How to tie up cucumbers in open ground and in a polycarbonate greenhouse?

Cucumber is a vegetable of the genus of herbaceous annual plants belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family. This easy-to-grow vegetable is a frequent guest in gardens, greenhouses, and even balconies due to its ease of cultivation. The plant's multi-seeded fruit can be eaten raw, pickled, or marinated, and is also a popular ingredient in various cold appetizers and salads.

However, when growing cucumbers, it's important to remember that their long, creeping stems require support; otherwise, achieving high yields is unlikely. Knowing how to properly support cucumbers grown in the open ground or greenhouse will make growing the plant easier and positively impact its yield.

How to properly tie up cucumbers in open ground and how to do it correctly

Staking cucumbers plays an important role in their growth, so it's recommended to familiarize yourself with all the nuances before beginning the process. When growing cucumbers for the first time, gardeners often wonder whether they need to staking the plants.

Unsupported bushes grow quite vigorously and produce fruit, but the quantity and quality of these fruits are not very good. This is because the shoots, which trail along the ground, simply do not receive enough light, which plays a crucial role in fruit set and subsequent growth.

Despite this, gardeners often don't tie up the plant's shoots, arguing that this will allow the cucumbers to obtain additional moisture and nutrients directly from the soil. However, this belief is misguided, as the plant's creeping stems naturally seek support, drying out and breaking in the process. Furthermore, nearby plants can often act as support for the plant, which can lead to disease and even death.

Benefits of the procedure:

1. It is easier to weed the soil under the plant.
2. The stems and leaves receive enough light and heat.
3. Bees have easier access to cucumber flowers.
4. It is easier to harvest from tied shoots.
5. Tied cucumbers are easy to water and feed.
6. The likelihood of fungal diseases is reduced.

There are several ways to secure stems, allowing every gardener to choose the most convenient option for themselves.

Horizontal garter

Even a novice vegetable grower can handle the horizontal option of fixing plant shoots.

Procedure algorithm:

1. First, you need to drive 2 pipes or round sticks into the ground at the edges of the bed, parallel to each other.
2. Stretch a strong rope or thick fabric strips between the supports, leaving 30 cm from the ground surface.
3. Step back 25-30 cm from the rope and repeat the tensioning process again. This way, you can create several rows with equal spacing between them.

With this method of gartering, it is necessary to periodically adjust the tendrils of the shoots so that the stems that have reached the upper tier do not darken the lower part of the plant.

Vertical option

A fairly convenient method for securing cucumbers, used by many vegetable growers, is to install two sturdy wooden or metal supports at the edges of the bed, and tie a similar support or twine to their tops. Next, tie ropes or pieces of fabric to the top crossbar, spaced 25 cm apart, and lower them down to the shoots.

The number of ropes should correspond to the number of bushes. The free end of the rope is tied to the base of the stem so that the bush can later wrap around the rope. The tying can also be done in two rows, but in this case, the distance between the ropes should be more than 30 cm.

Net

Using a net to secure plant shoots allows you to combine horizontal and vertical support optionA fence or any strong lattice with large cells can be used as a support material.

You can also purchase vegetable netting from a specialty store and stretch it between two or more supports (depending on the size of the garden bed). The larger the space your cucumber bed takes up, the more supports you'll need to secure the structure.

In the form of a hut

To support a bush, you can use not only a U-shaped trellis but also a triangular structure. To do this, install a wooden support, approximately 3 meters long, in the center of a circular bed, and attach hooks to its top. Next, drive a stake near each bush, and tie a rope to one of them.

Once the rope is secured, its free end should be pulled through the hook and wrapped around the next stake, repeating this process until all the fastenings are in place. As the cucumbers begin to grow, the support will resemble a bright green hut or teepee.

Methods for tying cucumbers in a polycarbonate greenhouse

Cucumbers growing in a polycarbonate greenhouse, require support just as much as their open-ground counterparts. Greenhouse cucumbers can be supported using both standard and combined methods, which are ideal for greenhouses due to their compact size. Combined methods help save space for other plants, which is essential when growing vegetables in a greenhouse.

