It’s time, it’s time to collect and harvest cucumbers! This vegetable is good both fresh and salted or pickled – a welcome treat on the table. Let’s talk today about those important nuances and subtleties that help the gardener get a noble harvest every year, regardless of the vagaries of the weather.
What to do to always be with the harvest of cucumbers?
What you need to pay attention to and what to do to increase the yield of a cucumber bush?
Secret 1: strengthen the root system
The better the root system of cucumbers is developed, the more likely it is to get a good harvest. Can help plant to form additional adventitious roots, pressing the stem to the ground and sprinkling it with moist soil.
This technique must be used if you find that the root system is sick (for example, affected by rot) – this can be seen in sunny weather, when the upper parts of the plants begin to βwiltβ clearly. Then you can remove half of the ovaries, lower the whip to the ground, and sprinkle its lower part well with fertile, moist soil. After a while, roots will appear here – and the plant will be saved! Harvest, of course, too)
Secret 2: help to pollinate
If there are few insects, then problems may arise with the pollination of cucumbers. To increase the number of ovaries, we can carry out artificial pollination. The following video provides a master class on how to perform a similar procedure:
Pollination can also be done with a soft brush, transferring pollen from male flowers to female ones.
Secret 3: increase the percentage of carbon dioxide
It is known that the growth of any plant is based on the process of photosynthesis. And it needs carbon dioxide. Habitual air contains about 0,03% carbon dioxide, and if we artificially increase this percentage to 0,5, we will speed up photosynthesis and, therefore, increase crop yields!
Plants in a greenhouse may be deficient in carbon dioxide
For your information: On average, a plant synthesizes 94% of its dry matter from carbon dioxide and water, while it absorbs only 6% from the soil. This is how βalmost nothingβ our vegetable and fruit crops grow food for us!
The problem with a lack of carbon dioxide can arise in greenhouses, because plants actively use it during the daytime. How to increase the concentration of this beneficial substance?
- you can use “dry ice” by spreading its pieces around the greenhouse;
- you can light a gas burner;
- the easiest way is to put 1-2 containers with mullein in the greenhouse, which emits carbon dioxide during fermentation;
- or mulch the soil with manure with a layer of up to 3-5 cm.
Secret 4: feed milk
It turns out that not only people love milk. If you regularly – every 2 weeks – feed cucumbers with diluted milk, this will accelerate their growth. Milk is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:2.
Cucumbers and milk
Secret 5: water properly
Cucumbers love water. But everything is good in moderation. In the hot season, cucumbers need very frequent watering – usually daily (or every other day) warm water. When the air temperature drops, on cloudy days, watering is either limited or temporarily stopped. Watering cucumbers is best evening.
Secret 6: stepchild correctly
Stepchildren are extra shoots that take strength from the whip, as a result of which it does not bear fruit. The following video describes in detail and shows how to properly stepson cucumbers:
Secret 7: mulch correctly
Mulch promotes the reproduction of soil microorganisms, earthworms, retains moisture, makes the soil more air-intensive. As a result, the roots breathe well, which favorably affects the development of the whole plant.
Many materials are suitable for mulching cucumbers: manure and sawdust, chopped straw and chaff, peat, non-woven materials and synthetic films. The choice of summer residents is rich, but some nuances must be taken into account:
- it is not recommended to mulch cucumbers with freshly cut grass, as there is a high risk of damage by various rots;
- it is necessary to ensure that the mulch layer does not come into contact with the stems, especially in the early stages of growth – this can damage them and even lead to disease;
- when using a black perforated film or a material such as lutrasil, do not forget: on hot sunny days they can provoke severe overheating of the root system – you will either have to remove the film on such days or cover it with light material on top.
Secret 8: loosen the soil correctly
If the soil is compacted and a crust forms on it, the plant does not have enough soil air. It begins to lag behind in growth; ties fall off. This cannot be allowed.
We loosen the soil correctly
After each rain and watering, the soil must be loosened to a depth of no more than 3-4 cm, so as not to damage the root system. Peat soil, even with sufficient compaction, is not loosened, but pierced with a pitchfork for aeration.
Secret 10: choose the right neighbors
Cucumbers feel best next to beans and peas, kohlrabi, cabbage and cauliflower, celery and lettuce, and, of course, corn, if it grows on the north side. Do not be surprised, but the proximity of weeds such as quinoa and tansy does not harm cucumbers at all, they grow well together (of course, weeds still should not be allowed to bloom and grow strongly). But cucumber does not like neighborhood with tomatoes.
Secret 11: do not overexpose the fruit on the whip
Do not wait until the fruits have gained maximum weight. The seeming benefit of harvesting larger fruits can turn into a decrease in yield. Quite the opposite: the more often we collect Zelentsy, the higher the yield will be.
cucumbers
Cucumbers have long won worldwide recognition – this is a favorite snack, and the most “traveling” pickles, and one of the best cosmetics! Not for nothing that in Belarus, in Shklov, already in our century, a monument was erected to Cucumber! And about how cucumbers are grown in this city, you can learn from the article Cucumber as a national idea.
Monument to Cucumber in Shklov,Β
Therefore, hiding the secrets of growing such a recognized vegetable is simply … indecent)) If you have your own finds, share them, then our cucumbers will become even tastier and more beautiful!
In this video, Olga Voronova tells how to increase the yield and prolong the fruiting of cucumbers:
You may also find other posts about cucumbers helpful:
