Delicious and crispy cucumbers are always welcome on the dinner table. These vegetables are often eaten fresh, but are also used in salads, appetizers, and other dishes. Many prefer pickled or pickled cucumbers, the taste of which is revealed in a new way. Given the unstable and cold climate in many regions of the country, many gardeners grow this crop in greenhouses.
Caring for a plant indoors or outdoors is different, so you need to be familiar with certain features of this process.
The need for a procedure
When growing any fruit crop, you need to create suitable conditions for it that will contribute to active development and regular fruiting. Some summer residents believe that the formation of cucumbers in a greenhouse made of polycarbonate or other materials is an optional procedure. Experienced gardeners note that this procedure greatly affects the yield, especially if the seedlings were planted in greenhouses. Under such conditions, it is difficult for insects to perform pollination.
Plants will intertwine with each other if they are not picked up from the ground in time and pinched. As a result, the seedlings turn into a ball, and it is difficult for the bees to reach the blooming flowers. And also contact with the soil can provoke the development of fungal infections, and dangerous insects can easily reach the crop and ruin it.
Proper formation of bushes will cope with the following problems:
- the risk of infection with diseases is significantly reduced;
- the process of harvesting vegetables becomes easier;
- it is more difficult for pests to get to the fruits;
- insect pollinators more easily cope with their task;
- plants do not intertwine and do not block each other’s access to the sun’s rays;
- space in a greenhouse is limited, and the formation will allow you to use it as efficiently as possible;
- proper molding contributes to the proper growth and development of plants.
General rules
Before you start work, you need to know how to properly form a cucumber bush. First of all, the plants are tied up so that they rise above the ground and begin to grow upwards. For fixing, a rope or twine is suitable. The garter is performed as soon as the height of the seedling reaches 30 centimeters, and 4-5 full-fledged leaves appear on it. If at this stage the work has not been carried out, and the plant has already spread on the ground, you need to carefully lift the vine, unravel it, and make a garter. The main thing is that the stem remains intact. To carefully secure the vine, you need to tie the stem with a loop in the area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe third leaf. The second end is attached to the greenhouse crossbar. It is necessary to leave the rope to sag a little around the plant, it also cannot be tightened too much so as not to damage the plant. In the process of growth, the main stem will become larger, and tight twine will only interfere with it. The plant is guided around the twine.
The next mandatory step is pinching. In addition to the main stem, the plant can form additional shoots in the leaf axils. They are called stepchildren, and their pruning is called stepchildren. They take nutrients and strength from the plant, so you need to get rid of unnecessary growth immediately. If the stepchildren are left, the fruits will not receive the required amount of useful trace elements, as a result, the yield suffers. Vegetables need to receive as much nutrition as the main trunk takes. The process of removing the lateral processes is carried out by pinching. It is best to do the work early in the morning, so by the evening the plant will have time to recover.. The garden tool used must be clean and sharp, otherwise the plant may become infected.
Cucumber bushes are formed 2 weeks after the transfer of seedlings to a permanent place of cultivation. During this period, they also get rid of extra mustaches and stepchildren, which are formed in the region of 4-6 knots.
Basic schemes
Experts have developed different ways to form plants:
- in one stem;
- in two stems;
- shrub with lateral fruit-bearing shoots.
And also the workflow is affected by how a particular variety is pollinated.
There are the following types:
- unpollinated;
- self-pollinated (such species are able to independently pollinate due to the presence of flowers of both sexes and produce a rich harvest every season);
- species pollinated by insects.
As a rule, on plants from the second group, the ovaries appear on the main stem, so it is best to grow a bush in one stem. So it will take up a minimum of space, and all the fruits will be clearly visible. Plants are easy to inspect for signs of disease and pests. Varieties from the third group differ significantly from self-pollinated ones, since they do not form ovaries in the central part. For this reason, it is desirable to mold into several stems.
It is possible to determine which of the species this or that variety belongs to by the buds. If they have ovaries, you have a self-pollinating culture. This means that you can safely choose the option in one stem. Otherwise, you need to wait until other shoots appear, and choose a method in which the plant is shaped into a bush.
In one stem
The step by step instructions are very simple. In the first five leaves, the pedicels, whiskers and ovaries are completely removed. In the subsequent ones, only the ovaries are retained, additionally getting rid of the remaining shoots.
In two stems and with side shoots
Pinching the plant is performed only after the appearance of two full leaves. After a while, the plant will already develop into two stems. Each of them is tied separately from each other and bred on the sides. The process of forming cucumber bushes with the preservation of side shoots is similar to the one-stalk option. In this case, all existing stepsons that have grown in the first 4 leaf axils are also cut off. Be sure to tie the main stem to the trellis.
In the area of the fifth leaf, the stepson is kept, and after the first leaf appears on it, it is pinched. According to this scheme, the entire plant is processed. Every fifth stepson is left, and the rest are removed. Note: experienced gardeners advise not to cut off, but to cut off the shoots so as not to harm the plant. Too much force can break the stem. Studying the features of caring for cucumbers, you may come across the term – blinding. This is the process of getting rid of the ovaries or processes in the leaf axils.
Plants are blinded most often when forming the lower part of the bush.
Features of the formation of different varieties
It should also take into account the features of growing numerous varieties of cucumbers. Compliance with the established rules of formation allows you to achieve maximum yield.
Parthenocarpic hybrids
Species belonging to this category differ from varietal cucumbers in strong branching and rapid growth. These features must be taken into account when planting and growing parthenocarpic hybrids.
