Cucumbers are a favorite crop of many summer residents. They grow it on plots, and often not only for themselves, but also for sale. However, to increase productivity, you need to master the technique of mulching cucumber bushes. What is it, and how to properly mulch cucumbers – we will talk about this in the article.
What it is?
Mulching cucumbers is necessary primarily to protect and increase fruiting. The procedure itself involves sheltering the top layer of the earth in the area where the culture grows. As materials for mulching, both natural coverings in the form of hay, sawdust, chopped grass, and artificial materials – a polyethylene base, spunbond, as well as pebbles, gravel, can act.
In the first case, the layer must be constantly changed, but the soil from organic matter will receive nutrients, which will allow the plant to develop well. Mulching will help save the plant from the cold, as well as maintain the necessary moisture in the soil. Another plus is weed protection.. In a closed area, weed grass does not break through so actively, which means that cucumbers do not need to be weeded so often. If you mulch at least once on a cucumber plantation, the crop will ripen 14-15 days earlier, while the fruits will be tastier. But the gardener also needs to know that closing the soil can provoke various diseases and fungus in plants.
In addition, mulching can lead to a nitrogen deficiency in the soil. Knowing this will help to correct the process of growing cucumber crops correctly.
Deadlines
On open plantations, cucumbers are mulched at the very beginning of the spring period, however, it still depends on what the weather is like: it is desirable that the earth is already warm enough. And to make the process more efficient and effective, experienced gardeners recommend changing the composition of the coating every year.
You can mulch immediately after planting seedlings, and when seeds are planted in the ground, shelter occurs after the third leaf appears on the seedlings.
What can be used?
You can mulch cucumbers with an organic coating and inorganic materials that are more durable and better retain moisture in the soil. Let’s consider separately what and how can be used.
Natural materials
Mowed grass is well suited as mulch, however, not only freshly cut greens are used, but they are allowed to “brew” in the sun for 3-4 days. This procedure helps to kill pests – pathogens of various diseases. They make mulch from foliage, hay, cover cucumbers with litter. The most effective mulch is one that is enriched with fertilizer. For example, they take straw and dry grass, enrich this symbiosis with urea and superphosphate (200 g of each substance per 10 kg of mulch) and potassium salt (120 g per 10 kg of mulch).
Such a layer is laid quite thickly, about 10-12 centimeters. It is better that this dry composition contains nettle or clover. Dry the grass under the scorching sun. Another useful coating can be rotted sawdust. Sawdust mulch can consist of needles, larch, pine needles. After two weeks, the debate is applied with a low (up to 5 cm) layer on the ground. Such a sawdust “blanket” will save the plants in the heat, since moisture will not evaporate so intensively from the soil.
And after harvesting, in preparing the soil for the next season, this mulch is dug up along with the top layer of soil. Peat is used as a natural material for sheltering cucumbers – this is a rather useful mulch that improves the structure of the soil, making it more loose and rich in nutrients. The peat base is laid in a layer of 5-7 centimeters, and is not removed after harvesting. If you know in advance that you will be mulching cucumbers with peat, deepen the seedlings more deeply to avoid the appearance of a black leg.
In places where the climate is cool and humid, it is good to cover cucumber rows with manure. It is better to mix it with hay in a ratio of 1: 1. In cooler weather, compost can be the best solution for choosing material for mulching. It warms the soil and creates conditions for the work of beneficial worms and other microorganisms that produce humus from the mulch. Compost also acts as fertilizer at the end of the season. With temperature fluctuations, you can fill the beds with just humus.
Thick paper and cardboard are also used as mulch.. These materials perfectly suppress weeds and retain moisture in the soil. To prevent the wind from blowing away such a shelter, the cardboard is covered with stones or pipes. And in order for hard cellulose to be processed faster, you need to treat it with EM preparations. As for paper, paper from glossy magazines is not suitable for mulching. When designing such publications, varnishes and pigments are used, and this is harmful not only for plants, but also for the entire environment.
