How to form zucchini in the open field: a diagram with a video

To increase the yield and get delicious fruits, you need to know the rules for how best to form zucchini in the open field. Some varieties of zucchini do not need this procedure at all. In addition to the formation of the bush, there are other care recommendations that should be considered during cultivation. If the plant is pinched, then another question arises: is it necessary to repeat the procedure next time.

What plant variety to plant?

All varieties and hybrids can be divided into two large groups: zucchini and white-fruited zucchini.Zucchini are high yielding and early ripening. The fruits have a thin skin and juicy pulp, in which there are practically no seeds. Later, white-fruited zucchini begin to ripen. The plant has better frost resistance, and the fruits ripen faster.

The best zucchini seeds can be selected from both bush and climbing varieties.

Spruce varieties of zucchini (Aeronavt, Bely, Dinar, Ronde, Anchor, Kavili) require a small area to grow. You can plant seeds at a distance of 60-70 cm. It is easy to take care of the crop, no need to form it.

Climbing varieties of zucchini form long lashes (up to several meters). Despite the fact that bush varieties are easier to care for, many summer residents plant climbing type of zucchini because of the juicy and tasty fruits. Popular varieties include: Long-fruited, Waterfall, Aral, Gribovsky, Nemchinovsky, Karam .In order to prevent the spread of lashes, you need to know how to properly form the stem. It is desirable to plant zucchini seeds at a distance of at least 130 cm.

Outdoor cultivation

Loose, light, chernozem soil with a sufficient amount of trace elements is suitable for growing and forming zucchini in open ground. If the soil is acidic, swampy, then there will be no good harvest. In the case when the soil is sandy, magnesium fertilizers are applied.

The preparation of the soil begins in the fall. It is carefully dug up to a depth of 25 cm, harrowed and fertilized. A mixture of potassium sulfate and superphosphate is ideal.

In the spring, the soil on the site again needs to be dug up to a depth of 15 cm and ammonium nitrate added. Rake the top layer of soil to loosen. The distance between the furrows is about 100 cm.

The best predecessors for zucchini are cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, onions. After pumpkin crops, such as squash, pumpkin or cucumbers, zucchini cannot be grown.

Zucchini develops well at an air temperature of about 22 degrees. It is worth carefully monitoring the irrigation regime. Excessive moisture leads to rot. It is better to dry the soil in the beds where the zucchini grows than to pour.

You can grow zucchini by sowing seeds in open ground or a greenhouse, or by transplanting germinated sprouts. It is best to grow through seedlings. In this case, the zucchini will ripen much earlier.

Planting seedlings

For planting seedlings of zucchini, sand and peat soil is used. You can mix sawdust, sod land, peat and add compost. Sowing seeds for an early harvest begins from late April to early May.If you want to harvest a late harvest, then it is better to sow in mid-July.

Seeds must be processed before sowing. First, they are poured with hot water for 5-6 hours, and then placed in cold water for 5 minutes. Kalanchoe or aloe juice, as well as a weak solution of potassium permanganate, are suitable for disinfecting the surface of seeds. To increase the likelihood of germination, many summer residents germinate seeds.

For growing zucchini seedlings, it is better to choose separate containers, a peat pot is ideal, as the plant does not tolerate transplanting. The germinated seed is laid to a depth of 2-3 cm and covered with earth.

The first feeding is carried out a week after sowing. You can add superphosphate with urea. After another 10-12 days, re-feeding is carried out. You can make nitrophoska and wood ash. Water the seedlings of zucchini every 5-6 days with warm water.

Transplanting seedlings into open ground begins from the moment when three leaves appear on the sprouts. Wells are prepared in advance on the site, which are watered with warm water. Then they deepen peat cups with sprouts to the first leaves.

When planting zucchini, you need to follow a certain pattern so that in the future it will be convenient to take care of the vegetable and carry out the formation of the stem. If zucchini seeds with spreading lashes are planted, then the distance should be at least one meter. In the case of planting bush varieties, the distance can be reduced to 70 cm.

In order not to confuse zucchini seedlings with pumpkin or cucumber seedlings, you need to know the distinguishing features. The signs of how to recognize squash seedlings are as follows: long cotyledon leaves, the first leaves are thin with carved edges, the color is pale green, the stems are elongated.

Basic care rules

In order to get a rich and high-quality harvest during the cultivation of zucchini, it is important to follow some care rules. Vegetables need to be properly watered, weeded and loosened the beds in time, formed whips, fertilized, and prevented the development of diseases and pests.

To get a good harvest and reduce the likelihood of infection with fungal diseases, it is important to properly form a zucchini bush. A well-formed bush develops better, as sunlight freely penetrates all parts of the plant, and pollinating insects have access to flowers.

Irrigation

Water the zucchini should not be too frequent. It is necessary to water abundantly, with warm, settled water, not less than +20 degrees. At the same time, the earth should be saturated by 40-45 cm.

Young sprouts are watered every 3-4 days.
During flowering, it is recommended to water the soil twice a week, after the procedure, you need to loosen the earth, preventing the formation of a crust. For 1 sq. m consumes about 10 liters of water.
During the period of formation and ripening of the vegetable, it is recommended to irrigate the beds once every 6-7 days. The amount of water per 1 sq. m increases to 20 liters.
Irrigation stops 10 days before harvest.

Excess moisture leads to the development of diseases, the fruits lose their ability to be stored for a long time and taste is reduced. If there is not enough water, the taste of zucchini pulp becomes bitter.

Care in the open field is not complete without fertilization. The zucchini needs them throughout the growing season (especially during flowering). A warm solution of organic or mineral components should be watered under the root in the morning or evening hours.

Feeding

Feeding zucchini increases yield by 70-80%! Top dressing is carried out at least three times per season:

The first meal is held after the seventh sheet is unfolded. A mixture of ammonium nitrate, potassium sulfate and superphosphate is suitable.
During the period of active flowering, it is useful to make a solution of mullein and nitrophoska.
During the formation of ovaries, it is useful to apply organic fertilizers. For example, a solution of mullein or bird droppings.
At the beginning of fruiting, it is useful to make a solution based on wood ash.

For zucchini, both the lack of trace elements and their excess are harmful. Therefore, it is important to keep the proportions when breeding and alternate mineral supplements with organic components.

Pinching

Whether it is necessary to pinch zucchini in the open field depends on the variety. Courgettes and zucchini of bush and self-pollinated varieties do not need pinching. Their fruits are formed on the central stem. The main thing is to collect ripe zucchini in time. Their length should be about 15 cm. Harvesting is carried out twice a week. Frequent picking of fruits stimulates the formation of new ovaries.

If the zucchini bushes have grown strongly, then you can remove a couple of leaves so that light and heat can penetrate to the stem without obstacles. It is better to do this during the fruiting period in the places where the fruits are formed.

To carry out the procedure, you need to correctly determine the time when to carry out the formation of zucchini. For each bush of climbing varieties, pinch the top over 5-6 leaves. Some vegetable growers also remove part of the main stem during the formation of buds.By this time, there are already several side shoots.

Powdery mildew control

Diseases of zucchini in the open field include: top bacteriosis, anthracnose, rot, fusarium, cucumber mosaic. But the most common is powdery mildew. The main symptom of a fungal disease is the appearance of a white coating on the leaves. Gradually they curl up, turn yellow and dry out.

The fight against powdery mildew is the correct watering, balanced application of nitrogen fertilizers. The affected leaves are removed, and all the beds are treated with fungicides (Quadris, Topaz, Fundazol).

Pests can be found on seedlings of zucchini and an adult plant. It can be a spider mite, melon aphid, sprout fly, whitefly. The main preventive measure is the autumn digging of the earth, seed dressing and the destruction of plant residues from the beds.

Planting zucchini

Zucchini is often considered a squash, but this vegetable is a type of pumpkin. It has a number of advantages: the bushes are compact, there are no large, sprawling lashes, the leaves are smooth, non-thorny. It makes no sense to form zucchini in the open field. Otherwise, growing and caring is no different from zucchini.