Cucumber pinching is primarily aimed at achieving the earliest possible maturity of a particular variety, high quality and a considerable amount of harvest. The procedure during which mistakes were made can even lead to the death of individual plants, a sharp reduction or complete deprivation of the crop.
appointment
You can pinch cucumbers both ground and greenhouse / greenhouse / greenhouse. The main thing is to act with an eye not only to the vagaries of the weather and the frequency of irrigation, but also to the specific situation, in particular, the growth rate of green mass. It is necessary to prevent the growth of useless greenery, which, most likely, will not bring a crop, since the plant has a single root, and its throughput in the supply of water and minerals may simply not be enough for all the shoots from the main lash to bring a lot of good developed fruits. It is not necessary to expect that from each vine it will be possible to get more than a hundred cucumbers per season. To this end, pinching and pruning are used as very effective measures to prevent the outflow of excess organic substances back to the roots and stem, which, as you know, move not along the deep, but along the surface biological layers of the branches and the main lash.
As you know, according to the law of conservation of all things – substances and energy, according to which all nature lives, if you give free rein to the uncontrolled growth of cultivated plants, then the harvest will be small, or it will not turn out at all. Pruning and pinching cucumbers, like any vegetable crop, is carried out in order to direct the excess of organic substances to the formation of new ovaries accurately and on time, as well as their enhanced growth, early maturity and a pleasant taste even for the most demanding person. Pinching is also needed to thin out the green mass in a greenhouse or hotbed: plants need at least the minimum ventilation necessary for their vital activity.
An excessively thickened bush leads to the fact that it is easier for pathogenic fungi, bacteria, and mold to develop in its numerous shoots. In such a “more often” pests like to settle – aphids, spider mites and other pests.
Dates of the procedure
It is impossible to take into account strictly according to the calendar, what specific day of the month it is impossible to start pinching the lashes of cucumber bushes for the first time in a given year. The situation really depends on the vagaries of the weather, the planting of certain varieties, and the growth rate of cucumber shoots varies markedly. Before starting the operation, the following characteristics of the final variety are compared with others similar to it.
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Planting date. Plants should grow significantly, get stronger, and take root thoroughly.
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The number of inflorescences already pollinated and formed ovaries. For pollinated and self-pollinated varieties, they also differ.
Frequent pinching of cucumbers will only damage the plants. However, the regularity to a certain extent should correspond to the variety you have chosen.
Classic scheme
Pinching plants is a must. Some novice gardeners find this procedure unnecessary. Pinching increases the yield to an extra two kilograms of cucumbers from one bush, and this, you see, is a lot. Pinching is done very carefully – the stalk of cucumber shoots is fragile, it is easy to βgnaw throughβ. Pinching cucumber shoots is one of the most effective ways to form a bush. Fruiting becomes noticeably more efficient. If the main lash is damaged, then the number of female inflorescences will decrease sharply. If you do not follow the interval for the pinching procedure, it turns out that the cucumbers will continue to be bitter after ripening.
The way out of this situation is the acquisition of seeds of hybrid cucumbers – they do not need pinching. However, self-fertility in such varieties can be almost zero.
Of the well-known schemes performed step by step, pinching cucumbers, the so-called chess one has become most famous. It consists in the following.
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The first pinching session is carried out when the first sheets appear. Plants continue to be watered abundantly every day. On each side pinch two additional shoots on the sides, focusing on the main lash of the bush.
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After the appearance of 6 leaves on each bush, 2 side shoots are pinched on each side, still focusing on the main lash.
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After the appearance of 10 leaves on each bush, pinch out the lateral processes, including the formed ovaries that have appeared from the male inflorescences.
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After the appearance of 11 sheets, pinch the top of the whip. At this time, cucumber plants are fed.
If you violate the scheme and the period of pinching, having obtained advice for a completely different variety, then such βcompatibilityβ will most likely destroy the plants, which is why you simply lose your crop. For cucumber plants grown in a single stem in a greenhouse, this approach will save additional living space. If the procedure is performed correctly, then the plant effectively resists diseases and pests.