Experienced gardeners rarely use cardboard and paper as mulch, more often they make mulch from manure with straw, shelter from hay, compost and fallen leaves.. Such organic matter perfectly retains moisture, which a capricious culture really needs.
In general, organic material creates a good environment for the development of healthy bushes, increases yields, prolongs the fruiting period and improves the quality of cucumbers. Therefore, many people prefer organic matter as a mulch, but in its absence or shortage, artificial materials can also be purchased.
Artificial materials
In a cool climate, artificial materials are most popular when mulching cucumber crops. In such regions, gardeners choose, for example, agrofibre, lutrasil, actively use plastic wrap and spunbond. All these materials of artificial origin create a greenhouse effect, which contributes to the active growth of seeds. As soon as young shoots appear, holes are cut for them. Weed grass does not break through such a base.
Bulk materials are also used as mulch.. More often, gardeners use crushed stone, but gravel and expanded clay are also used. Such a coating is convenient in that it is reusable and applicable in different regions. The only requirement that must be observed is to make sure that the plant itself does not touch these materials.
How to do it right?
Cucumbers are usually mulched when the soil is already warm enough, but still wet after the winter period. As a rule, this is spring-summer. The main thing is that the plant or seeds have already been planted in open ground or in a greenhouse.
For seeds, it is important that they sprout. When the first leaves appear, you can carry out the procedure for covering them. Consider the features of mulching in a greenhouse and in an open area.
In the greenhouse
In greenhouse conditions, cucumbers are mulched closer to summer. If the seedlings were planted, but the procedure was not carried out immediately, it’s okay: you can mulch in the greenhouse and in the height of summer. The base is laid in such a way as to cover only the root system, the leaves themselves with the stem should not come into contact with the mulch. If a film or polycarbonate was used as a covering material in a greenhouse, make sure that the plants do not overheat in the heat. In very hot weather, just remove the shelter so that the cucumbers do not “suffocate”.
In greenhouse conditions or in a greenhouse, after carrying out all the work on mulching, they continue to take care of the plants in the same mode. If you took organic matter, then such mulch will have to be updated periodically. However, in a closed space, rotting occurs more slowly than in open ground, where fresh air contributes to this. In the greenhouse, you can only cover the cucumber beds themselves directly, and do not touch the aisles. If you took a film or other solid material, you need to make holes for seedlings. The main rule: when signs of disease are found in the sprouts, not only the mulch is removed, but also the top layer of soil. Re-activate this structure only after complete disinfection.
In open ground
In an open area, cucumbers are mulched primarily to create protection for the roots. A layer is laid when the earth warms up well, but so that it is not dry. If this is a seedling method of growing a crop, then the mulch is applied immediately after planting the seedlings. When it comes to seed propagation, then as soon as the seedlings have 2-3 leaves, mulching can already be carried out.
Please note that organic coating should not be fresh, otherwise it will become a bait for harmful creatures. Sawdust and shavings are not distributed in rainy weather: these components absorb moisture well, swell and completely cut off oxygen to the roots. As for inorganic materials, their use in areas with a hot climate is not recommended. They will heat the soil even more and plants can simply die under such shelter. Early varieties of cucumbers planted in open ground are mulched in spring, unlike their counterparts growing in a greenhouse. You can do it there in the summer too. And in the garden they do it earlier, and if the earth is dry, it is watered a few days before mulching.
Of course, it is desirable that the soil contains natural moisture. Dense materials are laid in a thinner layer – 2-5 cm, but straw or other light bases can be laid to a height of 7 cm. It is important to leave the root zone of cucumbers open – this way you can protect the plants from rot. And to avoid contact of the stem with the mulch, it is better to lay the synthetic material before sowing seeds or planting seedlings in the soil. And then do it in special slots. Experienced gardeners advise periodically raising the mulch layer to find out if bears and moles have chosen this area.
If you find such passages and minks, immediately take measures to protect plants from these pests. They just need to be destroyed by appropriate means. The remains of organic mulch can not be removed from the fall, they decompose into useful substances by the next sowing season and enrich the soil with the necessary elements.
