How to grow cucumber seedlings at home?

Cucumbers are one of the most popular vegetable crops. And it seems like an unpretentious plant, simple, but no, and to grow it you need to know a few secrets. Just considering them, you get healthy, seasoned seedlings, and then - a rich harvest of crispy, sweet cucumbers. So, read on about growing cucumber seedlings at home.

Features of growing seedlings

Cucumbers can be successfully sown in open ground, but still the highest and earlier harvest can be achieved if ready-made seedlings are planted in the soil. Moreover, seedlings can be grown in different ways, which we will discuss below in the article. The main principles are correct preparation of seeds, soil and good care.

Seed preparation

Purchased seeds are pre-processed well, so they are easy to prepare for sowing. It's another matter if the gardener decided to reproduce in the beds the same variety of cucumbers that grew with him in the previous year.

Here it is already more difficult with the preparation of seeds: they need to be disinfected by soaking in a solution of potassium permanganate (1%) in order to protect future seedlings from diseases. Further steps will be the same for both your own and purchased material.

Selection

Seed preparation begins with the selection of empty seeds. To do this, carry out the following procedure: dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in a glass of water, dip the seeds in this solution: good seeds will sink to the bottom, and hollow ones will float.

Hardening

First place the moistened and swollen seeds in the refrigerator for 10 hours, then warm them up by the battery for 6-8 hours: this increases their endurance.

Soak

In order for the seeds to germinate earlier, they need to be soaked. To do this, spread the seeds on the fabric, cover it with it, then immerse the fabric in water. It is necessary that the fabric remains moist, but the seeds do not float in the water. Germination of seeds ends their preparation.

Note! At home, the easiest way to germinate seeds is three years ago. Germination is facilitated by a procedure called bubbling, when a bag of seeds is first placed in the aquarium and the compressor is turned on, and then soaked.

Sowing dates

Sowing times vary by region.In the southern regions of the Russian Federation, sowing of cucumbers for seedlings begins in April, in more northern parts of Russia - in May. Seedlings are planted in open ground after 3-4 weeks, when the ground warms up to 18 ° C.

Soil selection

It is better to buy soil for seedlings in the store, but you can prepare it yourself. The composition is as follows:

• sod land - 40%;
• low-lying peat - 40%;
• sawdust - 10%;
• manure -10%.

Another version of the composition:

• rotted manure - 60%;
• sod land - 30%;
• sand - 10%.

Fertilizers must first be applied to the soil. For 5 liters of soil, a mixture of:

• superphosphate - 7 g;
• potassium sulfate - 4 g;
• urea - 3 g;
• magnesium sulfate - 1 g.

Landing

Seeds pre-soaked in a damp cloth germinate rather quickly. As a rule, after 3 days you can already see a sprout half a centimeter long. This is enough to start planting seeds for seedlings. It is better to plant germinated seeds in a container with a diameter of about 7 cm. The most popular and traditional method is planting in plastic cups.

Beforehand, a hole must be made in each cup to drain excess water. Then pour drainage on the bottom, then fill the glass with prepared soil, leaving a fifth empty. As the sprouts mature, the earth will have to be filled up a little.

Make a 2 mm depression in the ground with your finger and place the seeds in them, then sprinkle with soil on top. This completes the sowing of cucumber seeds for seedlings.

After, they need to be watered and covered with polyethylene. This will create a greenhouse effect. Keep the cups under the plastic for 3 days at a temperature of about 25 ° C. As soon as the cotyledons open, lower the temperature by 5 ° C and ensure proper care.

Cucumber seedling care

The right temperature, proper lighting and proper watering are 3 basic principles on which good care of seedlings at home is based.

Temperature

Create the required temperature regime for the cucumber seedlings within 20-23 ° C. If the temperature values ​​are slightly higher, then spray the seedlings more often, and ventilate the room during the day. If the temperature is below normal, then the phytolamp will save the situation.

They will also help ensure a good level of illumination. With a lack of light at home, the seedlings are strongly stretched, then it is inconvenient to plant, you have to do this only under a slope, while the survival rate decreases. That is why it is so important to have a lot of light.

In cloudy weather, you can use a 60-watt lamp for additional lighting, but on a sunny day, there should be enough natural light.

Watering

It is necessary to water the seedlings correctly, only with warm water, striving for its temperature to be about 25 ° C. The soil must always remain moist, while the seedlings must not be poured, otherwise the roots will rot and it will die.

Advice from experienced gardeners: Take a small lump of soil, roll a ball out of it with your fingers. If it turns out to be a ball - good moisture, if the soil crumbles, there is not enough moisture, but if it spreads, it is excess moisture.

Fertilizer

As the sprouts mature, you should pour the earth into the cups. It is recommended to do this 2 times after the sprout is noticeably extended. In addition, little plants need feeding, without which care for seedlings is unthinkable.

Fertilize seedlings 2-3 times. The very first feeding is introduced when the first leaf appears. If a second leaf appears, it's time for secondary fertilization. The third time the cucumber seedlings are fed 12-15 days after the second fertilization.

Finished fertilizers are sold in specialized stores, but they can be prepared at home.

Preparation of the composition:

• liquid - 5 l;
• bird droppings - 100 g;
• superphosphates - 7 g;
• ammonium nitrate - 3 g;
• potassium sulfate - 4 g.

This composition is ideal for the first feeding. For subsequent applications, the concentration of the listed components is doubled.

Alternative cultivation methods

Inventive gardeners have developed many other ways to grow cucumber seedlings. At the same time, the costs of funds and efforts will be minimal.

Peat tablets

You can grow seedlings at home not only in plastic cups, but also in peat tablets. Recently, this method has become widespread.

