It has long been no surprise to grow strawberries, tomatoes and various citrus fruits at room conditions, but not so long ago a fashion for cucumbers appeared on the windowsill. Growing this culture is not difficult, so everyone can try himself in the role of a gardener.
Despite the fact that in our time there is practically no problem with buying fresh cucumbers in the winter, many people prefer to grow this delicious vegetable on their windowsills in the cold season. Cucumbers on the windowsill are absolutely easy to grow. In order to get a daily harvest from your “garden beds”, you will need: a box with fertile soil, a lamp for highlighting plants on cloudy days, seeds suitable for growing cucumbers at home. To grow cucumbers on the windowsill in winter, not all varieties can be used. Since the development of the plant will be constantly hampered by a lack of light, you should choose only those varieties that are able to grow and bear fruit in a short day, poor lighting conditions and in the absence of insects capable of pollinating flowers. Indoor cucumbers can be obtained by cultivating the following varieties: "F1 TCXA 575", "F1 Manul", "F1 Relay", "F1 TCXA 28", "F1 TCXA 442", "F1 Marathon", "F1 Athlete", "F1 NIIOKh 412 "," F1 Stella. " All these varieties belong to hybrid varieties (the designation of hybrids is F1). You can choose the one that you prefer.
The fruits of hybrids, which when grown in open ground are pollinated by bees, are usually tuberous, small, with a crisp flesh, tasty, but the plants are a little finicky. Their fruiting in room conditions is possible only with manual pollination. It is easier to grow long-fruited, smooth hybrids that do not require additional pollination at home.
Without the use of artificial lighting, cucumbers on the windowsill are usually grown from the end of February, and if there is illumination, they can be sown at the end of December. It is best to place boxes with cucumbers on the southern windowsills, in extreme cases - on the southwestern or southeastern. To create the most favorable microclimate, you need to carefully close all the cracks in the windows. Even better, the entire window (including the window) is carefully closed with plastic wrap. This will provide protection against cold air currents.
Where do we start to grow cucumbers on the windowsill? Having prepared the place, we place boxes of earth on it. At the bottom of the boxes you need to pour small pebbles, expanded clay or small pieces of broken brick (to create drainage). A universal substrate is poured into the boxes. In order to prevent irrigation water from pouring out of the boxes and not spoil the window sills, substitute plastic pallets under them that will not only not let water through, but will also keep the substrate moist.
Seeds pre-soaked for a day are covered in a moist substrate. The distance between the seeds is 20 cm. The seed depth is 2 cm. For seed germination, a temperature of 22-25 ° C is necessary.
Cucumber lashes need supports that can be built from thick wire or thin glazing beads. Long lashes are tied to a support with twine. When the plants begin to bloom, you need to pollinate them in a timely manner.
Pollination will consist in transferring pollen from one flower to another. It is necessary to distinguish between male and female flowers, which differ in perianth. In female flowers, the perianth has the shape of a tiny cucumber. In the morning, male flowers (empty flowers ) are plucked and, having torn off the petals from them, with stamens gently sweep the female flower’s pistil. With good pollination, beautiful and even fruits are obtained, and with poor pollination, curves are obtained. After pollination, all male flowers are removed. The next day, pollination is carried out with new male flowers.
Pour cucumbers with water at room temperature. Plants are fed with potassium nitrate (1 g per 1 liter of water) once every 10 days.