Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse: rules of care from planting to harvest

Cucumbers are good both in everyday cuisine and on the holiday table. To grow a bountiful harvest of vegetables, it is better to do this in a greenhouse, especially in regions with a cool climate. If light and temperature conditions are observed, regular ventilation, control of humidity levels, fertilizing, weeding and formation of bushes, the crop will delight you with excellent results.

What to consider when growing cucumbers in a greenhouse

Important factors for indoor cultivation - selection of the greenhouse itself and varieties. For such conditions, cucumber varieties that are resistant to temperature changes and high humidity, and adapted for growing on trellises, are more suitable.

Preference is given to varieties and hybrids with high yields and long-term fruiting.

Greenhouse preparation

Modern greenhouses are made of polycarbonate. The material is resistant to mechanical damage, moisture, and transmits sunlight well.

Preparing the greenhouse begins in the fall: all plant debris is removed from it, garden tools, trellises, supports, and buckets are taken out. All parts of the structure are disinfected with bleach from pests.

Important! If any part of the greenhouse fails or becomes covered with mold or rot, it is replaced with a new one.

Selecting a variety and hybrid

When choosing a vegetable crop for indoor soil, they are guided by yield and immunity. 2-3 different varieties are planted in the greenhouse.

Early:

1. Sarovsky F1 (photo on the right) - high-yielding hybrid (15.5 kg/m²) with bouquet fruiting. Vegetables set at low temperatures and low light.
2. Muromsky 36 - yields harvest in 32–44 days. Ripe vegetables turn yellow quickly, so they are collected daily.
3. Masha F1 - a hybrid resistant to olive spot, cucumber mosaic virus and powdery mildew. Medium-sized cucumbers with excellent taste are well suited for canning.
4. Suomi F1 - resistant to powdery mildew and cladosporiosis. It begins to produce fruits on the 38th day after the first shoots. Productivity - 14.2 kg/m².
5. Valaam - has strong immunity to many diseases. Cucumbers do not overgrow and are suitable for fresh consumption and canning for the winter.

Self-pollinating:

1. Cupid F1 — bears fruit in bouquets, is resistant to diseases, produces up to 14 kg of vegetables per 1 m2².
2. Herman F1 — hardy to climatic conditions, has immunity to powdery mildew, tobacco mosaic, cladosporiosis. Productivity - up to 9 kg/m².
3. Bouquet F1 - produces a harvest within 30 days. Low branching allows planting at 1 m² up to 6 plants.
4. Courage F1 - tolerates temperature changes well and does not succumb to diseases. Productivity - 16–18 kg/m².
5. Be healthy F1 (pictured) - forms mini gherkins 6-9 cm long, which are suitable for fresh salads and canning.
6. Anyuta F1 - early ripening hybrid with high yield (12–16 kg/m²). Resistant to cucumber mosaic, olive spot, powdery mildew, susceptible to downy mildew.
7. Petrel F1 — vegetables ripen 39–42 days after the first shoots. The hybrid has strong immunity to diseases, yield is up to 13 kg/m².

Soil preparation

Fertile and air permeable soil in a greenhouse - the key to a good harvest of cucumbers.

Loamy or sandy loam soil with a pH of 7 is suitable for the culture.. Reduce acidity with lime. The optimal soil for cucumbers is turf or humus. To increase fertility, 50% peat, 30% humus and 20% field soil are added to the soil.

Important! A month before picking seedlings, the soil is dug up, biomass is added to enrich the composition and beds are formed.

Seed preparation

For greenhouses, take seeds 2-3 years old: They show greater yield. Last year's seeds are heated at a temperature of +55…+60°C.

For disinfection, planting material is poured with a solution of potassium permanganate. at the rate of 1 g per 0.5 tbsp. water. Leave in the solution for 20 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with running water.

To stimulate growth and development, seeds are hardened. First, soak in water at room temperature for 12 hours. When they swell, place them in the refrigerator for 16–18 hours, then keep them at +18…+20°C for 6-7 hours. This procedure is carried out over 4-5 days.

Before sowing, grains are kept warm for 2-3 days.until they begin to sprout.

Growing seedlings

For cucumber sprouts take a mixture of 4 parts peat and turf, 1 part sawdust and manure. Another option: 6 parts humus, 3 parts turf and 1 part sand.

To disinfect the soil, it is calcined in an oven or watered with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Attention! Containers are also disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Plant cucumbers immediately in separate cups, a drainage hole is made in each. The soil is added halfway. The seeds are sprinkled with 2 cm of soil. To stimulate growth, Epin is added. The containers are covered with a transparent film to create a greenhouse effect and placed in a sunny place.

Optimal temperature for germination — +25°С.When sprouts appear, the film is removed.

Conditions for rapid seedling growth:

• good lighting;
• temperature +18…+20°С;
• regular watering with warm water so that the soil does not crumble if you take it in your hand;
• application of liquid fertilizers once every 10 days (alternate organic and mineral fertilizers).

Young plants often become infected with powdery mildew and turn yellow. It is important to follow a care regimen, maintain temperature conditions, moisten the soil and regularly ventilate the plantings.

Important! With early cultivation there is a risk that seedling will overgrow and weaken and will not produce a good harvest.

Planting

2 weeks before picking, seedlings begin to harden, gradually lowering the air temperature and regularly ventilating the room. Every day the hardening time is increased by 1-2 hours.