For cucumber seedlings, tablets with a thickness of 5-8 mm are suitable. Water them and, after waiting for swelling, plant seeds in them. It is best to place the tablets in a plastic container at a minimum distance from each other.

Sawdust

To plant seedlings in sawdust, you will need a container, a plastic bottle cut lengthwise, or a shallow flower pot. Lay polyethylene at the bottom, and pour sawdust on it, previously scalded with boiling water. The layer thickness should be 6 cm.

Make grooves in the sawdust at a distance of 5 cm from each other. Place the seeds in them every 2-3 cm. Water the sawdust periodically to keep them moist. Feed the seedlings with a mullein diluted with water 1:10. After 2-3 weeks, transplant the seedlings into the ground.

Seedlings "in swaddling clothes"

Cellophane, cut into squares, acts as a diaper. Pour a small amount of soil into the upper left part. Place the seeds on it. Fold the bottom of the film up.

Then fold the left edge and roll the film into a roll. This "swaddling" ends with the fastening of the film with a thin elastic band. Moisten the substrate in the diapers a little and place the rolls in a plastic container, leaving no distance between them. Seedling rolls are easy to care for.

Landless way

This will require toilet paper and polyethylene. On pieces of polyethylene cut to the width of the paper, the seedlings are laid in 2 layers and well moistened with a spray bottle. Seeds are laid out along the top edge at a distance of 4 cm from each other.

From above they are covered with another layer of toilet paper. Then everything is rolled into rolls, which are fixed with elastic bands. The rolls are placed in a container filled with water. Its level should be a maximum of 2 cm.

Growing seedlings in shell

This method is not much different from growing seedlings in plastic cups, but it has one important advantage: before planting, you will not need to remove the seedlings from the shell, you just need to split it. True, this must be done carefully, without damaging the roots.

So, growing cucumber seedlings at home is within the power of everyone. However, the result will be only if the seed is properly prepared and the sowing is carried out at the right time.

After that, it remains only to carefully take care of her. Grow cucumber seedlings in traditional and creative ways. The main thing is to get a wonderful harvest, which every seed will thank you for good care.

Cucumbers are a popular vegetable crop most commonly grown in seedlings.

It makes it possible to get the harvest as early as possible, the plants are strong, strong, resistant to diseases.

…

The topic of our article today is cucumber seedlings: growing at home.

Planting subtleties: seeds, containers and soil

For growing seedlings it is better to use individual containers: peat pots or tablets, plastic or paper cups, special cassettes. The containers should be small, in too bulky pots, the soil can sour.

REFERENCE! Cucumbers do not tolerate transplanting well, therefore

it is better to exclude the picking stage .

Plants grown in small containers will be moved to their permanent residence by transshipment, which will avoid trauma to the roots.

Cucumbers prefer light, nutritious soil with neutral acidity... Purchased soil will not work, it is poor in nutrients.

Ideal: a self-made mixture of garden or turf soil, old humus and sawdust. Humus can be measured with peat.

The soil is thoroughly mixed, for greater ease into it you can add perlite or vermicult... Garden soil is pre-calcined in an oven or microwave, this procedure kills harmful microorganisms and larvae of insect pests. For greater nutritional value, urea, potassium salts and superphosphate are added to the soil.

How to grow cucumbers from seeds at home for seedlings? Before planting, the seeds are sorted out and wrapped in cotton clothmoistened with warm water. After 3-4 days, sprouts will appear.

If transplanting into open ground is intended, the swollen seeds must undergo a hardening procedure. They are placed in the lower chamber of the refrigerator for 24-36 hours.

The prepared seeds are carefully planted in pots filled with substrate. Each container holds 2 seeds... The depth is minimal, no more than 1.5 cm. The pots are placed on a pallet, sprinkled abundantly with water, covered with foil or glass, and then placed in heat.

For successful germination of cucumbers need a stable temperature from 26 to 28 degrees.

We bring to your attention a video on how to plant seeds correctly:

How to grow cucumber seedlings at home?

When the sprouts rise above the soil surface, weakest removecutting it off with scissors or a knife. You cannot pull out the sprout, this can damage the roots of the remaining plant. So that the seedlings do not stretch out ahead of time, the temperature in the room drops to 20 degrees for 2-3 days. Then it needs to be raised to 22-24 degrees.

Cucumbers do not like drafts, daily temperature drops are not useful for them either.

Containers with seedlings are placed in the brightest place: on the windowsill of the south, south-west or south-east window or in close proximity to it.

In cloudy weather, additional illumination with fluorescent lamps is necessary. With a lack of light, the seedlings stretch out, the stems become thinner, and the leaves turn pale. Daylight hours for seedlings lasts from 8 to 18 hours.

ADVICE! To prevent the cucumbers from freezing, you can organize an impromptu greenhouse by covering the window glass with a film. The same film can be used to separate the window sill from the room, creating an ideal microclimate for seedlings.

An express greenhouse will provide the required level of humidity, in addition, the film near the window scatters direct sunlight.

A household humidifier, wet towels hanging on batteries, and periodic spraying of the soil, plants and air around them will help to increase the humidity level in the room.

During the cultivation of seedlings in the container, add soil 2-3 times. In between watering the soil is carefully loosenedtrying not to injure the roots. A dense crust that forms on the surface interferes with normal air exchange.

A week before planting in the ground, the seedlings begin to harden... First, the window opens, after a couple of days the pots are taken out into the open air. These walks can take several hours. Hardening is carried out in good weather; plants must be protected from sudden gusts of wind and direct sunlight.

