Many beginning gardeners prefer to purchase ready seedlings. This approach has many advantages: the ability to save time and select plants in the desired growth phase.
The purchase should be made at a specialized nursery or gardening center. There is always a selection of different varieties and hybrids suitable for a particular region. Significant discounts are offered for wholesale buyers.
An alternative option is to purchase at a specialized fair for summer residents and gardeners, which are traditionally held in late spring. At such fairs it is usually very big choice and reasonable prices.
When purchasing, it is important to clarify the name of the variety and find out whether fertilizing was used. The age of the plants is also important. Three-week-old seedlings are suitable for immediate planting in a greenhouse. Healthy sprouts have a rich, bright color, strong leaves and stems without damage.
Growing cucumbers as seedlings also has many advantages. The timing of planting, the quantity and quality of fertilizers used during forcing are known exactly. Moreover, when to sow cucumbers as seedlings for the greenhouse, the gardener decides for himself. Besides seeds even the most the best varieties are worth much cheaper than grown plants.
Buying seeds expands the possibilities for experimentation. Having tried it different varieties, you can choose the most suitable ones for cultivation and then buy seeds from certain manufacturers.
What cucumber seeds are best to plant in a greenhouse? To obtain strong and strong seedlings you need quality seeds. Better germination produces seed 3-4 years after collection. Selected varietal seeds are stored for up to 10 years without losing quality. It is not recommended to use seeds from last year's harvest; they should sit for another 2-3 seasons.
It is possible to use seeds grown in your own greenhouse. However, popular F1 hybrids for collection seed material are not suitable, young plants may not have the required characteristics.
Cucumbers collected independently or purchased from hand - seeds for greenhouses - must be disinfected by soaking in an aqueous solution of potassium permanganate or freshly squeezed aloe juice. Industrially packaged seeds are processed before they go on sale and do not require additional procedures.
Before sowing, seeds need sort, selecting the ugly and empty ones. This is followed by the preparation of the seed.
Calibrated seeds are wrapped in damp cotton fabric for swelling and place on a plate. Instead of fabric, you can use cotton wool or several layers of gauze. It is important to ensure that the seeds do not dry out.
When to plant cucumber seeds in a greenhouse? Some gardeners recommend first hardening of seed material. The seeds wrapped in cloth are placed in the lower chamber of the refrigerator for 48-56 hours. The seeds should be moist and not yet germinated. After hardening, they are immediately planted in pots. Prepared seeds germinate quickly, do not get sick and can easily tolerate subsequent replanting.
Cucumber seedlings can be placed in a greenhouse or apartment. For planting it is more convenient to use peat or plastic pots, paper cups and other containers. Cucumbers do not like transplanting, so they are moved by transshipment, while preserving the earthen clod.
For accelerated fruiting throughout the summer, seedlings are sown in mid-April. If you plan to grow cucumbers in winter, you can sow the seeds in September. Planting in a heated greenhouse guarantees good harvest during the whole year.
Cucumbers in a greenhouse, seedlings prefer light, slightly alkaline or neutral soil. The soil mixture is made up of garden soil or turf with the addition of old humus and washed sand. The soil should be very loose. For greater nutritional value, superphosphate and ash are added to it. 
The cups are filled, the soil is lightly pressed down. 1-2 seeds are planted in each container. Cucumbers do not tolerate picking well, so it is easier to remove the weaker seedling without touching the one that grows strong and strong.
The seeds are buried no more than 1 cm. The cups are placed tightly in a deep tray. It is important to ensure that the containers do not overturn; the seedlings are very fragile and break easily.
To plant seeds, you can use peat tablets placed in special containers with cassettes. The tablets are moistened to swell, a seed is placed in softened peat and slightly buried.
The planted seeds are placed to a warm place. The ideal temperature for rapid germination is 26-28 degrees. At lower temperatures, the pipping process is delayed and the sprouts turn out frail. Plantings can be covered with glass or a damp cloth to create greenhouse effect and acceleration of germination.
When seedlings appear on the surface of the earth, the temperature in the room should be reduced to 20-22 degrees. As they grow, soil is added to the pots.
Boxes with seedlings should be placed in the light; in the shade, the sprouts become very elongated and turn pale. In a greenhouse, it is convenient to place boxes with seedlings on racks, under hanging electric lamps. As the plants grow, the lamps rise.
If seedlings are grown in an apartment, it is better to place them on a window facing south. From too hot sun the glass should be covered with film. It scatters the burning rays and protects tender sprouts from drafts.
It is important to regularly humidify the air around the plantings by spraying it with a spray bottle. Household humidifiers or wet towels hung on the radiator will help create the desired atmosphere.
It is very important to follow a watering schedule. After sowing, moisten the soil with a spray bottle, preventing it from drying out. With the appearance of sprouts, the soil is watered from a watering can with warm, settled water twice a week.
After 2-3 true leaves appear, the seedlings can be fed with an aqueous solution of complex mineral fertilizers or pour ash water. A one-time feeding is quite enough; subsequent fertilization will be carried out after the cucumbers are moved to the greenhouse beds.
2 weeks after planting, the grown seedlings need temper. In warm, windless weather, it is taken out into the open air and left in the diffused sun. The day before moving to a new place of residence, plants in pots should be well watered.
