Own vegetables are a huge help in the economy. If you are concerned about the question of how to plant cucumbers in open ground, do not rush to sow the crop. Cucumbers are a heat-loving plant, they are afraid of night frosts, and they develop diseases from cold watering. Growing a vegetable begins with the choice of soil, variety, season. Planting this crop requires patience, knowledge of the tricks and characteristics of the plant from gardeners.

What varieties of cucumbers are best planted in open ground

Hybrid vegetable varieties are considered more suitable for cultivation (F1 is marked on the bag). Cucumbers from such seeds germinate faster, pollinate better, give a good harvest. Three-year-old crop seeds are best suited for planting. They develop more slowly, but form more inflorescences, are famous for their rich yield. Plants grow disease resistant. The best varieties vegetables for planting in open soil:

• Competitor;
• Universal;
• Cascade;
• Altaic;
• Far Eastern;
• Russian taste;
• Leader;
• Fair cucumber;
• Antoshka;
• Emelya;
• Brigantine;
• Fabulous.

When can you plant cucumber seeds

The best time for sowing crops - when stable weather sets in, the average daily air temperature is + 25С °, the night temperature will not fall below + 10С °. According to folk omens, a vegetable is sown on Yuri - May 6. Early varieties cucumbers such as Competitor, Universal, Altai are planted until the middle of the last spring month. The best time for planting late-ripening cucumbers (Antoshka, Emelya, Magnificent) is the end of spring, June.

How to prepare soil for planting cucumbers

When upper layer the earth warms up well, and there is no need to worry about the germination of the crop, they start growing vegetables. So that the landing does not give you unpleasant surprises, use the advice of the candidate of agricultural sciences Oktyabrina Ganichkina. For growing cucumbers, choose a spacious, well-lit, wind-protected and manure-fertilized place in the garden.

So that the earth warms up well, dig and loosen it. Place the cucumber planting in the place of the garden where tomatoes, greens, vegetables or legumes (except beans) grew before. This culture does not like pumpkin predecessors. Cucumbers are planted from seeds or seedlings directly into open soil. Landing watered warm water. Subject to reasonable agricultural practices, you will get good germination of the crop.

Seed treatment, care and feeding

Before planting, soak the material for 10 hours until it swells. For safety, mix swollen seeds with dry ones, then proceed to sowing. Colored (treated) seeds are sown without prior soaking in water. When the culture has germinated, start trimming the whiskers regularly so that they do not take nutrition from the fruits of the plant. Water the cucumbers carefully so that the water does not touch the leaves. To receive good harvest provide the culture with favorable conditions, sufficient nutrition.

Feeding cucumbers is one of the most difficult tasks that gardeners constantly have to solve when cultivating this crop. The first feeding of the plant is carried out 2 weeks after planting, the second - when pollination begins, and the third - during the fruiting period. Spray on a sunny, windless day. The optimal period for processing the plant is morning or evening. Use a fertilizer based on superphosphate. Handle cucumbers carefully so as not to damage the seedlings, fruitful flower and leaves.

What is the optimal depth for planting

Cucumbers are sown in a hole 3 to 5 cm deep, previously watered. Seeds are placed along or across the beds.

When sowing along, in the middle, a rope is pulled and grooves are drawn at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other with a depth of 7-9 cm.

If you are sowing across the bed, make the same distance between the grooves. The crop is sown at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other, and then the groove is covered with a layer of soil of 2-3 cm, from above the bed is mulched with peat.

Experienced gardeners make deep recesses (10-12 cm) in order to cover them with glass or garden film after sowing to stimulate the emergence of the first shoots and protect them from frost.

Preparing seedlings for transplanting into the ground

Before planting a vegetable, prepare the cups. This will save the culture from transplanting in the future, since cucumbers tolerate it extremely poorly.

Fill the containers with soil, pour a warm, weak solution of potassium salt (potassium permanganate).

After about 30 minutes. sow seeds. Deepen one grain into each container, after making a small hole in the center. The depth of the hole is approximately 1.5 cm. Place the seed flat.

Then fill it with sifted soil, irrigate with warm water. To preserve moisture, place the container on a stable pallet, cover with garden film.

