Cucumber: planting and care in the greenhouse and in the open field

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

People have been actively cultivating cucumbers for a long time. However, our ancestors could not even imagine how people would grow them in the future. Today, gardening can be safely called a science. As it has developed, many elite varieties have been created and many new methods of planting and caring for cucumbers have been mastered. They are planted in greenhouses and greenhouses of various types. Bushes form, tie up or start up on the ground in open ground. In our article, we will take a closer look at the main ways to grow cucumbers.

Preparatory stage

Creating optimal conditions for the care of cucumbers from planting to harvest is what is required of an experienced gardener. For those who are just starting out in growing vegetables, you need to get as much information about it as possible.

As always, it all starts with choosing a variety. It must necessarily correspond to the climatic conditions of your region. Each type of vegetable hasa certain period of vegetation and a different degree of adaptation to the soil and weather conditions. For the central and southern parts of the country, heat-loving varieties with a long growing season are suitable, and for the Ural climate - early or mid-season.

It is important to immediately decide where the vegetable crop will grow. Based on this, you need to purchase in advance the necessary materials, fertilizers, working equipment and tools for various processing of plants and greenhouses. The complete process of cultivation of this type of vegetable can be divided into two stages: planting cucumbers and caring for cucumbers. Before we start the discussion, let's see what seeds you can choose. The main thing is not to make a mistake with the purchase of a productive variety.

Choose seeds

In order to fulfill your plans for sure and not expose yourself to the risk of being left without a crop, you should choose several varieties of self-pollinated hybrids. In any case, one of them will give a lot of fruit. If you plan to organize planting and caring for cucumbers in a greenhouse, you can buy the following varieties:

• Masha F1. Very early variety, suitable for conservation.
• Emelya F1. Medium maturing hybrid, lettuce.
• Emerald Family F1. One of the best species for winter harvesting, early ripe.
• Moscow Nights F1. An all-round hybrid that pleases with an early harvest.
• Ecole F1. Medium early pickling variety.
• Altai Gherkin F1. Excellent cucumber for making fresh salads, early.

Planting cucumbers and outdoor care is obligatorybuy seeds with short maturation periods. These are hybrids capable of producing good yields in short summer conditions. Creating elite varieties, breeders expected that they would endure drought, increased dampness and cold snap. We suggest paying attention to several options for resistant hybrids for growing in the Urals:

• Fannula F1. One of the best types of pickled cucumbers, with early ripening.
• Crane F1. The hybrid is widely used in cooking, more suitable for making fresh salads. Ripens early.
• Graceful. Salad early ripe variety.
• Firefly. Differs in the average ripening period, used for winter harvesting.
• Reliable. Designed for conservation, early ripening.
• Squad. A versatile cucumber, the first fruits of which can be used for salads, the last - for pickling.

In the southern regions, experienced gardeners recommend planting cucumbers with long branched stems. Due to the foliage, they create a kind of "roof" that protects them from direct sunlight. These include: Ant F1, Hunting Row F1, Grasshopper F1, First Class F1.

Types of structures for growing cucumbers

In the Urals, cucumbers are grown in glass greenhouses, film greenhouses and in open ground. The first two methods are more rational, since they increase the likelihood of rapid growth and normal development of the culture. Some farmers practice planting and caring for cucumbers ontheir garden plots. However, such farming is associated with the risk of losing a significant part of the fruits.

A properly selected greenhouse or hotbed allows you to grow seedlings and provides the vegetable crop with optimal humidity, temperature and additional lighting. The most important role of such structures is that they significantly prolong the fruiting period of vegetables in regions with a short summer. Greenhouses are wall-mounted, butterfly-shaped, arc film and polycarbonate. Materials such as wood, glass, aluminum and other metals can be used in their manufacture. You may like one of the options, you decide to change the usual method of caring for and planting cucumbers. Photos of some designs are provided in the article.

Professionals who have been engaged in agriculture for more than one year have been constructing domed greenhouses on their plots, with the function of raising its upper part. The basis of the structure is made of durable material in the form of the letter U. The height-adjustable dome allows you to create suitable conditions for the growth of plants at every stage of their development. In the summer, greenhouses of this type are kept open.

