you can get ripe and juicy fruits for the dinner table.

Features of growing at home

Cucumbers usually do not tolerate extreme heat, they love water and sun. But the requirements for plant care may vary depending on the cultivar, indoor climate and soil composition.

Cucumber is a plant belonging to the pumpkin family

The roots of cucumber lashes are located at the very surface. The soil for the windowsill should be mulched in the same way as for the plants on the street.

Variety selection

When choosing a variety of seeds, it is better to focus on those that are intended specifically for our purpose. To grow cucumbers on a windowsill in winter, the planting material must be seasonally appropriate, unpretentious and disease-resistant. You can use varieties of cucumbers for Siberia. They are resistant to weather changes and are not very demanding to maintain.

It is desirable to choose a medium or short ripening period. For this reason, bush varieties are not uncommon. Self-pollinated or parthenocarpic plants that do not require pollination should be preferred. You can take bee-pollinated ones, but you will have to tinker with them additionally.

The most suitable varieties for planting in winter:

• "F1 Ekaterina" - smooth long cucumbers, ripen in about 45 days. Flowers do not require pollination, they tolerate heat and low light;

Cucumber variety "F1 Ekaterina"

• "F1 Faust" - fruits of medium length with a pronounced characteristic taste and thin skin. The plant begins to bear fruit in 50-55 days, does not require pollination, is resistant to powdery mildew and cucumber mosaic virus;
• "F1 Crunch" - parthenocarpic, early maturing, generous in yield and resistant to common diseases. Cucumbers are short to medium, tasty and crunchy;

Cucumber variety "F1 Khrustyk"

• "F1 Gift of the East" - the plant does not require pollination, is not affected by powdery mildew, is sparse and bears fruit for a long time. From planting to the appearance of the first cucumbers, 50-53 days pass. Fruits are small, suitable for pickling and fresh consumption.

If you cannot make a choice yourself, consult a dealer in a specialized store. Note that you need a cultivar suitable for growing on a windowsill during the cold season.

Landing dates

There are no specific dates for planting cucumbers on the windowsill. From November to February, the plant in any case will need additional lighting, the cultivation of the crop is not tied to the weather or the length of daylight hours.

Be guided in this matter only by your own needs and desires. If you want to serve fresh homemade cucumbers for the New Year's table, you need to sow the seeds in the last days of October... If you plan to harvest the crop in early spring, you need to start cultivating the plant from January 1-5.

Planting time for cucumbers depends on your needs and desires.

The room in which you plan to place the cucumber pots should be warm and light. No drafts and significant temperature changes. It will be better if the windows of the room face south. Plants are best placed on a windowsill in the kitchen or next to the bathroom. The humidity is higher there, the air is not overdried by heating devices.

When growing a cucumber in an apartment, it is necessary to select a place with high humidity and dry air

To protect the seedlings from the winter cold, place foam or wood blocks under the pots.

Landing

To plant each plant, you will need a 5 liter container with water holes. It is filled with moist soil, depressions of about 1.5 cm are made in the ground and seeds are placed there - whether previously germinated or not. Before germination, it is better to cover the pot with foil and place it in a room where the temperature does not drop below 25 °. As soon as the first sprouts appear, the covering material is removed and the container is rearranged on the windowsill.

For a start, the seeds can also be sown in small pots or cups, and then transplanted... But in this case, you will have to wait until the seedlings take root, and hope that none of them will die.

Initially, cucumbers can be grown in small cups, but later the plant will need to be transplanted.

The easiest way is to buy ready-made soil for planting cucumbers - universal or specially designed for pumpkin seeds. If there is none, the soil is prepared as follows:

1. Humus and forest or garden fertile turf are mixed in a 1: 1 ratio. After 5 liters of the mixture, add a handful of sand, ash, rotten black sawdust. The resulting loose soil needs to be fed with mineral fertilizers - a matchbox for 5 liters of soil. These can be additives designed for growing cucumbers or all pumpkin crops, or nitrophoska.
2. They take 2 parts of garden soil, mix into it 1 part of rotten sawdust, sand, humus and ready-made soil for growing seedlings... The mixture is disinfected, and then supplemented with ash, manure, crushed eggshells and chalk at the rate of a glass for 5 liters of soil and chicken droppings - 0.5 glasses for the same volume.

   Different types of soils

Homemade soil must be disinfected so that the seedlings do not get sick and are not eaten by flies. To do this, the soil is heated at high temperatures - in the oven or on the stove.

Before planting seeds, 2-3 centimeters of drainage from coarse sand, small pebbles or broken brick is poured onto the bottom of the container, and soil is laid on top. The soil must be watered a day before sowing.