Put the pallet in a warm, well-lit place, wait for the emergence of seedlings. A greenhouse or window sill is perfect for this.

Loosening and watering are essential conditions for good seed germination.

Because culture is formed in greenhouse conditions, it must be strengthened - gradually accustomed to natural conditions: air, sunlight, lower temperatures. To do this, open the windows at home or take the seedlings out to the balcony during the day. The time of her stay fresh air increase step by step. When growing a crop in a greenhouse, a film is opened to strengthen the plant.

High-quality seedlings have a thick, strong stem, leaves of a dense green hue. Only in this form is it ready for transplanting into open ground. If the seedlings have weak roots and large leaves, then reduce its watering. Do not rush to transplant the culture, the fragile plant will die. The video material below will help you prepare cucumber seedlings for transplanting into open ground.

Planting cucumber seeds in open ground requires the implementation of certain rules.

It is necessary to pay attention to what depth to plant, and most importantly, when to plant cucumbers in order to provide the family with a prolific and tasty harvest. What is the best way to grow?

Growing cucumbers is not a difficult process, it is necessary to act in stages. Step by step cultivation of these vegetables will look like this:

1. Choosing the location of the beds.
2. Selection, germination and hardening of cucumber seeds.
3. Disembarkation.

Each presented stage has its own nuances, during the execution of which you can expect a quality harvest.

After that, further care is required during germination, that is, for almost full-fledged plants.

It is also possible to first grow seedlings on the windowsill, and then, already sprouts, plant them in the garden, but in general, the rules for growing will not change.

In addition, experienced gardeners claim that it is much more convenient to plant cucumbers in open ground with seeds, while the vegetable will independently choose the growth rate and power gain depending on weather conditions.

The same plants that were first grown at home will be weak and can quickly get sick, because transplanting is a kind of stress for them.

What place in the garden should be given to cucumbers?

Cucumbers are known for their love of warmth and light, so the location must be chosen accordingly.

An area not obscured by fertile bushes and trees will do. At the same time, it is advised that if the cultivation takes place on trellises or other supports, the beds should be formed from west to east, and in the case of cultivation without a garter, it will be correct to position the bed from south to north.

It should also be remembered that in those places where cucumbers or zucchini and other pumpkins already grew last year, it is not worth waiting for a new good harvest, there will be few fruits or the plants will constantly get sick.

It is best to plant cucumbers with seeds in the ground in the place where the cabbage used to grow, and if, nevertheless, the gardener decided to grow seedlings first, then it is better to plant it after the radish.

For reference!

Not all gardeners share a positive opinion about planting cucumbers after radishes, some say that it is after radishes that trace elements remain in the ground, which prevent most fruits from starting.

It is worth taking care of which plants will grow nearby. The following crops will be the best neighbors for cucumbers:

• corn;
• legumes;
• garlic;
• calendula.

Fruiting will be increased by several tens of percent, while the resistance to some diseases will be mutually beneficial.

For reference!

Corn and sunflower, thanks to both powerful and tall stems, are used as a natural support for cucumbers, instead of artificial trellises.

If we talk, on the contrary, about bad neighbors, then they primarily include tomatoes. About 76% of inexperienced gardeners admit that in order to save space and provide temporary thermal shelter, they often plant tomatoes and cucumbers on the same bed.

This cannot be done, due to the fact that these types of crops have different conditions for successful development, they will interfere with each other and you can not wait for the fruits from both of them.

In addition, it should be remembered that not every variety of cucumbers can be planted next to another.

Self-pollinating plants of different varieties, if cross-pollinated with the help of insects, will bring unforeseen results, perhaps some properties of one species will pass to another.

That is, you can plant next to those varieties that are similar in certain properties, if you plant the seeds of long-fruited and teardrop-shaped plants, the result will most likely be short and thick fruits.

For reference!

Biggest Harvest will bring precisely self-pollinated varieties of cucumbers.

Soil preparation and planting time

Cucumbers are plants that love loamy or sandy soil, while their acidity should be low.

It can be determined by taking a small amount of land to the laboratory for analysis or by seeing which weeds most often climb in this area.

