Cucumbers are one of the most common vegetables that can be seen in almost any home. Cucumbers are used both fresh and in various dishes. Almost every plot owner grows cucumbers, but it is not always possible to plant the required number of vegetables, as there is simply not enough space. In this regard, summer residents come up with many ways to grow vegetables with rational use of the territory. This is how a method of growing cucumbers in bags appeared – thanks to this method, you can grow a lot of cucumbers even in a small area.
Advantages and disadvantages
If we talk about the methods of growing cucumbers in bags, then they have pros and cons, all this is revealed over time. People are already well aware of the options for growing this crop, even in bags. If we talk about the advantages of this method, we can note the following:
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growing a large crop in a small area;
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no difficulties in care – it is very easy to follow the bushes, for this you do not need to perform special actions;
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quick harvest and long fruiting – to put it more simply, cucumbers will grow very quickly, and the plant will bear fruit for a long time;
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in this way, there are almost no diseases of this crop, so the harvest will be of high quality and voluminous.
Like all methods of growing vegetables, this method has its drawbacks.
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Maintaining humidity is quite difficult, for this it is worth trying. If the humidity is too high, then the roots will rot, and the plants themselves will most likely die.
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The temperature in the bag may be too high, because of this, the root system will begin to die. This is especially true on hot days.
Choice of bags
In order for the plant to give high-quality fruits, you need to properly prepare the place where it will be planted. This is one of the most important rules for planting different crops. If you decide to plant cucumbers, then you need to decide between burlap and polyethylene bags, you can use garbage bags. In order to plant this crop, you will need bags and earth, the seedlings themselves, pipes and rope, wooden sticks. However, to begin with, it is worth deciding in the form of a bag.
It is better to take bags in which there was flour or sugar, such bags fit optimally. Most likely, you have sugar bags at home, and there will be no difficulty in finding them.
Soil Preparation
Before planting plants, you need to prepare the soil. To begin with, bags made of polyethylene are taken, bags of 70 liters are needed. Earth is poured into them, layers of soil and manure can be made, the bags are installed vertically. The best way is to install the bag in a recess, so it will not fall.
In the middle of the bag, you need to install a wooden stick about 2 m long. A nail should be nailed at the end, there will be knittings on it. Plastic tubes with holes are inserted into the bags, such tubes are needed for irrigation.
Watering cucumbers occurs precisely through tubules, cucumbers are watered daily if the summer is hot. After the appearance of the leaves, they need to be tied to a stick.
Landing stages
Landing is not carried out immediately, but step by step. Take the bag and measure the parameters, they should fit the tube. Pallets can be installed, bags will be placed on them, fertilizers mixed with the ground are poured into them, and the bag is pasted over with tape so that it does not accidentally tear.
Also, to always keep the moisture in the bag, choose white bags. Watch the watering of cucumbers – how often watering occurs and in what volumes, if you pour a lot of water, the plant will start to hurt, so you can ruin the plant. If you want, you can plant different varieties of cucumbers in one bag. You need to follow each step correctly, so you get the best harvest.
Holes are being prepared, the best varieties of cucumbers are selected, cucumbers must be planted at the strictly allotted time for this.
Seed sowing
You can plant cucumbers not only with the help of seedlings, but also with seeds. It is better to take seeds that grow for about two or three years. Such plants will produce more flowers that will be female. And if you decide to use the seeds that you have left since last year, then they need to be dried. For several hours they should lie down at 50 degrees, so they will dry.
Then warm water is collected in a small jar, the seeds are lowered there, they should lie down in this container for a day. Exactly after this time, the seeds must be put in the refrigerator, where they must spend three days in order to harden.
After you fill the seeds with water, some of them will float, these seeds will not be useful to you, they should be thrown away. After the seeds have been hardened, they need to be germinated and planted.
You need to plant seeds in the last days before summer, after which they are well watered. Seeds are planted in bags in the same way as seedlings are planted. In the ground, special holes are made in the bag, seeds must be placed in these recesses. You can cover them with special substances that prevent damage to the plant by parasites.
