Greenhouse cucumber care: secrets to a bountiful harvest

To get a bountiful cucumber harvest, you need to properly care for the crop. The key to successful vegetable growing is proper planting, moderate watering, timely pinching of side shoots, and the use of fertilizers.

All of these factors affect stem growth and fruit flavor, so they shouldn't be neglected. Proper plant care will allow you to grow delicious, healthy cucumbers in abundance and early.

Initial stages of cultivation

The initial stage plays a major role in crop cultivation. It is during this stage that the plant's immune capacity, yield, and fruit quality are established. The initial stage can be roughly divided into:

• soil preparation;
• seed treatment;
• landing.

How to prepare soil for a greenhouse

Cucumbers are grown throughout the country, regardless of geographical remoteness. There are no specific or strict requirements for soil. Ideally, the soil should be non-clayey and porous, with no standing water. A raised bed is used for planting: fertile soil is layered until a ridge 15-20 centimeters high is formed. The soil must contain nutrients such as peat, manure, or humus.

Soil preparation begins in the fall. Remove any debris and tops from previous plants from the greenhouse. Then, dig up the entire soil and add dry mullein at a rate of 1 kilogram per square meter. The mullein should be finely chopped so it's absorbed more quickly into the soil. Over the winter, the fertilizer will spread throughout the entire area, enriching the soil with beneficial organic elements.

During warmer weather, starting in mid-April, dig the soil again and add equal amounts of river sand and peat (one bucket per square meter) to improve porosity. To increase the mineral content, you can add a cup of ash to the bucket of sand. Ash contains magnesium, iron, potassium, and calcium. These nutrients are essential for cucumbers to bear fruit and develop immunity.

The prepared soil is tested for pH. Cucumbers require a neutral environment. In overly acidic or alkaline soil, cucumbers grow poorly, produce few ovaries, and significantly deteriorate fruit quality. A pH below 7 indicates high soil acidity. This can be resolved by adding quicklime (1 cup per square meter). Spread the lime evenly throughout the soil and let it decompose for a week, then test the pH again. Boric acid can help with excessive alkalinity. Dilute a tablespoon of the acid in a bucket of water and water the soil. The soil becomes neutral.

In addition to preparing the soil, it's important to treat the soil for pests and diseases before planting. Many viruses and insects remain in the soil over winter, survive frosts, and then emerge in the spring to attack young seedlings. The easiest way to get rid of diseases and pests is to water the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Dilute the pink solution and water the soil a few days before planting. Repeat the treatment a week later. Using Fitosporin helps prevent viral infections. Dissolve a tablespoon of the solution in a bucket of water and water the soil.

How to select and prepare seeds

Seeds are ready to be planted in mid-spring. Buy seeds only in garden centers or stores. Sometimes, stored seeds from the previous year are used. There are a huge number of cucumber varieties. They are classified by ripening time, size, and growth characteristics. The variety is selected based on climate conditions and the intended use of the fruit. The Murashka, Alekseich, and Emelya varieties are often grown for salads. If cucumbers are to be used for preserves, then Boy s Thumb, Muromsky, and Rodnichok varieties are planted.

Selected seeds are first soaked in a disinfectant solution. Three crystals of potassium permanganate are added to a liter jar and the seeds are soaked for an hour. Then, they are rinsed under water and lightly dried on a towel. After the antibacterial treatment, the seeds can be germinated. This procedure is at the discretion of the gardener. Germination accelerates germination, which means flowering and fruit set will occur a few days earlier.

Dilute any growth stimulant in water, using the proportions indicated on the package, and soak the seeds for a couple of hours. Another method involves soaking a towel in the growth stimulant and rolling it with the seeds into a snail shape. Fold the wet cloth into a long rope, add the seeds, and roll it tightly so that the seeds are trapped inside. Leave the seeds to germinate for 2-3 days, then unroll the cloth. During this time, the protective shell bursts, and the seed forms a sprout, which is planted in prepared soil.

How to sow cucumbers

Greenhouse planting begins no earlier than May. Sprouted seeds can be planted directly into the greenhouse soil. Special holes—pits—are dug in the soil. The diameter of each hole is 15-20 centimeters and the depth is 10 centimeters. The sprouted seed is placed in the center of the hole and gently pressed in with a finger. Water the soil and wait for seedlings to emerge in 7-10 days.

Some gardeners prefer to grow cucumber seedlings indoors and then transplant them to their permanent growing location. This method allows for an early harvest, and the seedlings already have developed resistance to diseases and pests. Cucumber seeds should be planted for seedlings no later than early March. This way, by May, the seedlings will have grown and will be ready for transplanting.

