It is hardly possible to find at least one summer resident who would not grow cucumbers on his plot. Perhaps these are the most popular vegetables on the table after potatoes. In the summer heat, cucumbers perfectly refresh and quench thirst, and in canned form they are indispensable as an appetizer and for preparing traditional winter salads.
However, some gardeners grow cucumbers on a whim, without delving into the intricacies of caring for this crop, and as a result they get a very poor harvest. The main reason for the small number of fruits is the lack of timely blinding of cucumbers. What is this procedure and how to do it correctly, we will tell below.
The need for a procedure
Under such a frightening name as “blinding”, there is a procedure that is very useful for cucumbers, which allows you to significantly increase the yield in the greenhouse. The whole point is that fruits are formed only from female flowers. They are very easy to distinguish from the male ones by the small ovary of the cucumber. Male flowers do not bear fruit, so some of them must be removed so that the plant spends energy on fruits, and not on the formation of unnecessary shoots.
In addition, the absence of excess density at the base of the bush will ensure air circulation in the root zone and thereby prevent the formation of fungus and disease. Also, after the removal of barren flowers, the quality of the fruits improves: they become large and do not taste bitter.
It is necessary to carry out this procedure as soon as the length of the sprouts reaches 50 cm.
Technology
Of course, it is a pity for novice gardeners to cut off the first ovaries, because they want to enjoy fresh crispy cucumbers as soon as possible. However, blinding cucumbers is a prerequisite for good fruiting. By the time the bushes reach a length of half a meter, they already have a root system, and flowering and ovary block the flow of nutrients to it, taking everything for themselves. Because of this, the plant becomes stressed, especially when the weather is still cool.
At this point, it is very important to form cucumber lashes so that the fruits ripen mainly in their upper part.
For self-pollinated
Self-pollinated (parthenocarpic) varieties include varieties such as “Adam”, “Zozulya”, “Claudia”, “Grasshopper”, “Courage”, “Boy with a finger”, “Prestige”, “Goosebump”, “Alex”, “Siberian Garland”, “Emerald Placer”, “Anyuta ”,“ Moscow Evenings ”, etc.
Seedlings of these hybrid varieties are best planted in greenhouses where there is no access to pollinating insects. The peculiarity of self-pollinated cucumbers is that they contain only female flowers. This means a large number of fruits and a large load on the stem. Therefore, such plants must be carefully shaped: blind, stepson, pinch.
This step by step guide will help you do it right.
- Remove all flowers, mustaches, stepchildren and ovaries up to 5 leaves from the sinuses of the cucumber lash. You can blind the cucumbers directly with your fingers, or you can use a special garden pruner. When removing parts of the plant, you should try to make this manipulation as close to the stem as possible, without leaving stumps, but at the same time not damage the stem itself. It is better to do this at lunchtime, since in the morning the plant is fragile, you can accidentally break the main stem. Regularly inspect the lower nodes on the vine to prevent the build-up of unnecessary elements.
- Then, when about 8-10 leaves are formed on the vine, you need to remove the four lower leaves and cotyledon leaves. This should be done gradually, especially if the weather is cool and cucumbers grow slowly, but at least once a week. If removed too infrequently, you can lose part of the crop, and if often, then there is a high risk of damaging the plant. The lower part of the stem should always remain bare.
- On the side shoots and on the top of the plant, the mustache is best removed so that they do not take away nutrients from the vine. About 6-8 mustaches take the strength from the plant to form 1-2 cucumbers. To keep the plant firmly on the support, simply twist it up around the thread regularly.
- At a height of up to 100 cm, pinch all lateral stepsons over 1 leaf, leaving one ovary and a pair of leaves on each lateral layer. The term “stepchildren” in this case means young shoots growing from the sinuses. They need to be removed to prevent thickening of the bush. If you missed the moment, and the fruits on the stepchildren have already begun to form, then you should let them ripen and only then remove the whip, otherwise there is a risk of rot at the place of “amputation”.
- At a height of 100-150 cm, leave 3-4 stepsons with two ovaries and 2-3 leaves.
- At a height of 150 cm and above, pinch all the stepchildren above the third leaf, leaving 3-4 ovaries and the same number of leaves on each.
- Throw the upper part of the vine over the trellis. Now it will grow down. As soon as its upper end approaches 50-60 cm to the ground, pinch the top point of growth.
For bee pollinators
These varieties bear both female and male flowers (barren flowers). The main stem does not bear fruit, so you need to leave lateral processes, on which all the ovaries are formed. Such cucumbers are planted in open ground in 2-3 stems. Varieties that belong to this species will be as follows: Universal, Lastochka, Far East 27, Phoenix Plus, True Friends, Compass, Acorn, Lord, Teremok, Nezhinsky, etc.
Blinding order for bee-pollinated cucumbers:
- remove male flowers;
- remove all excess processes;
- pinch the main stem between the fifth and sixth leaves;
- remove the lower shoots, yellowed leaves and all weak and diseased parts of the plant.
Recommended schemes
Consider the best schemes for blinding cucumbers on the site.
For greenhouse
For growing in a greenhouse, choose self-pollinated or do not require pollination varieties of cucumbers that are resistant to the formation of fungal diseases. Seedlings are pre-sprouted at home, and a month later they are planted in a greenhouse treated with disinfectants.
Bushes form in one shoot with a distance of 40 cm to provide enough space for the plants. When the plants reach a height of 30 cm, they must be tied up using vertical garters made of nylon thread or twine. Corn can also be planted as a live garter, then the cucumbers will begin to cling to its tall stems. Plants are watered with warm water and regularly fed with fertilizers: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and after flowering also boron with magnesium.
It is necessary to blind, pinch and pinch cucumbers throughout the summer period. These works should be carried out during the day, so that by the evening the plant can recover. Use only sharp instruments disinfected with alcohol or potassium permanganate solution.
For open ground
For open ground, bee-pollinated varieties of cucumbers are suitable. Unlike parthenocarpic ones, their fruits are formed on lateral shoots, so you need to be extremely careful with blinding.
The place for planting cucumbers should be well lit by the sun and protected from drafts. A bed is made of hay or manure to provide warmth to the cucumbers. Seeds are planted immediately in the ground to a depth of 1-2 cm with a distance of about 50 cm.
A trellis, pegs, net or cord is used to tie cucumbers, but if the summer promises to be dry, then you can leave the bushes to grow as they please. As a rule, the bushes of cucumbers selected for planting in open ground are smaller than those of self-pollinated varieties.
Blinding of cucumbers in the open field is carried out up to the tenth leaf. To promote the growth of lateral shoots, the second inflorescences with ovaries are removed. If 7-8 leaves have already formed, but the stepchildren have not yet grown, you can pinch the top, in other cases, no additional manipulations are necessary.
So that the bushes are not too lush, after the appearance of the first cucumber in bee-pollinated varieties, pinch the shoots growing from the nodes of the first 6-7 leaves. Further, you can already leave longer shoots. With bright healthy leaves and a large number of ovaries, the plant does not need top dressing, which makes these varieties convenient and unpretentious.