Watering and feeding

Cucumbers - very hygrophilous culture... With insufficient watering, the sprouts wither and wither. Water the plants every other dayusing only soft water: rain, settled, boiled... The ideal temperature is 22-28 degrees.

IMPORTANT! Cold tap water cannot be used; it can slow down growth and even kill plants.

The soil in the containers should not dry out, but the plants should not be poured either. It is convenient to use a teaspoon or a spray bottle to water the newly appeared sprouts. To care for the grown seedlings, you will need a fine-mesh watering can. It is recommended to water the seedlings in the morning., avoiding direct sunlight on wet leaves.

When the first pair of true leaves unfold on the plants, feeding is carried out. If the plants grow poorly, look lethargic and stunted, you can feed them earlier.

The most suitable option is a diluted complex mineral fertilizer intended for seedlings. You can make your own formula by including urea, potassium sulfate and superphosphate.

Organic gardeners use diluted mullein or bird droppings (1 part to 10 parts water). When feeding, it is important to ensure that the fertilizer does not fall on the leaves. If this happens, the seedlings are washed with warm water. After feeding, the cucumbers need to be watered abundantly. It is better to fertilize plantings in warm sunny weather., in the first half of the day.

The second top dressing is carried out before planting in the beds or in the greenhouse. If minerals were introduced into the soil when planting seeds, secondary feeding can be excluded.

Pest insects: how to protect cucumbers?

Cucumber seedlings can be attacked by pests: spider mites or aphids. As a preventive measure frequent spraying of the plant is useful clean water or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Landings are inspected daily. The detected larvae are washed off with a cotton swab. In case of severe damage, treatment with an insecticide in a spray is possible. Plants are abundantly sprayed, after 3 days the procedure is repeated. Learn more about the methods of dealing with aphids and spider mites.

Growing cucumber seedlings at home step by step with a photo:

Growing cucumber seedlings is a simple and exciting experience. Experimenting with planting timing, lighting and feeding, you can achieve great results. Young plants will be healthy and strong, they will well tolerate transplanting in a greenhouse or open beds.

So, today we looked at cucumber seedlings: how to grow them healthy and strong? How to properly grow cucumber seedlings at home?

Useful materials

Explore other helpful articles on cucumber seedlings:

• How to grow properly on a windowsill, balcony and even in the basement?
• Tips for growing in different containers.
• Find out the pick-up times by region.
• The reasons why the leaves of seedlings dry and turn yellow and what diseases are they susceptible to?

Useful video

Step-by-step video instructions for growing cucumber seedlings at home:

Cucumbers are a popular pumpkin crop, an annual herb that is successfully grown both outdoors and in sheltered greenhouses. Cucumbers have been successfully cultivated by mankind for more than 6 thousand years, they come from the foothills of the Himalayas and are even mentioned in the Bible. Despite its ancient origin, cucumber is still included in numerous national cuisines and is successfully used to prepare many delicious and healthy dishes.

Due to the dietary properties of this vegetable, it has many fans all over the world: it practically does not contain proteins, carbohydrates and fats, but it contains a lot of potassium, which is indispensable for the health of the heart and kidneys, vitamins, including carotene, as well as a high percentage of trace elements ... Since ancient times, cucumber has been used both as a medicinal plant and in cosmetics.

Features of growing cucumber seedlings

In order to properly grow cucumber seedlings at home, you must follow a number of rules:

• Soil selection.
• The timing of planting cucumbers for seedlings.
• Light mode.
• Temperature conditions.
• Planting cucumber seedlings in a greenhouse.

Properly grown and prepared for planting, seedlings of cucumbers should have at least a couple of true leaves, a strong short stem, a rich juicy green color, a well-developed root system (if the container for seedlings is transparent, it should be visible that the whole lump of earth is braided with roots).

To grow cucumber seedlings for a greenhouse, it is necessary to select the so-called parthenocarpic, or self-pollinated varieties that do not need the help of bees and other insects. If the seedlings are intended for open ground, bee-pollinated varieties of this vegetable are also suitable.

The seeds offered for sale come in a variety of qualities - regular, processed and granulated.

• Before planting, ordinary seeds must be calibrated and rejected: knowingly crippled and small ones are immediately selected, and the remaining ones are immersed in a strong solution of table salt - the floating seeds are unusable, and full-fledged ones will go to the bottom. They are selected, washed thoroughly with fresh water and dried or immediately processed for sowing.
• Treated seeds are prepared for planting, they are often recommended to be sown directly into open ground, as they are covered with the thinnest layer of antifungal and antimicrobial agents. Granular seeds, in addition to protective ones, are also covered with a layer of nutrients that give a positive start to young immature plants.
• Calibrated seeds need moisture and warmth to germinate. If these two conditions are not met, even the seeds that have already hatched may die. Most often, they are wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in a place with a high temperature (about 30 degrees). Seeds that have formed a small root must be planted immediately in the ground.

An important question for getting good cucumber seedlings at home is when to plant cucumbers for seedlings.
If this is done too early, the seedlings will outgrow, stretch out, and be pale and fragile. Such seedlings are unlikely to make a strong and healthy actively bearing plant.
If you delay planting cucumbers for seedlings, the plants will be too small and weak, taking root in the ground will take a long time and the harvest will be late.

The optimal time for planting cucumber seeds for seedlings is 20-25 days before the planned date of transplantation into the ground or greenhouse.

The choice of soil for cucumber seedlings

For active growth and high-quality fruiting, it is advisable to plant cucumber seeds for seedlings in the ground, in chemical and mechanical composition similar to the one in which the plant will continue to live. In this case, it will be easier for the roots of a young cucumber to germinate in a new environment and gain a foothold in it.

