Correct and timely planting of cucumbers in open ground is a guarantee of a harvest
To get a good harvest, planting cucumbers in open ground is carried out in a sunny area, protected from northern winds. Fast-growing tall crops (legumes, sunflowers or potatoes) should be planted around the perimeter of the selected allotment, which will help create a microclimate favorable for cucumbers.
Depending on the region, the cucumber crop is planted in the spring when the soil warms up enough. You can plant cucumbers using seedlings or sowing seeds.
Competent tillage
For successful cultivation of cucumbers, “warm” beds with an internal organic “pillow”, 20-25 cm high, are well suited. Organic matter will help provide vegetables with the necessary trace elements and protect the root system from freezing.
Planting cucumber seedlings in open ground will give a good harvest in the middle and northern latitudes, and in the southern regions in early spring, vegetables can be sown in the soil.
Features of sowing seeds in open ground
Experienced farmers recommend sowing seeds in 2-3 doses to insure seedlings against unexpected return frosts and prolong fruiting. Planting of cucumbers in open ground with seeds is carried out from mid-spring to early summer. It is important not to miss the moment, because the summer heat negatively affects the development of the plant.
Seed selection
The seeds can be purchased at specialized locations or collected by yourself. Their shelf life should be at least two years so that the seedlings are strong and friendly.
Cucumber seeds for sowing must be of high quality. To identify unusable material, place it in a container of warm water. Poor quality seeds will float to the surface. Cucumber seeds that have sunk to the bottom can be used for sowing after pre-treatment. To get earlier shoots, the seed is germinated by placing it in wet sawdust, peat or cloth. During germination, weak seeds are additionally rejected.
Seed preparation for sowing
Seed preparation includes several stages:
- The selected seeds are placed in a manganese solution for several minutes.
- Dry and warm for about two hours at a temperature of 60 degrees. This speeds up the onset of fruiting.
- Placed for half a day in an aqueous solution with manganese sulfate, potassium nitrate and superphosphate.
- Dry and sow again.
If there is no information on the purpose of vegetables on the package, then you should take a closer look at the photo: cucumbers suitable for canning are covered with dark pimples, and those that are eaten fresh are white.
It is necessary to plant cucumber seeds in open ground when warm weather sets in and the soil warms up enough. If there is still a threat of frost, then it is recommended to cover the crops with foil.
Rules for sowing seeds in unprotected soil
Planting holes are formed on the prepared ridges and shed with water. Seed material is laid out in them, deepening by 2 cm, with an interval of 8-10 cm, sprinkled with humus mixture or earth with the addition of sawdust on top. On average, 10 square meters will need 50 grams of seeds. If the quality of the seed does not inspire confidence, then 2-4 seeds can be placed in one hole.
Features of the seedling method
You can grow cucumber seedlings in a warm, well-lit room. The planting containers are filled with a substrate from a mixture of peat and sawdust with the addition of ammonium nitrate and watered.
The seeds are deepened into the substrate by 1 cm and added dropwise. The containers are covered with polyethylene until the first shoots. As the seedlings grow, you need to ensure that the soil is constantly moistened. Before planting cucumbers in open ground, the seedlings need to be hardened for a week, gradually accustoming them to fresh air.
Landing rules
The day before disembarkation, the seedlings should be shed well. The procedure is carried out in clear warm weather. Planting cucumber seedlings in open ground is carried out at intervals of 10-15 cm so that the plants do not interfere with each other. Only the roots go deep into the ground, otherwise there is a risk of root rot.
Care rules
The cultivation of a cucumber crop requires compliance with a number of rules, which consist in irrigation, fertilization, loosening and hilling, protection from diseases and pests.
After planting cucumbers in open ground, they need careful care, because the plants are not yet accustomed to new conditions and are vulnerable:
- As the seedlings grow, the soil must be regularly freed from weeds. To facilitate the task of the garden, you can mulchusing sawdust or straw.
- Irrigation. Cucumbers are very moisture-loving, therefore they require regular watering. With a lack of moisture, the taste of vegetables is lost, and bitterness appears. The leaves begin to darken and fall off. You need to water cucumbers in the morning or evening hours, when there is still no active sun. The regularity of irrigation depends on weather conditions, but it should be carried out at least once a week, and during the fruiting period, watering is increased.
- Formation of bushes. After the formation of the seventh leaf, it is recommended to pinch the main shoot. This promotes regrowth of lateral stems and strengthens the roots.
- Loosening. The procedure must be carried out after each watering, but it must be done very carefully, lifting the lashes. Young seedlings are loosened to a depth of 2-3 cm every other day, and older plants - once a week.
- Hilling is carried out several times during the season. The procedure promotes the growth of new roots and serves as the prevention of fungi.
- Fertilization. It is optimal to carry out 3-4 fertilizing per season with complex fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The first feeding is carried out when a pair of leaves appears, the second - during the period of fruit setting, and the third and subsequent ones - during fruiting.
Fertilizers must be applied carefully so as not to scorch the leaves. The procedure is carried out in warm, clear weather, otherwise the nutrients will not be fully absorbed by the root system.
Disease protection
The cucumber culture has many enemies. But the most common and dangerous disease is cladosporia. The causative agent of the disease is fungi, which intensify their activity with sudden changes in temperature and high humidity. Black spots with sulfur bloom form on bushes and young cucumbers. Fruits become bent and stop growing.
For treatment, drugs with benzimidazole are used, in the form of a spray solution.
Also cucumbers can hit powdery mildew... This is a fungal disease that is manifested by the appearance of white bloom on the foliage. The disease spreads rapidly and the plant dies.
For treatment, sulfur-containing and fungicidal preparations are used, weeds and damaged parts of the plant are removed.
A good harvest of cucumbers directly depends on quality care and proper planting. Detailed advice on planting cucumbers in open ground can be seen in the video.
Harvest in the morning or evening, and cover them with tarps or place them in a cool, shaded place to keep them firm. If you follow all the rules of agricultural technology and choose a suitable crop variety, then the yields will be stable and rich.