Read about the threats that can threaten your cucumber seedlings in a greenhouse in the articles on our website.
You can visually familiarize yourself with cucumber seedlings for greenhouses in the photo below:
Many novice gardeners are concerned about the question: when is the time to plant cucumber seedlings for the greenhouse?
It is very important to prevent seedlings from overgrowing. It is moved to the greenhouse when the plants reach three weeks of age. If the soil has not yet warmed up, you should turn on the heating in advance. Overgrown seedlings take root worse and are slower to form ovaries.
Seedlings ready for transplanting have a rich green color, not too long dense stems. The ideal length is about 30 cm. The bushes should be compact, with well-developed leaves.
Cucumbers should not show signs of disease, such as blackleg. Frail and wilted plants better to cull. Detected pests are destroyed before transplanting into the greenhouse. 
Before planting cucumbers in a greenhouse, the soil is thoroughly loosened and mixed with rotted humus.
Plants are planted in spilled warm water holes together with a lump of earth or peat pots. In each hole you can put a portion of hydrogel that conserves moisture in the soil. You can read more about the greenhouse on our website.
Properly grown seedlings are the key to a future harvest. Once successful, you can try growing plants for sale.
Strong and healthy seedlings are in great demand, and in the future they can turn into a full-fledged source of income.
To learn how to grow cucumber seedlings from seeds, watch the video below:
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Growing crispy and flavorful cucumbers at home is not difficult. The rules for cultivating this vegetable are simple. The main thing is to plant the seeds for seedlings in time and transfer the plants to open ground or a greenhouse without picking. Only 4-5 bushes productive variety will provide the whole family with fresh cucumbers. Growing cucumber seedlings at home with photos and videos are described in detail in the article.
No one doubts the benefits of cucumbers for human health. It is well known that 90% of a vegetable consists of water, and the remaining 10% is useful material. Cucumber is a storehouse of vitamins and microelements. According to nutritionists, it can be eaten in almost unlimited quantities. True, this only applies to those cucumbers that are grown at home and do not contain harmful chemicals.
It is worth planting seeds in one of auspicious days, to the waxing moon. In this case, according to reviews from gardeners, the seedlings will grow strong and the harvest will be rich. Great importance It also matters which variety of cucumbers to choose for planting as seedlings. If you plan to grow plants in a greenhouse, then you should give preference. If the seedlings are transferred to open ground, any will do.
For growing strong and healthy seedlings It is recommended to adhere to the following sequence of work:
Any plant grows poorly in poor and dense soil. Before sowing cucumber seeds, the soil must be properly prepared. What measures need to be taken to ensure that the soil is ideal for seedlings? We suggest performing the following actions, namely:
Cucumber seedlings grow well in loose, breathable, fertilized and moist soil. To improve air exchange, drainage must be placed at the bottom of the container with seedlings, for example a piece of polystyrene foam, vermiculite, expanded clay, or brick. When the soil is properly prepared, the result is guaranteed to please the gardener.
Growing crispy and aromatic cucumbers at home is not difficult, because the rules for cultivating this vegetable are simple.
Sprouted seeds are planted in moistened and warmed soil. It is recommended to use individual containers for planting. Disposable cups will do. This method of planting seeds allows you to grow cucumber seedlings without picking. When transplanting, delicate roots are often damaged and the plants begin to hurt, which is extremely undesirable.
Plant 2 seeds in one pot. So the summer resident will have the choice to remove the weak plant after germination. After sowing, the seeds are sprinkled with soil, which is moistened with a spray bottle. The glass should be covered with a transparent film to organize a microgreenhouse.
To prevent the plant from stretching, it should be placed on a well-lit windowsill, preferably on the south side. In the future, the summer resident is required to regularly moisten the plantings and provide them with 12-14 hours of daylight.
Seedlings should be protected from drafts. However, immediately before it is hardened. For this, cucumbers 2 weeks before planting permanent place the plants are taken out to the loggia, glass balcony first for a few hours. The length of stay is gradually increased.
Anyone can grow cucumber seedlings, even if they have no experience in agriculture. This is an interesting and rewarding activity because bountiful harvest cucumbers guaranteed. Tips and reviews experienced summer residents will help you avoid mistakes when growing cucumber seedlings at home.
Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse gives best result, than in open ground. In closed ground there are all the necessary conditions for this: high humidity, optimal temperature, possibility of formation.
One of the important issues for a gardener is the choice of a greenhouse and its location. The greenhouse is chosen so that it is spacious in size and provides vegetables for the whole family. The optimal ratio of volume to area is 2:1. The height in the greenhouse should be on average 2 meters (more towards the center, less at the sides). The average height of the ridge is 2.5 meters.
A lower height is undesirable, since cucumber vines grow to 3-3.5 meters during the season. And it is not advisable to do it higher, since the air will warm up more slowly. The greenhouse must have a ventilation system. Ideally, it would be automatic.
The greenhouse is located on flat surface or with a slight slope to the south. The direction of the greenhouse is the same: from north to south, for better lighting of the plants. A container is placed in the greenhouse to water the cucumbers only with warm water.
