Cucumbers are tasty and healthy vegetables that delight the gardener with crispy fruits from the very beginning of summer and almost until the fall. They are wonderful fresh and in summer salads. And how nice it is to get a crisp from a jar in the winter! However, to get a good harvest, you need to properly grow your plants. Cucumbers are very heat-loving; these guests from hot countries cannot stand cold nights and a prolonged decrease in air temperature. However, the lack of moisture is even worse for them. That is why today we are considering watering cucumbers in the open ground, its features and a variety of options. Indeed, gardeners have come up with a lot of ways to optimize watering and get an excellent crop, even from a small garden.
The main difficulties associated with watering
Watering cucumbers in the open field must comply with a number of rules. First of all, you need to remember that this is a heat-loving vine, which requires optimal humidity. But not every watering will appeal to cucumbers. Cold, hard tap water is not at all to their liking. It is especially harmful for them if the water gets additionally on the leaves, as is the case with ordinary hose irrigation. This slows down the growth of plants, and also provokes the appearance and development of powdery mildew. The fight against this disease is so difficult that most often it ends with the defeat of the gardener or a strong decrease in productivity. So, watering cucumbers in the open ground should be carried out in accordance with certain agrotechnical requirements. Only in this way can a good harvest be guaranteed. In addition, only sufficient moisture can produce good quality fruits.
Sample irrigation scheme
Watering cucumbers in the open ground is made depending on the period of growth and development of plants. At the very beginning of the growing season, even before flowering begins, watering should be moderate, about 5-7 liters per square meter. Produce it every five days, depending on the air temperature. If you see that the soil is very dry, you need to water more often. During flowering and fruiting, plants require much more moisture. Since you need to water cucumbers in the open ground almost every day, you will have to plan more time for trips to the summer cottage for this period. In hot weather, you will need to irrigate daily at a rate of 6-12 liters per square meter.
It is precisely because of the lack of moisture that the greens become bitter, which greatly reduces their nutritional value. You can water them only with warm water, the thermophilic vine does not tolerate cold water. Its temperature should not be lower than 25 degrees. The best time to produce proper watering of cucumbers in the open field is evening.
By the end of summer, the frequency of watering is reduced, this is due to the fact that at night the earth cools down significantly, and an excess of water in cold soil contributes to the development of root rot.
We prepare water for irrigation
Since you need to water cucumbers in the open ground every day, you need to make sure that there are large containers on the site, which are filled with water from the hose in the evening. During the day it will warm up, excess chlorine will evaporate, and by evening the water will be ready. Rainwater is excellent for watering plants, but it is difficult to collect in sufficient quantities, and the amount of rainfall depends on the region in which you live. However, prepare a barrel under the roof drain, periodically you will have water for irrigation. The water from the well is quite soft, but very cold, so it should be allowed to warm up well. If you have your own well, you need to remember that such water is very hard, it contains impurities and salts. To soften it, you will need a little vinegar or citric acid.
Root system features
Cucumber belongs to the genus pumpkin and has a characteristic strong root system, which is located mainly in the upper layer of soil. However, unlike close relatives, the root system of the cucumber is significantly inferior to them in size. Only 1.5% of the total plant mass is accounted for by the root system. It is finely rooted and located near the surface of the earth, at a depth of only 20-30 cm. That is why it is important to know how to properly water cucumbers in open ground. The strong pressure of water, as well as the rake with which you loosen the soil, can damage small roots. To restore the damaged part of the root, the plant will need up to 10 days, which means that it will not bear fruit until the restoration process is completed. Thus, it is better to use a watering can so that watering occurs as naturally and painlessly as possible for the plant.
Mode
This is especially important for gardeners, whose garden plot is far away. How often to water cucumbers in the open ground is a question that is relevant for many. Moreover, there are very different opinions. Someone thinks that it is necessary to water every day, others prefer to withstand a certain regime. If you follow the recommendations of leading agricultural technicians, then you need to water abundantly, once every few days. This irrigation regime allows the soil to be well saturated with moisture, which means that the plants will not suffer from thirst. This goes against indoor floriculture, which recommends sparse and not very plentiful watering. However, today we are trying to establish how to properly water cucumbers in the open ground, which means that we need to take into account the specifics of these conditions. Weak watering is good for pots, and in the open air it leads to the formation of a thick crust. In this case, loosening is better not to use, so as not to injure the roots. It will be much better to water abundantly, immediately for 2 days, and mulch.
