Is there a vegetable more beloved by Russians than a cucumber? Except potatoes. Every owner of at least a small piece of land tries to grow cucumbers. Still, picking a young green from your garden and crunching it right there - isn't it a pleasure?
But until then, you will have to sweat thoroughly. First you need to decide which method is preferable for growing cucumber: growing seedlings or in open ground? Creeping bed or trellis? All methods are good in their own way. We deliberately do not talk about the industrial scale of cultivation - we would have to decide on our own garden. Moreover, all of the listed landing methods are acceptable for any sites, including the smallest ones. Watching how to plant.
Now many people prefer greenhouse cucumber - growing seedlings with further fruit growing is possible at any time of the year and at any external temperatures. There is no need to talk about those regions where the summer is very short, there greenhouse cultivation is a severe necessity. What features does this method have?
I repeat, we are talking about simple greenhouses on our site, and not aboutlarge workshops with fashionable now hydroponics. This means that the soil is of the utmost importance. The land should be well fertilized with organic matter, preferably since autumn. From 10 to 15 kilograms of rotted cow manure is applied per square meter. The main thing is that this process is completed at least three weeks before the cucumber is planted. Growing seedlings or seeds - it does not matter, the soil must be prepared in advance.
After the first shoots, you do not need to immediately start watering them, otherwise they will stretch out on thin stems. Although overdried soil should not be in any case and at any stage. Cucumbers are especially sensitive to lack of moisture during fruit ripening. From time to time, the roots need to be fed, starting from the phase of the second or third true leaf. In a bucket of settled water, 10 g of ammonium nitrate, potassium s alt and superphosphate are dissolved. Moderate watering - after all, these are synthetic fertilizers, and we want to grow an environmentally friendly cucumber.
Growing seedlings is preferred by many gardeners, even if the bed is cultivated outdoors. It can be bought in the market, choosing he althy plants without spots on the leaves, with thick stems. True, after landing in the ground, it is better to insure the cucumber a little. Growing outdoors is painless if the seeds have been planted since spring. But seedlings may feel bad due to the difference in night temperatures and drafts. Therefore, for the first two or three days, it is better to stretch a twine or wire over the sprouts and throw it over with a huttransparent film. It will turn out such a miniature greenhouse.
After a few days, the film can be removed, better in the morning, and not under a cool night. It usually takes a day to get used to the daytime temperature. Then the seedlings will grow.
Now about how to form cucumber lashes in the future. It is believed that after the third true leaf, the tops need to be pinched off - then the active growth of lateral shoots begins, which will be the most fruitful. It's true. But many feel sorry for the plant and let it stretch further - and also get good yields. This is everyone's business. But there is a heated debate about what is better - lying stems or a garter on trellises. Of course, the position of the stems does not affect flowering and pollination. But in favor of tapestries, we can definitely say: a) they take up little space; b) they are much more aesthetic; c) it is easier to harvest fruits from them; d) when picking cucumbers on a horizontal bed, you can step on the stems and leaves, which leads to premature wilting of the plant. The author of these lines checked everything personally. And you decide for yourself where and what place you will allocate for your favorite culture - cucumber. Growing seedlings or seeds is not so important, choose what you like best. The main thing is that this hand-grown miracle pleases the eye and stomach.
