Planting seedlings of cucumbers: how to grow and care for them

Cucumbers are a fairly common vegetable crop, which is often found in summer cottages of vegetable growers. Growing this vegetable is not so easy, especially for beginners who are doing it for the first time. Therefore, before you start planting, you need to familiarize yourself with how to feed cucumber seedlings and how to grow cucumber seedlings at home.

How to grow cucumber seedlings

Growing seedlings of cucumbers at home is carried out in several successive stages, which you should definitely familiarize yourself with.

When to sow cucumbers for seedlings

First you need to decide when it is better to sow cucumber seeds for seedlings.It all depends on where the germinated seedlings will be planted in the future. With further transplantation into a greenhouse, seeds should be planted in the first half of March. If the vegetable will be grown in the garden, then it is better to plant planting material in May in order to transplant the bushes into open ground by the beginning of summer.

Preparation of seeds

Before sowing seeds for seedlings of cucumbers, it is necessary to prepare them in advance for this. First, all planting material must be sorted. This is done to get rid of bad seeds with obvious defects or damage on the surface. Irregularly shaped seeds are not suitable for sowing.

When the seed sorting is finished, you can proceed with the calibration. This procedure is carried out to select the highest quality cucumbers before planting. For calibration, a saline solution is prepared, consisting of a liter of water and 50 grams of s alt.Then all the seeds for planting are added to it. They are soaked in liquid for about 10 minutes, after which any defective seeds will begin to float to the surface.

We must get rid of them immediately, as he althy seedlings of cucumbers will not grow from them.

Before planting cucumber seeds for seedlings at home, they should be disinfected. With the help of timely disinfection of seeds, all microbes and bacteria can be removed from their surface, which in the future can cause the development of serious diseases. To disinfect cucumbers with folk remedies, it is recommended to use potassium permanganate. The seeds are placed in a manganese solution for 40 minutes, after which they are washed with running water and dried.

Soil preparation

Planting cucumbers for seedlings is carried out in a special soil mixture, which should be prepared in advance.To improve the germination of seedlings and grow strong seedlings, it is necessary to add organic components to the ground. For the growth of seedlings, a lot of peat should be added to the soil, which contributes to the faster development of cucumbers. Also, for planting in the ground, compost mixed with humus is added. These components contribute to the development of seedling roots and loosen the soil well.

Some, for sowing cucumbers at home, add a little overripe sawdust with ash to the ground. With their help, you can stabilize the acidity of the soil.

Capacity selection

It is necessary to plant seeds only in the most suitable containers for cucumbers. The roots of cucumber bushes need a lot of space. This should be taken into account when choosing the container capacity for seed germination.

It is recommended to grow seedlings of cucumbers in cups made of peat.Such containers are very convenient, since seedlings can be planted in open ground along with cups. However, before planting, it is better to wrap such pots in plastic bags so that the moisture does not evaporate too quickly.

The main advantage of peat containers is that they quickly absorb moisture. Thanks to this, you will not have to water the planted seeds too often.

How to plant cucumber seedlings

To plant cucumbers for seedlings correctly, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of planting this vegetable.

Before planting cucumbers in cups, two-thirds of the containers should be filled with prepared soil mixture and poured with warm water. Some vegetable growers place drainage at the bottom of the container so that moisture does not evaporate too quickly. After that, the pots of earth should be infused for 2-3 days so that the soil is fully ripe.

When the containers are filled with earth, it will be possible to start creating holes. Their depth should not be less than one centimeter. If the holes are dug too deep, the seeds may not germinate. 2-3 seeds are sown in each hole and then sprinkled with earth. Containers with planted cucumbers must be transferred to a room with an air temperature of about 20-25 degrees.

How to grow seedlings

Growing seedlings is recommended in well-lit areas. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of additional lighting in advance. Not far from the containers with planted vegetables, several fitolamps and daylight bulbs should be installed. With their help, you can compensate for the lack of natural sunlight. Lamps must be operated for at least 10 hours a day.

