In our country, you will not find a summer cottage where cucumbers are grown. They can grow in polycarbonate greenhouses, hotbeds, barrels, and outdoors. If the goal is to collect a generous harvest, you need to understand all the intricacies of caring for this popular crop and know whether it needs to be tied up and in what mode to water.
Necessary care of cucumbers during growth and fruiting
After the emergence of shoots, there comes a crucial moment for caring for vegetables so that they please for a long time with their crispy greens.
Caring for cucumbers with your own hands is not difficult - you need to follow simple rules.
Rules for the correct watering of cucumbers in the greenhouse and open field
In order for the plant not to hurt and the cucumber bush to give a rich and tasty harvest, it is necessary to observe three main rules of watering:
- amount
- Timeliness
- Regularity
The plant has a root system that is located shallow from the surface of the earth and when watering, water quickly penetrates deep into the soil. With insufficient watering, the roots do not receive the moisture that the cucumber bush needs so much for full growth, flowering and fruiting.
Cucumbers also have large leaves, which play a large role in moisture evaporation. As a result, the plant is often watered using sprinkling method.
Young seedlings are watered only around the bush in order not to damage the seedlings and not expose the fragile root system. When roots appear above the soil surface, it is necessary to immediately huddle the plant.
- During the rainy season, cucumbers growing in open beds, during growth, during the formation of lashes and during the formation of inflorescences, can not be irrigated at all.
- In hot and dry weather, cucumbers are watered daily, as the top layer dries. For good soil saturation with water, per square meter use up to 15 liters of water.
- During the budding period, watering is carried out: in sunny weather twice a day, in cloudy weather, twice a week. An adult who has formed a bush needs 15 liters per sq. meter, and with new zelents - 25 liters.
- During fruiting, a large amount of water is needed for the full development of the fruit (the taste and quality of cucumbers depends on this).
The rate and regularity of watering is determined by the degree of soil moisture enrichment. With sufficient watering, water is not absorbed into the soil and remains on the ground.
Drying and strong waterlogging of the soil must not be allowed. The first sign of a lack of water is wilting of foliage, and excess moisture can lead to root rot.
The best time to water is morning or after sunsetwhen the sun's rays are still or are no longer active. After each watering, spend loosening the soil between the rows, so that moisture persists longer and does not form an earthen lump.
Watering outdoor cucumbers is significantly different from watering greenhouse cucumbers. It is necessary here take into account humidity and observe temperature conditions... When the temperature drops below 15 degrees, watering is not performed, since at low temperatures the root system does not absorb water well, which can lead to plant disease.
In order to enjoy the rich harvest and prevent the occurrence of various diseases, cucumbers are watered with exceptionally warm water.
If during the day, the temperature stays at 25 degrees, the bushes are watered not at the root, but around the plant, when increasing - use sprinkling method... This method is used exclusively in the morning hours.
By the end of the summer period, watering is reduced, since excess moisture in the cold soil can cause root rot.
Weeding and loosening the garden
Since the primary roots of cucumbers are close to the surface, weeding and loosening are carried out very carefully.
The loosening procedure must be carried out after every watering, carefully pushing back the whips. In the first month, young seedlings are loosened daily, to a depth of 4 cm, then this procedure is carried out every 7 days. Hilling is carried out several times per season to build up young lateral roots.
Weeding the bushes must be done as the weed grows, since weeds carry with them various diseases that can cause irreparable harm to the cucumber vine.
In order to stop the growth of weeds and retain moisture in the soil, you can carry out mulching: mowed grass, sawdust or straw.
Methods of garter in the ground and polycarbonate greenhouse
Caring for a cucumber crop also consists of a garter of shoots. This procedure must be carried out as the bush grows.
The correct garter of plants solves several serious problems:
- Saves space
- Prevents the occurrence of diseases arising from the contact of fruits with the ground
- Facilitates harvesting
It is necessary to perform the garter procedure when the plant has formed 4-5 leaves and has reached a height of 30 cm. Late garter carries a high risk of damage to the crop.
There are two ways to tie:
- Horizontal
- Vertical
Special nets are ideal for tying. The net is stretched over trellises or supports, and the cucumbers begin to curl along it on their own. In a greenhouse, cucumbers are tied with twine to horizontal yards. You can also bind to arcs or make a support yourself.
The necessary dressing during flowering
All vegetable crops need proper and timely feeding for good growth, cucumbers are no exception. Every gardener should know when, how and with what cucumbers are fertilized during flowering.
During the flowering period, the cucumber bush must be fed. Cucumbers fertilize phosphorus-potassium and nitrogenous fertilizers... Nitrogen and potassium promote active growth and foliage formation, while phosphorus increases flowering.
Plant feeding improves fruiting and increases productivityand also protects the plant from all kinds of diseases.
In order to achieve constant fruiting, 3 rules must be observed:
- It's better not to feed cucumbers than to overfeed
- Before fertilizing, the plant is thoroughly shed
- Top dressing is introduced every 14 days
Top dressing during flowering cucumbers can produce:
- Under the root
- Foliar dressing (spraying foliage with a nutrient solution)
- Dry dusting
Required fertilizers
- Feeding with organic matter. Solution mullein diluted with water 1:10 and add 1 glass ash... Consumption - liter for 4 bushes.
- From the moment of flowering, if the soil has received a dose of good fertilization, it is sufficient to feed the cucumbers with wood ash. To do this, 2.5 glasses of ash are poured with 10 liters of water, and left to infuse for 24 hours. The resulting solution is used for root feeding
- Sifted ash, foliage is pollinated. Cucumbers will receive phosphorus fertilization and prevention from powdery mildew.
- Foliar top dressing. Mix 500 grams of ash with 10 liters of water. Ash eliminates potassium deficiency.
- Foliar dressing boric acid... For a bucket of water - ¼ spoon of acid.
- In the absence of time to make natural dressings, you can purchase ready-made complex fertilizers... You need to take 1 tsp for a bucket of water. potassium sulfate, urea and superphosphate.
You can not overfeed the cucumber crop, since large doses and frequent use of fertilizers lead to a decrease in the taste of the fruit and a violation of the growth of the bush.
Although leaving seems too difficult, the effort and time spent will not be wasted. Cucumbers in the near future will delight you with amicable fruiting and crispy greens.