Everyone’s favorite cucumber belongs to annual plants. You can enjoy the fruits within a few months after sowing the seeds.
The most common, profitable way to grow this crop is seedlings. With this method:
- mature plants are formed earlier;
- hardening seedlings as a result gives more hardy shoots;
- plants are rapidly gaining strength;
- it is possible to carry out very early sowing, even in cold weather;
- the yield of cucumbers is significantly increased.
Knowing the features of seedling cultivation of cucumbers, in 2022 it is necessary to take into account the desired date and time of planting plants in a permanent place.
When sowing is carried out on time, then, by the time of planting, strong healthy seedlings with full-fledged leaves will form. This will give the gardener confidence that the seedlings will take very well in the open field.
If the sowing is carried out much earlier, we will get an elongated and overgrown seedling of cucumbers. In this form, plants will be prone to various diseases, they may not take root well or, in general, die.
This means that cultivation will be difficult, it will be very problematic to get a full-fledged crop.
The importance of meeting deadlines
Cucumbers love moisture, heat, light. Fruits even grow at night with good humidity and positive temperature. Therefore, the timing of sowing seeds and planting seedlings affect the yield and quality of fruits. Planting plants on time is considered the main task of the gardener.
The second important condition is care during transplantation. If even a slight injury is applied to the roots of cucumbers, this will significantly reduce the survival of seedlings.
The third condition is the time of each operation. Here it is necessary to take into account all factors. To carry out earthworks when it is convenient is extremely frivolous. It is important to choose the “right” or favorable days. Some use the experience of their predecessors, but most modern farmers trust the scientific facts. And here knowledge about the influence of planets on the growth and development of plants comes to the rescue. The main luminary on which the harvest depends is the Moon. Even the calendar of folk signs takes into account the main days of the lunar cycle.
“Lunar” influence
The dependence of the development of plants on the lunar phases and the passage of the signs of the Zodiac has been noticed since antiquity. The most unfortunate were the days of the new moon, full moon, as well as solar and lunar eclipses. At this time, there is a change in the impact of lunar radiation. Cucumbers, like other crops, have to rebuild. It takes a lot of energy, and their growth and fruiting is not enough. Therefore, if you sow seeds or plant seedlings at this time, then an excessive load falls on the plant.
It has a very good effect on the development and fruiting of cucumbers when the growing moon unites with fiery signs – Aries, Sagittarius and Leo. The combination of both factors will facilitate cultivation, but cannot completely replace the work of a gardener. Therefore, to get a decent harvest, you still have to follow all the recommendations of professionals:
- Choose quality seeds. No matter what year you have to plant cucumber seedlings, you need to take seeds of proven varieties of good quality. In 2022, you can plant seeds from the 2019 harvest. But, it’s not worth the risk using the older ones. Their germination can be disappointing, and growing your favorite cucumbers will bring disappointment.
- Use good soil. The composition of the soil affects the yield quite strongly. It may change on certain days. With a nutrient deficiency, you will have to carry out a lot of top dressing, which will make growing cucumbers a very costly business. An excess of minerals will immediately affect the taste, shape, nutritional value of the fruit.
- Provide seedlings and adult plants with a comfortable thermal regime. Cultivation of cucumbers in 2022 should be checked against the weather forecast, and measures should be taken in time to improve temperature conditions. To do this, use a plastic film to cover the seedlings. It is also recommended to plant cucumbers in a greenhouse or at home before the onset of guaranteed heat, on certain planting days.
- Plant seeds correctlytake care of seedlings. It is better to sow cucumbers immediately in containers made of organic material – peat pots, coconut tablets. In this case, there is confidence that the roots will not be injured during transplantation.
- Properly water cucumbers. To do this, follow the watering schedule, as well as use the recommended days.
- Conduct high-quality, timely top dressing. For this operation, it is imperative to comply with the deadlines.
How to determine when it is better to plant cucumbers for seedlings? The best way is to follow the recommendations of the lunar calendar for 2022.
Lunar landing calendar
Using knowledge of the position of the moon on certain days helps not only to get a good harvest, but also to avoid many cucumber diseases. Information in the lunar calendar allows the gardener to plant, loosen, water, fertilize the plant in time. Cucumbers belong to gourds, their fruits grow above the ground. Such vegetables should be planted on the growing moon. At this time, the luminary has a beneficial effect on the aerial parts of plants. It is very important to observe the time of planting cucumbers for seedlings.
The optimal time for transplanting cucumbers is 18 to 24 days after seed germination. It is necessary to take into account the temperature regime of the region in which cultivation is carried out, as well as the timing of fruit ripening. In warm areas, sowing seeds and planting seedlings takes place two to three weeks earlier than in colder areas.
When it comes time to plant cucumbers for seedlings, greenhouse self-pollinated varieties are sown first. Greenhouse cucumbers are the second in terms of planting, and sowing seeds of cucumbers in open ground occurs last.
Good landing days
Each month of the year has its own specifics of agrotechnical work. In order to significantly speed up the cultivation and maturation of crops, vegetable growers sow seeds already in the cold winter months. Such seedlings are then transplanted into greenhouses or under film shelters, giving an early harvest. At the beginning of the year, an inventory of all the remnants of seeds is carried out, and new ones are purchased.
If the workload or other chores do not allow you to strictly adhere to the recommendations of the lunar calendar, then you should not be very upset. The main condition is to avoid adverse days. But it is quite possible to hold events on other days. Just be prepared to put a little more effort into growing cucumbers. You will have to more carefully monitor the humidity, temperature and plant feeding schedule.
But if you find an opportunity to accurately compare your actions with the sowing calendar, then this method of doing agricultural work will surprise you with its advantages. Plants will grow more harmoniously, get sick less, give a quality and guaranteed harvest.