Pinching different varieties
If the inflorescences are represented predominantly by male flowers, which are an exceptional majority in many varietal cucumber crops, the top of the lash is removed, which allows the plants to grow side shoots. Depending on the variety and weather affecting the length of these shoots, pinching is done when at least 6 true leaves appear. The entire lower growth from the main lash is cut off, including flowers that have fallen to the ground. These measures protect the still young plant from diseases and pests: they try to climb from the ground onto the plant itself exclusively along them, and do not fall on it, flying around the main lash. After pinching, already formed cucumbers increase in weight and size, at first they gain strength, and then new ovaries are formed on stepchildren (side shoots that have grown from a node on the main lash). To spur the growth of cucumbers, plants are fed with potash and phosphate fertilizers, dissolving no more than 60 g of phosphate salts in a bucket of water. For 1 m2 of cucumber thickets, no more than 3 liters of a root stimulator solution will be required.
Before the procedure, the hands are thoroughly washed, and the scissors, previously sharpened, are disinfected. Pinching is carried out for purely bush and for climbing varieties. With a significant acceleration in the growth of stepchildren, they are tied to a trellis fence, which will allow them not to lie on the ground. This will protect the plants from the formation of yellowed cucumbers that have taken the form of a barrel, as well as a massive invasion of pests. The top of the main lash is cut off a few centimeters from the last node (petiole).
The general principle of pinching is to stimulate the rapid growth of lateral branches. Some stepchildren that you decide to leave for lateral growth, after the appearance of 4 leaves, also pinch. Cucumber liana should grow in different directions, while long branches deplete the nutrients in plants, which causes the plant to shed its ovaries. Cucumbers that have grown to standard sizes are harvested, which makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the yield of the bush.
Artificially bred varieties of cucumbers are distinguished by self-pollination. They do not need the presence of insects nearby or windy weather. The description of each of the varieties contains advice on whether they need to be grown in greenhouse conditions, or a certain variety will cost open conditions. Hybrid varieties are tied up on a trellis or net to prevent the appearance of pests on the vegetation, to allow the wind to freely penetrate between the branches and leaves, and also to increase the comfort of the owner (summer resident) when the time comes to harvest.
Pinching allows you to reduce the number of unnecessary stepchildren, thin out the thickets, avoiding their thickening. Plants usually stepchild after the formation of the 7th leaf.
Insect pollinators and hybrids
Insect-pollinated varieties can be artificially pollinated by humans. The cultivation of bee hives next to greenhouses where cucumbers are grown is considered aerobatics. The largest number of ovaries is formed precisely on the side shoots. The main lash is dotted with mostly flowers, most of which are barren male. Pollinated and hybrid varieties are formed by pinching the main lash. For further growth, the main lash can grow further, continuing its growth from the topmost side. Pinching is carried out not earlier than after the formation of the 6th leaf.
Parthenocarpic
The varieties included in the data are distinguished by the appearance of a small number of male flowers. At a height of 0,5 m, the lateral processes are pinched above the lateral leaf. Stepping back a meter from the soil surface, they leave lateral processes, two formed fruits and three leaves. Stepping back from the soil surface 1,5 m, leave 4 ovaries and the same number of leaves.
Aftercare
Pinching is recommended in dry weather. During the rainy season, pathogens of all kinds of diseases would enter the plant through the pruning sites. Pinching out thick stems will require extra plant care. The cut places are sprinkled with coal powder, or a small amount of copper (or iron) sulfate is applied.
Feeding and timely watering are also necessary. Without these two components, you will not wait for a good harvest.
Possible mistakes
An incorrectly grown lash, having vegetative disorders, will not be able to provide a good harvest. Despite the difference in pinching for certain varieties, summer residents and gardeners make the same mistakes.
Empty flowers on bee-pollinated varieties are not allowed to be removed. Despite the abundance of growth of female inflorescences, the absence of male ones will not give a bountiful harvest.
When cutting the shoots, it is forbidden to cut them flush without leaving a “hemp”. The wound inflicted on the plant dries up, the drying of the cut-off place reaches the deeper layers of the stem from which the lateral shoot was cut, and as a result it is damaged, and the bush will not be able to grow further. The ingress of microbes and fungus will affect the entire plant, and there will be no harvest from it. Pinching and circumcision should not be done in the evening – it is better to do it at dawn. The heat during the day will dry the cut place, and by morning the stem will adapt – due to the influx of new water with minerals dissolved in it.
Shaping, including pinching, is sometimes a one-time measure. Frequent cutting of shoots will not give the desired effect – you can completely lose the crop.
The greenhouse should have walls made of matte material, for example, polycarbonate – scattered rays of the sun are less aggressive than direct ones.
