How to fertilize cucumbers with mullein: preparing fertilizer and rules for applying it

Any gardener knows that to get a rich harvest, plants need fertilizing. The question of how to fertilize the garden bed so as not to harm the plant is an acute one. And although the market is flooded with a variety of complex products, many use manure the old fashioned way. Such supplements will never lose their relevance, since they do not contain toxins and do not harm humans.

Feeding cucumbers with mullein: how useful it is, what types of manure are distinguished and how to use it correctly - read more about this in the article.

What is mullein

Mullein, or cow dung, is a natural fertilizer. Gardeners have been using it for feeding and increasing productivity plants on the site. It is believed that manure strengthens the immunity of crops, stimulates fruiting and protects against diseases.

Mullein contains:

• sulfur;
• potassium;
• magnesium;
• phosphorus;
• nitrogen;
• calcium.

Apart from these essential elements, cow dung also contains zinc, iron, boron, copper and cobalt in small quantities.

Reference. Adding one ton of fertilizer to the soil will enrich it with potassium by 6 kg, nitrogen by 5 kg, and phosphorus by 2.5 kg.

In mullein, nitrogen and phosphorus are in an organic state. When manure decomposes, only 1/3 of these substances are released, the rest has a beneficial effect on vegetation.Potassium is completely dissolved in water and is absorbed by garden crops after application feeding into the ground.

Which is better - mullein, chicken manure or horse manure?

Each type of manure has its own rules for breeding and use. Not all animal fertilizers are suitable for fertilizing a particular crop.

Cow dung

Mullein is used everywhere due to its availability and low cost. This manure is suitable for most garden crops: tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, zucchini, cabbage, beets and carrots.

Fertilizing is not recommended for use on legumes, radishes, radishes, onions and garlic, as it slows down plant growth and spoils the taste of the fruit.

The disadvantage of mullein is that using it fresh can cause burns to the root system.

Horse dung

Horse manure is considered the most useful. It contains the maximum amount of silicic acid, which makes the plant stems strong and promotes the formation of healthy ovaries. This substance helps seedlings absorb phosphorus.

The advantages of this fertilizer include its consistency - dense balls of manure are easier to use for preparing fertilizer.

Important. Manure saturates the soil with oxygen and makes it looser. The fertilizer is suitable for feeding potatoes, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, zucchini, and melons.

Chicken droppings

This type of manure popular among gardeners due to its high content of microelements and availability. The composition of the droppings depends on the conditions of detention, the type and age of the birds, as well as the method of collecting fertilizer.

Fresh litter is not used due to the high concentration of nutrients.Fertilizer is used to fertilize tomatoes, grain crops, potatoes, cabbage and beets. Chicken manure is not suitable for cucumbers.

It is preferable to use horse manure to feed cucumbers, but not all gardeners have access to this type of fertilizer. Mullein would be a good substitute: although it contains fewer beneficial microelements compared to horse manure, it is more accessible.

Feeding cucumbers with mullein

Organic fertilizer has its advantages over chemical fertilizers. Cow dung is used to feed fruit and agricultural crops, bushes and indoor flowers.

Benefits and properties

Application of manure:

1. Saturates the soil with beneficial microorganisms. Manure is a source of energy and food for bacteria and ensures their reproduction.
2. Improves the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil. Thanks to this feature, insoluble compounds in the soil become easily digestible.
3. Changes the structure of the earth. After adding mullein, the soil takes the form of small lumps, which is suitable for growing plants. Such a structure, impregnated with humus, is less washed away by water.

Mullein is an organic fertilizer that stimulates plant growth. Thanks to fertilizing, seedlings become stronger, the yield of cucumbers increases and the quality of the fruit improves. Manure also has a beneficial effect on the plant’s immune system and protects against various diseases.

Important! Adding mullein to clay soil will make it loose. The soil warms up faster and is easier to process.

Preparing mullein for feeding

Not all gardeners keep their own cow; some prefer to purchase manure from livestock owners. The effectiveness of feeding depends on how the animal is kept in the stall.

Types of manure:

• bedding;
• liquid.

Litter manure contains straw. When stored, the fertilizer rots and becomes humus. The liquid type of mullein contains large quantities of microorganisms, so it is used to prepare humus in a compost pit. Manure is mixed with weeds, sawdust, straw, and vegetable tops.

To obtain fertilizer, use 5 parts of liquid mullein and 2 parts of auxiliary components. For greater efficiency, lime or wood ash is added to the fertilizer in an amount of 2-4% of the total mass.

Mullein according to the degree of decomposition:

1. Fresh - applied in the fall when digging the site.
2. Half-rotted - used for adding to the soil and watering plants. The soil fertilization rate is 4-6 kg per 1 m². The aqueous solution is prepared as follows: 0.5 kg of manure should be diluted in 5 liters of water, the mixture is left to infuse for 24 hours. The liquid is suitable for watering between rows.
3. Rotten — to fertilize 1 m² of soil you will need 9-11 kg of manure. Aqueous solution - 5 liters of water per 1 kg of excrement. Manure is used to create a soil mixture - it is mixed with garden soil 1:2.
4. Humus - the most valuable fertilizer. Used to apply to the soil in the spring before planting - 2-3 kg of fertilizers per 1 m². It is also suitable for creating a soil mixture. It will take 1.5-2 years to obtain humus.

