How to plant cucumber seeds for seedlings

Cucumbers are one of the oldest vegetable crops, over 6000 years old. During this time, the cucumber has become a favorite of many, because it is a dietary product that does not contain fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Cucumbers are rich in potassium and other useful trace elements, most of the vegetable is water, which is similar in composition to distilled water, but much more useful. All this helped cucumbers to become an indispensable product for many dishes, preservation and even cosmetology.

Seed selection

You can buy cucumber seeds, this is the easiest and fastest way. Such seed material is already protected from most diseases and treated with antifungal and antibacterial drugs. There are two types of seeds:

• processed;
• granulated.

processed seeds do not need additional protection, they are enveloped in a thin film of fungicides and antibiotics. BUT granulated seeds additionally covered with a thick layer of nutrients – they can be planted immediately in open ground, the young plant will have enough useful substances contained in the granule.

To do this, several of the best cucumbers from the previous crop are overexposed in the garden, only a yellowed vegetable is considered ripe and ready to collect seeds.

The seeds are washed and dried, but they are not suitable for planting next year. Seeds 2-4 years old are considered the best material, they give the highest germination and a large yield.

When it is planned to transplant seedlings into the ground, it is better to choose bee-pollinated varieties of cucumbers. For a greenhouse, parthenocarpic or self-pollinating varieties may be preferred.

Another important factor is the time of planting seedlings in the ground. The land for cucumbers should be moist and warm, they do not tolerate cold and die. In many regions of Our Country, heat is established by the end of May, so you need to sow seeds for seedlings at the beginning of the month – it matures for 22-25 days.

Seed preparation

Do-it-yourself seeds must be discarded – throw away uneven and too small seeds. Then the seeds are placed in a strong solution of manganese and left for 30 minutes, after which they are washed with water. Seeds can be fed with useful substances from ash – ordinary wood ash dissolves in water, the seeds are immersed in this mixture for a day or two.

The washed seeds are laid out on a moistened napkin and left until germination in a warm place (28-30 degrees). Radiators and batteries are ideal. When the sprouts reach 2-3 mm, they can be hardened – placed in the zero chamber of the refrigerator. But this is only necessary for early seedlings, which are still at risk of catching frost.

Soil Preparation

In order for the yields to be high and the cucumbers not to get sick, the soil for seedlings must be prepared the same as the one in which it will subsequently be planted. That is, it will be correct to collect land for pots with seedlings from the same area where the owner plans to transplant seedlings.

Only before planting seeds, this land needs to be disinfected and enriched. Experienced gardeners recommend the following:

1. Remove from the ground only the top, sod, layer.
2. Mix this soil with peat, humus, sand and sawdust. The soil for seedlings of cucumbers should be loose, moisture-intensive, with good ventilation and drainage.
3. Enrich the soil with ash and nitrophoska.
4. Spread the soil in pots, filling them not completely, but by 23.
5. Thoroughly pour the earth with a weak solution of manganese.

Because of the bacteria and fungi contained in the ground, cucumbers most often get sick. Some owners freeze the earth, others heat it up in the oven. The best option is to warm the soil over steam. So, harmful microorganisms will die, and useful ones will remain.

Of course, the easiest way is to buy ready-made soil for seedlings of vegetables or cucumbers. But cucumber seedlings are very fragile and painful, it is better to plant them in the soil, the composition of which is close to where it will be transplanted.

The choice of containers for seedlings

The latter dissolve in the ground, enriching it, so the seedlings are not removed from them, but placed in the ground along with a glass.

It is better to cut plastic and paper pots, so it is more convenient to get the roots of the seedlings. If the seeds were sown in a common large container, it will be very difficult not to damage them during transplantation. It is still correct to choose individual containers for cucumber seeds.

Seeding of seeds

The cups with soil are left for several days so that the earth is compacted (you cannot specially compact the soil with your hands, it will become too dense). It is also necessary to water the soil with water with manganese in advance – 2-3 days in advance. And just before planting the seeds, a little warm water is poured into each pot.

Seeds are laid horizontally, without pressing them into the ground. Seeds are sprinkled on top with sifted earth, burying them shallowly – by 1,5-2 cm. Now the seeds can be watered a little, but it is better to sprinkle with warm water. Cups with seedlings are placed under the film until the first green shoots appear. Seedlings are placed in a warm place, the temperature should be maintained in the region of 28-30 degrees.

Care of seedlings

Therefore, it is very important to monitor the condition of seedlings by following the following rules:

1. Among the seedlings there should not be sick, lethargic, infected plants – these should be removed immediately.
2. If two seeds were sown in each pot, the seedlings need to be thinned out. To do this, they wait for the first two leaves to appear and choose a stronger plant with a plump trunk and dense leaves. The second cucumber seedling is removed, it will only interfere, taking half of the nutrients and moisture. In order not to damage the roots of a stronger plant, a weak seedling cannot be pulled out, it is better to cut it off with scissors or pinch off at ground level.
3. It happens that cucumber seedlings begin to bloom very early – when the plants are not yet ready for planting in the ground. In this case, you need to get rid of the first flowers, because they will draw all the forces out of the plant that are so necessary for it to adapt to a new place. Such seedlings can be planted in open ground or in a greenhouse along with the rest, they will begin to bear fruit a little later, but they will take root well and give a stable harvest.
4. Cucumber seedlings need light and warmth. However, direct sunlight is harmful to plants, they can burn thin leaves. It is better to choose bright windows for seedlings, which are illuminated in the morning or in the afternoon. Lack of light leads to stretching of seedlings, in these cases, artificial lighting is necessary.
5. Night temperature for seedlings should be a couple of degrees lower than daytime, this will help cucumbers acclimatize faster in a new place.
6. Cucumbers also need to be watered correctly: only with warm water and only in the morning. Water should not fall on the leaves, and especially, stay on them overnight – this will lead to the disease of the plant with powdery mildew or rot.
7. Cucumber seedlings can be sprayed, but this must also be done in the morning.

That’s all the secrets on how to properly grow cucumber seedlings from seeds. There is nothing super complicated in this matter, but all stages must be taken seriously, not missing the little things.

And in this case, as you know, even a few days play a big role – the first vegetables are always in demand. However, it is better to combine seedlings with seeds; nevertheless, transplanted cucumbers take root quite badly. For a stable harvest for the whole season, two methods can be combined: plant seedlings of early varieties and sow seeds of later crops directly into the ground.