Plantains and wood lice will grow on acidic soil. In extreme cases, you can try to eliminate the increased acidity by adding lime - chalk, ash.

Soil preparation should begin about a week before sowing cucumber seeds in open ground.

Fertilizers should be applied in the fall, organic fertilizers containing alkali are suitable.

If this was not done last year, it makes no sense to introduce them at the beginning of the garden season.

In the spring, it is necessary to dig the proposed site to a depth of 20 cm in order to soon sow cucumber seeds.

Then it is required to add last year's humus to the soil, mix with the ground with a rake or pitchfork.

After that, abundantly water the future bed for planting cucumbers and cover with a film for several days, so that the earth warms up.

The height of the beds on which cucumbers will be planted with seeds should be at least 30 cm, while taking into account the fact that after the bed is made, the earth will settle a little and it will become somewhat lower. Their width must be at least a meter.

For reinsurance, many summer residents spill the beds with boiling water and cover them with a film. Thus, the probability of plant diseases is reduced significantly, in addition, the warming up process is faster.

Selection and preparation of seeds

Before you start germinating seeds, they must be selected. The easiest option is to purchase several bags of seeds in a specialized store.

Another option is to take seeds saved in advance from past crops. It is important to remember that seeds harvested from last season will not work, older seeds are needed.

Also, hybrid seeds are not suitable for planting, since the harvest can be unpredictable, new generations from hybrids lose their quality features, producing more often cucumbers with flaws, for example, with excessively large seeds or a bitter aftertaste.

Most popular varieties, which are sown immediately in the garden, according to experienced gardeners, the following:

1. "April F1". A hybrid that can withstand fairly severe cold. Its advantages are long fruits with small seeds and a pleasant taste. Purpose - universal. Harvest can be harvested after a month and a half.
2. "Competitor". This variety is early ripe, the first harvest will be in 40 days after planting. More suitable for salting, the peel is not hard, the fruits are quite large, the weight of one cucumber is up to 120 g. It resists diseases, especially powdery mildew.
3. "Spring F1". It is considered a mid-season variety, well suited for pickling and salting. The fruits are medium in size, quite juicy. Resists most diseases.

"Muromsky 36" or "The Secret of the Firm" is sown even in shady areas always get a quality crop.

Seeds in both cases must be checked, defective ones should be thrown away. To do this, take a spoonful of rock salt and dilute in a glass of warm water.

Then mark the seeds in a container with the prepared liquid, those that settle at the bottom are of high quality, and those that remain afloat will not germinate.

Recently, seeds treated with special formulations, which not only accelerate germination and development, but also serve as a barrier to most diseases.

In the event that the seeds are not purchased, they should also be disinfected and strengthened. For this, a weak solution of potassium permanganate is suitable.

It is necessary to place future cucumbers in it for half an hour. Then steam a little warm water usually 5 minutes is sufficient.

After this stage, you need to wrap the seeds in a damp cloth and place in a cold place, you can in the refrigerator for several days.

This is done in order to harden cucumbers. At the same time, they practice as a sharp change in temperature, that is, they set planting material in warm after cold, and left in the cold.

If the gardener will plant cucumbers without waiting for their germination, you just need to soak the seeds in warm water.

Usually soaked for 10 - 12 hours, while you need to change the water several times, in this case you can try to change the temperature of the water to carry out easy hardening.

Hatching seeds, even if the sprouts are small, are ready for planting. That is, the timing of the preparation of seeds depends on the period in which they need to be placed on the garden. Many questions are asked about when to plant cucumbers.

The time for planting cucumbers in open ground depends on their variety, but the differences in terms are not significant.

In any case, the soil should be warmed up to a depth of 10 - 15 cm, while at night the temperature should not be lower than 15 ° C.

It is usually suggested to plant cucumber seeds in late May - early June. But you need to focus on the absence of frost and sunny weather.

Most gardeners seek help lunar calendar when choosing a date when it will be possible to plant cucumbers.

Most often they are guided by the growing moon, for example, in 2017, the most successful days for a good harvest of cucumbers are from May 27 to 28, after this period, cucumber seeds can be planted from June 3 to June 7.

