Winter cultivation of cucumbers on the windowsill

To get a crop in the cold season, it is not necessary to have greenhouses or purchase sophisticated agricultural equipment. Home farming will delight not only with fresh vegetables in the winter, but will also grow into a fascinating hobby. How is the cultivation of cucumbers on the windowsill? Let’s take a look at the basic secrets that are important for beginners.

Winter growing cucumbers on the windowsill

Where to start

In a city apartment, not only decorative flowers, but also garden plants develop well. , you should not expect that there will be a lot of products received. Any “indoor” farming is always a hobby, not a way to provide food.

Seeds

When growing cucumbers on the windowsill, the first thing they pay attention to is the variety of vegetables. For home conditions, plants for open ground will not work. Species adapted for apartments do not need pollination, therefore, they bear fruit beautifully indoors. When choosing a bag of raw materials, pay attention to the following notes on the package:

• the presence of compact fruits;
• fitness for development in the shade;
• early maturity;
• suitability for cultivation on the balcony.

Each farmer has his favorite seed varieties for growing at home. The most popular are Dynamite F1 hybrid, which has excellent disease resistance and rapid maturation (up to 50 days). Compact Balcony F1 does not take up much space on the window and will please a good harvest.

Those who wish to practice cucumbers on the windowsill throughout the year are recommended to buy the Prestige F1 variety. With proper planting and care, a precocious plant will bear fruit for as long as possible. The April and Berendey hybrids have the shortest ripening period – 6 weeks.

Do not experiment at home with Chinese varieties that can be externally recognizable by long fruits. A capricious and unpredictable variety does not germinate well even in open ground. If you plant a plant in an apartment, it will be difficult to achieve the slightest positive result.

A place for growth

Light-loving culture will not grow in inappropriate conditions. The abundance of the sun on the window is dangerous because burns can appear on delicate leaves. The best option would be rooms whose glass is covered from direct rays by an old curtain or shaded by baking paper.

A heat-loving plant will die on a cold windowsill. Experienced farmers put foam plastic or a thick board under the containers with cucumbers. The presence of cracks provokes the appearance of a draft, which causes the death of the culture. Old frames are pasted over with paper, having previously patched up the holes with cotton.

Another enemy of the vegetable creeper is the dry air from heating appliances. Soil quickly loses moisture, which affects the general condition of the culture. A wet blanket lying on top of the battery or a pan with water under the pot helps to correct the situation.

Cucumbers on the windowsill will bear fruit only under the condition of a 10-hour daylight hours. It gets dark very early in winter and the sun does not appear in the sky so often. To achieve flowering and development of the ovaries, artificial illumination is necessary. An ideal option would be a phytolamp, but in its absence a regular table lamp is suitable.

Soil and dishes

Vegetable liana loves loose and greasy soil, in such conditions it is perfectly formed and bears fruit. If the roots do not have enough nutrition, the plant will be weak and painful. When buying soil in a store, preference is given to a universal type or variety for pumpkin. For independent production of the mixture it is necessary to mix in the same parts:

• garden or deciduous soil;
• sand;
• black sawdust;
• ash;
• humus;
• peat.

After all the components are connected, the raw materials for disinfection are heated in the oven. Insects can be present in any “street” land, therefore it is better to secure future seedlings in advance.From fungi and infections, it is advised to water the soil with the “Maxim Dachnik” dressing agent.

Cucumbers on the windowsill grow in a large bowl in winter. For each plant, you need a pot where at least 5 liters of soil is placed. When growing in a private house by the seedling method, special boxes with cells or disposable plastic glasses are needed. Before planting, the dishes are thoroughly washed with detergent, then rinsed with a potassium permanganate solution.

How to plant

Hybrid seeds do not need to be treated with any medicine for diseases. The producers themselves took care of the safety of the seed and carried out all the procedures. Varietal raw materials collected from their own vegetables must be soaked in any dressing agent (Phytosporin, Maxim).