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V-shaped garter

This type of tying helps divide the bush into two parts, preventing its shoots from becoming too tightly intertwined. A bush tied this way receives sufficient light and is rarely susceptible to fungal diseases.

To create a V-shaped tie, tie two ropes to the top of the greenhouse structure, wrapping the ends around the base of the bush. Next, place the main shoot along one rope, and a large side shoot along the other, so the plant can cling to them.

"Blindness"

This method allows you to control plant growth, preventing the bush from becoming overgrown. The "blinding" procedure is performed by tying the main shoot under the second bottom leaf to a vertical support. All shoots and runners that reach a height of more than 50 cm are pruned. After "blinding," the plant devotes all its energy exclusively to fruit formation on the main stem. This method also helps protect all plants growing near the cucumbers from being overshadowed.

Cucumber Tree

This procedure helps give the cucumber bush a tree-like shape. For this method of shoring, several trellises of varying lengths are tied to the top of the greenhouse, and the central and lateral shoots are separated from the bush.

The main stem is tied to the shortest trellis, and the remaining shoots are spread out and attached to the longer trellises. After the female ovaries appear on the side shoots, they should be carefully attached to the trellis around which the main stem is wrapped. It is recommended to wrap the tendril of the main shoot around the side shoot, while the remaining shoots should be trimmed.

This option is a relatively new method of tying up cucumber bushes, which has not yet taken root among vegetable growers.

Under the arches

Cucumbers can be secured not only to traditional U-shaped supports but also to metal arches. To do this, tie long pieces of fabric or rope to the lower parts, and tie the cucumbers to the lower parts. The number of ropes should correspond to the number of plants requiring support. Arched metal greenhouse rods can also be used as supports.

This method can also be used for tying up cucumbers in open ground or greenhouses.

Twisting cucumbers clockwise when tying

Once the cucumber plant reaches 30 cm in height and has at least four leaves on its stem, it's time to begin staking. Tying the plant tightly to a trellis or support is not recommended, as this can inhibit further shoot development and negatively impact fruit set.

Many beginning gardeners wonder whether to curl cucumber shoots around the trellis clockwise or counterclockwise. Therefore, it's important to know that the top of the stem should be curled around the support in a timely manner, always clockwise, when viewed from above.

This procedure will ensure the bush's shoots are always exposed to sunlight, which is essential for fruiting. The newly grown shoots should be pinched every three days, as the bush is unable to do this on its own. If pinched too early, the top of the stem may collapse under its own weight and even become damaged.

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How to properly tie up cucumbers on the balcony?

This vegetable crop is suitable for growing on a balcony, however, even in this case, don't neglect staking the plant's shoots. Proper and timely staking determines the plant's fertility.

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To tie up cucumbers growing on a balcony, use the following methods:

1. A mobile trellis. A trellis is any U-shaped structure that is significantly taller than the plant itself. Fabric strips are tied to the top of the structure, and their lower ends are wrapped around the stems of the plant. Depending on its size, a wooden or metal trellis can be installed either over a group of plants or directly in a container holding a single plant.

   

2. Ladder-style trellis. This method uses a store-bought or homemade mini-ladder, which is inserted directly into the container holding the cucumber plant. The plant quickly begins to lean on the ladder, rapidly growing upward. A stick can also be inserted into the container for additional support.
3. Tying to clotheslines. Strips of fabric attached to clotheslines can provide excellent support for cucumber shoots. Simply tie the hanging strips of fabric to the plant's shoots.

Tying up cucumber plants growing on a balcony is fairly easy and quick, and the rewards of your efforts in the form of a good harvest will not be long in coming.

Frequently Asked Questions

Proper staking of cucumber plants increases the yield of the vegetable crop and significantly facilitates its care during cultivation. Neglecting this procedure can significantly reduce the number of fruits, as the plant will not have enough light and warmth to set fruit.