Self-pollinating or parthenocapic cucumber varieties are suitable for indoor soil. Both do not need bees. Plants set fruit in closed ground conditions without external intervention. But the process of ovary formation itself occurs in different ways.
Self-pollinating cucumbers are those in which pollination occurs as a result of pollen being transferred from the stamens to the pistil within one flower. In this case, the plant does not have female and male flowers, and accordingly, there are no barren flowers.
Parthenocapic is translated as “virgin”, that is, the cucumber sets without pollination. In adulthood, parthenocapic fruits are always distinguished by their appearance. They have virtually no seeds. And if they exist, they are very tiny, in their infancy.
Among self-pollinating varieties there are varieties and hybrids. The variety differs from a hybrid in that it is a fairly stable form that transmits its basic qualities through the seeds. If you buy a variety of cucumber once, you can plant it year after year, collecting the seeds yourself. Its varietal characteristics will be preserved.
Currently, hybrids are more common; they are designated in their names as F1. Such cucumbers do not transmit their qualities through seeds, so gardeners have to buy them every year. If this is not done, then splitting occurs in the second generation, and it is not known exactly what characteristics will appear as a result.
Let's consider several popular varieties and hybrids for greenhouses and greenhouses:
The labels on the bags of cucumbers “Parthenocapic (self-pollinating)” are incorrect. A variety or hybrid can be one or the other. More often we're talking about specifically about parthenocapics.
The preparatory planting process begins with the soil. If you grow cucumbers through seedlings, then first you need to prepare or buy a special mixture in which you will plant the seeds.
Cucumbers are very fond of loose and fertile soil, which means you need the same one for sowing seeds. The soil should not only be light, but also moisture-retaining, which is very important for cucumbers who like to “drink.” That is why it is better to exclude peat from the composition or use it in small quantities. Store-bought soil, which most often contains a lot of peat, begins to dry out quickly at home.
Watch out for acidity, it is peat that is acidic. In order for cucumbers to develop normally, the pH level should be approximately 6.5-7.
Composition of the substrate for cucumber seedlings:
This mixture must be sifted so that there are no large parts. The mixture can be heated in the oven for 10-20 minutes or frozen. It is best to prepare the mixture in advance, in the fall, and put it in a bag. Place the bag on the balcony to kill pathogens. Before sowing, add a liter of vermiculite to the mixture bucket for looseness, a glass of ash and 2 tablespoons of superphosphate.
Previously, before germination, gardeners performed a procedure such as heating the seeds. This is prolonged heating of dry seeds in heating devices at a temperature of 30-35 degrees.
Such events have a positive effect on increasing the formation of female flowers in all pumpkin plants.
When preparing self-pollinating and parthenocapic hybrids for sowing, the seeds do not need to be heated, since they do not have the problem of forming barren flowers.
Nowadays, seeds that have already been treated with thiram are often sold. Information is contained on the packaging. The seeds are colored poisonous green as a warning about the toxicity of the applied substance. Thiram is a fungicide that is used against a complex of diseases. Such seeds are not soaked or germinated.
If you have ordinary seeds, then they need to be treated with some kind of fungicide or a saturated solution of potassium permanganate. When there are many varieties, you need to put them in gauze bags and place them in the prepared solution for 15-20 minutes.
After this, you need to wash the seeds and start germination. Germination does not affect the yield, but avoids planting empty seeds.
Before germination, seeds should be placed for several hours or overnight in a small amount of water for swelling. The water should cover the seeds a little so that they do not “suffocate”. There is no need to harden cucumbers because they do not have the cold tolerance gene.
Advantages of the seedling method:
Plants of the same height will be easier to care for. The rest can be planted in a corner so that plants of the same type grow in one place. Such measures will allow you to get an early and healthy harvest.
In order for growing seedlings to become an advantage, you need to try to do it correctly. Cucumbers ready for planting should not be overgrown, strong, and without signs of disease. Perfect option- 3-4 sheets.
For sowing, take separate cups at once so that the root system is formed correctly. If this is not possible, then seeds are planted in trays at a distance of 5-10 cm from each other. Seeds must be properly prepared and germinated. The sprouts are small, so-called “beaks”, so as not to break them.
Before planting, the hole in which the seed is placed is watered hot water with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Sprinkle the cucumber seed on top with loose soil in a 2 cm layer.
If possible, cover the container with cucumbers with a damp rag or plastic bag for 1-3 days until seedlings appear.
Cucumbers love loose and fertile soil. This is what fertile loams are. Clay is too heavy for them and lacks breathability. The sand is loose, but it does not hold water, and without it, cucumbers will not grow. As a last resort, sandy loam is suitable, to which you can add a little heavy clay soil to balance the composition.
In a greenhouse, you need to prepare the soil in advance. You can plant green manure immediately after harvesting vegetables, and dig up with them before frost. The most a good option there will be mustard greens. It will disinfect the soil and enrich it with valuable microelements.
With the onset of winter, you need to throw snow into the greenhouse so that in the spring moisture saturates the soil. After all the snow has melted, the soil in the greenhouse is dug up. The holes must be prepared in advance before planting seedlings. The ideal option is warm ridges, because cucumber is a very heat-loving crop.