In addition, you need to look at the weather at the end of May – in no case should the seeds freeze.
Transplanting
Seedlings are prepared and planted in the same way as in the beds. In early May, you need to plant cucumber seeds in cups, then they are transplanted into bags. Plants can be transplanted only at the moment when about three leaves appear on the bushes. If the cucumber bushes are small, they are planted in triangular holes, which are made in advance in a bag. Seedlings should only be perpendicular to the bag. If you want to get a good harvest, but at the same time save on area, then you need to properly care for the seedlings and plant them at the right time.
Aftercare
It is not enough just to plant cucumbers in bags on the street, you also need to take care of them. If you properly form a cucumber bush, then the harvest will be good. Cucumbers start up a huge number of side shoots, because of these shoots the yield is reduced, as well as its quality, such shoots require nutrients, their bush gets less. You need to learn how to pinch cucumbers so that they give a good harvest.
It is necessary to constantly form cucumber bushes so that unwanted shoots do not appear on them. If you break off long shoots, then cucumbers will grow more slowly, if you break off small ones, there will be no negative effect on the bush.
The shoots should be down, and the stems should grow up.
All work on the care of cucumbers should be associated with the formation of a bush, with its feeding and watering, it is also necessary to carry out the prevention of various diseases and increase the yield of the plant, you need to harvest it correctly. Above it was considered how to form a bush. You also need to learn how to patent cucumbers. Cucumber bushes must not only be formed, but also tied up after there are more than five leaves on the bush, it must be tied to a rope, which, in turn, is tied to a stick. The bush should have its own twine, then you need to constantly form a bush.
Cucumbers are watered with tubes that are installed in the soil. Cucumbers in bags need to be watered less than in beds (if you planted cucumbers in polyethylene bags, then moisture is retained in them for as long as possible).
If you use transparent bags, the moisture in them can be determined by the drops located in the inside of the bag. Watering cucumbers should be carried out with warm water.
Top dressing will also be useful, you need to feed cucumbers with organic fertilizers, you can also use mineral fertilizers, but there should be a break of 10 days between them.
You need to constantly monitor the culture, how the bushes look, so you can carry out treatment in time and get the best harvest in the country.
Diseases and pests
Even growing a crop in bags does not completely prevent their diseases and pests. Cucumbers can have a huge variety of diseases, all of which need to be prevented.
One of the most popular diseases is powdery mildew. This is a fungal disease that looks like flour on the leaves. This disease occurs due to low temperature, which is accompanied by humidity. To combat this disease, the bushes are sprayed with copper chloride, as well as other solutions; a solution of laundry soap or a solution of sour milk with water can be isolated from folk remedies.
Downy dew is also popular, it looks like yellow spots, then they increase, and the leaves dry up. The means of dealing with it are the same.
Brown spotting, it looks like brown spots on cucumbers and leaves.
Harvesting
It is necessary to harvest on time – this is the most important stage in the care of this crop. If you harvest in time, then its volume will be larger, new ovaries will appear on the bushes.
To get more cucumbers, they need to be harvested daily. If ripe fruits are not collected in time, then ovaries will not appear, the yield will be lower. In order for insects to better fly up to the flowers, they need to be sprayed with sweetened water or special substances.
If among the plants there is at least one male bush between female plants, then there will be much more cucumbers.
Possible difficulties
Sometimes it is not possible to evenly moisten the soil, but it should not be too wet or dry – it is important that the bush is formed correctly, so that it blooms well, and a good harvest is obtained. Also, too much sunlight is a problem, it is best to place the bags where there is shade.
Also, cucumbers should not be planted too densely – space is needed for the development of a bush. Never plant a large number of seeds or seedlings in a bag, as a result they will produce little yield.
If you follow all the rules for planting, then you will get a lot of early cucumbers. Even in cities, you can grow crops in this way, and every day you will be delighted with cucumbers right from the balcony. And gardeners will get a good harvest, regardless of the weather.
