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Planting seeds and growing seedlings of cucumbers are two very important stages in obtaining a large and high-quality crop. It is necessary to prepare for the work in advance, creating all the necessary conditions for the rapid growth of seedlings and young seedlings. To do this: in early autumn, select the seeds of the best varieties of cucumber, store them correctly, and then calibrate them, harden them using various methods, and gradually prepare for sowing.
Seeds of early early ripening varieties of cucumbers can be planted at home and in greenhouses, and seedlings of medium and late ripening varieties can be planted directly in greenhouses or in open ground.
Basic rules and growing technology
The first and basic rule for all varieties of cucumbers is that seedlings should be grown in warm and humid rooms. In greenhouses or greenhouses, such conditions are provided with the help of a film that needs to be covered with cucumber seedlings in order to keep evaporation from the soil cover. Seedlings grown from cucumber seeds are planted in open ground in the middle of summer, when warm weather has already settled.
Pay attention to the features of growing cucumber seedlings from seeds:
Seedlings develop correctly and quickly only when conditions of high soil moisture are observed, so make sure that the beds are watered regularly.
Spend a mandatory pinching of the plant after it gives 3 or 4 leaves. This will stimulate the rapid growth of cucumber side shoots (watch the video).
Seedlings are best planted in well-prepared soil, with organic and chemical fertilizers previously applied there. For cucumber, the best fertilizers are peat-manure compost, added to the substrate in autumn, and mineral fertilizers, with which the soil is fertilized in spring.
When caring for still fragile and unstable seedlings from cucumber seeds, remember that the root system of this plant is located only in the upper layers of the soil (depth 10-12 cm). Therefore, make sure that the soil does not dry out, otherwise the young shoots will not take root. For more information about the rules and technologies for growing cucumber, see the video:
How to grow strong cucumber seedlings
Regardless of whether cucumbers will be grown in greenhouses or on open ground, planting seeds and growing seedlings of cucumbers should be carried out only taking into account all growing technologies.
Immediately before sowing, you need to properly sort the seeds by lowering them into a saline solution for several minutes. Floated grains are not suitable for seedlings, while with those that have sunk to the bottom, you can start working. Subject to this condition, you will provide yourself with a high probability of germination of cucumbers.
Be sure to dry healthy planting material at a temperature of 50 to 550C, but no more than 4 hours, so as not to overdry. The technology for planting seeds in the ground is carried out according to certain schemes, and depends on where it is supposed to grow cucumbers and what temperature regime will be provided in the greenhouse or greenhouse.
After complete processing of planting material, cucumber seeds are planted in soil specially prepared for seedlings. For swelling and pecking of the seed, small planting containers or trays are selected. And at home, you can use ordinary disposable cups.
In order to activate the growth of seedlings and provide them with protection from viruses and fungal infections, the soil for them should be prepared from the following components:
- Lowland peat – 3 parts;
- Mullein 0 0,5 parts;
- Sawdust – 1 part.
The mixture will give a result if all the conditions for its preparation are fully met, the main of which is thorough mixing of the components. Then 500 g of potassium, 100 g of nitrogen and 3 kg of phosphorus are added to the substrate (data are given based on 1 m3 soil mix).
In the process of growth, pay attention to the fact that the distance between cucumber seedlings that appear on the surface of the soil does not exceed 5-7 cm. Immediately remove weak and undersized plants. A week before planting, be sure to adapt the seedlings to seasonal air temperatures. To do this, every day increase the time of airing and hardening. Such conditions of detention will allow sprouts to be taken outside in 5-6 days.
Feed the cucumber with mineral fertilizer the day before planting. You can prepare it by mixing superphosphate, potassium sulfate and ammonium nitrate at the rate of 40:30:10 g per bucket of water. Be sure to strain the solution through cheesecloth. In order for the plant to properly receive all the substances it needs, after treatment with fertilizers, the stems and leaves must be washed with running water. This will help the seedling, which has not yet grown stronger, to avoid burns.
If it is possible to additionally cover seedlings from cucumber seeds with a film, plant them in open ground in early or mid-May. If this is not possible, focus on the middle or end of June, when the likelihood of frost on the soil will be minimized.
Watch a short video on how best to grow strong and healthy cucumber seedlings.
How to grow seedlings outdoors
Mid-June is the optimal calendar time for placing cucumber seedlings in open ground. It is necessary to plant plants in the prepared substrate in the afternoon, a few days after the rain, but only when the weather is consistently warm and calm.
Before work in the garden, ridges are equipped (watch the video). Cucumber seedlings are determined from the south side of the ridge and lowered into the holes to a depth of the first cotyledon. Immediately after planting the seedlings, the beds must be watered, the next watering of the young plant will be necessary only after 3-4 days. Water for watering cucumbers should be well settled, and its temperature should be at least 22-250C.
Please note that young seedlings of cucumbers require constant feeding. The power and speed of growth, the length of the growing season of cucumbers, the period of full ripening and, of course, the yield depend on how correctly and regularly you fertilize the plant.
The technology for preparing a solution that has justified itself when growing any varieties of cucumbers is as follows:
- In a volumetric container, stir 5 grams of ammonium nitrate and 10 liters of purified water;
- Add 4-5 grams of potassium chloride;
- We mix 10-12 grams of superphosphate.
Experienced gardeners call such a mixture for fertilizing cucumbers “talker”. It is ideal for all garden crops, except for root crops. Cucumbers, constantly receiving such top dressing, have dense and strong stems, and seedlings have bright dark green fruits and leaves. In addition, the terms of development of seedlings from seeds, ovaries increase, and as a result, the yield increases.
For more information on how best to grow cucumber seedlings in the open field, watch the video:
Cucumber seedlings grown in greenhouses
As a rule, seedlings of cucumbers of early and early ripening varieties are grown in greenhouse conditions. The timing of planting a cucumber is the beginning of May, but if you have the opportunity to cover the seedlings with an additional film cover, you can start transplanting in early or mid-April. In this case, the temperature in the greenhouse should not fall below 20-220C, and the soil is arranged for a manure-steam bed.
If you have not updated the substrate in the greenhouse, add a little chopped straw or sawdust and about 15-20 grams of ammonium nitrate to the cucumber seedlings, and then dig the soil.
Cucumber seedlings are placed in holes 8-10 cm deep so that the soil does not cover the stem of the seedlings. 2-3 days after planting, the plant must be tied up. To do this, a wire or a strong cord is pulled parallel to the row at a height of 20 cm. Seedlings are tied to it.
If rows in the greenhouse are not equipped with supports for branching cucumbers, such ropes must be pulled in increments of 20-30 cm to a height of 2 meters. Do this in advance so that when carrying out work during the growth process, you do not accidentally injure the seedlings.
Properly care for seedlings of cucumbers in a greenhouse is necessary according to the following scheme:
- Moderate watering is provided, which is carried out only on warm sunny days;
- When 5 and 6 leaves appear on a cucumber sprout, be sure to feed it with a solution prepared from 10 grams of urea per 10 liters of water. Such nutrition is necessary for seedlings after prolonged cloudy or rainy weather;
- Cucumber is one of the few plants that require regular air ventilation in a greenhouse or greenhouse.
As a rule, self-pollinating varieties of cucumber hybrids are planted in greenhouses and hotbeds, so the cultivation and care technology must fully comply with the instructions attached to the seeds you purchased.
For information on how best to grow cucumber seedlings in a greenhouse, see the video:
