Seed sellers hide the truth! Find out which method of growing cucumbers will save your nerves and give you tons of crispy fruits.
Mistakes of gardeners
Early planting of seedlings in cold soil (+15 degrees and below) stops growth.
Thickening of plantings (less than 30 cm between bushes) provokes powdery mildew.
Failure to shape leads to empty flowers - the shoots grow in vain.
And another mistake is watering with cold water. Cucumber roots are sensitive to hypothermia.
Scientific approach
Seedlings accelerate fruiting by 2-3 weeks. Sow 25-30 days before planting.
Use peat pots - cucumber roots do not like being transplanted.
Direct sowing into the ground is suitable for the south. Seeds are sown when the soil warms up to +15 degrees.
Cover the beds with spunbond before flowering. Plant corn or sunflower beds to protect from the wind.
Tricks for a Super Harvest
Harden the seeds: wrap them in a damp cloth and keep them in the refrigerator for 2 days (at +4 degrees).
Pinch the main stem after 5-6 leaves - this will stimulate lateral shoots with female flowers.
Water cucumbers with whey (1:10) once every 10 days. Lactic acid suppresses fungi and acidifies the soil.
To attract pollinators, spray the flowers with sweet water (1 teaspoon of honey per 1 liter of water).
At the same time, many summer residents believe that growing cucumbers using seedlings is a big risk.
If you damage the roots during transplantation, the harvest will be poor.
Therefore, seeds are often sown directly into the soil under cover, and parthenocarpic hybrids “German F1”, “Courage F1”, which do not require pollination, are chosen for sowing.