Many gardeners use a bacterial method of manure decomposition - they introduce special microorganisms into the droppings.

Is it possible to feed cucumbers with fresh manure?

Fresh mullein is not used to fertilize cucumbers. Experienced gardeners do not recommend it, as fertilizing can damage the roots and stems of the plant. Burns with manure lead to the death of seedlings.

You can feed the soil without threatening the plants if you add fresh fertilizer in the autumn before digging the beds. Before the start of the new season, the manure will rot and will not damage the roots of the crops.

Using rotted mullein

Manure is applied to the soil in half or completely rotted form.

Instructions for preparing fertilizer:

1. Pour leaves, straw or sawdust into a plastic barrel or hole.
2. Pour liquid manure into the container.
3. Add additional components again.
4. Then comes a layer of mullein, completely covering the previous layers.
5. The barrel is filled until the contents reach the brim.

Preparing humus

Humus from cow dung is the most useful fertilizer. It looks like a homogeneous, loose mixture of a dark color.

To obtain this fertilizer, fresh manure is piled up. Under the influence of oxygen, after 3-5 days the internal layers warm up to +60°C. This temperature burns out weed seeds and insect eggs, causing nitrogen loss.

To block the access of oxygen, the pile is compacted and covered with film. Before winter, in order to prevent the loss of beneficial microelements, the manure is covered with a 15 cm thick layer of soil. In the spring, the soil is removed and the film is left.

How to fertilize cucumbers with mullein

Mullein is good for cucumbers. This crop is highly dependent on the amount of nitrogen in the soil. Preparing fertilizer is not difficult; even a beginner can cope with this task. However, there are several nuances to applying fertilizer to the soil.

Deadlines

Fertilizing cucumbers with mullein is done several times a season. The first time fertilizing is applied 14 days after the appearance of the first shoots. Then the seedlings are fertilized once every 10-12 days.Maintaining the interval allows plants to feel comfortable and increases their productivity.

Feeding with mullein stops 3 weeks before the expected harvest.

Indications for feeding:

• plant lethargy;
• thin stems;
• wilting of foliage.

Instructions

Fertilizer with mullein is prepared in advance. You can prepare fertilizer in a barrel or pit according to the above recipe.

Another popular way is:

1. Dilute mullein with water in a ratio of 1:2.
2. Leave the container with fertilizer for 7 days - after the period expires, the gardener receives a concentrated solution.
3. Before use, 0.5 l of concentrate is diluted in 10 l of water.
4. For 1 m² of beds, 10 liters of non-concentrated fertilizer solution is sufficient.

Cucumbers are fertilized with mullein during watering. The liquid should not be poured on top of the plant; fertilizing is applied to the grooves and grooves next to the crop. One bush will need 8-10 liters of liquid fertilizer.

Important! Fertilizing beds with mullein is combined with its application to the soil before planting seedlings.

What to do with cucumbers if you go too far with mullein

Excess of nutrients disrupts the nutrition of the plant. It is difficult to overfeed plants with rotted manure; most often the crop suffers from fertilization with a fresh composition.

When overfed with nitrogen, the plant is exposed to various diseases. If measures are not taken in time, there is a risk of losing the entire harvest.

Signs of excess

When overfeeding with mullein, the plants are oversaturated with nitrogen.

Signs of excess nitrogen are:

• “fatification” of the plant - the development of lush green mass to the detriment of fruiting;
• burns of the root system;
• rotting and death of roots;
• The fruits are loose and lose their shape.

How to save cucumbers

Cucumbers overfed with manure can be saved.Small hardwood sawdust or chopped straw will help normalize the nitrogen balance. For a 10 m² plot, a bucket or half a bucket of sawdust is enough. When fiber decomposes, bacteria in the soil will actively use nitrogen, helping plants get rid of its excess.

Advice from experienced farmers

Experienced gardeners are happy to share their tricks with novice vegetable growers:

1. You should not use mullein alone to fertilize cucumbers. It is recommended to alternate manure with mineral compounds.
2. In addition to mullein, you can feed the plants with urea, ash, yeast and bird droppings. Do not apply all fertilizers at once; choose 1-2 fertilizers and alternate them.
3. Fresh manure may contain weed seeds and pest eggs. To reduce the risk, it is better not to use fresh manure.
4. Manure can be quickly processed into mineralized compost. To do this, special bacteria are added to animal bedding. The product also neutralizes dangerous microflora and parasites.
5. Mullein infusion is used to prepare seeds for sowing. Manure is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:6.
6. Cow dung infusion is suitable for the prevention of fungal and viral diseases. At the first signs of disease, foliar treatment is carried out - the infusion is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:3.

Conclusion

Our grandparents also used manure to fertilize their gardens. Over the years, this affordable tool has not lost its relevance. In fertilized soil, the amount of useful microelements that contribute to the proper development of plants increases. The composition of this fertilizer is environmentally friendly and inexpensive.

Despite the fact that cucumbers respond well to fertilizing with mullein, you should not apply it to the soil too often.Excess feeding can harm the plant and even cause its death.

The key to a rich harvest is proper and timely fertilization of plants. Use mullein in open ground and in greenhouse not difficult, it is important to consider the timing of fertilizing and recommended dosages.