Cucumber seedlings have frozen: what to do, what temperature it can withstand

Seedlings of any vegetable are very tender and practically do not tolerate frost. Cucumbers are no exception either. But exposure to low temperatures does not always mean the complete death of seedlings.

Prevention measures against freezing seedlings

The question that worries almost all beginner gardeners: how to save seedlings with a sharp drop in temperature during late frosts?

Tip 1.

Of course, it is always better to prevent frostbite of sprouts than to treat them for frost later. Therefore, seedlings are not planted on the ground until the expected frost has passed.After the seedlings are planted on the ground, they are covered overnight with agrofiber or black film, as well as any other covering material from which mini-greenhouses are made.

Tip 2.

The minimum temperature that cucumber seedlings can withstand is +8 degrees. It is also a good preventive measure if you sprinkle hay, straw or fresh grass mulch over the planted seedlings and cover with cardboard caps on top. Such a shelter will keep the temperature near the plant 5-6 degrees higher than the air temperature.

Tip 3.

To counter the sudden drop in temperatures and freezing, smoke bombs can be lit on the site or in the greenhouse. They envelop the sprouts in a dense layer of smoke and do not allow frost to fall on the soil. On the street, checkers are used in advance, making a mini-greenhouse from a film over seedlings. After installing the frame (it can be low) and the film, the checkers are placed from both ends and set on fire.

Degrees of freezing seedlings of cucumbers

If, nevertheless, it was not possible to prevent frost and the seedlings froze, then how to understand what measures are needed to save the cucumbers?

Freezing levels:

A characteristic change in the color of the leaves of cucumber seedlings, they become softer from the edges and fall down.
In addition to the leaves, there is a change in the stems of plants. At this stage, the stem may be covered with a thin layer of ice.

Full freezing stage. It is characterized by complete freezing of the stem and leaves, as well as a root frozen in the ground.

First aid measures for freezing cucumber seedlings

What to do if cucumber seedlings are frozen? Based on the degree to which the cucumbers are frozen, it is possible and necessary to take measures to resuscitate the seedlings.

How to save seedlings:

At the first degree of freezing, cucumber seedlings can be saved. It is treated with a solution of the drug "Epin-Extra", which, being a biological growth stimulator, restores sprouts, stimulating the growth and immune forces of plants. After carefully reading the instructions for the drug, you need to follow it and spray the cucumbers.
If the seedlings of cucumbers are frozen to the second stage, then in addition to spraying with a biostimulator, other activities must be carried out in the following sequence:
First of all, it is necessary to close the sprouts with cardboard boxes, and lay a film on top. Such a shelter is needed in order to provide protection from sunlight. When the sun comes out, it quickly heats the cucumber sprouts and dries out their surface, which aggravates frost stress and dies.
After the seedlings stand under the boxes all day, in the evening you can remove the boxes and treat with a biostimulant, such as HB-101. Surviving cucumbers will look better the next day, and dead plants can be removed.
If cucumber seedlings are frozen to the third stage, then the chances of reanimating it are almost zero.

How to care for cucumber seedlings after defrosting

After you prevented the seedlings from freezing and resuscitated them correctly, for some time the cucumbers will gain strength and the intensity of their growth and development may decrease. It is believed that a frozen seedling often loses its fertility. Do not be afraid of this and water them with all known and unknown chemicals indiscriminately. We need to give the bushes time to recover.

For a week after they are frozen, do not add any new fertilizer other than the biostimulants you used to thaw them.

After 7-10 days, you can give the seedlings natural top dressing, and then fertilize according to the standard scheme.

Yeast top dressing for cucumber seedlings

It is not enough to save the frozen seedlings of cucumbers. They still need to be restored, without loss for fruiting. Natural yeast nutrition can help with this. To prepare it, you need to take 50 grams of yeast per 5 liters of warm unboiled water and mix them well until a homogeneous solution is formed.

This mixture should be put in a warm dark place, kept there for a day, and when it ferments, pour it over each bush under the root. Cucumbers after such feeding quickly start up new leaves, take root better, turn green. And those roots that are frozen are rejuvenated and the bush develops again without loss of productivity.

What to do if cucumber seedlings could not be saved after freezing

If the seedlings of cucumbers after freezing could not be reanimated, then plant them again. Here are some tips for growing cucumber seedlings quickly:

We sow cucumbers in boiling water. This method is very good because the sprouts come out and grow very quickly. The seeding method is very simple. We need cups for sowing seeds, boiled and cooled water to 70-80 degrees and the seeds themselves. We plant 1-2 seeds in cups and pour them with boiling water. Then, closing the cups with foil, leave them in a dark place. In two days, you will have cucumber sprouts.
Soak the seeds in boiling water. For this method, boiling water is needed as an accelerator. You need to put seeds in a gauze bag, tie it up and pour boiling water over it. The next day, all seeds will hatch. They can be planted directly in the ground. However, if you are afraid of a recurrence of frosts, then it is better to plant them in cups and place them in a warm sunny place for further germination.
This method has proven to be one of the best. I soak the seeds for a day in aloe juice. I squeeze juice from aloe leaves no less than three years old. I plant these seeds directly into the soil and generously cover with mulch on top. I water only with warm water and add mulch on top as needed. On the open ground, you can still make a small frame greenhouse, which will be additional protection for seedlings.