Cucumbers are plants that can be called demanding on the soil. And the land prepared for the season will be an important part of success, if the latter is taken as yield and the absence of big problems during the season. There are requirements, there are indications of acidity and many other parameters that affect the growth of cucumbers. And there are clear rules for preparing the land for planting crops – both in the greenhouse and on the street.
Basic requirements
The cucumber, despite all its merits, has a rather weak root system, it simply will not tolerate heavy soils. But which ones he likes, it is worth mentioning separately. And immediately clarify that many owners of the sites do not even know what kind of soil they have there.
Soil types (basic):
- clayey – the heaviest, difficult to process, there will be 50% of the total volume of clay soil;
- loamy – the clays in them are a little smaller, but these soils are both heavy and light, it all depends on the percentage of sand particles in them;
- sandy loam – clay up to 30%, but sand can be even 90%;
- sandy – clay 10%, everything else – sand.
Sandy and sandy loamy soil is always the presence of mechanical elements in a separate-partial state. But clay soils and loams are structural, low-structural and structureless. So, loose, well-retaining moisture soil is most suitable for cucumbers, which means that clay and sandy soils are the least suitable. But light and medium loams are suitable: they have excellent breathability, moisture capacity, good aeration, which is only βon handβ for the cucumber root system.
As for soil moisture, the optimal performance of this marker is 75-85%. To continue to control it, you need to take a handful of earth from the layer at the roots, squeeze it tightly in your hand. When water comes out, you can be sure that the humidity is not less than 80%, if there are fingerprints on the lump – 70%, if the lump just crumbled – 60%.
Soil type selection
At this point, I would like to say how to determine the type of soil on the site, and how to understand that the optimal one has been found.
- You need to take a handful of earth, moisten it until a dough-like mass is formed, then roll the cord 0,5 cm thick, roll it into a ring.
- With sandy soil, the cord simply does not twist. With sandy loam, it will twist, but quickly fall apart, almost instantly.
- If the cord is formed but breaks easily, So the soil is light loam. But on heavy loams, when twisting, cracks will become noticeable.
- For clay soil the ring will not have cracks, it will keep its shape perfectly.
If, according to all the studies, it turned out that the soil on the site is loose, retaining moisture well, then the cucumber will definitely like it.
What should be the acidity?
In terms of acidity, the culture requires a pH level of 6,2-6,8; it definitely cannot stand acidification. Alkaline soil will also not give a good harvest. And also plants need soil with a high temperature, warm. Therefore, seedlings can be planted only after the earth warms up to +18 degrees. As soon as the temperature drops by 4-5 degrees and lasts for a couple of days, the roots of the plant will stop developing. Cucumbers may die.
Acidic soil is characteristic of low-lying areas where water stagnates in spring. Acidity, by the way, also increases after several rainy seasons, during which magnesium and calcium are washed out of the earth. Then hydrogen ions dominate in the soil composition, and they increase the acidity. And to understand that this is precisely the case, you can look at the wild rosemary, horsetail, and sorrel growing on the territory. And if you also dig the soil to a depth of 15 cm, you can see a light, ash-like layer there.
How to determine soil acidity with scientific justification:
- buy litmus paper – in a pharmacy or in a garden store;
- mix a semi-liquid soil solution (earth + distilled water) and immerse the test there for literally 3 seconds;
- the type of acidity will be indicated by the correspondence of the color of the strip and the indicator scale, that is, it will simply be necessary to compare the results.
If you need to reduce soil acidity, calcium carbonate will help. It contains ground limestone, cement dust, chalk, dolomite, bone meal, wood ash. If the regulation of acidity is carried out for the first time, it is more useful than ground limestone to pick up. It is added to sandy soil 400/100 g, to sandy soil – 600/150 g, to loam – 800/350 g, to alumina – 1100/500 g, and to peat bogs – 1400/300 g.
And since cucumbers are extremely sensitive to liming, it is better to reduce the acidity of the soil even under the predecessor of the cucumber, well, in the worst case, in the fall. But definitely not in the spring, when it is already time to send seedlings to the ground.
Land preparation for planting
The arrangement of a borage in a greenhouse and on the street is not much different, only at the preparatory stage there are nuances.