As soon as the first cotyledon leaves appear, the cucumber seedlings must be placed in a cooler and brighter place. This is necessary so that the section of the stem under the cotyledons does not stretch out, forming weak, fragile seedlings. You need a lot of light, but direct sunlight should be avoided - they can burn delicate and soft young leaves. Water the seedlings with warm water, spray only in the first half of the day in not sunny weather or in a place protected from direct sunlight.

Cucumbers love humid air, but do not tolerate "leaving" at night with wet leaves - in such a situation, the plants quickly attack fungal diseases.

Such violations of the temperature regime as excessive heat and prolonged hypothermia of seedlings, especially in combination with high humidity in the air and soil, lead to the disease "black leg". With this form of root rot, a black area appears at the base of the plant stem, near the ground itself, causing cell death and the death of the entire green part. It will not be possible to save the affected plant, it must be urgently removed and destroyed along with the earth - in it is the source of the disease. The remaining seedlings must be treated with fungicides.

The optimal soil composition for cucumber seedlings:

• Sod or humus land.
• Peat.
• Sand.
• Drainage (added to the bottom of the planting container to remove excess moisture). Expanded clay, vermiculite, sunflower husks and other absorbent materials can be used as drainage.

Correct planting of seeds

Prepared or processed seeds must be planted in individual containers, since the cucumber does not tolerate root damage during transplantation. Such seedlings take root for a long time, get sick and may die. Even a plant that has taken root will be much less productive than one grown in a glass and planted with a whole lump of earth.

It is necessary to plant cucumbers for seedlings with 2 seeds per planting container in order to guarantee the right number of plants. After pecking the seeds and unfolding the cotyledonous leaves, the weaker plant must be removed, otherwise both cucumber seedlings will be weakened due to competition for water, light and nutrients. It is impossible to pull out or pull out the plant - it can pull along the still weak roots of the remaining seedling and damage them. The easiest way is to gently pinch off or cut it off at ground level, the rest will gradually decompose without harm to the second plant. Now the seedling will be spacious and will get a lot of nutrients.

What to do if the cucumber seedlings are stretched out?

Elongated pale seedlings are a common occurrence when grown at home. To prevent this from happening, you need to change two modes of growing cucumber seedlings - temperature and light.

The air temperature should be reduced to about 15 degrees, and the seedlings should be additionally illuminated, if there is very little light, this will have to be done around the clock.

On bright windows, it is enough to install side and top mirrors, which will reflect sunlight onto the seedlings. Sometimes it is enough to arrange cucumbers with cucumbers away from each other, especially if they already have large enough leaves that shade each other.

If the seedlings are very elongated, they can be helped when planting in the ground. Such a plant is carefully and carefully buried to the cotyledons or gradually sprinkled with warm and loose earth. The main condition for good survival of elongated seedlings is to plant them in well-heated, not waterlogged soil.
If it had to be planted in cold soil, the ground around such a plant is covered with a dark perforated film, which accumulates solar heat and evaporates excess moisture. In this case, the part of the stem buried in the ground will not rot, but will give additional roots and support the weak, elongated seedlings. After a while, it will be the same strong and green plant as everyone else.

The seedlings of cucumbers begin to bloom very quickly, even the first buds are already forming in the cups. This does not negatively affect the quality of strong healthy seedlings, but from a weakened one it can take away already small strength.

For such seedlings, it will be better to remove the first flowers and give the plant the opportunity to take root well in the ground, improve its health and form a strong bush.
This plant will begin to bear fruit a little later than the others, but will quickly make up for lost time and be equal in yield to the rest of the seedlings. A weak or elongated seedling planted with buds or flowers will hurt for a long time, can shed buds and even ovaries, and as a result, it will give much less fruit.

Cucumber seedlings planted in open ground or in a greenhouse are much more demanding on air humidity than other crops, but they absolutely cannot stand it if at least a drop of water remains on the leaves at night. In this case, the seedlings quickly become ill with powdery mildew, from which the whole plantation or the "population" of the greenhouse can die.

Therefore, cucumbers are watered in the morning with warm water, trying not to leave the leaves wet until the evening. If necessary, the plants are sprayed, but so that they have time to dry out by night.

Cucumbers are one of the most grateful garden crops, which, with minimal care and attention, will thank their owners with a plentiful and tasty harvest.

Read about growing cucumbers in a greenhouse in our next article.

Growing seedlings of cucumbers - video

We grow cucumber seedlings at home

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Seed preparation

As soon as the air temperature is not lower than + 120C outside, the cucumber seedlings can be taken out on the veranda, when the temperature rises to +15 0C in calm weather, the cucumber seedlings can be taken outside. It is this hardening that makes it possible to plant cucumber seedlings at an earlier date in open ground without the use of greenhouses and covering material.

• For more busy people, the trade network offers the widest selection of seedling soils. But I do not take it for one simple reason: it consists mainly of peat. And if such soil dries up, then the water will no longer linger in it, and the plants suffer from lack of water, suffocate and die.
• Sometimes, by chance, two sprouts grow in a glass. Then the weak sprout is pinched at the root. Its root decomposes without residue, and the root system of the stronger second sprout remains intact.

The timing of sowing cucumbers depends on the further growing conditions. In the first ten days of April, cucumber seeds are sown for further planting of seedlings in greenhouses and film greenhouses, and no later than May 10 - for planting in open ground.

Next, the bed is covered with plastic wrap. After a week, you can start planting seedlings, observing the basic rules. Since the root system of plants requires warmth and aeration, the shoots should not be planted deeply. If the seedlings were grown in special pots made of peat, then they are planted in the soil with them, and their edge should be at ground level. If the seedlings were grown in plastic cups, they are carefully removed from them, trying not to damage the roots, and planted in the hole. The earth around the stem is squeezed by hand.