Newly minted summer residents approach the question of when to plant cucumbers incorrectly, believing that the later the plant, the better.

This is not so, in most cases, it is precisely those plants that are planted later that are affected by diseases, the reason for this is dew and high humidity in mid-summer.

The best option for planting cucumbers in the ground is the one indicated on the bag of seeds, taking into account the territorial features of the climate.

If the summer resident wants to get cucumbers as quickly as possible, you can sow the plants in early April, but then you should make sure that the garden bed is constantly covered with at least three layers of dense film.

As the air temperature warms up, the film layer can be removed one by one.

You can grow a decent crop only if you plant cucumbers correctly.

When the beds are prepared, and most of the seeds have finally hatched, the question arises - what is the sowing depth of cucumber seeds?

There are two landing options. The first involves planting in small holes, with the second option, cucumbers should be sown in small grooves.

At the same time, the depth of the holes should be slightly greater than the depth of the grooves, about 4 cm. In order for the plant to sprout for sure, 2-3 seeds are planted in one hole.

If all cucumbers grow from seeds in one recess, they should be thinned out. The thinning method must be chosen not the same as, for example, for carrots, that is, there is no need to uproot the plant, you just need to break the extra stems. Thus, the common root systems will not be damaged.

Thinning should be started only after the third leaf is formed on the sprout.

The depth of the grooves should be no more than 3 cm if the soil is loose, but if the soil is dense, cucumbers can be planted higher.

When planting seeds, they are also guided by the degree of their germination. That is, if the sprouts are small, or unprepared seeds are sown, the depth may be less.

Such cucumbers will be in the ground longer, which means they will not be able to freeze. Seeds with long sprouts should be planted deeper.

Cucumber seeds in open ground should be planted at a certain distance from each other. In this case, it is necessary to choose a distance not only depending on the variety, but also based on the method of cultivation.

Before sowing cucumbers, holes or grooves should be shed abundantly with water, the soil should be moist.

Growing without tying

Those varieties that let short lashes can be planted closer to each other, those that have long lashes - respectively further. In addition, hybrid cucumbers require a greater distance for development.

If we compare the distance between mid-ripening or late and early-ripening varieties, then the former need more space.

Therefore, between plants in a furrow or hole, they usually leave about 20 - 35 cm, and I choose the space between the furrows depending on the variety in this way:

• early ripe - up to 70 cm;
• mid-season and late-ripening - up to 90 cm;
• hybrids of any ripening speed - up to 100 cm.

If there are several beds, then in any case an opening of at least 90 cm is made between them.

Growing with trellises

Planted cucumbers will grow better if you choose a vertical growth method for them, that is, using trellises.

But they need a slightly different space when it comes to supporting 2 rows at once.

Between rows, holes or grooves, at least 1.2 m is required in order for the crop to be larger.

Varieties that give short lashes are planted at a distance of 20 cm from each other, and long vines require up to 35 cm of space.

The trellis is equipped in such a way that cucumbers can cling to it as they grow, that is, first to wooden structure attach a string or wire horizontally at a height of 10 cm first, and then additional rows at a height of 50 cm and 100 cm.

Actions immediately after sowing

Immediately after planting, cucumbers must be covered with a film, so as a result of artificial humidity, their germination will occur more actively. In addition, the film will protect from the cold.

After a couple of days, you can check the bed, it is important that it does not crust, the earth should be loose all the time.

You can carefully, without any additional means, so as not to damage the seeds, remove the top crustal layer of soil.

It is also worth doing simple rules further care of growing cucumbers from seeds:

1. Regular weeding is required. Even if the weeds are small, they can slow down the development of cucumbers.
2. Do not allow the soil to dry out. The whole row should be watered completely, there should be no spilled gaps between plants.
3. Immediately after each watering, loosen around the plants.
4. It is imperative to feed the vegetables, usually the fertilizer schedule for cucumbers is once every 10 days. Fertilizers should be organic, many advise while the plant is small, cover it with mullein.

Immediately after the antennae appeared on the cucumber, that is, modified shoots, it is necessary to tie the plants to the trellis if a vertical method of cultivation is meant.

