Rules for planting cucumbers in open ground

Planting cucumbers in open ground requires compliance with certain temperature conditions and the basic rules of agricultural technology. It can be produced by seeds or seedlings, taking into account the characteristics of each method. Let’s see how and when to plant cucumbers in open ground using sowing or seedling methods of planting.

Rules for planting cucumbers in open ground

Features for planting in open ground

Temperature

To plant cucumbers in open ground, it is necessary that the temperature of the earth warms up to at least 16-17 ° C. Cucumbers are a thermophilic plant that at low temperatures reluctantly grows and often dies. In different regions, the desired temperature is set at different times : in spring or summer, from the second half of May to the first decade of June.

It is necessary to measure the temperature of the earth (and not air) at a depth of about 7-10 cm.

Planting time

Seeding of cucumber seeds in open ground is most often carried out on the 20th of May. and provided that the soil is well warmed. Sowing seedlings in pots is done 2-3 weeks before the time of planting seedlings in the ground – in late April or early May.If you plant seedlings in the ground in early spring (from mid-May), you can cover the bed with plastic wrap. Seedlings planted in the ground at the beginning of June usually do not need additional shelter.

The ripening period of the crop is on average 40-45 days (depending on variety and climate), so in summer you need to sow no later than the second half of July, otherwise the plantings will not have time to ripen and freeze.

Seeds

Experienced gardeners advise planting seed that has been stored for 2-3 years, or planting purchased seeds already adapted for planting. Own seed material needs preliminary preparation – soaking.

First, the seeds are poured with a potassium permanganate solution for half an hour, then washed and placed in a damp tissue for several days. All that is needed is to periodically moisten the seeds until the first sprouts appear (in this way you can sprout any seeds: from cucumbers and tomatoes to exotic chia sage). Some gardeners also recommend hardening the seeds by placing them in the refrigerator for 48 hours (at a temperature of 2-5 ° C).

The cucumbers are planted with seeds in the soil in a prepared soil. It is advisable to remove soil well in the fall, and dig it right before planting. With rotted manure, you can fertilize the soil a few days before planting, additionally watering the area with boiling water and tightly covering it with a film.If the preparation time is minimal, you can use well-soluble purchased fertilizers like superphosphate, ammophos or humate 7.

Planting scheme

When planting, keep the recommended distance

You can plant cucumbers with seeds in separate holes or in one row. According to the scheme, the length of such a row is from 70 cm to 1 m, the distance between the rows is 0.5 m. Seeds are sown at a distance of 20 cm from each other. Many gardeners recommend that for best germination not just one seed per well, but 2-3 or even 4-5 at once.

Sowing recommendations

Before planting the seeds , furrow or holes thoroughly watered, and after planting, cover with a layer of soil, slightly compacted and watered again. It’s better to plant seeds on a warm sunny day to immediately create comfortable conditions for germination.

It is better to use a covering method of planting: cover the garden bed with plastic wrap, which will maintain the desired temperature and humidity level. After emergence, the film is periodically opened, and during the flowering period it is removed.

Seedlings

Seedlings are planted in open ground, after 2-3 are formed on each plant leaf. In mid-May, when planting, the beds are covered with film, in early June you can completely do without it. Adhere to the scheme in which 1 square.m seedlings account for 3 tall seedlings or 5 bush seedlings. It is better to plant a cucumber in 2 rows, a “checkerboard”. At the same time, the distance between the holes should be at least 40 cm.

To correctly calculate the depth of the hole, it is enough to measure the pot in which the seedlings grow. In the pit should fit a seedling with an earthen lump, and if a peat pot is used, then with it. The well is well watered, after which compost or other fertilizer is introduced into it. Seedlings are planted inside and pressed a little with the ground, and then carefully watered. It is advisable to mulch the soil around plants using dry grass so that the water does not evaporate so quickly.

Planting recommendations

If the seedling is tall enough, it will be correct to immediately tie it to trellis. It is advisable to water the plant from a watering can, so that the stream of water does not erode the soil. Seedlings need to be planted early in the morning or in the evening, on cloudy times without the sun.

Care of plantings

Timely thinning of plants is necessary. In this case, it is more correct to break off the extra bore, and not pull it out with the root (as a result of which you can harm the root system). In addition, cucumbers need timely pinching and hilling. Another important care measure is spraying plants to attract insects for pollination of flowers (2 g of boric acid, 100 g of sugar and 1 l of hot water).

Also, plants need careful loosening of the soil and weeding, mulching with hay or straw. As they grow, the stems are tied to pegs or trellises, giving them the opportunity to curl. Water the cucumbers in the evening and only with warm water. Before flowering, you can water once every 4-5 days, and then – once every 2-3 days. When watering, it is necessary to ensure that water does not fall on the leaves, otherwise the plant will get burns.

Feeding

Important care measures include timely feeding of cucumbers. Over the entire ripening period, it is recommended to carry out 3-4 dressings: when the first leaves appear, during the flowering period and during the fruiting period. Experienced gardeners are advised to closely monitor the condition of plants in order to make up for the shortage of a particular mineral element in time. An alternative is to use fertilizers with a complex composition, preventing the occurrence of any problems.

Additional recommendations

1. What cucumbers to plant in the open ground to avoid problems and get a good harvest? Specialists in the field of agricultural technology recommend choosing unpretentious varieties that are resistant to pests and climate change.
2. There is a popular belief that cucumbers should be planted in open ground before the Trinity Day. However, this makes sense only in regions where the desired soil temperature has time to recover. Gardening is prohibited on Trinity itself: it is believed that the earth rests that day.
3. Astrologers say that a cucumber is a plant that is closely connected with the Moon (in particular, because it abounds with a liquid over which it dominates this star), therefore, it is recommended to correlate the sowing or planting of cucumbers with favorable days according to the lunar calendar. In general, this culture is sown on a young moon and never planted on days of lunar eclipses.
4. Tomatoes, cabbage, potatoes, beans and onions are considered the best “predecessors” of cucumbers in the garden. The worst choice will be to plant cucumbers in place of pumpkin culture. Next to the cucumber bed, you can plant corn, beets, carrots, green onions.
5. Before preparing the seeds for sowing, they should be lowered into salt water. Floated seeds are immediately discarded: they are not suitable for planting.
6. When preparing the soil for planting or sowing, you can use not only rotted manure, but also ripe leaves, dry grass, sawdust. In addition, there are alternative ways of fertilizing cucumbers among people: yeast solutions, bread, fish waste and even beer.
7. In warm summers, cucumbers can be top-dressed because the root system absorbs nutrients well. In the cold summer, it is better to give preference to foliar dressing (spraying the solution on the leaves and stems of the plant), since the root system cannot efficiently absorb fertilizers.
8. In addition to tying plants to pegs, you can use another method that requires a strong rope and 2 supports (as a support you can use a column, pipe, etc.). Ropes are pulled between supports, allowing plants to plod along them. Sometimes they use only one rope, to which individual threads for each bush are tied.