There is not a single person who does not like such a dish as a cucumber salad. It is especially pleasant if the cultivation of zelents was carried out step by step on the windowsill or on the balcony with your own hands. There is a category of gardeners that is not limited to the cultivation of tasty and healthy fruits in summer cottages, balcony cucumber - the pride of any specialist.
Is it possible to dream about growing cucumbers on the windowsill or on the balcony
It may seem impossible for many novice gardeners to grow cucumbers on the windowsill, but this is quite real. Of course, you have to work hard to get the harvest, but for those who like to show their talent in agricultural technology, this process is a real pleasure. In addition, such an activity can become a family hobby.
There are no restrictions on the timing of disembarkation. But planting is one thing, and looking after - following a step-by-step plan of events, especially in winter - is quite another. The conditions for success are the installation of a lamp near an impromptu bed with daylight from November to February, proper watering, attention to flowering, pinching and garter. Insufficient illumination negatively affects the growing season.
Due to the absence of time limits, it is possible to plant and harvest fruits at any time of the year.
The best varieties to grow on a windowsill
The main rule of how to grow greens in a room is the correct choice of seeds. Which variety to use for planting? If you take the first variety that comes to hand for cultivation, the development of seedlings will be slowed down, which, most likely, will lead to the death of the seedling.
The following varieties are suitable for cultivating cucumbers on a windowsill.
Balcony
An unpretentious early ripe variety with a ripening period of 40-42 days from the moment of emergence. The yield per square meter is 8-11 kg. To successfully grow this variety and get a large harvest, the main thing is to water it correctly according to the instructions.
Buyan
This variety does not require pollination and has a long fruiting period. Zelentsy ripen 44-48 days after the first shoots appear. The average yield is 3.5-5 kg per m2.
Ant
The characteristic quality of the variety is ultra early ripening, the fruits appear 37-38 days after the mass germination of seeds. Pollination is not required for the plant. 10-12 kg can be removed from 1 m2 with proper care.
Marathon
A hybrid requiring pollination is distinguished by a high yield (over 25 kg per 1 m2). Ideal for window growing due to its compact lash size and high disease resistance.
Olympiad
The plant, although it has a long whip, adapts well to a home environment. Fruits ripen 47-49 days after germination on the surface of the soil of seeds. When grown in a greenhouse in compliance with the technology, up to 45 kg are removed from 1 m2, at home it is also noted high yield - over 24 kg per 1 m2.
Basic rules for growing
The key to obtaining a good harvest of cucumbers will be the inviolable fulfillment of the basic rules of agricultural technology:
- Plant only varieties suitable for window cultivation.
- Conduct disinfection of soil and seeds.
- Observe the temperature regime typical for each stage.
- Eliminate drafts.
- Control the degree of moisture in the soil and air, as well as the level of lighting.
- Timely transplant and garter, introduce fertilizers and feeding
- To manually pollinate flowers of those varieties that require it.
- Loosen the soil periodically to provide oxygen to the roots.
When to plant cucumbers at home?
More often, the sowing of seeds for seedlings is done step by step in March. A month later, the matured seedlings are transferred to separate pots. This decision is due to a suitable time of the year, when there will simply not be a shortage of good lighting.
What is the most suitable time for planting according to the technology?
You can start sowing in January, this is also practiced quite often. There are no strict restrictions on the timing of planting on the street; when determining the period, one should be guided by the opportunity to create favorable conditions for the growing season of the plant.
The right soil for growing early varieties in a pot
For the cultivation of cucumbers, loose fertile soil is used. A ready-made universal substrate or a self-prepared mixture of equal parts is suitable: fertile soil, humus, sand, ash, rotten sawdust. Why not do this at home? For aesthetic reasons, don't fill your home with these scents.
To disinfect the substrate, it is necessary to warm it up in the oven. With the help of such a procedure, it will be possible to get rid of various larvae and spores, which can subsequently become infected with young shoots.
Preparing seeds for planting
The preparation process for sowing on the balcony does not differ significantly from the usual procedures that are used when growing crops in the open field or in a greenhouse. In addition to disinfection, carried out in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, you need to sort out the highest quality seeds. A feature of home cultivation is the pre-germination of seeds. This must be done in order to determine the exact number of bushes that fit in the box. In the cold season, there is nowhere to transplant adult seedlings, and it is sacrilegious to throw out the developing shoots. Forcing all windows with cucumbers is not a way out, therefore it is better to sow exclusively sprouted specimens.