1. Scheme of tying plants on trellises: A) Methods for tying twine to trellises. 1) Sliding loop. 2) Dead node. 3) Hard knot. B) Methods for tying plants to twine. 4) Annular. 5) Loose loop and top.
2. As a percentage, most of the cucumber is water. Thanks to the alkaline salts it contains, this water is very beneficial for health. It is due to it that inorganic acidic compounds are neutralized, which enter the human body along with food. Cucumbers are especially useful for those who suffer from kidney disease. Also, cucumber contains iodine, the benefits of which are obvious and do not require proof. And although by origin it belongs to the southern plants, it grows well in northern latitudes.

Then you need to sow so that each glass was rich in only one seed. Sowing will be about 1.5-2cm deep. Then the cups are placed in a place with an air temperature of about 23-25 ​​degrees. There is also the possibility that a pest (sprout fly) may appear. To avoid this problem, the cups should be smeared with any ointment that has a pungent odor.

Thanks to this method, the final result (cucumbers) can be obtained much earlier;

If there is a desire to prepare a dressing agent with your own hands, then you can make a weak solution of potassium permanganate (a strong solution is contraindicated to prepare, because the seeds may be damaged). Then the seeds must be kept in this solution for about 10-15 minutes. It is also allowed to fill the seeds with an immunostimulating solution in order to strengthen the growth of seedlings. After the performed procedures, the seeds must be thoroughly washed with warm water.

Vegetable growing is a rather unpretentious occupation, but it requires more energy and attention. Most nowadays are engaged in this lesson at home, and this is not surprising, since even at home you have to make every effort to get the desired result. Each vegetable has some useful qualities and cucumber is no exception.This vegetable is quite demanding to care for and grow, so special conditions must be created for it, in other ways, just like when growing any other vegetable or fruit at home. It is very important for a future vegetable grower to know what fertilizer is needed? Where is the best place to grow? And of course, how to get a good harvest? To obtain a good harvest, it is necessary to take into account all the factors affecting the yield of plants, and to assimilate information about how, after all, cucumber seedlings are properly grown at home.

Creation of optimal conditions

Lighting up

• For growing seedlings, I prefer to take a ready-made earthen mixture for indoor plants. This land does not cake or shrink.
• Plants are watered with settled water heated to +24 degrees.

For planting, you can use seeds purchased from the store or obtained from your own cucumbers. Plants grown from seeds of 3-4 years ago have a high yield. The worst harvest will be from plants grown from last year's seeds. It is also not recommended to take seeds from hybrid varieties, since the chances of obtaining plants with identical properties are small.

Having planted all the seedlings, they are watered and then mulched with peat. This must be done to avoid crusting. Between the beds, mulching is done with a black opaque cloth so that it prevents the growth of weeds and maintains soil moisture.

Before planting the seeds, you need to prepare the cups. This will save the seedlings from transplanting in the future, since cucumbers tolerate it very poorly. In addition, it is not difficult to grow cucumber seedlings even at home - even a novice gardener can handle this if desired.

Immediately after the emergence of seedlings, cups with cucumber seedlings must be placed on a clarified windowsill. Previously, it was necessary to insulate all the cracks in the windows in order to avoid drafts. Fluctuations in air temperature very seriously affect the growth of seedlings, so the daytime temperature should be 20-22 degrees, and at night the mark on the thermometer should not fall below 15 degrees.

Sowing

If the cucumbers are grown in the northern region, then you don't have to worry about the harvest;

1. IMPORTANT! If you purchased seeds from the store that were previously processed, then you do not need to process them again.
2. Long-term storage of cucumber seeds can be carried out by observing certain conditions:
3. ... Supplementation of cucumber seedlings is recommended for winter cultivation. For example, in February, the duration of supplementary lighting should be 6-8 hours a day, and it is necessary to start supplementary lighting with the emergence of shoots and it is advisable to supplement it early in the morning, and not late in the evening. Supplementing significantly reduces the time for growing cucumber seedlings. With a later planting of cucumber seeds, natural light is already quite enough.

If you have a greenhouse, then sowing cucumber seeds can be in February and March. If you are going to plant cucumber seedlings directly into the ground without additional shelter, then

• Seedlings are grown for about a month. During this period, it needs to be fed twice. For the first time, fifteen-day-old seedlings are fed. As a fertilizer, it is better to use a solution of mullein (in a ratio of 1:10) or bird droppings (in a ratio of 1:20). No more than 50 ml is used per plant.
• You need to store seeds at a temperature of + 16 ° C and humidity - 50-60%. Then they will not lose their qualities for 10 years.
• The cups are filled with soil and watered with a hot, weak solution of potassium permanganate. After standing for some time - no more than half an hour - the seeds are sown. One seed is sown in each glass, after making a shallow hole in the center. Sowing depth approx. 1.5 cm. The seed should be flat. Then it is covered with sifted earth and sprayed with water.To preserve moisture, the cups are placed on a pallet and covered with foil. The pallet is placed in a warm, bright place and wait for the emergence of seedlings.
• To harvest a large harvest of cucumbers, you need to prepare the seeds. They must be large enough. Their quality is determined in a simple way: a salt solution is prepared - approximately 25 g per 1 liter of water and seeds are placed in it for literally a few minutes. Those seeds that have settled to the bottom will be of the highest quality and fit for sowing. They should be rinsed with plain water and treated with a disinfectant. It can be purchased in a specialized store, or you can prepare it yourself by dissolving 1 g of potassium permanganate in 0.5 liters of water. The dwell time of cucumber seeds in this product is approximately 20 minutes. After that, the seeds are removed and washed with water.
• High-quality seedlings are the key to a good harvest. To achieve better seedling quality, fluorescent lamps or energy-saving lamps should also be used. They are located mainly above the plants. The distance between the plant and the lamp should be 5 cm. Then, as the plant develops and grows, the lamps rise higher and higher each time. You need to start highlighting the plants at 8 am and continue further for 6-8 hours. The backlight must be turned off at night.

