Cucumbers are very popular with many of us. Because who doesn't like fresh salads all summer long! Early cucumbers are guaranteed to be harvested if you follow the advice of experienced gardeners. When and how to prefer cucumbers so that you can get a good harvest, read on!
Timing of sowing cucumbers
When do you prefer cucumbers? The seedlings take root quickly and easily and produce seedlings at the age of 15-25-30 days. Therefore, it is advisable to sow cucumber seeds in the ground 20-25 days before the expected planting date - it is not worth leaving the seedlings on the windowsill longer, as there is a risk that they will grow too much.
TheTiming of sowingdepends on the region with its climatic characteristics and the future conditions for growing cucumbers.
Proper preparation of seeds
It is not enough to simply throw the seeds into the ground and wait for them to germinate. To protect the seeds from diseases and increase germination, the seeds should be treated (disinfected).
The most common way of treatment is soaking cucumber seeds for 20-30 minutes in a 1% manganese solution or in a garlic infusion (carefully chop 3 cloves and stir in 100 ml of water). After soaking, the kernels should be rinsed under warm running water.
You can additionally soak the seeds in an infusion of wood ash for 15-20 minutes, then remove them and let them soak for a day.
Prepare soil and containers for sowing
The sowing containers for all seeds should be washed and disinfected beforehand.SowCucumbers in separate pots, cups or peat tablets. You can successfully grow cucumbers in egg cartons.
Which soil for cucumbers? As for the soil for growing cucumber seedlings, you can prepare a mixture yourself by mixing potting soil or peat, sod, humus (biohumus) and sawdust in equal parts, or you can buy a ready-made universal mixture for seedlings in the store.
Prefer cucumbers: step-by-step instructions
Sowing cucumber seeds on seedlings is quite simple. Follow these steps:
- Spread the seeds over the surface of the moistened soil, burying each seed by 0.5-1 cm and lightly sprinkling the soil on top.
- Then use a syringe to moisten the soil well again with warm water, cover the containers with glass, foil or a transparent plastic lid and place them in a warm place. The best place to grow cucumbers is on the windowsill.
Note: Cucumber seeds germinate in 2-6 days until the seedlings emerge, the optimal temperature is 25-28 ° C. When the sprouts germinate, the lid can be removed.
Proper care of seedlings (temperature, water, light)
Temperature:In the first 3-5 days after the appearance of cucumber seedlings, the temperature is reduced to 12-16 ° C, then maintained at 18-20 ° C. If the seedling is on the windowsill, you should check that it does not suffer from drafts.
Water:The seedlings should have their first leaves within 5 to 7 days. At this time you should water the plants as the soil dries out and it is better to water them not from above but in a bowl. It is important not to water the seedlings, otherwise the roots will rot.
Licht:It is extremely important to provide the seedlings with good lighting, otherwise they will either stretch out or become stunted. Cucumbers need at least 7-10 hours of daylight per day. If the room is dark, help the plants, especially at the beginning - an ordinary daylight lamp will do.
Plant seedlings in the ground
In the ground, seedlings are usually planted in May - at this time the soil should warm up to 16-18 ° C, and young plants - at least 12-15 days old and have strong trunks, 10-20 cm high, have a well-developed root system and 2-3 true leaves.
It is desirable to prepare cucumber seedlings for planting. To do this, they are hardened for a week by taking them outside for a few hours.
- 7-10 days before planting in open ground, you need to prepare the soil: add fertilizer, loosen the soil.
- Before planting seedlings in the ground, dig holes at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other, water them with water at room temperature and add a handful of nutrient soil used for sowing cucumbers to each well.
- A few hours before planting, the seedlings are watered abundantly - this makes it easier to dig up the plants without damaging the root system.
- The cucumbers are carefully removed with the lump of earth, placed in the prepared holes and sprinkled with earth, which is then slightly compacted with the palm of your hand. The leaves of the seedlings should be slightly above the ground - they do not need to be covered.
Also read:Growing peppers indoors: step-by-step instructions and care tips for growing the popular vegetable
