Cucumbers on film without weeding and hilling: how to plant and grow

The approaching summer season is a signal to think about ways to grow vegetables in the backyard. A good harvest can be obtained by growing cucumbers under agrofibre. This culture is quite capricious, therefore, in order to minimize negative phenomena, it is customary to use covering material with special properties - spunbond. Thanks to this technology, the cultivation of cucumbers has become possible even in regions with a cool climate.

Types of spunbond

Agrofibre for summer residents is a truly indispensable material, because it is it that allows you to create suitable conditions under cover for many types of crops.Proper use of it will help maintain yields and accelerate plant development. For over 15 years, this material has been helping vegetable growers achieve excellent yields by being a great alternative to polyethylene.

Surprisingly, the material that looks so much like a thin fabric is actually made of polyethylene fibers and shows much better qualities. This explains its fine fibrous structure. There are different types of spunbond:

designed for open ground: the color of this fabric is white, the density is up to 30 grams per square meter;
used in greenhouses and greenhouses: white material, the density of which does not exceed 60 grams per square meter;
used for mulching: the color of such material is black, the density, as a rule, is not lower than 50 grams and not higher than 60 grams per square meter.

Recently, vegetable growers have been able to use two-color material. It can be of two options:

Black and white fabric. Its density is quite high, the main purpose is the mulching of vegetable and berry beds. The dark layer is protection from weeds, and the white fabric will save the root system of the plant from the scorching sun and strong winds.
Red and white spunbond (or red and yellow). In most cases, it is used to protect plantings from bad weather. You can cover vegetable crops with such a cloth, as well as fruit trees and flowers.

Depending on what material is chosen, cucumbers can be grown both under spunbond cover and using it as mulch.

Using black material

The black material is very dense, so it is best used for soil mulching. Plants, including weeds, do not grow under such material. This allows you to create in the substrate the climate that is optimally suited specifically for cultivated plants.

In the process of planting cucumbers on a film without weeding and hilling, black material should be spread on the garden bed, cut the required number of holes in it and plant seedlings in them, and in some cases seeds immediately. A sprout can appear only in a slot made, it is almost impossible for young shoots to break through a spunbond.

Lack of sun is the main reason why no other plants can grow anywhere else.

Water and air perfectly penetrate the soil through the material, which contributes to the creation of an ideal microclimate in the substrate. Plants are not afraid of rot and mold.

It is important that when using the material, the fruits of planted cucumbers grow clean. This explains the fact that agrofibre was used not only for growing this crop, but also for the cultivation of strawberries, which can be quite difficult to wash off dirt and sand.

Advantages and disadvantages of spunbond

The material has a lot of advantages in the eyes of summer residents:

spunbond perfectly passes air and water to the ground;
material is soft, as a result of which it does not injure plants at all;
material is able to better retain heat and repel ultraviolet light;
low cost fabric;
easy to use.

The material (agrofibre) should be watered from above, which is very convenient. The resistance of the film to damage of a very different nature allows the fabric to be used repeatedly, for several seasons. If necessary, spunbond can be folded, shaken out and even washed. Such savings are appreciated by everyone who plants under the film.

It is important that the use of this material is not a solution to absolutely all the problems that arise when growing cucumbers. To obtain a good harvest, other factors must be taken into account: the correct selection of varieties, the degree of soil warming, the level of humidity under cover. If I plant cucumbers, I pay attention to every detail.

It is interesting that even the slope of the beds can affect the yield. It should be remembered that cucumbers need pollination, so the shelter material must be removed at night.

Planting cucumbers under the film

It is worth taking care of the preparation of beds for planting on spunbond in advance. The selected sowing site should be warm and always well lit. The optimal width of the beds is 0.7 meters. The digging depth is equal to the length of the shovel bayonet.

After digging the soil, spread organic fertilizer, compost or humus over the surface. The top layer of the earth should be leveled with a rake, after which you can lay a film and proceed to the organization of grooves.

Planting cucumbers is a simple matter. Preheat the water to about 50°C. There you should dilute two ampoules of a growth stimulator that has a gelatinous consistency. The resulting solution should be in the furrows. At intervals of 0.5 meters, cucumber seeds are planted under a black film, after which it is necessary to lightly sprinkle them with earth and press them with your hand.

For safety reasons, the beds are dusted with ground pepper powder (black). This is necessary to protect against ants, mice and slugs. After dusting, the bed is covered with a material folded in half. This will grow a wonderful crop.

Cucumber care under film

Cucumbers grown on spunbond should be taken care of very carefully. Firstly, this is the culture in which the root system is located very close to the surface of the earth. Drying quickly, the roots constantly need irrigation, the ideal option is a drip irrigation system.

To preserve life-giving moisture, experienced vegetable growers lay mulch, which is represented by the same material. You can put a thin layer of freshly cut grass on top. Watering cucumbers on a black spunbond should be at least three times a week, preferably in the evening.

Watering when grown on the material is carried out under the root, the leaves should remain unaffected. If desired, cucumbers can be spud.

Pros of spunbond growing

Growing cucumbers on the described type of agrofibre has undeniable advantages:

Saving time spent preparing the cucumber bed.
Value for money: material can be removed in autumn to be reused in spring.
No need for weeding. All the grass begins to rot, rots and fertilizes the soil. We weed only the place that is not covered with black material.
Keep soil moisture levels in the right range. In rainy weather, the material perfectly absorbs moisture, and the plants above it do not come into contact with water. Cucumbers can be grown without watering and weeding.

It is worth noting that covering the beds with agrofibre means saving money on the purchase of plastic film almost annually, on the purchase of fertilizer, because there is no longer a need to scatter vitamin complexes over the entire ridge. The fruiting period when using spunbond is extended, and the fruits are always clean and neat.