With this method, the fruiting period is extended.

If you use soil for seedlings, which you bought in a specialized store, then you need to know the following properties of this substrate:

Seedling care

The air temperature should not exceed + 15 ° С;

Watering

Sowing cucumber seeds can be about a month before planting in open ground

A week before the planned planting, it is recommended to harden the seedlings. To do this, it must be taken out to a bright place, protected from drafts and direct sunlight.

Home seeds are prepared for sowing. First, the seeds are discarded. To do this, they are placed in a saline solution (3 g of salt per glass of water). Empty seeds will float, and viable seeds will be at the bottom.

Landing in the ground

Seedlings should be sown outdoors around May 9-12, covering overnight and in cool weather. From June the film can be removed.

At a temperature of 25-28 ° C, the first shoots appear already on the 3rd day. If the room is colder, this can happen in a week. Then the seedlings are placed in a bright place, for example, on a windowsill, protecting it from drafts.

Video "Growing cucumber seedlings"

Schedule for sowing cucumbers for seedlings.

Basic rules for planting cucumber seedlings

Watering the seedlings should be moderate. If the seedlings are highlighted, then they need to be watered only 2 times a day, otherwise - 1 time a day. In order to avoid the accumulation of water in the cups, holes are specially made in the bottom. You can water the seedlings only with settled water, the temperature of which will be in the range from 23 to 25 degrees.

The quality of the plant plays a huge role in growing seedlings. That is why seedlings that are ready for planting must be selected according to certain criteria:

Usually such soils are made from peat by adding fertilizers;

The humidity level should be between 50 and 60%.

Seed selection and preparation

... Watering the seedlings of cucumbers, preferably with warm, settled water, the water temperature should not be lower than +22 + 240C. A lower water temperature can provoke the development of various rot and fungal diseases.

... For example, planting cucumber seedlings is planned in mid-May, then you need to plant cucumber seeds no later than mid-April.

Three days before planting, re-feeding the seedlings is carried out. For this, a complex nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer is used, in which phosphorus and potassium prevail.

Good seeds are pickled against fungal diseases in a 1% manganese solution, washed and dried. It should be noted that store seeds do not need to be discarded and disinfected.

Starting from the end of February, you need to start planting late varieties of tomatoes on seedlings. When purchasing seeds, pay attention to what is indicated on the package. Tomatoes can be planted until mid-April, if the characteristics of the variety allow it.

Composing soil

Seedlings are grown for about one month, otherwise it will outgrow, which will negatively affect the quality of the crop.

Then they should be soaked in a nutrient solution. They, for example, can serve as sifted wood ash, dissolved in water in proportions of 1 tbsp. l. for 1 liter of water. Then the seeds of the cucumbers are washed again with water, a slightly damp cloth is taken (it is better if it is a gauze folded in several layers), the seeds are carefully laid out on it and left for 2 days in a warm room. At the same time, their swelling occurs, the seeds are slightly pecked. In this state, they are placed in the refrigerator on the lower shelf for one day.

The term for growing seedlings at home ranges from 20 to 25 days. During this period of time, the seedlings are fed twice. The first feeding is carried out 14 days after the emergence of seedlings. To prepare top dressing, you need to mix 3 liters of water with 1 teaspoon of urea.

The stems must be strong enough;

Planting seeds in the ground

Peat is endowed with such a property that it can absorb moisture quite quickly, but it also gets rid of it quickly. And for seedlings of cucumbers, a sufficiently nutritious mixture is needed;

If you follow these requirements, then the seeds of the plant will be quite suitable for use in 10 years. But the most optimal option is seeds that have been stored for 3 to 4 years, because as a result of this age, the seeds give the best yield.

Top dressing

Hardening of cucumber seedlings

For a month, the seedlings take on the appearance of squat bushes, with a well-developed root system and 1-2 leaves of a dark green color. It is planted in soil insulated from below at a depth of 5 cm with manure or other organic substances.

How to care for seedlings

To increase the resistance of the seeds to a drop in temperature, they can be hardened. To do this, the washed seeds are laid out on gauze, filtered paper or scalded sawdust. They should lie down for a day at a temperature of 20 ° C. Then they are placed in a refrigerator or covered with snow. Some of the seeds die after such treatment, but the rest will be more resistant to short-term drops in temperature.

It is possible to grow tomato seedlings in pots and in boxes with subsequent picking. The seeds are disinfected in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 15 minutes, after which they must be rinsed in running water and dried.

Cucumber cultivation scheme 1) Sowing seeds on a damp paper towel. 2) Transplanting sprouts into pots. 3) Planting plants in a permanent place. 4) Plucking the top. 5) Plucking lateral shoots. 6) Collection of fruits (cut with a sharp knife).

In order to grow high-quality cucumber seedlings, which will be the key to an excellent harvest, it should be remembered that this plant loves warmth and moisture. It is possible to plant seedlings on the windowsill of the house, but for this it is necessary to provide appropriate conditions - the temperature in the room should not be less than 25 ° C, and the seedlings themselves should be protected from drafts and provided with sufficient light.

