Outdoor zucchini care: pinching

Varieties for soil

Zucchini can be grown both in greenhouses and in open ground. For planting in the garden, it is better to opt for varieties that are distinguished by well-developed shoots and independent bush formation – such zucchini are more resistant to diseases, weather and other external factors. The following varieties of zucchini are most suitable for growing in the ground:

1. Gribovskie. Mid-season variety, fruiting 55 days after sowing seeds. The bushes are well developed with long shoots. The fruits are light, with a light ribbed surface. Young zucchini have high palatability, but as they age, the peel becomes dense and rough. The variety is highly resistant to disease and cold, so it can be successfully grown both in the Moscow region and in the Urals. Not demanding in care – for good fruiting, zucchini needs only watering and loosening the beds.
2. Chaklun. A very productive and long-bearing variety – the first harvest can be harvested after 45 days. The fruits are whitish in color with a smooth surface, the pulp is tender, sweetish. It has a high immunity to diseases, it is well transported.
3. Golden. Due to the female type of flowers, it bears fruit very plentifully and for a long time. As the zucchini matures, they acquire a bright yellow color, for which they received their name. Fruits weighing up to 400 g are used for food, larger ones lose their taste.
4. White-fruited. An early hybrid that bears fruit 35 days after sowing. The fruits are compact, white, with a smooth surface. It has a high immunity to pests and diseases, and is easily transported.
5. Odessa bush. Early ripe variety – the first zucchini can be harvested after 40 days. The fruits are white, slightly ribbed, the pulp is tender sweetish. Plants are very resistant to disease and cold.
6. Pharaoh (zucchini). A very unpretentious variety – it does not need to be watered often, it easily tolerates cold, heat, and at the same time gives a bountiful harvest. The fruits are long, smooth, dark green in color, growing up to 1 kg in weight. Its landing is possible in a variety of regions: the Moscow region, the middle lane, and even in the Urals.
7. Pantheon. A variety grown mainly for sale, because the fruits have an attractive presentation and are well transported. Crop care is minimal, the main thing is that planting is carried out in fertile soil and moisture is maintained.

Video “Tips for caring for zucchini”

Information for gardeners and gardeners, which will help grow a good crop of zucchini.

Seed and soil preparation

To obtain good seedlings, zucchini seeds need to be prepared: soften and warm. Many vegetable growers believe that any seed must be disinfected with a solution of manganese – this can be done at will. The main procedure for preparing seeds is to soak the material in one of the following solutions:

• 1 teaspoon of nitrophoska / 1 liter of water;

• 1 st. a spoonful of ash / 1 liter of water;

• 1 liter of water / 1 teaspoon of any growth-stimulating fertilizer: Rost-1, Kornevin and others.

The temperature of the water for soaking must be at least 25 °C. The seeds are soaked for 2-3 days, after which they are taken out of the water, dried a little, laid out in a damp cloth, and placed in a warm place for another 2-3 days, the cloth must be moistened daily and ensure that the temperature does not fall below 25 ° C.

Zucchini does not grow well in acidic infertile soil, so special attention should be paid to soil preparation. The main component necessary for the growth of culture is any organic matter: humus, compost. The easiest way to grow zucchini is on a pile of last year’s compost, but since vegetables are usually planted in the garden, you should try to create similar conditions there.

The soil for zucchini should be loose, soft and warm – if germinated seeds are planted in unheated soil, they may not sprout at all. To the garden soil, you can add rotted manure and any drainage material. If the soil is acidic, it is necessary to add chalk, ash, lime. In a site where groundwater is close, it is better to build a high bed.

Landing

Planting a vegetable crop in the ground can be done in two ways: by sowing seeds, or by planting pre-grown seedlings. Planting through seedlings is considered more promising for the following reasons: firstly, you can get the first harvest a month earlier, and secondly, when planting already strengthened plants on a garden bed, there is no risk that the seeds may not germinate. For those who do not want to mess with seedlings, planting seeds directly in the ground is the best option. You need to sow zucchini in well-heated ground, when the probability of night frosts has passed – around the end of May – beginning of June. For the arrangement of the beds you need to choose a sunny area. Experienced vegetable growers do not advise sowing zucchini in the place where any cultures of the pumpkin family previously grew.

For sowing seeds, you need to make shallow holes at a distance of 50-70 cm from each other. Then put 3-5 seeds in each hole to a depth of 3 cm, not forgetting about watering, and cover with earth – if all the seeds germinate, the weakest sprouts will need to be removed, leaving the two strongest. To make sure that the seeds do not freeze, you can cover the bed with a film until the time when the first shoots begin to appear.