If the cucumber bush does not grow well, then pour it with settled water at room temperature. Watering should be done regularly so that the earth does not have time to dry out too much. At the same time, you should not spend too much liquid on each bush. It is enough to pour a tablespoon of water under the sprouts.

People who have been growing seedlings for more than a year claim that they need to be fed regularly. It is not recommended to experiment while fertilizing cucumbers, so they are fed with special store-bought mixtures that contain all the necessary nutrients.

How to properly plant seedlings in the ground

It's no secret that grown seedlings must be transplanted into open ground for further cultivation. Many are interested in when you can start transplanting cucumbers after germination. It is recommended to do this in the second half of May, so that there are no severe frosts at night.

Before planting seedlings, you should read the recommendations that will help you do it right.

Select site

It is recommended to plant seedlings of cucumbers in an area where sunlight is constantly present. Shaded areas are not suitable for cucumbers, as they develop very poorly under such conditions. Many vegetable growers recommend planting seedlings near water bodies. In such an area, humid air, which contributes to the development and growth of young bushes.

When choosing a place to plant, carefully examine the soil. Permeable loamy soil, in which there is a lot of humus, is ideal for a vegetable. Cucumbers also grow well in soil with a low level of acidity. Some vegetable growers plant them in sandy or clay soils. However, in this case, you will have to carefully care for the bushes in order to get a good harvest.

Preparation of the territory

It is necessary to prepare the site for planting at the beginning of autumn. In September, all the remains of plants that were grown there earlier are removed from the garden. It is recommended to bury them in the ground or simply burn them, and use the ashes in the future to fertilize cucumbers.

The next stage of preparation begins in the spring. In the second half of May, it is necessary to start preparing the beds. Each of them should not be wider than 80-90 cm. If the seedlings are planted in heavy soil, then fertilizer will have to be applied to each bed, consisting of manure and compost mixed with soil. In order for the bushes to take better, the soil must be insulated in advance. To do this, a small trench is made in the beds, into which fresh manure and warm water are added.

How to plant seedlings

Planting cucumbers begins with the creation of holes.They are made at a distance of 20-30 cm, so that the bushes do not greatly shade each other. Also, before creating them, you should determine the optimal depth. It is recommended to deepen them by 10-20 cm in order to completely cover the roots of seedlings with earth.

Before placing seedlings in the soil, each hole is watered with warm water. Seedlings are placed in the ground very carefully so as not to damage the roots of the plants. After planting, all holes are covered with soil, re-filled with water and compacted a little. Supports are installed near each bush, to which grown cucumber bushes will then be tied.

How to care for cucumbers

Proper care of cucumber seedlings contributes to a good harvest. Therefore, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself in advance with how to care for seedlings in order to collect a lot of cucumbers.

First you need to familiarize yourself with the features of watering this vegetable.Cucumbers do not like drought and therefore grow rather poorly in overdried soil. So that the soil does not have time to dry out much, they must be watered at least five times in 10 days. On summer days, the site should be watered daily, since at such a time the soil dries out much faster. For irrigation, only carefully settled warm water should be used. During watering, make sure that the liquid does not get on the leaves of plants.

You should also regularly fertilize seedlings of cucumbers at home. It should be fertilized correctly to significantly increase the yield. Before feeding cucumbers, you should familiarize yourself with the features of this procedure.

Fertilizers are applied to the soil every day. At the same time, organic fertilizers are added first, and then mineral ones. Before the formation of fruits, potassium and phosphorus with nitrogen are added to the ground, and then the plants are fed with magnesium.

It is recommended to monitor the number of tendrils on the plant and remove them regularly. This is done so that more nutrients are spent on the formation of fruits, and not on the growth of antennae. In addition, each plant grown should be inspected and any excess shoots removed.

Conclusion

A large number of gardeners are engaged in planting seedlings of cucumbers. To plant correctly, you need to familiarize yourself with how to plant cucumbers for seedlings and transplant them into open ground.

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