The workflow looks like this.
- The first step is to process the lower part of the plant (the interval from the first to the fourth nodes). All ovaries, stepchildren and mustaches found in the axils of the leaves are carefully removed. Experienced gardeners call this part of the bush a blind spot.
- The process does not end at this stage.. As soon as the plants begin to age, yellowing foliage appears on the vine. It is also disposed of to prevent thickening. Otherwise, the process of oxygen exchange will be disrupted. In dense foliage, diseases and infections develop faster.
- When moving to the next tier, which covers the area from 5 to 7 leaves, only the ovaries are left, removing everything else. They will be the first harvest. Stepchildren are broken out as soon as they become noticeable so that the plant does not have time to spend energy on them.
- Now you should go up the stem (from 8 to 10 leaves). In this part, only the antennae are disposed of. Stepchildren are left whole, and as soon as they grow up, pinching is carried out. On each of them, only one ovary and a full-fledged leaf are left.
- When moving to another tier (from 11 to 13 sheets), the same molding is performed, as in the paragraph described above, with one difference – after the stepson is pinched, 2 ovaries and leaves are left.
- Moving up the stem (from 14 to 16 leaves), continue to work according to the above scheme, but already keeping 3 leaves and ovaries on each of the stepchildren.
- The last tier should be counted from sheet 17. Here, the maximum number of leaves and ovaries (4 each) are left on the stepson, which will subsequently become fruits.
At this stage, the work does not end, and you need to start the process of forming cucumber bushes on the trellis. If a thick and long shoot has already formed, which has already outgrown the fixation element, it must be carefully thrown over the wire fastener. So the plant will continue to grow down. As soon as the distance from the wire to the growth point is about 60 centimeters, the vine should be pinched. This simple procedure will activate the process of formation of new stepchildren, one of which will become a continuation of the main whip.
This part of the bush should also be pinched, but only when its length is at least 0,5 meters.
Bouquet, bunch and bush cucumbers
Especially for these varieties, a separate scheme for performing work was developed. In the leaf axils, from 3 to 12 ovaries grow. This amount will be quite enough to collect a full-fledged crop. Experienced gardeners recommend the formation of a single stem.
Plant processing is as follows.
- When caring for young seedlings, you need to get rid of all buds, lateral processes and whiskers growing up to 4 knots. This will help the bushes develop quickly at the initial stage, and the excess plant mass will only overload the bush.
- After that, it is worth examining the whole plant as a whole, moving from the lower tier to the very top.. In the process of work, all stepchildren and mustaches are cut off.
- As soon as the whip grows to the trellis, it is thrown over it, changing the direction of growth. As soon as it approaches the surface of the soil at a distance of 25 centimeters, pinching is carried out.
Note: given the huge variety of varieties, it is difficult for even experienced gardeners to make the right choice, not to mention beginners. Parthenocarpic species with bouquet type ovaries are in great demand. The main advantages of such varieties are high productivity and ease of care, given the formation of the bush.
bee-pollinated varieties
These varieties have certain features that must be paid attention to in the formation process. In the central part of the plant, male-type flowers grow, the so-called barren flowers. Experts advise to perform the formation in several stems, which will contribute to good yields.
The step by step workflow is as follows:
- pinching the main stem is carried out over the 5th leaf;
- after it is fastened with twine;
- as the bush grows, lateral processes will appear, they are fixed to neighboring trellises, laying at an angle of 60 degrees with respect to the main stem;
- mustaches and unnecessary stepchildren are periodically trimmed;
- as soon as the shoots grow to a horizontal trellis, they are wrapped around it several times, as soon as the stems grow a little more, they should be pinched.
Indeterminate species
This group includes old varieties well known to most agronomists. As a rule, these are long bushes that are more convenient to grow in closed ground conditions. The bulk of the fruit is formed on the lateral processes. For this reason, the formation is carried out in several stems.
Scheme of work step by step:
- the top of the main stem can be pinched only after the 5th leaf appears on it;
- after the plant forms two processes, which should be parted on the sides and fixed separately;
- in the future they are stepchildren;
- after the stems grow to the trellis, they are carefully thrown over, as is the case with other tall plants;
- cut the vine at a height of about a meter from the surface of the earth;
- these actions will lead to the fact that the plant begins to branch strongly.
Some growers do things differently. After pinching the main stem, all lateral processes are left, but each of them should be slightly shortened (after 2-4 leaves). Crown thinning is performed as needed. Note: additional features of the performance of the work can be indicated in the description of a particular variety, therefore, before growing, you should familiarize yourself with its characteristics. Within the borders of Russia, European, Chinese, American and other varieties are cultivated.
And also the necessary information can be requested from seed producers. On the manufacturer’s website, you should look for a specific variety (for example, Masha cucumber), and find out which method of formation is best suited.
Aftercare
Forming a bush is not a one-time process. The work is carried out in several stages throughout the development of the fruit crop and can take a long time.. Plants should be regularly inspected, assessing their condition and density of green mass. The garter should be careful and without the use of hard clamps that can harm the vine.
Possible mistakes
The main mistake of agronomists is the wrong choice of the method of forming a bush, and when it comes time to harvest, instead of fruits, the gardener gets a dense plant mass. And also some gardeners make mistakes in the process of working, for example, using the wrong garden tool, or fixing the vine with stiff wire, which can easily harm the plant.