Planting seedlings in the ground

One glass of this top dressing is consumed per plant. The second top dressing occurs 28 days after the emergence of seedlings, that is, 14 days after the first top dressing was carried out.The prepared mixture will include 3 liters of water and 1 teaspoon of nitrophoska, and 1 tablespoon of wood ash is added. One glass of top dressing is consumed per plant.

Their height should be no more than 30 cm;

Preparing the soil with your own hands: the soil will consist of humus, peat and rotted sawdust. This mixture will be combined taking into account such a ratio of 2: 2: 1. Then you can also add some compost and turf soil.

If you are eager to use the seeds that were collected in your personal garden, then you should consider the following nuances:

... In order for the cucumber seedlings to develop normally, they need to be fed. The first feeding is recommended 8-10 days after germination. If you prefer to feed the cucumbers with organic fertilizers, then it is advisable to add 20 g of superphosphate per 8-10 liters of mullein solution to the mullein solution (1:10).

You need to start with pre-sowing seed treatment. In order for cucumber seedlings to easily withstand nighttime air temperature drops to +12 + 140C, do not rush to plant the swollen seeds in the ground faster. After swelling, cucumber seeds are recommended to be kept for 2-3 days at an air temperature of +2 + 30C and only then sown in prepared pots.

How to grow sturdy tomato seedlings

After the last feeding, they try not to water the seedlings, so that the earthen lump with roots dries out a little. When transplanting, the soil in the hole is disinfected with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate. The bottom of the cup is cut with a knife, the plant is carefully pushed out of the cup. With this method of transplanting, the risk of root damage is minimal. The plant is planted in a hole, sprinkled with moist earth, and then dry. For the first week of the plant, to improve survival, it is necessary to shade with branches, cardboard boxes or boxes.

The soil mixture for planting cucumbers can be taken ready-made. Experienced gardeners usually do it themselves. There are several compositions of planting mixtures. Here are some examples of the simplest:

The soil mixture should contain humus and garden soil in a 1: 1 ratio. Earth is poured into the box, the surface is carefully leveled. Then you need to make grooves, spread the seeds every 1.5 - 2 cm and close up. Press the surface lightly with your palms. Water the crops well, cover the box with foil and put in a warm place.

Great attention should be paid to temperature conditions. At night, the temperature should not be lower than 15 ° С, and during the daytime - below 20 ° С. After the appearance of 2 real leaves, the seedlings are fed with complex fertilizers. The soil in the glass should not be waterlogged. This can lead to weak roots and oversized leaves. Watering should be done once a week.

When to plant seedlings depends on the region where the cucumbers are grown. As a rule, in the middle lane it is sown on April 22, repeating sowing after 12 days.

Before planting seedlings in the ground, you need to prepare well. The beds need to be disinfected, they should have been dug up in the fall and spring. The planting holes must be made of the same size as the seedling pot. Then they are usually washed out with a solution of potassium permanganate, which is prepared in accordance with the following proportions: 1 teaspoon is added to 10 liters of water.

The internodes are short;

We sow cucumbers for seedlings

Only 1 tablespoon of nitrophoska and 3 tablespoons of ash are added to one bucket of this mixture. The optimal time of the year to prepare this mixture is autumn. This condition must be met due to the fact that if you decide to prepare the soil for cucumbers before planting, then the risk that the seedlings may burn increases.

Presowing seed preparation

To begin with, you need to remember that last year's cucumber seeds should not be sown as they will not give the crop you want.But those plant seeds that were grown several years ago are able to give the same good result as a couple of seasons ago;

To feed the seedlings of cucumbers, you can also use complex fertilizers, which include not only nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, but also other micro- and macroelements necessary for plant nutrition.

Compliance with temperature conditions

The soil with seedlings must be regularly watered with warm water (at least 25 degrees) from a watering can with a strainer under the root. Watering must be done carefully so as not to wash the cucumber roots close to the surface.

1. In 10 liters of garden soil add 3 liters of humus, 1 glass of ash and one tablespoon of superphosphate. We recommend adding one liter of sand to clay soil.

Which soil is better?

After the emergence of shoots, the film must be removed and the box is transferred to the light. To prevent the tomatoes from stretching, you need to illuminate them with an electric lamp for 10 hours a day. There is no need for large temperature drops and a hot microclimate on the window. Shade with curtains from the scorching sun.

The second feeding is carried out a couple of days before planting the seedlings in a permanent place in the ground.

Diagram of an automated device for growing cucumbers on a windowsill.

Further, the seedlings, as accurately as possible, are removed from the pot so that the plant is not damaged, and is located in the prepared hole. Then the hole is sprinkled with earth on top. It is very important to remember that after the cucumbers have been planted in the ground, they must be watered without missing a single bush.

The leaves must have the required density;

Also

Watering, dressing

There is a great risk of collecting seeds from hybrid cucumbers, which belong to the F1 group, since in this case the probability of obtaining the final result with identical properties is rather small.

In the future, feeding of seedlings of cucumbers is carried out once every 2 weeks. Top dressing should not be carried out on dry soil or in the morning. It is recommended to water the plants in the morning and top dressing in the evening. If you are using mineral fertilizers for the first time, do not exceed the dosage recommended by the manufacturer. The recommended dose of fertilizers can even be halved, otherwise it is easy to burn delicate plants.

Is of great importance when growing cucumber seedlings. Recommended temperature conditions for growing cucumber seedlings:

Many gardeners know that cucumbers do not tolerate transplanting very well, since it is often accompanied by damage to the root system, and therefore they try to plant cucumber seeds immediately in open ground. But to get the first harvest of cucumbers without a greenhouse and a greenhouse 2-3 weeks earlier than the main one is quite possible with the help of seedlings.