The cultivation of seedlings of indoor cucumbers on the windowsill is no different from other crops. First, the raw materials are checked for germination, leaving on a damp cloth for a couple of days. Sprouted seeds are planted in the soil to a depth of 1.5 cm, covered with a film on top. Seedlings are cleaned in a shaded warm place where the temperature does not drop below 25 ° C.

Sprouts appear after three days, after which the plants are transferred to a brighter and cooler place (temperature – at least 20 ° C). After 4 leaves grow, you can plant in a permanent place. The roots and stalks of cucumbers are very tender, so damage must not be allowed. Advise to manipulate the method of transshipment.

For planting a vegetable vine at home, the time of year does not matter. The plant sprouts well both in the spring, in March, and in the fall, in November. The lack of natural sun on a cloudy day and on the north window can be easily corrected with an ordinary office lamp.

Care

To get a crop of cucumbers, you must adhere to the requirements of the technology. For beginners, the process seems very boring, so they often try to make work easier.

Formation

To stimulate the development of lateral shoots in seedlings, you need to pinch the growth point. After the plant throws out the fifth leaf, the upper part is removed. Three extreme lashes are left, which are cut over the tenth kidney. In the sinuses, processes will begin to form in the sinuses and the fruits will ripen in a few weeks.

Cucumber needs to be formed

If the culture is extended, the cucumbers need to be tied to the ropes: they will get more light, and the bush will look more presentable. During the procedure, you can not injure the foliage, otherwise photosynthesis responsible for proper nutrition will be disrupted. The extra antennae are carefully trimmed or pinched with your fingers.

It is better to pick fruits 10-12 cm in size. So the plant will have the possibility of new flowering, and as a result the yield will increase.

Watering

Care and cultivation of cucumbers on the windowsill in winter means regular irrigation. A tender plant reacts painfully to the temperature difference in the house, so the water should be taken slightly warm. Experienced gardeners heat a bottle of liquid on the battery, and then proceed to the procedure.

Despite the fact that the culture loves moisture, it is contraindicated to the “swamp” at the roots. Before watering, the earth must have time to dry. Stagnation of water provokes acidification of the soil, the lower parts of the plant begin to rot, fungal diseases occur. Before each irrigation, it is advised to loosen the soil with a small stick.

How often do you need to water the seedlings? If the cucumbers are planted in 5-liter pots, 2 times a week is enough. Seedling cups are allowed to moisten after 3 days. The plantation is recommended to be sprayed daily from the spray gun.

Fertilizing

It is difficult to grow without regular fertilizing and it is impossible to get a crop. Plants on a “starvation diet” drop buds and ovaries, and pale foliage can not cope with photosynthesis. Regular seedlings are needed to provide seedlings with proper nutrition.

The earth is fertilized at least once every 10 days. Before the procedure, the soil must be watered, after which a chemical solution is used. If you pour the liquid into dry soil, you can burn the roots.

Cucumbers are fed with any mineral preparation intended for this type of plant.Fans of organic farming are advised to use an infusion of orange peels. Fermented fruit residues are rich in nitrogen and useful trace elements, so the solution is added to water for irrigation.

Possible problems

Novice farmers face the fact that leaves often twist in winter in seedlings. Eliminate an unpleasant symptom only after proper diagnosis. The symptom can be a manifestation of different problems, therefore, we will analyze the most common ones.

Bad for ive provokes change in the shape of green. Inattention or excessively dry air from the battery quickly dries the soil, to which responds instantly culture. A complete restoration of the water balance will help to fix the problem. Excess fluid provokes the appearance of root rot and powdery mildew.

To grow cucumbers on the windowsill, you need to monitor any transformation of the leaves. Insects rarely attack in the winter, but parasites can be in the ground. Plastics twist, change color and often fall off due to various pests.The plant and the ground are sprayed with any insecticidal preparations (Aktara, Inta-Vir).

If the stems are pulled out and the leaves curl inward, they wither and turn yellow, the problem is a lack of nitrogen. Turning the edge of the green up indicates a deficiency of potassium in the soil. The culture is fed with special preparations in which the necessary elements are available.

Vegetables take root perfectly in a private house and apartment. With minimal care, the plant will delight the owner with delicious and fragrant fruits.