They can be made both in autumn and spring. If this is not possible, then humus or compost mixed with ash and double superphosphate is placed in the prepared furrows or holes: half a glass of superphosphate and a liter of ash per bucket. Then sprinkle 10-20 cm loose soil.
If you change the soil in the greenhouse in the fall or spring, then you should take into account that you need to take the soil from those areas where the day before you grew vegetables that do not have common diseases with cucumbers: cabbage, onions, carrots, peppers or potatoes.
Seedlings are planted in the ground when the soil temperature reaches 15°C. This is very important point. The air temperature in the greenhouse is important, but of secondary importance. Although any shelter for growing cucumbers should be equipped with a thermometer.
Cucumbers love warmth, and soil temperature is especially important to them. For objectivity, you need to take measurements in the morning. Experienced gardeners cover the place where the temperature will be measured with a board or plywood so that the place is not heated by the sun.
A thermometer is placed under the shelter to a depth of approximately 20 cm and left for 15-30 minutes. This way you get a fairly objective result. In order for the soil to heat up faster, it can be covered with plastic film, and also a warm ridge can be made.
But it starts to work only at a certain temperature, so you first need to spill it with hot water and then cover it with film. To activate biofuel on cold days, you will have to do this several times before the start of the season.
We plant seedlings like this. First, we make a hole in the hole already filled with fertilizers the size of the cucumber’s root system. We leave the distance between future plants about 40-60 cm. Then you need to pour warm water with the addition of a weak solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.
The seedlings must be buried to the cotyledon leaves or the first true one. The soil around is compacted a little, and the surrounding area can be sprinkled with dry soil.
You can additionally mulch the beds with cucumbers to retain heat in the soil.
There is a reason why cucumbers and tomatoes are planted separately. Although some manage to get good results by growing them together. Cucumbers need special conditions to grow and have a good harvest: light, heat, humidity, watering and others. The growing conditions for cucumbers are almost the same as for all pumpkins.
Cucumber is a very responsive crop to watering. It must be regular, without this the harvest will not be good. In dry years, it may not exist at all, since the water is instantly absorbed by the soil. Watering in a greenhouse or hotbed should be done frequently; the leaves should not be allowed to wilt.
This feature is associated with the structure of the cucumber root system. It is located close to the soil surface, so the plant does not have the opportunity to take water from the depths, as, for example, tomatoes do. The health of the plant depends on how often you water it. IN hot weather When fruits form, this must be done every day.
Cucumbers are recommended to be irrigated using the sprinkling method. With this method, water is poured out in small drops, partially evaporating. This increases the air humidity in the greenhouse, which is very important for cucumbers. The soil is gradually saturated with water, which allows the roots to better absorb moisture.
Water consumption per 1 m2 is approximately 15-25 liters per day or every other day, depending on the weather. When fruits form, water consumption increases and amounts to 20-30 liters.
You can't water cucumbers cold water. They used to say that this makes the fruits bitter. Now the fruits are genetically sweet, but cold water undesirable for watering because it increases the likelihood of plant disease.
We must not forget about fertilizing. Cucumbers grow rapidly, and modern hybrids produce very high yields. In order for the plant to be able to “feed” them, it is necessary to apply fertilizer 1-2 times a month, literally from the first days.
Fertilizers are organic and mineral. Organic are natural fertilizers. These include manure, green fertilizer from grass, ash, and chicken droppings. When growing seedlings, only ash is used from the listed fertilizers when preparing the substrate for sowing seeds.
Before planting in the ground, seedlings are fed 1-2 times with mineral fertilizers. Preference is given to nitrogen or complex ones with a predominance of nitrogen, because first the plant must increase its green mass and become stronger.
After planting in the ground, cucumbers are not fed for 2 weeks until the plant has completely taken root. In addition, there is usually enough nutrition in the holes. After this, you need to start “feeding” green fertilizer, mullein solution, chicken manure and ash. From the beginning of flowering, potassium fertilizers are added.
The time of fruiting, as well as the yield of cucumbers, depends on the intensity of light and the length of daylight hours. The second has a greater effect on plant growth. Cucumbers are short-day plants, so for full development they need a 10-12 hour day. During the period of growing seedlings, this is no less important. If there is not enough light, then create conditions for a 10-hour daylight hours using artificial lighting.
Cucumber is a very heat-loving crop. If it's cold outside, you can't expect good harvests. In addition, the plants will be weakened, which will affect the increase in morbidity. The greenhouse must be maintained average temperature 17oC. But for the first time after sowing, the temperature should be 25-28 degrees.
That's why it's better to grow cucumbers at home first. Severe cold spells have a negative impact on growth. But too high temperatures are also harmful to cucumbers.
If on hot days the temperature in the greenhouse is above 30C, then you need to ventilate and spray the plant to reduce the temperature.
Cucumber has an increased need for air humidity. For cucumbers, this norm is 85-95%. If you compare it with peppers, the difference is very big. Peppers need a moisture content of 60-65%. At low humidity, the process of pollination and fruit set is significantly reduced.
Of the greenhouse crops, cucumber is perhaps the most moisture-demanding crop.