Growing cucumbers in a polycarbonate greenhouse, planting and care is a rather laborious process, but it justifies itself. The use of miniature wooden structures does not provide sufficient yield. If you want to increase the volume of grown fruits, then it is better to take small greenhouses for seedlings, and for the main vegetable growing, get a room with a large area.

Polycarbonate greenhouse can be builtwith your own hands or purchase in a specialized store. The second option is more convenient because it is equipped with all kinds of equipment necessary for growing plants. Prefabricated structures are supplied by manufacturers in various options. Sizes and configurations may vary. Many of them have irrigation, heating and lighting systems. A suitable microclimate is created in polycarbonate greenhouses, providing normal humidity, which is important for good fruit set.

Ground

Preparing suitable soil for cucumbers. Planting and care cannot be successful without the necessary micronutrients for plant nutrition. To create fertile soil, it would be good to collect some organic matter. It can be folded into any recess, and then evenly scattered throughout the greenhouse. Organic fertilizers include vegetable waste, grass and other plant residues. If this kind of blanks are collected in the fall, then in the winter they need to be covered with a layer of foliage or humus. The challenge is to create a loose, light soil in which organic additives will account for about 40%.

To increase the permeability of the soil, the following components can be added to it: peat, compost, chopped straw, last year's sawdust, rotted leaves, humus.

Sowing seeds

First of all, you need to take care of sowing cucumber seeds. Planting and caring for seedlings are carried out in different ways, depending on whetherwhere it will develop. In greenhouses, she is looked after in the same way as when landing in the ground, since here she is in a permanent place. If the seeds are planted in peat cups and are in a separate room, then they need to create optimal conditions. Additional lighting, spraying or fertilization may be required. It is important to monitor the growth of seedlings in order to transplant them into the greenhouse in time.

In heated greenhouses, seeds are immediately immersed in the ground by 4-5 cm. A two-line method is used, with a distance of 0.5 m. The width of the path is 80 cm, and between future bushes - 25. Sowing work begins at the end of March. During seed germination, the temperature should be at least 27 oC. As soon as the seedlings sprout, daylight hours in the room are increased to 15 hours.

If the greenhouse is not heated, then the seedlings are grown in peat cups. They are used in order not to injure plants during transplantation. When the shoots release 4 true leaves, it can be planted in a greenhouse. Usually this time is at the beginning of May. Seedlings are planted according to the scheme described above.

Greenhouse preparation

In order for the planting and care of cucumbers in the greenhouse to be less hassle, it is necessary to disinfect it. It includes a number of the following manipulations:

• Film covers and glass must be washed with concentrated soapy water.
• Metal elements are cleaned with a solution of vinegar.
• Polycarbonate washed with weak manganesebreeding.
• After the preparatory work, the room must be properly ventilated and dried.

Such processing is carried out without fail, even when the greenhouse has been well cleaned since autumn. Usually, the roots are carefully removed from the soil and the tops and leaves are removed. They also inspect the ventilation system and remove the moss formed in it. To destroy harmful insects and avoid further problems with plant diseases, all parts of the greenhouse are disinfected with a chlorine solution (400 grams per bucket of water).

Lime and copper sulphate are used for the treatment of walls. It is important that the mixture gets into the cracks well. Most often they serve as sources of infection. The soil is sprayed with the same means from a spray gun.

Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse

It is impossible to get a rich harvest of vegetables in an equipped room without a competent approach. At each stage of plant development, certain rules must be followed. The main methods of planting, pruning and caring for greenhouse cucumbers for the Urals are as follows:

• garter bushes and their formation;
• timely pinching;
• watering;
• loosening the soil;
• protection against drafts and freezing;
• fertilizing the soil and plant nutrition;
• airing the room.

One of the most important components in greenhouse farming is temperature control. During the growing season, it should not fall below 18 oС, and duringfruiting - 27.

