If by the time of transplantation the cucumber seedlings have outgrown, they may die. From the material in this article, you will learn how to properly transplant an elongated plant and what to do to prevent its death.
Reasons for overgrowing
Overgrown seedlings have stems 15β20 cm long. Strong vegetables rarely grow from such planting material. However, with proper care, it is possible to achieve a high yield and juicy fruits.
Strong stretching of cucumber seedlings is the result of improper care. This happens when the temperature in the room where the seedlings are grown is too high.
It happens that the seeds are planted densely, thereby provoking competition. The sprouts have to stretch upward, which is why some shoots receive more moisture and nutrients than others.
Seedlings planted in the spring quickly lengthen due to the excess amount of nutrients contained in the soil. In addition, the seeds are planted too early. V As a result, by the time of transplantation, they have time to outgrow.
The reasons are the structure and nature of each vegetable variety. Cold-loving plants have short internodes. Others have long stems and cling to inserted props.
Prepare
You need to start planting overgrown seedlings in a permanent place with proper preparation. If the landing is still far away, it is necessary to create optimal growing conditions.
Elongated sprouts with long stems without leaves are rather weak. Such seedlings often fall, not having time to wait for a transplant. Broken roots will not grow, only undamaged ones have a chance to get stronger.
Planting seedlings should be as delicate as possible, otherwise they will die from the transferred stress. The thinnest sprouts are carefully twisted around the perimeter of the glasses and covered with earth.
After about a week, the main stem will begin to grow in the root region. At this time, it is necessary to carry out the correct watering of the crop in order to reduce its growth.
While the sprouts are in the room, make sure that the temperature inside does not exceed +16 degrees. As far as possible, they try to increase the distance between the stems. To do this, pinch the main shoot over the 2nd leaf.
Immediately before planting, the root system is released. They do this very carefully, separating the root of the seedling from the bottom and cutting the wall of the container. Someone prefers to wrap each spine with a soft cloth, preventing it from breaking.
The roots of seedlings are quite fragile and often break during transplantation to a permanent place. To avoid stress, planting is recommended in the morning or in the evening, when direct sunlight does not fall on the plants.
The ideal landing conditions are windless cloudy weather. Practice shows that under these conditions, seedlings receive minimal stress and practically do not get sick, taking root in a new place.
Seedlings grown in peat cups do not need to be freed from them. This container is self-decomposing in the soil. The task of the gardener is to make a hole, put a pot in it and sprinkle it with earth.
Water for watering holes and planted seedlings should be warm. When using cold, developmental delay is noted.
Landing scheme
Planting cucumber seedlings can be classic and deep. In order to properly transplant overgrown seedlings of cucumbers into the garden, they resort to the method of dropping sprouts.
To do this, a small depression is made in the ground next to the main stem. An elongated stem is placed in it, covered with soil. After that, the soil is lightly rammed and watered.
Some stretched sprouts are best buried. However, don’t overdo it. The depth of the dug holes should not be large.
After preparing the holes, they take the stem, carefully fold it in a spiral, place it in the hole, sprinkle it with earth. The method with the deepening of the stem gives the active growth of the root system.
In such plants, leaf mass is formed faster. A seedling that has not been dug up requires more care when growing and forming lashes.
Planting schemes for overgrown cucumber seedlings vary. According to the standard method, it is planted in a zone of 70×30 cm. At the same time, the site on which the cucumber beds are located should be open.
Unlike the previous scheme, the second technology is characterized by a large distance between the holes and rows. Parameters of 80×50 cm are considered optimal for growing overgrown lashes.
At the same time, to preserve the root system, you can even lay seedlings on the ground. In addition, there is enough space for this, and the lashes themselves will receive more sunlight for high-quality development and the formation of ovaries.
Step-by-step disembarkation instructions
To properly plant elongated cucumber seedlings, you need to consider a number of factors. For example, the distance between future bushes is important.
Cucumber lashes grow very quickly, the interval between seedlings should be at least 25β30 cm. In this case, it is not necessary to align the position of the seedlings. Once strong, they will rise on their own.
You can not push the stems deep into the ground. This will harm the seedlings and may cause their death. The minimum depth is 5 cm. Excessive deepening with elongated stems is contraindicated.
When planting, they dig a bed for a specific number of bushes. Do not forget to prepare the soil for backfilling and cut off the lower leaves of the seedlings.
As needed, supports are inserted into the holes. They will become a support for the main stem in the first days of its growth. You can not independently tie the plants to the supports immediately after planting.
They try to plant seedlings where plants infected with late blight did not grow before. If possible, the soil is treated with sand.
When planting in a greenhouse, pay attention to watering. Indoors there is more dampness, and the moisture here leaves much more slowly.
The roots will not absorb more liquid than they need, so with frequent abundant watering, waterlogging of the soil cannot be avoided. This can cause root rot.
If the seedlings have already formed flowers, you can not hesitate. It begins to gradually harden over several days. About a day before transplanting, it is well shed.