At first, when the cucumber seedlings are still small, you need to ventilate the rooms where they grow very carefully. Cucumbers do not tolerate drafts at all. And in the greenhouse it is necessary to ventilate, especially when the thermometer rises above 30C.
The windows are opened only on one side to avoid drafts.
To give cucumbers bountiful harvest and bear fruit for a long time, you need to form the plant correctly. There are a lot of opinions on this matter, but the overwhelming majority believes that formation is necessary.
Pinch the cucumber vines as follows:
Some gardeners cut off the plants' tendrils to save energy. For the same purpose, not all ovaries are left; some are removed. If it is noticed that when fruits are formed in bunches, some do not have enough nutrition and they begin to dry out, then one fruit at a time is left in the axils. In this case, watering and fertilizing are increased.
It turns out like a “herringbone” in reverse. At the end of growth, under the roof, the plants set fruits freely. Some people pinch the whip under the roof so that it does not waste energy on growth. All potential is spent on the formation of fruits.
It has been noticed that without pinching, the yield is significantly reduced.
Stepsons on cucumbers are only appropriate when the stepsons are removed at the beginning of growth, half a meter above the soil surface. There is no need to do this higher, since many large ovaries are located on the side shoots. The meaning of pinching is that the plant’s forces are released for further growth and development.
For this procedure, carefully bend the leaf and remove the shoot with a cloth or knives. Subsequently, the leaves at the bottom of the vine dry out and the main stem becomes bare. There are many root primordia on it. If you lay the stem in a ring, roots will begin to grow very quickly in this place and the cucumber will have additional nutrition.
Cucumbers are tied up in a greenhouse for the following reasons:
You need to start tying up the plant at one month of age, when its growth reaches 30-40 cm. There are several types of materials from which ropes for cucumbers are made. Everyone chooses the best option for themselves. For some it is rags, for others it is nylon. Some people opt for synthetic twines, which are sold in hardware stores.
The length of one twine is 2-2.5 meters. One end is attached to the ceiling, and the other should freely go down. The lower end is carefully attached between the lower leaves. As the lash grows, it wraps clockwise around the twine.
Oddly enough, the regularity of harvesting affects the harvest itself. If cucumbers are not picked on time, they grow and develop further. The plant spends nutrients on them. Especially a lot of microelements go into the formation of seeds.
Therefore, the greens are collected when they reach a size of 10-15 cm. They are picked carefully, holding the whip with one hand so as not to damage them.
During the period when plants begin to bear fruit en masse, cucumbers are harvested once every 1-2 days, depending on the area of the greenhouse.
All diseased, dry and crooked fruits are removed without waiting for them to grow, as they deplete the plant.
Cucumbers require a moist and warm microclimate to grow. But it is precisely this environment that promotes the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms. And this can cause a number of diseases.
For prevention, wash the greenhouse thoroughly in the spring using various non-aggressive detergents. For example, you can use laundry soap. For additional disinfection in a greenhouse or greenhouse, use sulfur bomb.
It successfully fights fungal diseases and mold.
Before use in the greenhouse, carefully close not only the windows and doors, but also the cracks. The smoke from a sulfur bomb can penetrate even where other means cannot penetrate. And in order not to bring diseases along with the soil, it is taken for the greenhouse only where it has not grown for 3-4 years pumpkin crops. Additionally, you can shed the soil with a weak solution copper sulfate.
Cucumbers are not a very demanding crop. They grow well in closed ground, provided that the basic rules of planting, watering, and fertilizing are followed. At good care on summer cottages You can collect 5 or more kilograms of cucumbers per square meter. Considering that most fruits are picked in the gherkin state, this is a good result.
Cucumbers are quite capricious and demanding of growing conditions. They love warmth, light, moisture, do not tolerate drafts and sharp decline temperature. You will have to make a lot of effort to grow a healthy fruit-bearing bush. But the taste, aroma and crunch of fresh fruit are worth the time and resources.
Growing cucumber seedlings at home for a greenhouse is one of the steps to getting a good harvest.
Properly organized cultivation of cucumber seedlings gives good result. It is very important to follow all recommendations and meet deadlines for completing certain works.
Most beginning gardeners make the same mistake. They collect soil in containers from their dacha or garden plot and sow various seeds into it. vegetable crops, including cucumbers, are watered and waiting for shoots. There will be shoots, but they will be unfriendly, weak and painful.
The soil from the site is heavy, poor in nutrients and populated by microorganisms that do not harm “native” plants - burdock, wheatgrass and dandelions, but are destructive to overseas guests. Few people know that the familiar cucumber comes from India, where it grows as freely as porcini mushrooms grow in Russian forests.
The climatic conditions and soil composition of India and Russia vary greatly, so in order to grow cucumbers, you need to create conditions for them that are as close as possible to their native ones.
Based on this, it is necessary to prepare soil for cucumber seedlings with the most suitable composition for them. You can buy a ready-made mixture for growing seedlings in a specialized store.
There are two types of such mixtures:
The mixture should be non-acidic (acidity is indicated on the packaging), loose, well permeable to air and hygroscopic, well absorb and retain moisture.