You need to think about the garter of plants even before planting cucumbers in the greenhouse. Care and formation of branches is an important process that significantly affects the volume of the crop. For these purposes, horizontal supports are attached above the beds, with ropes hanging down. When shoots with 6-7 leaves reach a length of about 35 cm, they are tied up. One main branch is left on the bushes. As a rule, hybrids labeled F1.

In varieties such as Courage and Zozulya, 3 stems are left. These are cucumbers with female-type flowers, which are located on the side branches. You just need to pinch the top of the fourth leaf.

Drip irrigation is ideal for growing greens. If the greenhouse is not equipped with such a device, only warm settled water should be used. Watering should be carried out regularly, at regular intervals. Excessive moisture, like drought, will adversely affect the development of plants. Do not pour water on the leaves.

It is important to monitor the permeability of the soil. Timely weeding contributes to the normal breathing of the root system.

Well-prepared soil does not exempt the gardener from additional dressings. In greenhouse conditions, the same fertilizers are used as in the garden: chicken manure, herbal infusion and complex mixtures.

Due to high humidity, greenhouse vegetables often get sick. To avoid such a nuisance, you need to ventilate the greenhouse in time, starting from the moment the seedlings are planted.

Organization of warm beds

In warmer regions, it is better to sow seeds directly into open soil. In this case, the time that plants usually spend on adaptation will be reduced. This method avoids various damage to young bushes and roots. For areas with a cold climate, seed material of cold-resistant crops can be used.

In the past few years, a method of farming such as organic beds has appeared and quickly gained popularity. Thanks to this, many have the opportunity to grow vegetables in open ground in regions with a cold climate. Planting cucumbers and caring for them according to new techniques has attracted many amateur gardeners.

To organize a warm bed, you need to choose a well-lit place. A trench is dug 30-40 cm deep, filled with last year's manure and sprinkled on top with a small layer of earth (10-15 cm). The length of the beds can be arbitrary, and the width is preferably 80 cm. This is done two weeks before planting seedlings, so that the soil is a little compacted and warmed up. Along the entire length of the trench, arcs are installed for film shelter.

Seeds can be sown in a warm bed. To do this, it must be warmed up 2-4 days before sowing. It is poured with warm water and covered with a film. Planting of seed material is carried out in a checkerboard pattern, with an interval of 10 cm. The grooves are made shallow (3-4 cm), since organic matter is a well-structured soil. At the end of the work, the bed is watered and the covering material is immediately thrown over. At the beginning of summer, the film is removed and the crop is cultivated underopen air.

Experienced farmers recommend to everyone the above method of growing cucumbers in the ground. Planting and caring for plants growing in the organic layer is a pleasure.

Caring for cucumbers in the open field

The task of the gardener is to water, fertilize and weed the plants. Since this culture is very moisture-loving, the moisturizing procedure should be carried out up to three times a week. You need to water carefully, under the root.

Mullein solution is the most suitable fertilizer. In a bucket of water, you need to dilute 2 liters of organic matter and leave until it ferments. 1 liter of a thick solution is added to a bucket of clean water, and 2 liters of diluted solution are poured under each bush.

You should always watch how cucumbers develop. Planting and care, the formation of a bush - all these processes have their place in time. If at least one of these is skipped and not completed in the appointed period, it will affect the entire process of growing vegetables. For example, the first pinching of plants should be done before the formation of the 10th leaf.

To achieve good growth of shoots and friendly fruiting, you need to know how to properly form a plant. When performing the necessary manipulations, it is necessary to take into account the varietal characteristics of the crop. Caring for and planting cucumbers outdoors gives more freedom for the development of some species. In large areas, plant shoots can be allowed on the ground. Hybrids and varieties pollinated by insects are tied to a trellis, leaving one main shoot. When he reaches the top of the support in growth, pinchits top. In the axils of the first three leaves, flowers roll out and cut off all lateral processes. In long-fruited varieties, pinch the main stem at the 4th leaf.

Conclusion

With all the necessary measures, you can get a good harvest of cucumbers. Planting and care contain several secrets that have been revealed in our article. Novice gardeners need to realize that vegetable crops respond with rapid fruiting only to the right approach.