To accelerate germination of seedlings, it is recommended to treat the seed with a growth stimulator before sowing.
How to plant and transplant at home
Sowing is convenient to do in wooden boxes or separate pots. You can also use plastic cups, it is important that there is a hole on the bottom to release excess moisture. After germination, the seeds are buried in moist soil by 1.5 cm. Until the emergence of shoots on the surface of the soil, the container should be covered with glass or plastic wrap to create a greenhouse effect. The temperature regime at this stage is at least 25 °. After 2-3 days, it will be possible to observe how green dots make their way through the soil. After the shoots appear, you need to remove the shelter and reduce the room temperature to 20 °.
It is necessary to transplant mature seedlings with 3-4 leaves in more capacious pots, where up to 5 liters of soil are placed. Also, some owners use boxes where 3-4 bushes are planted per 1 m2.
The shoots are transferred to a new place carefully together with the soil, so that the weak root system is not damaged.
Care for the first shoots and seedlings in the apartment
Caring for seedlings is distinguished by trepidation, it is at this stage that it is important to help the shoots to get stronger, which will play a positive role in further development.
Lighting in spring and summer
Cucumbers need a lot of light, therefore, it is better to choose a window sill or loggia for a garden bed from the south or southeast side. On cloudy days and in spring, you need to compensate for the lack of lighting by installing fluorescent lamps. To prevent the plant from drying out from the sun's rays in the apartment in summer, the glass is tinted with thin tulle. Light shading will protect the whip from ultraviolet radiation.
Additional lighting can be created using mirrors, foil and other reflectors that will redirect sunlight to the bushes.
Watering indoor cucumbers
Seedlings are moistened by spraying. For this, it is better to use a spray bottle. It should be filled only with settled heated water.
Top dressing of seedlings
After sowing, the seedlings are kept in a warm place with a temperature regime of at least 23 ° for 25-28 days. During this time, it is necessary to introduce several dressings: the first time 15 days after germination and another 10 days later. It is recommended to use complex fertilizers as a nutritional composition.
Garter of grown lashes
The growing lash needs help - to tie it up.
For the garter, a trellis net is used, which is easier to wrap in a semicircle. After immersing it in the ground and fixing it, you should run the stem on the formed wall. Further, he himself will wrap around the net. You can correct it, but do it carefully so as not to damage the plant. Excess antennae are removed.
The garter is also organized with a cord, which is fixed on a specially made frame made of slats. The sequence of the process is as follows:
- a cord is attached to the top of the frame (from natural fibers);
- the end of the cord goes down to the root zone of the bush, turns (not tight!) several times around the stem and
- returns to the top rail;
- both ends of the cord are tied together.
When and how to pinch?
To increase the yield, it is necessary to form a cucumber bush... Often, the plant lays male shoots on the stem, the so-called barren flowers. To prevent their formation, it is necessary to remove the lateral shoots from the lower part after tying the lash. Then 6-8 leaves are passed along the stem and pinched (cut off the edge). This procedure provokes the formation of lateral branches, on which greens are well tied.
Watering and feeding
Only warm water is used for irrigation, the cold liquid inhibits root development and reduces the formation of ovaries in the sinuses. You need to irrigate the bushes once a week. In summer, the intensity of hydration, if necessary, is increased up to 2-3 times a week. You can also spray the whips throughout the day using warm, clean water.
You need to introduce fertilizer into the soil regularly, about 1 time in 10 days. The first time this should be done 2 weeks after sowing. For these purposes, ready-made mixtures of minerals or organic-based solutions are used:
- mullein and water (1:10);
- bird droppings and water (1:15);
- infusion on onion peel, etc.
How to pollinate correctly
When choosing pollinated varieties, artificial pollination must be ensured, in open ground conditions, this function is performed by bees.
Before doing it, you need to learn how to distinguish between barren flowers and female flowers. The female inflorescence is formed on a green seal that looks like a mini-cucumber. The pollination process involves transferring pollen from a male flower to a fertile one. To do this, they pluck the barren flower and open the stamens as much as possible, removing all the petals. All that remains is to touch the stamens of the female flower, repeating the procedure several times (to be sure). This should be done carefully so as not to damage the delicate inflorescence.
How to successfully grow cucumbers on a windowsill? The secret lies in the systematic care of the plants, which will certainly reward them with a generous harvest.