It is also necessary to add fertilizers, for example, superphosphate (35-40 g), urea (10-15 g) and potassium chloride or sulfate (15-20 g) per 10 liters of water.
If you want to prepare the soil for sowing seeds yourself, then you should stick to the “classic” recipe: 2/4 of ordinary disinfected soil from the site, 1/4 of disinfected sand or fresh sawdust from trees and 1/4 of nutritious organic matter (peat, compost, humus) .
You can only take soil from a fertile sandy area; poor clay and loamy soils are not suitable for cucumbers.
You can disinfect garden soil different ways: bake in the oven, apply special antifungal and antibacterial agents, steam in a water bath, freeze for several days.
Garden soil is too acidic for cucumber seedlings, so lime or dolomite (limestone) flour should be added to it. The proportions of this component are indicated on the packaging and depend on the acidity of the soil. Acidity is determined by special indicators sold in seed and fertilizer stores.
Close to neutral and slightly acidic sandy soil (pH = 5.1-6.0) is not limed. In moderately acidic and strongly acidic soil (pH = 4.1-5.0), add 250-400 g of ground limestone to a depth of 20 cm per 1 sq.m. You need to lime the soil in the fall.
If sawdust is used instead of sand, then nitrogen fertilizers must be added to the soil. Stores sell concentrated nitrogen fertilizer for seedlings in a ratio of 1:10.
After preparing the soil, you need to prepare the seeds for sowing.
First of all, you need to manually sort them, rejecting empty, deformed, damaged seeds. Suitable seeds should be filled with warm salt water. potentially viable ones will remain at the bottom, unsuitable ones will float up.
The packaging of purchased seeds usually contains a mark about heating and disinfection of the seeds. If there is no such mark or the seeds are collected independently from ripe fruits, then they need to be warmed and disinfected.
To warm up, place them in the oven for three hours. constant temperature 50-60 degrees. To warm up, the seeds need to be poured in one layer on soft towel so that they do not overheat on the baking sheet.
After heating, the seeds are disinfected. There are several ways:
The last stage of preparation cucumber seeds– hardening. The seeds are placed on a damp towel, rolled up and placed in the refrigerator for three days. The towel must be kept damp at all times; to do this, it is regularly sprayed with water from a spray bottle.
To speed up the germination of seeds and at the same time check which of them are alive and which are not, you should soak the seed before germination.
First, the material is simply filled with water for a couple of hours. room temperature. Then they are placed in an aqueous solution of a growth stimulator.
Such stimulants are natural (honey, aloe) and artificial:
Many gardeners prefer to germinate seeds before planting. It is most convenient to moisten a cotton cloth with rain or melt water (freeze the water in the freezer and melt it), place the seed material on it, roll it up and put it in a bag so that the moisture does not evaporate.
Place the fabric in a warm, bright place. The first shoots will appear in a couple of days. Then the seeds are placed in a specially prepared container and sprinkled with soil up to 0.5 mm. The soil needs to be moistened with a spray bottle. It is advisable to cover the container.
Planting sprouted seeds at home requires caution, because the sprouts are very fragile and delicate, they are easily damaged, and the seed may die. Small depressions or shallow grooves are made in the soil. Sprouted material is placed in them and sprinkled with 3-5 mm of soil. It is convenient to use tweezers for sowing if there are not very many seeds.
Ungerminated seeds are planted in furrows. Together, 2-3 seeds are sown in one hole in order to later select the strongest plant, and carefully cut off the rest at the root. Unsprouted seeds are sprinkled with 2-3 cm of soil and watered with warm water.
It is best to sow cucumber seedlings in separate pots, because they do not tolerate transplantation well. Unlike tomatoes, cucumbers do not need to be picked, so sowing in pots is convenient in that each bush is subsequently transferred to the greenhouse along with a lump of earth.
If cucumber seeds are sown in one large container, then you need to maintain a distance of 3-4 cm between the bushes. This is necessary so that during transplantation it is possible to separate an intact lump of earth with a sprout with a thin spatula and transfer it to a new place.
Future seedlings must be watered regularly. It is convenient to use a spray bottle.
For irrigation, you should use warm water - melt or rain. Well water will do. It is better not to use ordinary tap water, but in extreme cases it can be poured into an open container, for example, a bucket, for a day and left to evaporate harmful substances.
Used for watering 2/3 of the water from the bucket, the lower third with sediment is poured out. To avoid raising sediment, the bucket does not need to be lifted or carried. Water is scooped from it with a ladle and poured into a watering can.
Tap water can be partially frozen and used as melted water. Water needs to be frozen 80-90%. Drain off the unfrozen residue - all harmful salts and other substances are concentrated in it.
Before emergence, the soil is moistened several times a day.
After the emergence of seedlings, watering is carried out daily.
When real leaves appear on the seedlings, watering can be done every other day, avoiding drying out the top layer of soil. If the air humidity is high, then the seedlings need to be watered after two days to prevent waterlogging of the soil and rotting of the roots.
The temperature in the place where cucumber seedlings are grown is constantly maintained at 20 degrees. Cucumbers do not tolerate drafts, wind, temperature changes, direct sun rays, lack of moisture and light, low temperatures, dry air.
In order to eliminate all these unfavorable factors, it is advisable to cover the seedlings with a transparent cap.