Watering should be done in the morning or in the evening, but not in the afternoon. Watering under the root is not always possible, and water droplets on the leaves turn into small lenses, which will lead to serious burns.
Watering cucumber seeds in open ground
Not everyone uses the seedling method of growing this crop; sometimes it is much simpler and easier to plant seeds immediately in the garden. Early ripening varieties do very well, and the gardener gets rid of the transplant. In this case, it is recommended to water the earth well and dig a hole, plant the seeds and cover it with glass or film. This eliminates the need for watering, as a sufficient level of humidity is maintained in the mini-greenhouse.
After the seedlings become large enough for their greenhouse, the covering material is removed after preliminary acclimatization of the plants. Now you need to transfer the seedlings to watering once every 5-7 days, carefully filling the hole with warm water.
Watering cucumbers after planting in open ground
However, another way is most common. Seedlings are grown in pots, and then planted in open ground. Now the young cucumbers need to get used to the new conditions of detention, so they can be slightly ill. Watering is not recommended for this period. When transplanting seedlings into the soil, the bed spills well with water, which means that it is able to maintain a normal level of humidity during the week.
In order to retain moisture, it is recommended to mulch the soil well. A certain delay with watering contributes to the formation of strong plants with short internodes. With daily watering, they are more likely to stretch.
After about a week, you can begin to produce regular watering. Do not forget that cold water is detrimental to these plants and throws them in development a few steps back. Depending on weather and climatic conditions, you yourself will determine how often to water cucumbers in the open field, but it is advisable to take breaks in watering in one to two days.
Common Cucumber Watering Methods
When your seedlings have just sprouted, it’s very useful to rain for her. Moreover, while it is in favorable conditions and does not experience the effects of direct sunlight. As cucumbers grow older, this method of irrigation becomes less and less suitable. With landing in open ground, you should completely forget about it. The first way is watering "trickle". To do this, water is drawn into the watering can without a “shower”, then the whole soil is slowly shed. At the same time, try to tilt the spout closer to the ground so that the soil does not erode. So usually cucumbers are irrigated in the open field. How often to repeat this procedure will depend on the characteristics of the soil and air temperature.
The second method is more economical in terms of time spent. To do this, in advance in the beds, between the rows, grooves are made. Too deep they do not need to be done, 5-8 cm is enough. Your task is to fill them with water using a watering can, and then, when the moisture is absorbed, cover it with earth and well loosen it. The more busy you are, the more suitable you are to irrigate cucumbers in the open. How often it needs to be done is also an individual question, but with an average air temperature of +28 and well-spilled grooves, the bed will quite last without watering for up to a week.
Drip irrigation
This is the most revolutionary method of watering, which requires the gardener to make some investments or the desire to do it yourself. Drip irrigation of cucumbers in the open field is not so difficult to organize. To do this, it is enough to purchase the necessary equipment and assemble a simple scheme. You will need a large tank, standing on a hill, in which water will be poured. When heated in the sun, it becomes ideal for watering. It is necessary to bring a thick-walled hose to it, in which a number of holes are made. This is the easiest option, but in this case, the water from the reservoir will flow out very quickly. Therefore, each hole is equipped with a special faucet, which is configured to drip. Such irrigation allows you to fully automate irrigation and make it as comfortable as possible for plants.
Watering with plastic bottles
However, drip irrigation is a rather complicated and expensive option; the gardener does not always have such resources. Therefore, a cheaper and simpler option was invented. This is watering cucumbers in the open field with plastic bottles. To do this, when planting cucumbers, a two-liter plastic bottle is dug near each bush, at which the top is cut off, and holes are made in the lid. After the bottle is dug in, it is filled with water and begins to gradually give it directly to the root system of the plant. There is no need to worry about the fact that during irrigation the roots are washed out or a crust forms on the surface of the earth. You fill the bottles with warm water - and the job is done, the water will gradually seep directly to the roots of the plants.
Instead of a conclusion
Watering cucumbers is quite a creative affair. Everyone can come up with their own ways of how to facilitate their own work and provide themselves with a worthy crop of crispy fruits. For cucumbers, the humidity level is one of the most important factors for growth and development, so be sure to follow the advice of professionals. There is nothing complicated in them, but by performing them, you get an excellent harvest.