In the greenhouse
Crop rotation inside a greenhouse is a rare story, because it is not easy to maintain in such conditions. Therefore, after the crop is harvested, it is necessary to take out the depleted substrate with rotted manure from the greenhouse (and it will rot over the summer) and distribute it where the beds will be. But if soil replacement is unrealistic, it must be disinfected.
- Spill the earth with boiling water, cover the surface of the borage for a day with a film. Then the soil must be dug up and harrowed. And the same operation will have to be done with your own hands again in 3 days. All this is done in the spring.
- Biofungicides can be sprayed directly onto the ground – Fitocide, Fitosporin M, Pentafag, Bordeaux mixture. So the soil is cultivated in spring and autumn.
- Bleach is also a good tool that can be added at the rate of 200 g per 1 square, and then the soil is dug up. And you need to do this six months before planting cucumbers.
- And you can also shed the soil with a two percent formalin solution, and then close the surface of the bed with a film for 3 days. The earth is dug up, harrowed. A couple of weeks before planting, you need to do this, but it is better to prepare the soil in this way a month before planting seedlings.
At the end of the season, all plant residues must be collected and burned. And the inner surfaces of the greenhouse should be washed with the same formalin. And fumigating the greenhouse with sulfur also does not hurt. When exactly it is necessary to replace the entire volume of soil in the greenhouse: if this land has been used in the greenhouse for many years, nothing changes, and a change in the soil cover is already inevitable. If the plants were sick last season, and the harvest clearly failed, just fertilizing the soil will no longer help.. If fertilizers have been applied, but the development of plants is still so-so, you also need to change the soil. And, of course, it is replaced if the earth does not emit the most pleasant smell.
In this case, the old soil is removed by 30 cm, and this is done along the perimeter of the entire greenhouse. Then the soil is treated with copper sulfate (it can also be replaced with bleach). Then fresh, fertilized soil is laid, the necessary fertilizers are applied.
And do not give up on growing green manure, which helps the soil stay healthy and balanced longer.
In open ground
First of all, we should not forget about crop rotation. Cucumbers will grow well after legumes, which are simply indispensable in enriching the soil with nitrogen.. By the way, the stalks of beans and peas do not need to be thrown away after the end of the season, they can be crushed and dug along with the ground, this is also an excellent source of nitrogen. Cucumbers grow just as well after onions and garlic – they are dangerous for pests, as they have outstanding bactericidal properties. Where carrots, potatoes, beets grew, cucumbers should also be comfortable. The earth is dug up in the fall, the approximate depth is on the bayonet of a shovel, without breaking up lumps. In the spring, it makes sense to dig up the earth one more time, and then loosen it with a rake, arrange the ridges. When planting, well-rotted manure is introduced into the ground.
What fertilizers are needed:
- 1 bucket of compost;
- 15 g of ammonium nitrate;
- 20-25 g of potassium sulfate;
- 40-45 g superphosphate.
In autumn, preparation should be no less thorough than in spring, if not more. For example, some gardeners forget about such a procedure as mulching. Mulch is made from sawdust, leaves, straw, grass, sunflower husks. Birch leaves are considered especially useful for borage. Each mulch layer must be covered with soil. Part of the organic matter – which is predictable – will decompose before spring. Mulching is especially important if the soil is structural, then the roots of plants easily grow into the mulch. But even very well-cultivated soil in the fall is sure to loosen well in the spring. Humus is usually scattered on the site, the earth is dug up, again, on the bayonet of a shovel. And it is important even before planting to make sure that there are no weeds in the ground. And if there are, they must be removed.
But even after planting, the soil under the borage also needs to be looked after. For example, try very hard to maintain optimal watering. Cucumbers love water, but they are very βstrictβ to overdrying. Only it is necessary to water the earth either in the early morning hours, or in the evening, and with exceptionally warm water. It is believed that it is necessary to wet the soil by at least 16 cm. Seasonal fertilization is done as needed. Otherwise, the yield of cucumbers depends on the compliance of the variety with regional characteristics and on how things are with pests and diseases on the site. And, of course, the harvest also depends on the weather of the season. But nevertheless, there is so much in the soil, both literally and figuratively, that one must try very hard to prepare it.
