How to properly pinch cucumbers in open ground: step-by-step instructions

Pinching cucumbers is the key to creating fruitful bushes. Many gardeners avoid this method, believing it to be difficult to perform, and this is entirely in vain. After all, achieving a superior harvest without shaping the bush is impossible. Pinching cucumbers in open ground ensures a bountiful harvest of vegetables that don't taste bitter. You can see the effectiveness of this method in the photos and videos.

The essence of the procedure

Another name for this procedure is "blinding." It allows for the formation and rapid growth of lateral shoots from the bush's nodal stem. When a plant grows without human intervention, it produces mostly male shoots, meaning empty shoots. This prevents the flowers from wilting and prevents fruit from setting. Consequently, the harvest is meager.

Is it really necessary to pinch cucumber plants? To produce fruit, they need a pair of male and female inflorescences. This is precisely why these steps are performed. The key is to preserve the healthy leaves of the seedlings. By following the correct procedure, you can achieve a long vine with small shoots extending from the main stem.

Advantages of pinching:

• excellent harvest;
• absence of bitterness;
• stimulation of female shoots.

Basic recommendations

Experienced gardeners offer several important tips for those new to pinching cucumbers to help avoid unpleasant situations:

• When forming a bush, you need to remember to loosen the soil.
• When tying up, keep in mind that the vegetable has a fragile root system. Careful handling is required to avoid damaging the roots.
• When working with the bush, keep in mind that the main stem is fragile. Handling should be done very carefully.
• Remove male flowers and unnecessary shoots in a timely manner.
• Yellowed, dried leaves and damaged tendrils are not torn off, but cut off with scissors.
• Cucumbers need to be cared for regularly. Care should be done using only clean tools to prevent contamination.
• During cultivation and harvesting, it is not recommended to reposition the tops of the bushes. This may cause death or yellowing.
• After pruning the leaves, no stumps should remain. Otherwise, the bush cucumbers will be attacked by powdery mildew, which will prevent proper fruit development.

Pinching in open ground

Whether or not to pinch cucumbers in open ground depends on the variety, as each has its own lateral shoot length. This isn't necessary if the branches are short. For overly long or medium-sized shoots, remove the top shoot when the central shoot reaches 1 m. The shoots on other shoots are also trimmed.

If staking isn't possible due to dense planting, remove the shoots at the top of the fourth leaf on the main shoot and the top of the second leaf on the lateral shoot. Insect-pollinated varieties require the most attention. They should be pinched and tied up first. They should be spaced well apart in the beds. First, install a trellis.

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The step-by-step process for blinding cucumbers requires certain conditions to be met:

• the distance between bushes is a maximum of half a meter;
• gartering is done between the 10th day and 2 weeks after planting;
• the shoots are removed from below, as are the initial ovaries, so that the newly formed cucumbers do not draw out all the juices;
• preserving all healthy leaves.

Every gardener should know how to properly pinch cucumbers outdoors. This helps the cucumbers receive more heat and nutrients needed to develop strong, tasty cucumbers.

These vegetables are distinguished by their weak roots, which are unable to provide the fruits and ovaries with nutrients. Because of this, the crop there are yellow leaves, they fade quickly. If how to pinch off stepsons correctly and pinch, the bushes will produce much more fruit.

In several elongated shoots

This technique involves creating bushes with several main stems at the side. The process is as follows:

• The main stem is pulled and secured with a strong rope.
• Do not touch the shoots from the sides until the first ovaries form. Then, press the shoots from the sides toward the central stem.
• The shoots are tied to the main stem using tendrils. The shoots are then tied in as they grow.

In 1 elongated shoot

Many consider training a bush into a single stem a difficult process. However, with constant monitoring, it's quite simple. Check the bush for new shoots four times a month. Proper training is carried out as follows:

• After half a month has passed since planting in the ground, the bush is tied with vines, which are pulled to a certain height.
• In areas where there are axils, flowers and shoots between the first 4 leaves are removed.
• After growing 5 leaves, remove new shoots from the side.
• While the stem is growing, shoots on the side are removed.
• Finish shaping the bush after the stem stops growing in length. After this, pinch off the top of the bush.

The advisability of pinching hybrids

It's well known that hybrids were bred to produce excellent yields. And some experts believe that these varieties don't need to be pruned. However, this is fundamentally wrong. Regardless of the variety, the crop has a long, rope-like appearance, meaning side shoots are constantly appearing. As a result, excess greenery on F1 hybrids reduces yield. And the enormous potential of these varieties remains incomplete. Hybrid cucumbers are pinched based on their development, growth, and fruiting.

Pinching is a simple process. Furthermore, to ensure abundant and high-quality fruiting, proper watering, fertilizing, weeding, loosening the soil, and proper care are essential. This comprehensive approach will ensure a bountiful harvest.