Seed preparation

You should buy seeds for growing cucumbers on the windowsill at least a month before planting. Then they are placed in a warm, dry place so that they dry out as follows in 30 days. After the planting material is sorted out, the darkened or damaged seeds are thrown away, and the good ones are disinfected. This is done using a weak pink solution of potassium permanganate: the grains are wrapped in gauze and soaked in liquid for 15-20 minutes... Also, seeds can be put overnight in a solution of ash, aloe juice, or, according to the instructions, in growth stimulants.

If you plan to use the planting material immediately, you need to dry it again within 1-2 hours. But it is best for winter crop cultivation to germinate seeds in advance.... To do this, they are placed on a cotton pad or napkin dipped in water and left in a warm place for 2-3 days, moistening if necessary. As soon as the sprouts hatch, the cucumbers are planted.

Seeds must be germinated before planting.

Seeds in a shell do not require germination and disinfection. Keep in mind that they sprout a little later than usual. If you want to grow cucumbers for a specific event, plant them a week earlier.

Care

The plant on the windowsill in the cold season is deprived of sunlight, moisture and temperatures, which contribute to the development and formation of cucumbers in the garden. Caring for home seedlings is to recreate the same conditions.

Watering

Like garden varieties, cucumbers on the windowsill love waters.at. Immediately after planting, the seeds are watered about once every two days. They do this as needed - the soil should be slightly moist, not dry and not too flooded.

Already developed plants are watered more often. If lamps are installed above the seedlings, the soil is slightly moistened twice a day. If there is no additional light, once a day is enough. Water for irrigation is used at room temperature, preferably filtered or at least settled.

Depending on the variety, cucumbers are watered from 2 times a day to 4 times a week.

To make it easier to care for the cucumber whips, pull the ropes over the container every 7-12 centimeters. So the climbing plant will receive more light, and the fruits and ovaries will not be damaged.

Temperature

The optimum temperature for growing cucumbers on the windowsill is above 18 ° and below 26 °. It needs to be maintained at about the same level. To do this, the windows are insulated as much as possible and all cracks are closed - a winter draft can deprive the crop or postpone fruiting at a later date, even in a warm room.

Light

For a plant to develop properly, it needs 10 hours of daylight hours. In winter, the window sill will have to be equipped with additional lamps - special phyto- or luminescent ones. They are placed above the containers at a distance of 15-20 centimeters with the ability to raise them a little higher when the lashes stretch out.

When growing cucumbers at home, they need additional illumination with fluorescent lamps.

Also, from the side of the room at the plants, you can fix the foil. It will reflect light and increase the illuminated area.

Humidity

Too much watering can cause black leg disease. To prevent this from happening, it is better to add water little by little and maintain high humidity around the plant. The optimal level is 85-90%. To humidify the air, you can use special devices or sprayers, in the old fashioned way, put a saucer of water next to the cucumbers or put a wet towel on the battery under the windowsill.

Top dressing

The cucumber seedlings on the windowsill are fertilized twice. The first feeding is carried out approximately 2 weeks after seed germination. As an additive, use ready-made mineral fertilizers for cucumbers or independently knead from superphosphate, ammonium nitrate and magnesium sulfate. Take 5 grams of each ingredient and dissolve in 5 liters of water. The liquid is poured over the roots of the plant. 1 glass needs to be stretched for 5 seedlings.

To obtain a large volume of yield, add mineral and organic fertilizers to the soil

The second feeding of domestic cucumbers is carried out 7-10 days after the first. For watering, use the same mixture, distributing a glass of fertilizer over 2 plants. If you do not want to use mineral fertilizers, you can use organic matter in the second feeding. To do this, take peels from 5 bananas, pour in a liter of water and insist for weeksand. The resulting concentrate is diluted with another 2 liters of water and used for root watering.

Try not to "hoard" the crop. Remove the cucumbers as soon as they are 8-10 centimeters long. The more often you pluck, the longer and more abundant the plant will bear fruit.

Disease prevention

To prevent cucumbers from getting sick, it is important to follow care recommendations, disinfect the soil and seeds, and use bactericidal solutions from pests.

Tobacco broth helps against aphids and whiteflies. Pour 30 grams of tobacco with a liter of water and boil for 8-10 minutes. The cooled liquid is diluted with another liter of water and the plant is sprayed on it.

Garlic water helps fight spider mites. The head is cleaned, each clove is cut and left in a liter of water for 1.5-2 hours. After that, you need to add 15 grams of soap to the solution and spray the leaves with the resulting liquid.

Video

conclusions

Cucumbers can be harvested all year round, you just have to recreate the summer weather on the windowsill. You will need to spend time choosing a suitable variety and preparing seeds with soil, buying additional lighting and equipping a small greenhouse within the apartment, but all costs will pay off in full. Under the right conditions, a house plant will bear fruit longer than a garden plant, which means there will always be fresh house cucumbers on your table.