After fertilizing the holes with compost, planting is carried out in the usual way, placing future bushes in a checkerboard pattern. Corn and peas can be sown near the bushes in order to increase the soil temperature and to protect against frost.
In the open ground
When planting cucumber seedlings in the holes, do not forget about the preliminary preparation of the soil. To do this, it is loosened in advance, making it lush and light. Then they fertilize, sprinkle with ash, performing antiparasitic prophylaxis.
The earth must be well warmed. Cucumbers are sensitive to temperature fluctuations. To minimize stress, you need to create the same conditions for them in which they grew up indoors.
Before planting, the hole is shed with warm water. Next, a sprout is placed in it, sprinkling its root part with earth. To keep warm and maintain the level of humidity, the hole is covered with grass or hay on top.
In the absence of grass, a special covering material is used. However, when it is used, holes are made in advance on the canvas at the locations of all holes.
In open ground, seedlings take root easier than in a greenhouse. However, sometimes weakened overgrown lashes have to be tied up so that they do not break due to strong winds.
The choice of planting pattern depends on the variety. The more the lashes grow, the more spacious the landing should be. However, if the cultivation is vertical, then adhere to the standard scheme.
To the greenhouse
Cucumber seedlings should be planted in a greenhouse before the first true leaf appears. It is first necessary to create the most comfortable conditions for culture.
Daytime temperature should be about +20 degrees, night – +15. Approximate air humidity should not be more than 80%. Daylight hours are 12-14 hours.
If the greenhouse is dark, it is necessary to organize artificial lighting. For this, lamps with a power of 500 W per 1 m2 are used. The formation of greenhouse cucumbers is performed in 1-2 stems.
Planting is carried out on the basis of the condition of the seedlings. Sometimes for this you have to pre-cut the lashes. This training helps to reduce the likelihood of injury.
Usually seedlings are not deepened. They are planted to a depth of up to 8 cm. Before landing, a little wood ash or sawdust is placed on the bottom of each hole. They themselves try to plant the sprouts at an angle, placing the rows in a checkerboard pattern.
To improve adaptation, the lateral processes are removed. Pinching is resorted to during the appearance of the 1st ovary. If it is not in the first 3 sinuses, the shoot is completely removed.
Useful Tips
Until the plant is planted in a permanent place, it is necessary to provide them with hardening. Usually in the first days it takes up to 2 hours. For this, seedlings are taken out into the street (balcony, loggia).
It is advisable in the early days to choose wet or cloudy weather for hardening. Over time, you can put seedlings in the sun. Gradually increase the hardening time.
Thus, before planting, the seedlings will be on the street almost all day. The day before the transplant, you can leave them overnight, covered with polyethylene.
Elongated seedlings transplanted to a permanent place require proper care during rehabilitation and growing up. Seedlings provide regular plentiful watering.
You need to do this daily 1 time per day. The soil must not dry out. Cucumbers are moisture-loving plants. The lack of moisture will affect the quality of the fruit. They will be small and dry.
The recovery stage of seedlings with an injured root system can take a long time. It is necessary to water the roots with settled water with a temperature of +20 to +25 degrees.
Useful for tops and spraying with warm water. When the lashes begin to gain color, the amount of watering is reduced to moderate. Approximately 1 time in 10-14 days, top dressing of a mineral or organic type is applied.
It is important to choose the right type of fertilizer. At the initial stage of cultivation, it is better to buy top dressing that will stimulate the growth of roots, not leaves (saltpeter cannot be used).
As the roots are exposed, the earth is filled near the main stem. Also make sure that the plant receives enough light.
One of the best solutions is the vertical formation of cucumber bushes. To do this, cords or wire are pulled along the ridges. On them, the whips will rise.
Plants planted in an open area require shading in the heat. To do this, you can use improvised materials (for example, old unnecessary sheets or straw).
To stimulate the development of lateral stems with female inflorescences, they resort to pinching the lashes over the 3rd true leaf. In a similar case with the root system, the primrose is cut off.
If the soil has become waterlogged near the greenhouse lashes, you need to stop watering and loosen it. This will provide air access to the roots and dry the soil.
When transplanting tall varieties, bushes are formed into one stem. Medium-sized varieties are pinched by about 3-4 internodes.
In case of a sharp cold snap, the lashes growing on the open ground are covered with a spunbond or other covering sheet. The priority is materials of darkish tones, as they attract ultraviolet rays. In addition to protection from the cold, the films contribute to the rapid rooting of seedlings.
Shrub care involves constant visual inspection for diseases and parasite attacks. If colonies of aphids and ants are found, as well as infectious diseases, urgent measures must be taken.
Depending on the type of problem, chemicals, biologics or folk remedies are used to solve it. You can resort to them only when the seedlings are well rooted and grow.
Do not spray the lashes with chemicals during the growing season. It is necessary to use the funds in accordance with the instructions attached to them, diluting the substances in the correct proportions.
To increase productivity, it is necessary to remove grown fruits from the beds in a timely manner.
