How to properly form the representatives of the Pumpkin: cucumbers, zucchini, zucchini, squash and pumpkins? And why do you need to do this at all?
Pruning pumpkin crops is just a stumbling block for summer residents. One half of summer residents argue that it is necessary to cut a lot and without fail, the second half believes that βit will do.β We will try to pass approximately in the middle.
Forming cucumbers
Cucumbers are grown in two ways: vertical and horizontal (melons).
Horizontal, grown, or gourds, cucumbers are grown mainly in the southern regions. So, starting from about Voronezh and Tambov, cucumbers are often grown in the garden just on the ground, generally, without the use of shelter, or with a minimum: light shelter in April-May with a film or lutrasil.
Growing cucumbers using melons
The vertical method is used where the area for planting is limited: for example, in the northern regions, where cucumbers are grown mainly in greenhouses. So the formation, as a rule, is used in the vertical cultivation of cucumbers.
When do they start tying and shaping cucumbers?
If you are growing cucumbers vertically, then do not tighten the garter, start lifting the plants when they have 3-4 true leaves. There are many ways to tie, choose what you like, you can use as supports:
- wooden, plastic or metal supports;
- stretched nets,
- ropes and any of their substitutes.
Most often, ropes are used for garters. The rope is tied to a peg next to the plant or to the base of the vine. When tying to the vine, make a loop with a small margin for growth, then carefully wrap the rope around the cucumber. Do not tie the ropes tight, let them sag a little freely at first, under the weight of the plant, it will stretch itself.
Garter cucumbers in the greenhouse
What is cut off from cucumbers?
Leaves on cucumbers
Not immediately, when the cucumbers grow up and stretch out, 4-6 lower leaves are removed from them. Also, gradually, as they grow, excess thickening leaves and, of course, diseased ones are removed.
Formed cucumbers in a greenhouse
Stepsons of cucumbers
Cucumber stepchildren are removed to about a height of 8-10 leaves, higher from 8-10 to 12-14 (about 4-6 pieces) – they are blinded so that they do not grow too long. Even higher, after 12-14 leaves, one main shoot is left, removing all unnecessary. In August, pinch the main central shoot.
The Blinded Cucumber Stepson
mustache cucumbers
It is often advised to remove mustaches from cucumbers, this can be done, but it is very dreary. Basically, optional.
Cucumber mustache trimming
TOTAL, what do we have in the end?
In agusta, a cucumber plant should look something like this: the bottom of 4-6 leaves is bare, then a couple of rows of leaves without shoots, then 4-6 shoots-stepchildren no more than 40 cm long, above the central shoot half a meter long and blinded top. Well, and cucumbers!
Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse
Fruits damaged by diseases and pests are also pruned.
Zucchini and zucchini (zucchini)
If you planted zucchini, zucchini or squash correctly with a sufficient distance, then you do not need to touch the leaves. The leaves of zucchini protect plants from overheating, nourish, etc. It is necessary to remove only leaves damaged by disease or pests, the rest will not interfere with you.
And only in the case of an excessively dense planting, you will need to trim the foliage (2-3 sheets no more). This is done if it is too dark inside the bush and the flowers and fruits do not receive enough sunlight. And also if the bush is not ventilated at all, because of which rot can develop, which will destroy the crop and the plant itself. This is especially dangerous in wet and cold summers.
So, dry, yellow and diseased leaves are cut off, and you can also remove the lower leaves, which take a lot of strength and nutrients from the bush.
Zucchini leaf damaged by miners and trimmed
Pumpkins
Pumpkins are more closely related to cucumbers than to zucchini. The method of formation depends on the result you want to get: if you want to grow 1 large pumpkin, then after its formation, you need to remove new ovaries and shoots, directing all the nutrients to a single one. If you are satisfied with a lot of small ones, then pruning can be more gentle. In any case, in the second half of the summer, the extra shoots should still be cut off so that those pumpkins that are tied up have time to ripen normally before autumn.
So, the standard pruning of a pumpkin looks like this:
- 2-3 shoots are left at the pumpkin;
- pinch the main stem after the formation of 2β5 ovaries on it with a diameter of 15β17 cm.
If you want to get large pumpkins, leave 2-3 ovaries for bush varieties and 1-2 for climbing varieties and pinch the stem 5-7 leaves after the last fruit. But keep in mind: medium-sized pumpkins are tastier, and everyone boasts of large ones!
At the end of the season, cut off all excess shoots, leaving only those that feed the ripening pumpkins.
How to prune pumpkin
The leaves of cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins are very tender and easily torn; green living leaves can only be removed with a pruner or knife. Dry leaves can be carefully cut off.