In addition, plants need care, which includes the following actions:

1. Topping. Remove the top of the cucumber at the moment when the sixth leaf appears. Depending on the variety, three or one lash of cucumber is left. Usually, in those plants that are pollinated by insects, weak lashes are cut off, leaving one powerful one, while the rest grow in three lashes.
2. Removal of side lashes. In order for each plant to have enough air and light, it is also necessary to remove the side stems. This must be done regularly, once every two weeks.
3. Those flowers that have formed even before the seventh leaf are advised to be removed, otherwise the plant will not reach the desired size.
4. Hilling. The earth is raked to the plant from all sides, so when watering, moisture will accumulate, the plant will stop drying out, which means that the root system will become stronger.
5. Mulching. It is carried out in the same way as hilling to preserve the necessary moisture. Mulching is done with sawdust.
6. Watering is done only with warm water. It is usually produced daily, but a regimen every other day is also allowed. If there is not enough moisture, any variety of cucumbers will be bitter. If mulching has already been done, then watering should be reduced to once a week.
7. Weeding mature plants. It is needed only 4 times per season, otherwise you can harm the plant.
8. Leaf care. If a lower leaves began to hurt and fade, they should be removed immediately until the top leaves are infected.

In addition, in order to finally get the ovaries, those cucumbers that are pollinated by insects must be sprayed with a composition that attracts bees.

For liquid, you need to take sugar and water in a ratio of 1 to 10, and a few granules of boric acid.

For reference!

Some gardeners are of the opinion that cucumbers in the open field do not need pinching, believing that such plants have enough female and male flowers. However, it's all about the variety of vegetables - in hybrid varieties both types of flowers are always present on the main stem.

Already after the plants are grown and after the first cucumbers appear, check new harvest should be taken daily, overripe vegetables should not be allowed and fruits should be removed on time. In this way, longer fruiting can be achieved.

In order to grow cucumbers from seeds in the open field, less manipulation is required than with the method of growing from seedlings.

But in both cases, only with the right approach to care, it is possible to achieve good results in the harvest.

Today we find out such questions: when to plant cucumbers for seedlings for open ground, how to do it right and what to consider?

When to plant?

There are two factors to consider when choosing a transfer time: soil and air temperature and plant age.

Timing

The optimal time for planting cucumbers in open ground is the end of May.

As a rule, by this time the air in the daytime warms up above 20 degrees, and at night the temperature does not fall below 15-17.

The soil at a depth of 10 cm should warm up up to 12 degrees.

But if it is cooler outside, you should not rush to disembark.

ADVICE! If your seedlings are ready for planting and the air temperature is not high enough, it is possible at first to provide a shelter for cucumbers. Once the air warms up, continue growing the vegetable outdoors.

Plastic five-liter bottles are very convenient in this regard. The bottom is cut off from them and the cucumber bush is covered with the resulting cap. During the day, the cap is unscrewed for ventilation, and the bottle is covered at night. It turns out kind of mini greenhouse, which will allow cucumbers to be planted in the ground one to two weeks earlier.

seedling age

Important for planting and seedling age. Cucumber sowing should be calculated in such a way that by the time of disembarkation, he had formed 3-4 true leaves. It was at this time that the plant has a sufficiently developed root system, and it will tolerate a change in the place of cultivation well. The cucumber reaches this phase of development at the age 20-25 days after germination.

Transplant preparation

Seedlings of cucumbers before moving to open ground must be prepared for the procedure. If you take plants unprepared for the sun and temperature changes and immediately place them in the soil, cucumbers will die.

Two weeks before planting, boxes of cucumbers should be taken outside..

First for a short time, gradually increasing it.

Choose a shady place to install the boxes, protected from drafts.

Choose a warm, windless day for your first walk.

To prevent infection of seedlings 5-6 days before planting, treat the plants with a solution of the drug "Epin" or "Immunocytophyte".

Garden preparation

It is important to choose the right place for planting cucumber on the site. Do not forget that cucumbers are susceptible to diseases, and when choosing a place, you need to consider which plants were located on it in the previous year.