If the soil composition is chosen correctly, then the seedlings do not need to be fed. It will have enough until it is transplanted into a greenhouse. nutrients. If you are not sure of the correct soil composition, then the seedlings need to be fed for the first time after the first true leaves appear. organic fertilizer, and after 10 days – mineral.
It is most convenient to use concentrated liquid fertilizers: they are easy to dose, dilute with water and apply. Concentrated fertilizers are sold in specialized stores and markets, for example, Bio-master, Agricola-5, Fertika Lux.
Before planting seedlings in the greenhouse, the soil in it should be fertilized nitrogen fertilizers (ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, urea).
Two weeks before planting, the seedlings are hardened by airing. The temperature should decrease by no more than 2 degrees, and for a short time.
Every day at the same time you need to ventilate the room where the seedlings are located, increasing the hardening time by 3-5 minutes each time. If the street is warm, calm and sunny, then containers with seedlings can be taken out for a couple of minutes Fresh air, also gradually increasing the time spent outside.
Seedlings can get sick even if all growing rules are apparently followed.
To treat seedlings, you need to know exactly the causative agent of the disease. It is unacceptable to treat seedlings with chemicals at random, since they can accumulate in the leaves and then be transferred to the fruits.
If the pathogen is unknown, diseased plants should be separated from healthy ones and sprayed prophylactically with infusion of tobacco leaves, garlic or laundry soap. If this does not help, the affected seedlings must be destroyed.
Tobacco infusion is prepared by infusing 400 g of tobacco in 10 liters of water for two days. Afterwards you need to strain the infusion, squeeze out the raw materials and use them for spraying.
Garlic infusion is prepared from 600 g of crushed peeled garlic cloves infused in 10 liters of water.
A solution of laundry soap is made by dissolving 300 grams of soap shavings in liters hot water and then diluting with eight liters of water (a total of 300 g of soap per 10 liters) or dissolving 125 ml of liquid laundry soap in 10 liters of water.
Cucumber seedlings are transplanted into a greenhouse using the transshipment method, that is, with complete preservation of the earthen coma. Holes for seedlings should be made with a spatula in moist soil in a checkerboard pattern.
If the seedlings were planted in pots at home, then either the pot is slightly crushed by hand so that the earthen lump separates from the walls and easily comes out into the hand, or - if it is peat - the plant is placed in the hole along with the pot.
If the seedlings are planted in large containers, then part of the earthen coma is divided with the same spatula used to make the holes, carefully removed and placed in a permanent place.
Do not replant seedlings with less than four true leaves, with signs of yellowing, wilting, pest damage, with an undeveloped horse system, lagging behind in growth compared to peer plants.
After the seedlings take root in a new place, you need to feed them with phosphorus fertilizers. This is necessary for good vegetation and green mass growth.
When the cucumbers begin to bloom, you need to apply potassium fertilizers. They improve fruiting.
It is permissible to buy any fertilizers only if the seller has a certificate for the product. Low-quality fertilizers are harmful not only to plants, but also to people who will then eat the grown fruits.
Fertilizers must be dosed accurately. And it is better to add less rather than more, since the substances accumulated in the fruits are converted in the human digestive tract into nitrates and nitrites, causing a toxic effect. This especially applies to nitrogen fertilizers.
Almost every dacha owner or country house on his own personal plot builds a greenhouse or greenhouse for growing vegetables. Most often, cucumbers and tomatoes are planted in them.
To get an early harvest, Gardeners set up greenhouses in spring and are engaged in planting cucumbers in the greenhouse with seeds or seedlings.
Before planting vegetables in a greenhouse, you must choose the right seeds, prepare the soil and provide the plants with the necessary care.
Cucumbers have a superficial, delicate root system, so the soil for planting them must be special - light, nutritious, moisture-intensive and well permeable to air. Such soil can be prepared from equal parts of humus, peat and garden soil.
To get the harvest as early as possible, the greenhouses are filled with manure beds, which turn out to be warm. Such beds are made as follows:
In a warm bed, the seeds warm up and the seedlings sprout appear within three to four days. The disadvantage of growing cucumbers on manure is that when high temperature organic matter gets very hot in the air, and the plants can burn. Therefore, you need to monitor the air temperature, which in the greenhouse should be from +18 to +30 degrees.
For closed ground, hybrid varieties of vegetables are selected. They are self-pollinating, begin to bear fruit earlier and are resistant to various diseases. These hybrids include:
In addition to hybrids, you can also grow cucumbers in greenhouses, which gardeners have been growing for many years. These include varieties:
When to plant cucumbers in a greenhouse? Sowing seeds directly into the ground can be done only after the soil in the greenhouse has warmed up well. If you use your own , and not purchased planting material, before sowing it is processed:
Before sowing, beds are prepared in the greenhouse, which need to be watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Cucumber seeds should be arranged so that there are no more than four plants per square meter. The seeds are buried two to three centimeters into the soil, sprinkled with soil and watered. The top of the beds can be covered with a film that will retain moisture and prevent the soil from drying out. It will need to be removed every day for a while to ventilate the plantings and, if necessary, moisten the soil. As soon as the shoots appear, the shelter is removed.