Planting seeds in pots for seedlings is carried out about a month before planting in the garden – in the middle or end of April. The soil can be purchased at the store, or prepared from equal parts of peat (you can humus), sand and garden soil. Since plants are very painful to transplant, it is better to plant seeds in disposable containers that can be easily cut and take out the plant without damaging the roots.

Seeds are planted in pots to a depth of no more than 2 cm. They are covered with glass or polyethylene on top, which will periodically need to be removed in order to ventilate the soil. Pots do not need to be watered often – if the ground is wet, watering is not carried out. Under such conditions, properly prepared seeds germinate in 3-4 days.

The emerging sprouts need to be provided with a good light regime, otherwise the plants will stretch and become weak. It is better to place the pots on the windowsill of the sunny side. For another 2-3 weeks, the seedlings need to be looked after: water regularly, and a week before the plants are planted in the garden, take them out for a short time to harden them off.

Care

Caring for zucchini in the open field implies, first of all, regular and proper watering, which is carried out according to the following rules:

• you need to water the plants under the root, avoiding water on the leaves;

• before the plants begin to bloom, watering is carried out 1 time / week, then, when the fruiting period begins, it is necessary to water often – 2-3 times / week;

• watering is carried out with slightly warm water, the temperature of which is 2-4 degrees higher than the soil temperature – cold water leads to rotting of the ovaries on the bushes;

• it is better to water the plants from a watering can, because under the pressure of water from a hose, the root system of plants can be exposed;

• before flowering, water the zucchini at the rate of 8-10 l / m. sq. beds, during fruiting, the water consumption is 10-12 l / m. sq. if watering is carried out at least 2 times a week, and 15-20 liters if watering is carried out 1 time / week.

The next step in care is loosening the soil. In the case of zucchini, this is not easy to do, since the plants have very thin and weak roots that are located close to the surface. Therefore, it is necessary to loosen the earth very carefully and shallowly. Another difficulty is that the shoots of plants cover the ground, which makes the loosening procedure simply impossible. All these problems can be avoided by mulching the beds with a mixture of peat and humus at a time when the shoots have not yet unraveled.

As the shoots grow, the access of sunlight to the center of the bush will decrease. To restore the light regime, it is necessary to periodically remove several of the largest lower leaves. With the onset of buds, zucchini is pinched – removing the tops of young shoots. The essence of this procedure is that after the removal of the growth point, the stems begin to form side shoots, which will lead to an increase in peduncles, ovaries, and, accordingly, an increase in yield. In addition, some varieties of squash require hand pollination. To avoid these troubles, it is worth choosing self-pollinating varieties.

Zucchini cannot be grown without regular feeding. For the entire growing season, fertilizers must be applied several times:

• before flowering, watering is carried out with infusion of mullein in a ratio of 1:10, you can also water the beds with fermented infusion of weeds, or a solution of mullein with the addition of nitrophoska: 10 l of mullein and 0,5 tbsp are diluted in 1 liters of water. a spoonful of mineral fertilizer;

• the second top dressing is carried out during flowering – a solution of 10 liters of water and 1 glass of ash should be watered at the rate of 5 liters of the product / 1 sq. m. area;

• the third and last dressing is carried out during fruiting – 10 tbsp is added to 1 liters of water. a spoonful of superphosphate, urea and potassium sulfate, watering the bushes is carried out at the rate of 3 l of the product / 1 sq. m. beds.

If zucchini grow poorly and bear fruit, you can additionally carry out a couple of foliar top dressings with urea: 1 tbsp. spoon / 10 liters of water. Plants should be sprayed at intervals of 10-15 days.

Harvesting

You can harvest at any stage of fruit development: from very small, with the softest and most delicate taste, to large, firm fruits that are suitable only for processing. It should be noted that a zucchini that weighs more than 500 g is considered overgrown and old, but for long-term storage it is this technical maturity that is most suitable. Young vegetables, on the contrary, are very delicate in taste, but cannot be stored for a long time. You need to collect zucchini at least 2 times a week. Fruits that do not exceed a length of 15-25 cm are considered the most suitable for food. It is important to understand that zucchini that are not picked on time and overgrown delay the formation of new ovaries, which does not have the best effect on the amount of the crop. 

Video “All you need to know about care”

Demonstrative video in which you can see an example of growing and caring for zucchini.