You can not plant cucumbers after pumpkin, zucchini, squash, melon. The best predecessors are cabbage and onions. These crops have different diseases from cucumber, which means that the risk of infection is minimal.

The place for cucumbers should be lit by the sun as much as possible. during the day and at the same time must be protected from the wind. Do not plant cucumbers in a draft, otherwise you will not wait for the harvest.

A bed for cucumbers needs to be dug up well, add humus and nitrophoska to the soil (a tablespoon per square meter). If the soil is highly acidic, add slaked lime or ash when digging. Cucumber prefers loose, light formulations, so if your site has heavy, dense soil, you need to add peat or sand to it.

The width of the beds should be selected in such a way that it is convenient to take care of the plants (80-90 cm). For cucumbers, it is advisable to make high beds raised by 15-20 cm above the level of the rest of the soil. This height will provide the root system with sufficient heat.

IMPORTANT! Do not make the bed wider than 130 cm. In this case, you will have to plant cucumbers in three rows, and it will be difficult to care for the central specimens.

Warm bed for cucumbers

A warm bed is ideal for growing cucumbers. based on biofuel.

Under such conditions, the roots of the vegetable will receive enough heat and at the same time be provided with food.

It's significant accelerate their growth and bring the harvest closer.

REFERENCE! The most suitable manure for a warm bed is horse manure. It is able to keep the temperature of 50-60 degrees for 1.5 - 2 months.

1. For the manufacture of beds digs trench 40-50 cm deep and 1 meter wide. A layer of soil is removed from it and rotted manure mixed with chopped straw is laid on the bottom. The layer is 20-30 cm.
2. From above, this layer is covered with soil taken out of the trench. The thickness of the earth should be 20-30 cm.
3. 1-2 days before planting cucumbers, the bed is shed hot water and covered with black foil. By the time of planting, the soil temperature in such a bed will be optimal, and cucumber roots placed in warm soil will take root more easily.

If it is not possible to make a warm bed, you can put a little manure-straw mixture in each hole to a depth of 40-45 cm, and sprinkle it with earth on top. The effect will be about the same.

REFERENCE! The manure bed contributes to the formation of female flowers in the cucumber, as it actively releases carbon dioxide. The yield on such a bed increases significantly.

Landing technology

The ideal option for growing cucumbers are peat pots or tablets. This method allows you not to injure the delicate roots and plant each plant along with a clod of earth in prepared holes.

For planting, they dig holes, the depth of which should correspond to the height of the pot or earthen coma in which the plant is placed.

1. The holes are placed at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other, between the rows between plants there should be 40-50 cm. Before planting, the hole is spilled with water.
2. seedlings in peat pots plant in the hole with them, deepening to the full height. If the cucumber is grown in a glass, turn it over and, holding the stem with your hand, carefully remove it from the clod of earth. Try to act as carefully as possible, without damaging the delicate roots.

ATTENTION! Disembark only in the evening hours, preferably after 17.00. If the procedure is carried out in the morning or afternoon, the hot spring sun will burn your plants, they will wither and die.

3. Plants are buried in the soil to the cotyledon leaves. The soil around is slightly crushed and watered. Under each plant, you need to pour about 1 liter of liquid so that the soil is as moist as possible.
4. After watering, the surface must be mulched with dry grass or small straw so that moisture does not evaporate. You can cover the surface with a special opaque film.

IMPORTANT! Do not water cucumbers cold water liquid should be slightly warm.

Care in the first days after disembarkation

After planting a cucumber in the garden, it is desirable shade for 1-2 days so that the bright rays of the sun do not burn the leaves. Do not rush the plant until the roots take root - excess moisture at this time can cause them to rot. The first watering after planting can be done in 2-3 days.

14 days after planting in the ground, cucumbers can be organic fertilizer.

IMPORTANT! Do not loosen the soil around the cucumber. The roots of this plant are close to the surface, and you will definitely damage them. If a crust has formed on the soil, gently break it with the blunt end of a chopper.

How to plant cucumbers in open ground with seeds?

If you have not grown cucumbers in cups, you can sow them directly into the ground. Recommendations for preparing the beds are the same as for planting seedlings.