To the greenhouse seedlings are planted in a checkerboard pattern to a depth equal to the height of the containers with sprouts. The flowers that appear are removed.

The sprouts are carefully removed, leaving a lump of earth on the roots. It is not necessary to bury the seedlings. The distance between the bushes is left at least 50 cm, otherwise adult plants will interfere with each other.

Immediately after planting, water the cucumbers warm water.

Greenhouse care

From planting to harvest, cucumbers in a greenhouse require care. After picking the seedlings, the beds are covered with polyethylene or reinforced film. After 3–5 days, when the seedlings have taken root and become stronger, the film is removed.

Watering mode

Seedlings are watered moderately for foliage growth and abundant budding. During flowering, moisten the bushes every other day. More frequent watering is allowed if the leaves begin to dry out. The crop is irrigated abundantly when fruit sets.

Optimal time for watering: in the morning - before 10 o'clock, in the evening - at 18-22 o'clock.

Feeding

Cucumbers in greenhouses fertilize in several stages:

1. Ammonium nitrate is used 3-4 days after planting.
2. 15 days after feeding with complex fertilizer. A mixture of potassium sulfate, superphosphate, and urea is suitable.
3. By the beginning of budding, the complex is added again.
4. After 2-3 weeks, mullein, superphosphate and potassium sulfate are added.
5. After another 2 weeks, chicken manure and a complex of mineral fertilizers with a high phosphorus content are added.

Light mode

In case of insufficient natural light, greenhouses install lamps. Cucumbers should be illuminated for at least 12 hours per day. There are no breaks between natural and artificial lighting.

Duration of complete darkness for cucumbers - 6 hours. This creates conditions for natural physiological processes.

Temperature

Temperature for picking seedlings - +20...+23°С, for flowering - +25...+28°С. The ovaries form well at +20…+35°C. Fruiting will be abundant at +25…+30°C.

Important! Low temperatures are destructive for cucumbers: at +15°C the growth of vines and stems slows down, at +10°C the bushes stop developing, and at +8°C they die.

Ventilation and humidity

Ventilate the greenhouse daily to avoid the growth of fungi and bacteria.. At the same time, make sure that the temperature does not fall below the permissible level.

Greenhouse cucumbers are suitable for a high level of humidity: for air - 75–90%, for soil - not lower than 80%.

Formation of bushes

To prevent ripening vegetables from rotting, plants begin tie up 3-4 weeks after planting, when their height reaches 30–35 cm.

In greenhouses, the structure for the garter is made up to 2 m high. A frame is constructed, the top bar of which is placed under the ceiling, and the other at the bottom. They connect everything with strong ropes.

The tops of tied cucumbers are pinched offto slow down the growth of the main stem. Otherwise, the plants will begin to wrap around the walls of the greenhouse and block the flow of light.

When young shoots begin to grow from the central vines of cucumbers, they are removed. If this is not done, useful substances will be spent on shoot growth, instead of feeding the main stem.

Pollination

Not grown in greenhouses self-pollinating cucumbers together with bee-pollinated: Insects will land on all plants and cause damage first.

To help bushes with pollination, the pollen is carefully transferred with a brush between the flowers.

Protection from diseases and pests

Main diseases of greenhouse cucumbers: powdery and downy mildew, root rot, brown spot, gray and white rot, black mold, copperhead (anthracnose).

For prevention, planting material is disinfected, the soil is weeded in a timely manner. Plantings are treated with Topaz, copper sulfate, and Bordeaux mixture.

Main insect pests of cucumbers: whiteflies, aphids, slugs, thrips, mole crickets, spider mites.

Against them, the plants and the greenhouse are sprayed with karbofos, Inta-Vir, and Fitoverm. The concentration of karbofos for bushes is 2 times less than for the greenhouse itself.

Important! Ants contribute to the spread of aphids and larvae of other pests, so when anthills appear near greenhouses, they are immediately destroyed.

Harvesting

Since different varieties are planted indoors and they ripen at different times, the harvest is harvested as the vegetables ripen. During the period of active fruiting, cucumbers are removed every 2 days.

Low-quality specimens are disposed of regardless of their degree of maturity. Remove the vegetables carefully so that the stem remains on the stem. The optimal time to pick cucumbers is early morning or evening.

Adviсe

Experienced gardeners willingly share the secrets of growing greenhouse cucumbers:

1. If you press the stem to the ground and sprinkle it with moist soil, the crop will develop a powerful root system. This will increase productivity.
2. Productivity is affected by the content of carbon dioxide: dry ice cubes are laid out in the greenhouse to saturate the air with it, manure is used as mulch, and containers with mullein are placed.
3. The growth of cucumbers is accelerated by feeding with milk (1 part water, 2 parts milk).
4. The more often you harvest vegetables without allowing them to gain maximum weight, the higher the yield.
5. Plantings are mulched with freshly cut grass, sawdust, manure, straw, peat, and non-woven materials. The mulch layer and the stems should not touch.

Conclusion

Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse is a labor-intensive process, which, if agrotechnical techniques are followed, gives a high-quality result. First, prepare the greenhouse itself and select the right varieties or hybrids.

Plants are provided with optimal lighting, humidity and air temperature, prevent diseases, and prevent fruit from overripening.