Planting and caring for cucumbers in a polycarbonate greenhouse

This article will discuss growing cucumbers in a polycarbonate greenhouse: how to properly plant and care for them. In fact, early cucumbers, for example, are impossible to grow without creating greenhouse conditions. Gardeners very often grow cucumbers in greenhouses.

Polycarbonate is a superior material for modern greenhouses. It boasts excellent heat retention and light collection properties. Not a single cucumber leaf, and the greenery is incredibly delicate, will be sunburned even in the clearest weather. Furthermore, most greenhouses of this type feature special vents (ventilation is important early on, immediately after transplanting seedlings into the ground). Overall, there are only a few things to keep in mind when growing cucumbers in this type of greenhouse.

How to prepare seedlings for planting

You can grow any variety of cucumbers. in a polycarbonate greenhouse Planting and care will be approximately the same. But, it all starts with repotting the indoor plant. seedlings in the groundIn fact, many daring gardeners claim that if you have a greenhouse made of this material, you can even plant seeds in the ground.

It's important to pay attention to the seeds, whether you plan to grow seedlings first. For greenhouses, only those varieties that can be grown indoors are selected. The main characteristic of a variety here is that it doesn't require insects to pollinate the flowers. It's best to buy hybrid varieties for this purpose.

The fundamental advantages of hybrids, in addition to the lack of need for pollination, also include:

• High yield rate;
• No need for vaccinations against diseases;
• There is no need to soak the seeds;
• Before planting, seeds do not need to be treated with an antiseptic;
• It is better to choose hybrids bred specifically for your region;

Important! For growing in polycarbonate greenhouses, you can safely purchase hybrids such as "Caprice," "Halli," "Marinade," and others.

How to arrange garden beds

Since cucumbers thrive in warm conditions, they need warm beds. To do this, add manure or compost to each hole. It's best to dig a trench a meter wide for each bed. Place fresh manure at the bottom, then add soil.

Then place the seeds in the prepared bud and cover them with plastic wrap. Wait for the seeds to germinate. However, if you're planting ready-made seedlings, you don't need plastic wrap. If you can't find manure to warm the beds, you can use compost made from sawdust and leaves. Generally, any organic material will work.

Important! Before planting ready-made seedlings, wait until they have 4-5 leaves. Since a polycarbonate greenhouse retains heat quickly, you can plant seedlings as early as early April. However, if the weather hasn't warmed up by early April, it's best to wait until early May.

What is the basic care:

• Water. Cucumbers thrive in a humid climate, so they need to be watered regularly. It's best to use drip irrigation. The water should be warm, as the lower the temperature, the slower the cucumbers will grow. It's also important to avoid getting water on the leaves, as this can cause them to become diseased.
• Ventilate the greenhouse.
• Provide moderate fertilization. The soil doesn't always contain sufficient organic fertilizer. This, incidentally, negatively impacts stem and fruit development. Therefore, it's important to regularly add organic fertilizer to the soil to prevent too many barren flowers. A very good way to continuously fertilize is to dilute manure in water for irrigation. Special mineral fertilizers can be purchased. However, it's important to fertilize the soil no more than five times during the cucumber growing season.
• Loosen the soil regularly. This ensures sufficient airflow to the root system. Carefully loosen the soil around the stems, as this can damage the stems, especially if they are still young and fragile.

Important! The easier it is for cucumbers to form on the stem, the higher the yield will be. Therefore, it's crucial to tie up the plants properly and on time. In a polycarbonate greenhouse, tying is easy, as there's always plenty of space.

So, those are the basics of growing cucumbers in a polycarbonate greenhouse. There's nothing complicated about it, but you need to decide whether you'll plant seeds directly or start seedlings indoors first. We wish you a wonderful gardening season!