For many people, cucumber plants, like tomatoes, simply belong in the vegetable patch at home. And the vegetable is also quite easy to care for, so it is definitely a good idea even for beginners. However, the plants need a little more attention when it comes to watering, because only with enough water will the cucumbers become crunchy and juicy and prevent a bitter taste. Today we would like to explain everything you need to know about this topic so that you can expect a successful harvest. Below you will find out how to water cucumbers correctly and what is the best way to use them.
Grow your own cucumbers and water them properly
Anyone everTomatoes pulledknows how much these plants “drink”. Especially in the hot summer months, you always have to stay tuned. It's no different with cucumbers, as they consist of 95 percent water. That should explain why the vegetables need so much water. But is there anything special to consider when watering cucumber plants and does it make a difference whether you grow cucumbers outdoors or in the greenhouse?
Water cucumbers – how often and at what time of day?
The perfect time to water your plants is in the morning - the earlier the better. This gives the cucumber plant enough time to absorb the water before it evaporates due to the heat and every cucumber plant is well supplied. Cucumber plants have shallow roots and therefore do not benefit from deep soil moisture. Instead, they use the water below the earth's surface and if it evaporates too quickly, they don't have enough time to replenish themselves.
This should be your daily task, whereby you should allow one and a half to three liters of water per plant and on hot summer days, additional watering in the evening can also be beneficial. You should water the cucumbers at the latest when the leaves hang limply downwards, as this indicates dry soil. And drought can lead to bitter fruits as well as theFormation of powdery mildewsupport financially.
Greenhouse cucumbers benefit from an air humidity of 60 percent. You can maintain this by misting the plants with water several times a day when the weather is hot.
Frequent watering and watering cucumbers correctly are important, but avoid waterlogging, as this leads to less well-developed fruits. In some cases, the amount of fruit produced may be sparse or even non-existent. In addition to overwatering, soil that is too clayey also promotes waterlogging.
Which water to use?
Have you ever eaten these home-grown vegetables from friends and acquaintances and noticed a bitter taste? It wasn't about a specific type of cucumber, but rather an important point about proper watering was not taken into account. You should only ever use warm water if you want to water cucumbers properly. Because cold water can do that tooFruits bitterbecause the plants suffer a temperature shock.
For this purpose you collect the watersimply in rain barrelsfor example, or in buckets and let it warm up to ambient temperature until the next day. Tap water is also less recommended because it is hard and hard, which the plants don't like very much.
Water cucumbers correctly – moisten plants, or not?
Some plants benefit from moistened leaves, but not the cucumber plant. Instead, water them close to the ground and try not to wet other parts of the plant. On the one hand, this will help you prevent burns on hot summer days. More importantly, this prevents diseases and fungi that would otherwise be promoted by a lot of moisture. You can keep the soil moist for longer byMulch plants. This only applies to outdoor cucumbers.
What else should you irrigate with to improve your harvest?
In addition to lime-free water (rainwater is optimal),Nettle manure is also suitable(or another plant manure) is wonderful for not only supplying the plants with moisture but also with minerals and at the same time making them more resistant to pest infestation and diseases. Twice during the season is sufficient, although the first dose is best given when the first fruits are forming.
Pouring trick to save time
So you now know that you have to water the cucumber plants regularly and even frequently. But this can undoubtedly be quite time-consuming. So is it even worth choosing such thirsty vegetable plants in our stressful everyday lives? But of course! You can save yourself the daily watering if you use PET bottles that do this job for you.
Fill the bottle with (warm) water and quickly insert it near the plant's root ball. The water now slowly runs into the soil and waters the cucumber plant evenly. Other advantages are that you don't wet the leaves this way and the water in the bottle always stays nice and warm. However, you should regularly check the water level in the plastic bottles and refill them if necessary. You can make this easier by cutting open the bottom of the bottle.