When are cucumbers planted in open ground with seeds? The optimal time for sowing is May 15-20. By this time, the soil temperature warms up to 16-18 degrees and seedlings will appear in 5-7 days.

Sowing is carried out into the wells, 2-3 seeds each, to a depth of 2-3 cm. The number of seeds is increased in case some of them do not germinate. If all specimens have risen, choose the strongest one, and remove the rest. When removing, do not pull the unwanted sprout out of the soil, as you may touch the remaining one.

Gently break off the crown, leaving the root in the ground. Thinning is carried out no earlier than at least 3 leaves have formed. By this time, it is already possible to identify the strongest plant, as well as to exclude the death of the remaining plant in the hole.

ATTENTION! Place the seed in the hole flat or nose up. If the seed nose is at the bottom, the plant may not appear.

When planting expensive varietal seeds pre-germination can be applied. To do this, place them in a damp cloth and place in a warm place. Before soaking, you can treat the seeds with Epin or Zircon preparations.

This will prevent their infection with pathogenic microbes and speed up germination. In addition to these drugs, you can use a solution of potassium permanganate or aloe leaf juice for treatment.

After 4-5 days, you will see sprouts that have hatched. Plant seeds immediately, one in each hole. Don't wait until the sprout from the seed becomes long - you can damage it when planting, and the plant will not sprout.

Planting cucumbers with dry seeds. Pollination of cucumbers. Features of growth and development. Why do I grow cucumbers in a seedless way? Why are there a lot of empty flowers on cucumbers? Why are cucumbers bitter?

With the cultivation of cucumbers in our climate, problems rarely occur. This is one of the easiest crops, along with pumpkin and zucchini. What could be the difficulties? Sowed the seeds, watered, covered with a film and wait for the first shoots to hatch. Then water more often, because cucumbers love moisture, then harvest, eat, salt, enjoy.

And yet, despite the simplicity of agricultural technology, it is worth studying some of the subtleties of this culture. First of all, you need to know that the cucumber culture is thermophilic, and absolutely does not tolerate frost. Even long (up to three days) a cold snap of +3°C can destroy plants. The optimal temperature for the growth and development of cucumbers is 24 - 27 ° C during the day and + 16 ° C at night.

Why I grow cucumbers reckless way.

Cucumber is one of fast growing plants. Already after 45 - 55 days after germination, depending on the variety, you can get the first harvest. This means that cucumber seeds sown, for example, on May 1, will sprout in a week, and on the twentieth of June, they will bear the first fruits. So you think, does it make sense to accelerate fruiting by growing seedlings of cucumbers on the windowsill? If you sow cucumbers too early (in March - early April), then, as a rule, high-quality seedlings do not work out. The trunk is stretched and looks unnaturally frail. The root system, limited by the volume of the container, gives the aerial part a “stop” signal, after which, rapid growth cannot be observed, and cucumber seedlings planted in open ground cannot recover for a long time, get sick, and subsequently give a poor harvest. If, however, to sow the seeds later, in mid-April, then you can get a good result. But, this result is not easy, given that in spring the window sills are already overloaded with seedlings of tomatoes and peppers. Cucumber seedlings require additional lighting, a large volume of the pot, it forces you to be careful when planting (transshipment from containers) in open ground, since cucumbers are very sensitive to root damage and, as the people say, “do not like” transplanting.

For the above reasons, I do not deal with cucumber seedlings, but sow the seeds immediately in open ground under a film cover.

Planting cucumbers in the ground with dry seeds.

I don’t soak cucumber seeds, I sow them dry, in pre-prepared beds, in early May, depth of planting cucumber seeds 1 - 1.5 cm, with an interval of about 50 cm from each other, in two rows, in a checkerboard pattern. Distance between rows 0.5 - 0.6 m.

I pre-fill the bed with compost, water it well, and after sowing I put arcs and cover with a film, without airing for a week, and without fear that overheating will occur under the sun's rays. Until shoots appear, overheating is not dangerous, on the contrary, warm, warmed by the sun's rays, the earth accelerates seed germination. And, now, when the first leaves appear, it is important to monitor the temperature under the film cover. If it is not possible to observe the bed every day and ventilate the shelter in a timely manner, you can install buckets of water under the film. high humidity saves cucumbers from death. I change polyethylene to non-woven material with a density of 32-40, opening it only for watering 2-3 times a week. To better retain moisture, the bed with seedlings should be mulched."Mulching beds with organic matter" —

Some time cucumbers grow under nonwoven fabric. Then we remove the cover.