Landing in the ground

2. The mixture is made from three parts of garden soil, one part of manure and one part of fine sawdust.

Twice during the growth of seedlings, you need to transplant it. The first time the transplant coincides with a pick into separate pots, and the second time it will be a transfer into a larger pot.

Since the growth of seedlings occurs in room conditions, it must be hardened, that is, gradually accustomed to natural conditions - air, sunlight, lower temperatures. To do this, the vents are slightly opened or the seedlings are carried out on the balcony during the day. The time it spends in the fresh air is gradually increasing. When grown in a greenhouse, the film is slightly opened for hardening. High-quality seedlings should have a thick, strong stem and dark green leaves. Only in this form, the seedlings are ready for transplanting to the garden.

Seedling soil is harvested in the fall. For its preparation, you should take low-lying peat, lying sawdust and humus in proportions of 1: 1: 2. Then this mixture is mixed and a complex fertilizer purchased from a store is added. Instead of an industrial product, you can prepare fertilizer yourself, taking 1 tsp.urea and finely crushed potassium sulfate and 1 tbsp. l. double superphosphate.

Demonstration of an example of growing seedlings at home. An experienced person shares his experience from germinating seeds to sowing and planting a cucumber in the ground

What soil to choose for seedlings of cucumbers?

The color of the leaves is dark green;

Cucumbers can be grown in the soil from the vegetable garden. To do this, you must first of all take into account the fact that the land on which cucumbers have already been grown is not suitable for creating a mixture. This is due to the fact that loose earth is needed to prepare the soil.

To determine the quality of seeds, it is necessary, first of all, to carry out one operation: you need to place the seeds in a bowl, and then fill them with water; some seeds sink (these are the strongest, they will be used further), others go up (these seeds should be thrown away, since they are weak).

When should you sow cucumber seeds for seedlings?

When growing seedlings, you can also face difficulties. With prolonged cloudy weather and low air temperatures, the seedlings of cucumbers, even before the appearance of real leaves, are very strongly stretched out the hypocotal stem. It's OK! If this happens, carefully lay the stalk up to the cotyledonous leaves in the form of a ring along the edge of the glass or pot, sprinkle with earth and water. After a week, the stem will take root, and the cucumber seedlings will become shorter and stronger.From sowing seeds to sprouting + 280C, such a temperature can be easily created in a mini-greenhouse;To avoid transplanting and picking in growing cucumber seedlings, cucumber seeds should be planted in peat cups, pots or peat tablets, 1-2 seeds each. Transplanting seedlings into open ground will then be painless.

How to grow healthy cucumber seedlings?

Seedlings can be grown in cups or pots.Tomato seedlings are planted in the ground when the threat of recurrent frosts has passed.

Scheme of growing cucumbers in the open field and caring for them.It is necessary to prepare the ground for seedlings in advance, from autumn, and store it in a cool place, for example, in the basement or on the balcony. Before use, the soil must be steamed over a fire, or disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate.

It is rare to meet a person who would not like cucumbers. Not a single feast is complete without them. They are good in any form - fresh, lightly salted, pickled or salted in barrels. And although there are minimal amounts of nutrients and vitamins in them, a cucumber is always a welcome guest on the table and therefore it must be grown in your own garden.

A developed root system is required.

This is the land on which legumes, onions or garlic were previously grown. Then you should mix it with a complex fertilizer. The already prepared mixture then needs to be spilled with a hot solution of potassium permanganate in order to disinfect it.

To reduce the risk of disease infecting seedlings, seeds can be disinfected using a variety of methods. For example, in any shop for the garden and vegetable garden, special seed dressing agents are sold ("Prestige", "Fitosporin").These are all the recommendations that, with a strong desire, are easy to follow. I wish you an early and abundant harvest of cucumbers!

After emergence - in sunny weather +20 + 250C, in cloudy +18 + 200C, at night +15 + 180C. If the air temperature in the room is significantly lower, then this will not only greatly increase the period of growing seedlings, but also affect the quality of the seedlings.You can use your garden land, carefully harvested in the fall. Before use, the earth must be calcined or steamed. This is done in order to kill all the larvae and insects in the ground.

After hardening, the seeds are planted one at a time in a pot at a depth of 1.5-2 cm and covered with a dark film. Seedlings are germinated at a temperature of 25–27 ° С.Seedlings should appear on the fourth day, and the cotyledons should unfold on the fifth. The film is removed from five-day seedlings, the daytime temperature is reduced to 15–20 ° C, and the night temperature to 12–18 ° C. A short-term drop in temperature prevents the stretching of the hypocotal knee, drooping and wilting of plants.Cucumber is one of the favorite treats on the festive table, both as an ingredient in salads and in pickled form. In a crisis, most gardeners are trying to grow this vegetable on their backyard plots and even on window sills. Cucumber is demanding in terms of care and growing conditions, therefore, in order to obtain a bountiful harvest, it is important to have complete information on its agricultural technology.

The beds are prepared in advance. They should be located in the brightest and warmest place, protected from drafts. Once every 5 years, as experts advise, the place for growing cucumbers must be changed in order to reduce the possibility of the appearance of diseases. Before planting in the ground, it is necessary to apply organic fertilizers and water the soil with a hot solution of potassium permanganate.

You can also plant seedlings in the finished soil of their store.

What to do if the cucumber seedlings are stretched out?

To obtain a bountiful harvest, cucumbers must be fed; foliar feeding is best suited. Cucumber leaves are sprayed with a special solution fertilizer.

The first step is to take small glasses and then fill them with the prepared or purchased mixture. Seeds must be watered with water, the temperature of which will be approximately 60-70 degrees, just a few minutes before sowing.

The seedling method of growing cucumbers has some advantages: