How to properly plant cucumbers for seedlings, and when is the best time to do it
Planting cucumbers in seedlings in the spring allows you to bring the first fruits closer to harvest. And additional planting of cucumber seedlings in open ground in July will provide supplies of vegetables for pickles in the fall. Thus, growing healthy cucumber seedlings is the key to obtaining a stable harvest, sufficient for both fresh consumption and for harvesting. When to plant cucumber seedlings and how to do it correctly?
Determination of planting dates
Correctly determining planting dates is an important task. for those who decide to start growing seedlings. If planted too early, the plants will stretch out, become overgrown and will not tolerate transplantation well. If you delay sowing, the meaning of the procedure will be lost.
Depending on the climate of the region
The territory of Russia is very vast, and in each region summer warmth comes at its own time. For example, in the middle zone, return frosts are possible until the first days of June.
Need to know. Cucumber seedlings are planted in the ground 25-30 days after the sprouts appear.
The countdown point for planting in the ground is the date of onset of stable heat. Thus, starting the countdown from the first days of June, sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out in early May.
Depending on the future landing site
If you are planning grow cucumbers in protected ground (greenhouse or greenhouse); seeds for seedlings can be sown earlier. On average, the sowing time in this case is shifted by two weeks. The specific date will depend on how quickly the soil in the shelter warms up and when the optimal microclimate for young plants is established there.
Depending on the variety
In regions with short and cool summers, heat-loving cucumber is cultivated mainly indoors. In this case, it is recommended to plant parthenocarpic hybrids of the crop, which form fruits without pollination.
Such hybrids are ideal for growing in unfavorable climatic conditions. Their seeds begin to be sown in early May.
The best time to plant according to the lunar calendar
Often, gardeners rely on the lunar calendar when determining the sowing date. According to him, the dates considered favorable for planting cucumbers in 2020 are::
- in April – 5-7, 10-14, 18, 19, 23, 25-29;
- in May – 2-6, 15-17, 24-26.
However, you should not be blindly guided by exact deadlines. It makes more sense to use this information in combination with practical experience in growing cucumbers..
Moon phase influence
Sowing of cucumber seeds begins immediately after the new moon. or a few days before the full moon.
Attention! The roots develop better when the moon is in its waning phase, and the above-ground parts of the plant are actively formed when the moon is waxing.
When soaking seeds, the planting date is counted from the beginning of soaking, since when moisture gets inside the seed, the growth process immediately begins.
Moon sign influence
For plant growth influences not only the phase of the moon, but also the zodiac sign in which it resides. Vegetables that bear fruit above the ground, including cucumbers, are best sown during the waxing Moon in Cancer.
Technology of planting seedlings
How to properly plant cucumber seedlings? Planting technology consists of several stages: selection of seed, preparation of seeds, soil and containers and direct sowing. Let's look at each stage in more detail.
Seed selection
If you plan to plant cucumbers in protected soil, when choosing a variety, pay attention to the yield indicators and the timing of fruit ripening. Parthenocarpic hybrids are well suited for planting in greenhouses and greenhouses. They form fruits without the participation of insects in the pollination process.
Seed material for open ground is selected especially carefully. Cucumber is a heat-loving plant, demanding light and humidity. When choosing a variety, its zoning and the need for light and thermal conditions are taken into account. If the wrong variety is chosen, even if agricultural practices are followed, the harvest will not please you.
Preparing seeds for sowing, germination
Stores are increasingly selling seed material already prepared for planting. Such seeds have already been calibrated, disinfected and treated with special compounds to accelerate growth. You don't need to do anything with them.
If the seeds are not prepared, it is necessary to carry out a number of procedures:
- Rejecting empty seeds. The seeds are soaked in salted water and the floating ones are removed. They either will not sprout, or the plants will be weak and sick. The remaining seeds are washed with running water and slightly dried.
- Disinfection. To destroy pathogenic microorganisms, seeds wrapped in fabric are placed for 20-25 minutes in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate. Then they are removed and washed with clean water. Instead of potassium permanganate, modern biological products such as Alirin, Fitosporin or Gamair are also used. The etching solution is prepared according to the instructions.After disinfection with biological products, the seeds are not washed.
- Germination. To speed up the emergence of seedlings, seeds are germinated by wrapping them in a damp cloth for several days. Wet sawdust is also used for germination.
Now the hatched seeds are ready for planting.
Preparing soil and containers
Cucumber seedlings need a soil mixture that is light in composition but moisture-intensive. You can buy it in the store or prepare it yourself.
Attention! If you sow cucumber seeds in prepared fertile soil, you will not have to feed the seedlings during growth.
Proper soil for seedlings includes four components: leaf or turf soil, compost, peat, river sand. All ingredients are mixed in a ratio of 1:2:1:1.
Cucumber roots do not like to be disturbed by transplants, so It is preferable to use separate peat pots for sowing or food glasses.
Sowing
The prepared containers are filled two-thirds with the mixture and moistened well.. Make a 1 cm depression in the middle and place two seeds in it. After germination, the strongest sprout is left. The second plant in the pot is removed by carefully cutting the stem at ground level.
Special peat tablets are also suitable for cucumber seedlings. They are placed in plastic containers without a bottom, moistened with water and, after swelling, the seeds are sown. The finished seedlings are planted in the ground along with such a tablet.
After sowing, the containers are covered with film and placed in a warm place.. The air temperature before germination is maintained at +25…+28°C. Do not water the soil until the sprouts appear. If the soil dries out, moisten it with a spray bottle.
It can be useful:
The best self-pollinating cucumber varieties for greenhouses
Early varieties of cucumbers for greenhouses and open ground
The best varieties of shade-tolerant cucumbers for the greenhouse
Seedling care
Young green sprouts appear after 4-5 days depending on the preparation of seeds (dry or germinated) and their quality. After germination, the film is removed, and the containers with seedlings are transferred to a well-lit windowsill.
Light mode
Cucumber seedlings are demanding on lighting. Lack of sunlight is the main reason for sprouts to stretch. In addition, when there is a lack of light, plants do not absorb nutrients well and begin to get sick. Therefore, when sowing early in March-April, additional lighting is used.
As they grow, the pots are moved apart so that the leaves of neighboring bushes do not touch.
Temperature
To germinate, cucumber seeds require high temperatures - not lower than +25°C. But after the cotyledon leaves have opened, the temperature should be reduced to +18...+22°C and maintained at this level for the first 10-14 days.
If it is not possible to regulate the air temperature in accordance with the above standards, it is enough to ensure that during the day it does not rise above +25°C. At night, the air temperature should not fall below +15°C, otherwise the seedlings will freeze.
Important! If the temperature regime is violated, the growth of seedlings slows down, the plants stretch out and begin to hurt.
14-15 days after the emergence of seedlings, the seedlings begin to adapt to temperature changes during the day and night. To do this, the room is regularly ventilated, avoiding drafts and sudden drops in temperature.
Take note:
Folk remedies for a better harvest of cucumbers
Saving cucumbers from diseases and pests: important recommendations
Fertilizer application
If the soil mixture is prepared correctly, fertilizers are not applied during seedling growth.
The growing period for cucumber seedlings is short, only 3-4 weeks, and the sprouts have enough nutrients contained in the soil.
If poor soil was used for sowing, the sprouts will indicate a lack of nutrition. Leaves are the first to react to a lack of microelements. – they change color, slow down, and wither.
Cucumber seedlings are fed “Kemira”, ash solution, a mixture of trace elements with the obligatory presence of boron. Feeding with microelements is carried out by spraying the leaves.
Advice. Before feeding seedlings, make sure that the problem is not caused by a violation of other growth and development conditions: temperature, lighting, air and soil humidity, diseases.
Before watering seedlings with fertilizers, make sure the nutrient solution is weakly concentrated. An increased concentration of nutrients will destroy tender sprouts. After soil fertilizing, the soil is watered with clean water and mulched.
Irrigation mode
Watering is another important condition for growing strong and healthy cucumber seedlings.
Plants begin to be watered 5-7 days after sprouts appear. above the surface of the earth. To moisten the soil and spray, use only warm (+24…+25°C) settled water.
Until this point, the soil is moistened only with a spray bottle.. If necessary, water from above along the edge of the pot in a thin stream, without touching the leaves. You can also water through a tray.
After each moistening, the surface of the earth is mulched with dry sand. or a finely ground mixture of soil and humus.
Excess moisture leads to the proliferation of fungal microorganisms and rotting of the root system. Fungal infections can quickly cause mass death of both young shoots and more mature seedlings.
Landing in the ground
Before planting seedlings in a permanent place, the plants are hardened off. To do this, containers with bushes are taken out onto the balcony or veranda. At the same time, the time the plants spend in the fresh air is increased gradually. First, the pots are placed outside for half an hour, then for an hour, etc.
Important! During hardening, seedlings should not be left in direct sunlight.
A day before planting in the ground The seedlings are left outside all night.
Seedlings are considered ready for planting 25-30 days after sowing. On each bush at this time, as a rule, 3-5 developed leaves have already formed.
Plants are planted in prepared beds, having previously made holes at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other and watered them with water. When watering, it is good to add a solution of “Kornevin” or “Planriza” against rot and fertilizer, for example, “Athlet” or “Kemiru” into the holes.
If the seedlings grew in a peat pot, it is placed in the hole so that the edge protrudes 0.5 cm above the soil surface. If in a plastic glass, the bush is carefully removed from the container along with the earthen lump, placed in the hole and sprinkled with earth.
After planting, cucumber seedlings are watered warm water.
Timely planting in a permanent place is very important. Overgrown plants take root more slowly and do not bloom as actively. And if the seedlings begin to bloom before planting, the yield will inevitably decrease.
Conclusion
Not every summer resident, especially a beginner, can grow an enviable crop of cucumbers in his garden.One way to increase productivity is to plant cucumbers through seedlings.
When caring for seedlings, special attention is paid to ensuring illumination of crops, maintaining temperature conditions and watering. It is also important not to delay replanting plants to a permanent location.