For a while, cucumbers grow under the non-woven fabric. Then we remove the cover.

Pollination of cucumbers. Features of growth and development.

The peculiarity of cucumbers is that both female and male flowers are present on the same plant. That is, cucumbers are cross-pollinated plants. Male inflorescences are popularly called barren flowers. Their correct name is staminate flowers. female flowers are called pistils. Both types of flowers are important, since the fruit may be set after pollen with male flower will fall on the pestle of the female. At temperatures above +27°C, the pollen becomes sterile.

Male flowers are formed mainly on the central, main stem. Female flowers appear mainly on lateral shoots. To increase the number of female flowers and reduce the number of barren flowers, pinch the central stem, forming side shoots,(usually 4 lower shoots). Personally, I don’t pinch, because even without it, the cucumber harvest is more than sufficient.

The same plant has both male and female flowers.

The same plant has both male and female flowers.

In addition, there are a huge number of hybrids that do not have a barren flower at all. In general, pinching is not a matter of principle for me.

Why are cucumbers bitter?

In the process of growth, very often we encounter an unpleasant phenomenon when cucumbers suddenly become bitter. It is generally accepted that this happens from a lack of moisture, they say, they watered little. Indeed, with prolonged heat and insufficient watering, the peel of cucumbers becomes bitter. The optimum soil moisture during the flowering period is 55 - 60%. Therefore, a sharp cessation of watering is perceived by the plant as the end of the vegetative period, the cessation of growth. Growth stops, the leaves begin to turn yellow, and the fruits become bitter. It's hard to recover after that. normal growth plants. And if the plant itself, after subsequent watering, is able to resume growth, then it is more difficult to get rid of the bitterness of the fruit. Depending on the weather, cucumbers should be watered daily in the heat and preferably with warm water over the leaves. There is no need to fear that water that has fallen on the leaves will harm. Cucumbers are a moisture-loving plant. The bed must be mulched with compost, grass, hay - any available material, especially if the summer resident does not have the possibility of daily watering. Organic mulch, in addition to retaining moisture, keeps the earth loose, attracts worms, and provides food for plants. With this soil content, it is enough to water cucumbers 2-3 times a week.

Bitterness can also appear with a prolonged cold snap. To any unfavorable phenomenon, cucumbers respond with bitterness of fruits, yellowing of leaves, their point lesions, as well as a shift in the sex of flowers to the male side, which leads to a decrease in yield.

Why are there a lot of empty flowers on cucumbers?

If there are a lot of barren flowers on cucumbers, then there may be several reasons. An empty flower can form due to strong shading. Cucumber bed should be in a well-lit place. Another reason is a heavily crowded landing. Sow seeds less often, and the return will be greater! It is possible that the sowing was carried out with the seeds of the previous year. For sowing, you need to use seeds, the period of which is at least two to three years. The older the seeds, the more female flowers are formed on the plant that has grown from them.

Cucumbers, having a powerful vegetative mass, greatly deplete the soil. Despite this, when growing cucumbers, you can not use any kind of top dressing using fresh manure. Manure farming also leads to various diseases and damage to the leaves. It is best to carry out liquid, organic top dressing with infusion of herbs with a frequency of 1 time in 10 days.

In the process of growth, the plants still form weak, twisted leaves affected by pests and diseases. First of all, signs of the disease appear from below, on old leaves. At the first sign of yellowing, the leaves should be removed. It is not necessary to wait until the pests that have settled on the leaves, or the disease, have spread throughout the plant.

It is sometimes difficult to harvest in lashes spread on the ground. And walking is uncomfortable - you will definitely trample the stems. And it is not always possible to find fruits that have reached the condition under the leaves; ripe, yellow-brown overgrowths that are no longer suitable for food will later remind of this. It is better to grow cucumbers on trellises -