As it turned out, the main enemy of delicious cucumbers is stress. But how to grow cucumbers so that this does not happen? By following simple tips, you will minimize stress. And this means that unwanted bitterness or diseases and pests that quite often affect cucumbers will not appear.
1. Soil moisture
It is necessary to provide the plants with the right amount of moisture. This is especially true of the flowering and fruiting period. Stress, which causes a lack of moisture, increases the content of substances responsible for the appearance of a bitter taste.
Cucumbers grow quite quickly, so based on the type of soil and weather conditions, they need from 25 to 50 millimeters of water per week. If you do not know how to grow cucumbers, remember one thing - it is very important to constantly maintain the earth in a slightly moistened state.
2. Maintain the required temperature
Cucumbers do not like the hot weather. The high temperature of the atmosphere not only negatively affects the quality of the crop, but also provokes an increase in the number of male flowers. If the climate in which you live is very hot, you need to make the plants shade, especially in the afternoon. In this matter, high crops planted from the south or a simple cloth awning can help you. It is important that it does not transmit 50% of the sunlight.
3. For cucumbers, warm soil and light are very important.
Want to get a good harvest of delicious vegetables, but don't have a clue how to grow cucumbers? Then plant them in a well-lit area in drained and warm soil. Ideal for cucumbers - high beds. No need to sow seeds or plant seedlings when there is still a threat of severe frosts. And the soil should be warmed up to at least 15 degrees.
4. Fertilizers
Cucumbers, the cultivation and care you are trying to provide, will be able to please you with a good harvest only if the soil in which they grow is pre-treated with organic fertilizers. Two great options: make mature manure or good quality compost. The soil must be loose and light. After some time, when shoots are already formed and the first flowers grow, you will need to once again make compost or other fertilizer in the aisles. Yellowed leaves? This suggests that plants lack nitrogen and they need additional fertilizing.
5. Cucumbers should have room for growth
How to grow cucumbers if they do not have enough space? No way. If you provide the plants with the necessary space for growth, you can remove another reason for stress. If you decide to grow cucumbers on trellises, they must be planted 25-30 centimeters apart. If you squeeze seedlings, holes with seedlings or seeds need to be placed at a distance of a meter. Shrub varieties should be planted at a distance of 90 centimeters.
6. Clean Weeds
The technology for growing cucumbers is now familiar to you, but it is very important to monitor the weeds. The cucumber bed and the place that adjoins it must be kept in order, that is, remove any weeds. After all, a large number of them are breeding grounds for the infection that causes drying. Usually it spreads leaf beetle. Be prepared for the fact that these insects especially “love” plants that are weakened.
7. Cover
Arrange strip shelter to protect shoots. You can cover them with plastic or paper caps or build a small greenhouse. This will help to get a good crop faster and provide fast plant growth and flowering. In addition, shelters protect against any pests.
It is very important not to forget to take off all the shelters when the flowering begins.
8. Cucumbers should not outgrow!
Based on the variety of cucumbers, they are usually harvested 50-70 days after being planted. The size of a fully ripened cucumber also depends on its variety. For example, some American salad varieties reach as much as 20 centimeters in length. And the majority of pickled cucumbers grow to just 10 centimeters.
9. Proper collection
Many gardeners, when picking cucumbers, simply break them off the whip. But if you have doubts whether you can do the same without damaging the plant, use a pruner.