If the cucumbers were planted in a warm bed in a greenhouse, during the day warm weather plantings must be ventilated and covered only at night. In regions with warm climates, instead of manure when arranging warm bed you can use compost.
When to plant cucumber seeds for seedlings, each gardener must decide for himself. Planting dates depend on the climate of your region and the type of greenhouse. Seedlings are planted in the soil after it warms up to +15…+20 degrees. If the greenhouse is not heated, then in the northwestern regions the plants are planted at the end of May, in the central regions - at the beginning of May, and in areas with a warmer climate - in mid-April. Planting seedlings in a greenhouse follows at the age of fourteen to twenty days.
For sowing seeds, separate plastic containers or peat tablets are prepared. It is not recommended to plant cucumbers in common boxes, since the delicate and fragile roots of these plants do not tolerate transplantation well. Seedling containers are filled with special soil purchased at the store. You can prepare the substrate yourself by mixing the following components:
Ten liters of prepared soil are mixed with nitrophoska (1.5 tbsp) and wood ash (2 tbsp).
The cups are filled with ready-made moist soil, after which one seed is placed in them with the spout facing up. Planting material sprinkle with a small layer of soil on top, moisten with water from a spray bottle and cover with a film on top.
Crops are placed in a warm place with an air temperature of +22 to +28 degrees.
When the seedlings appear, the seedling containers are placed in a well-lit place where there is no direct sunlight. The air temperature for seedlings during the day should be within +22 degrees, and at night - about +16 degrees. To prevent young plants from stretching, they must be provided with additional lighting. For this you can use fluorescent lamps.
When caring for seedlings, they must be watered regularly. Watering should be plentiful. The seedlings should be watered approximately once a week so that the soil completely hydrated in cups. Excess water Pallets must be drained.
After two true leaves appear on the seedlings, they are fed with nitrophoska. A teaspoon of fertilizer is pre-diluted in one liter of water.
Two days before planting cucumber seedlings in the greenhouse, they are fed with a mixture of mineral fertilizers. To prepare it, dissolve in ten liters of water:
Ten liters of nutrient solution is used to feed two square meters of soil.
If the cucumbers were planted in boxes, then when two true leaves appear on them, the plants are planted in separate pots. Before picking, the soil in which the seedlings grow is well watered. Using a special spatula or fork, each plant is removed from the soil. This should be done carefully, so as not to shake off the soil from the roots. The seedling is placed in a container filled with soil, its roots are sprinkled with soil and watered. Picking plants delays harvesting by about a week.
Before planting seedlings in a greenhouse or greenhouse, it is recommended to treat the plants with a solution of Epin or Immunocytophyte.
When the soil in the greenhouse or greenhouse warms up, the plants can be planted in the beds. The soil for planting cucumbers should be prepared in advance. The holes are dug to the depth of the seedling containers or peat cups and watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
The distance between plants depends on the variety of cucumbers:
Before planting in the greenhouse, the seedlings are watered and the plastic cups are cut on one side. After this, the plant is carefully removed from the cup, placed in the hole, sprinkled with a nutrient mixture and watered.
If the seedlings were grown in peat pots, then you first need to remove the bottom and tear the top a little. The plant is placed in the hole along with the pot.
From above, the soil around the planted and watered plants is sprinkled with dry soil, which will retain moisture.
If the seedlings at home did not have enough lighting and they stretched out, then the seedlings should be buried in the holes up to the cotyledons. Such plants are not watered after planting. Flowering seedlings always lose their buds and flowers.
For about five to seven days, cucumbers planted in a greenhouse will adapt, after which they can be tied to a trellis and bushes can be formed.
The first time after planting in the ground, plants must be shaded from sunlight and watered frequently. During the day in warm weather, greenhouses and greenhouses are opened and ventilated. In cold weather and at night they should be closed.
Before flowering, cucumbers are watered once every five to seven days. Three to six liters of water are poured onto every square meter of soil. During flowering and budding, the frequency and abundance of watering increases. Square meter The soil is watered with six to twelve liters of water every two to three days. Watering is recommended in the evening or early in the morning.
Water the cucumbers at the root so that water does not get on the leaves. After watering, the soil must be loosened carefully and not very deeply, otherwise the surface surface may be damaged. root system plants.
Cucumbers should be watered so that the soil is moist but not wet. Excess moisture in the soil can lead to fungal diseases affecting plants. However, if the cucumbers do not have enough moisture, the fruits will grow bitter.
Plants should be fed six to eight times per season. To do this, you can use a solution of mullein or bird droppings. The plants are fed for the first time during flowering, and then once every two weeks. Nutrient solution apply only to moist soil and so that it does not fall on the leaves.
As soon as tendrils appear on the bushes, they are tied to ropes or supports prepared in advance. As plants grow, the lower leaves in the first four axils are removed. This is done so that the plantings are not too thick.
If self-pollinating hybrids are grown in a greenhouse, their lateral shoots are not pinched. The bushes themselves are formed into one, two or three stems.
Knowing all the rules for planting seeds and caring for cucumbers in a greenhouse, you can grow a good harvest of vegetables on your plot and make salads or preparations for the winter from them.
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