Feeding cucumbers in a greenhouse

What fertilizer to choose for feeding cucumbers

There are scientifically based options for feeding cucumbers in a greenhouse, and there are also folk methods. Which one to choose is up to you.

Classic fertilizers

This is a lifesaver for any summer resident, because mineral fertilizers act very quickly. But in the greenhouse you have to be careful with them – cucumbers are very sensitive to high concentrations of mineral fertilizers (1). Therefore, it is important to strictly adhere to the application norms. If you overdo it in the open field, this is bad, but not fatal – rains and watering will wash excess fertilizer into the lower layers of the soil. And indoors, cucumbers are often planted in boxes that have a limited volume. And no matter how much you water, the excess will not go anywhere and eventually harm the plants. So be careful.

It is enough to fertilize greenhouse cucumbers 4 times during the season.

• 2 weeks after planting seedlings: 1 matchbox of double superphosphate, 1 tbsp. spoon of potassium sulfate and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of ammonium nitrate per 10 liters of water, the consumption rate is 1 liter per 1 plant;
• during mass flowering: 0,5 l liquid mullein, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of nitrophoska, 1 cup of ash (or 2 tablespoons of potassium sulfate), 0,5 g of boric acid and 0,3 g of manganese sulfate per 10 liters of water, mix everything thoroughly, the consumption rate is 3 liters per 1 sq. m;
• during the mass education of Zelentsy: 2 tbsp. spoons of potassium nitrate, 5 tbsp. tablespoons of urea and 1 cup of ash per 10 liters of water;
• 10 days after the third: 1 glass of ash per 10 liters of water (under the root), plus, you also need to sprinkle the plants on the leaves with a solution of urea: 1 matchbox per 10 liters of water (the spruce of such top dressing is to extend the fruiting period of cucumbers).

A good increase in yield is also given by foliar feeding of cucumbers in the greenhouse, which are given at the time of active growth of lashes and leaves. The recipe is as follows: 1 teaspoon of ammonium nitrate and potassium sulfate, 2 teaspoons of superphosphate, 0,5 g of copper sulfate and 1 g of manganese sulfate, iron, magnesium and boric acid per 10 liters of water (2).

Folk remedies

Often summer residents use improvised means for dressing. We present the most popular recipes.

Yeast nutrition

They are believed to have a good effect on the growth and fruiting of cucumbers, and there are many recipes for yeast dressings. However, not all of them are suitable for greenhouses. For example, yeast with sugar can play against you – mold mushrooms also love sweets, and there is always high humidity in the greenhouse. So your top dressing can turn into a serious problem.

But dry yeast, in addition to ascorbic acid, as people say, is quite suitable. Top dressing is prepared as follows: 1 pack of dry yeast and 2 g of ascorbic acid are dissolved in 5 liters of warm water and insisted for 5 to 7 days in a warm place. Before watering, the infusion is diluted – 1 cup per 10 liters of water. Consumption rate – 1 liter per bush.

Top dressing with ash

Ash is a complex natural fertilizer, it contains up to 30 elements necessary for plant nutrition. Almost everything except nitrogen (3). This is a completely safe top dressing, ash is often poured into the beds by eye, but in a greenhouse it must also be used with caution – in large quantities it alkalizes the soil, and cucumbers love a neutral reaction of the environment.

During the season, cucumbers in greenhouses can be fertilized with ash 4 times:

• When do the first true leaves appear?
• at the beginning of flowering;
• at the peak of fruiting;
• 2 weeks after the third feeding.

The ash should simply be evenly scattered around the bushes (1 cup per 1 sq. M) and lightly repaired with a rake or just with your hand.

Top dressing with iodine

This popular cucumber fertilizing agent is good for open ground. But even there it is used infrequently and strictly observing the dose. But in the greenhouse it is better not to use it.

Firstly, it is toxic to humans, and when watered with a solution of iodine in a closed space, you can easily inhale it.

Secondly, in a limited amount of soil it is very easy to make a mistake with the right proportion, and instead of increasing the yield, you will receive continuous losses.

Boric acid top dressing

Boron is a micronutrient, plants consume it in small quantities, but its lack can greatly affect the quality of the crop. With a lack of boron, the bushes slow down in growth, the apical point of the shoot dies off, flowers and ovaries crumble. Therefore, top dressing with boric acid will not interfere. But they must be carried out with caution – doses are again important here! And also how to prepare a nutrient solution.

Boric acid is insoluble in cold water. And if you just stir it there, and then spray the cucumbers on the leaves, the plants will get burned. Therefore, it is necessary to dilute the powder in hot water (50 ° C). Dose – 1 teaspoon per 0,5 cup of water. When the solution has cooled to room temperature, 2 liters of water are added to it.

In the greenhouse, cucumbers are fed with boric acid 3 times:

• at the beginning of flowering;
• when the first ovaries appear;
• at the peak of fruiting.

Spray cucumbers with a solution over the leaves, trying to hit the bottom of the leaf. Consumption rate – 1 liter per 10 square meters. m. Processing can be carried out only on a cloudy day or in the evening – in sunny weather, plants can get burned.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about how to feed cucumbers in a greenhouse with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Sources of

1. Romanov V.V., Ganichkina O.A., Akimov A.A., Uvarov E.V. In the garden and in the garden // Yaroslavl, Upper Volga book publishing house, 1989 – 288 p.
2. A group of authors, ed. Polyanskoy A.M. and Chulkova E.I. Tips for gardeners // Minsk, Harvest, 1970 – 208 p.
3. Shuvaev Yu.N. Soil nutrition of vegetable plants // M.: Eksmo, 2008 – 224 p.