Fill a shallow container with potting soil, water it, and plant the seeds treated with potassium permanganate. Cover the container with plastic or glass and place it near a direct sunlight source. After 5-7 days, seedlings will emerge. Spray the seedlings as the soil dries, but do not remove the plastic cover. Gradually acclimate the seedlings to the surrounding conditions only starting in the second week after germination. The cover is opened for a few minutes a day, gradually increasing the time over the course of the week.

When the second leaf begins to form on the stem, the seedlings are transplanted into larger containers filled with soil. This procedure is carried out with extreme caution to avoid damaging the young plants. When the seedlings reach a height of more than 10 centimeters, the cucumber plants can be planted in a hotbed or greenhouse.

Basic care for cucumbers in a greenhouse

This important stage in cultivation allows you to not only increase the number of fruits but also improve their flavor. At this stage, the main focus should be on proper watering, timely pinching, and fertilization.

Before flowering

For young vegetables, weeding and loosening the soil is important. Nearby weeds rob the soil of nutrients and also interfere with the development of the cucumbers' root system. Weeding should be done every 2-3 days. It's best to loosen the soil by hand, working to a depth of no more than 3 centimeters.

Watering is done once every 7-10 days, as the soil dries out. A watering can is convenient for watering. If watering with a hose, adjust the flow rate to a gentle pressure. To improve air circulation on warm days, ventilate the greenhouse after watering. When growing seedlings in a greenhouse, be sure to cover them with plastic film at night.

Fertilize cucumbers no sooner than two weeks after planting. Before flowering, the vegetables rapidly gain green mass. To increase the number of shoots and green leaves, use nitrogen fertilizers such as ammonium nitrate or nitrophoska. A teaspoon of either fertilizer is diluted in a bucket of water and watered under the bushes once every two weeks throughout May.

In addition to fertilizing, cucumbers are treated with Bordeaux mixture at the beginning of cultivation. A 2% solution is diluted and applied to the shoots. Bordeaux mixture prevents infection by powdery mildew, gray mold, late blight, and mosaic. A similar effect is achieved using a 3% copper sulfate solution. Virus treatment is also applied simultaneously.

Ten to 14 days after planting, cucumbers are tied to a trellis. The trellis will provide support for the bush and help preserve the stems and fruit. It also simplifies the process of removing side shoots, as new young shoots are clearly visible on the stems. For best yield, it is recommended to leave no more than three shoots; the remaining shoots are cut off, and the cut area is treated with potassium permanganate. Pinching out side shoots is done regularly, depending on the specific variety. Some cucumbers respond poorly to side shoot removal, while others require pruning every 3-5 days.

During flowering

Cucumbers begin flowering in the first half of summer. Yellow flowers form on the shoots, which then develop into ovaries. During this time, cucumbers require frequent watering and foliar spraying. Watering should be increased to once every two days. Spray the leaves and stems in the morning, before the onset of hot weather. When watering the bushes, avoid the blossoms.

To increase the number of ovaries, feed the plants with potassium sulfate and superphosphate. A tablespoon of each is diluted in a bucket of cool water and applied to the roots, repeating the application every 10 days. The recommended application rate is half a liter per plant. After watering, mulch the soil with a mixture of straw and peat.

During flowering, do not forget to loosen the soil to enrich it with oxygen, and also remove weeds and foreign grass.

During fruiting

The first harvest can be obtained by the end of June. The peak harvest occurs in mid-summer. Cucumbers ripen vigorously on the vines, and harvesting should be done promptly, as the stems become increasingly strained to support the weight of the fruit. Harvesting is done every other day. The cucumbers are not washed, but dried to remove moisture and stored in the refrigerator for no more than a week. After a week, the skins of most cucumbers begin to soften and they lose their flavor. When stored indoors, the cucumbers spoil within 3-5 days.

Mid-season, repeat the ammonium nitrate fertilization to prolong fruit set. Continue watering the cucumbers every other day, and remember to open the windows and doors during the day in the greenhouse. If fruiting is sluggish, feed the cucumbers with potassium fertilizer, as during flowering. Watering with liquid mullein helps. Dilute the liquid mullein in water at a ratio of 1:10 and water the cucumbers under the bush. After three fertilizations, cucumber production increases.

Once the entire harvest has been collected, the bushes are dug out and dried. The soil is prepared for the next season in the manner described above.

Additional care tips

Those gardeners who have been growing the crop for a long time recommend following certain rules:

• Cucumbers should not be planted near potatoes. There is a high risk of insect and viral infestation;
• Fertilizers are used only when they are needed. This usually occurs due to poor growth, small fruits, and late ripening;
• Cucumbers must be covered at night, especially immediately after planting and in the second half of summer. Frost can affect their flavor;
• Overripe cucumbers can be harvested to produce seeds for next year. Place the largest cucumber in the sun to ripen. When it turns yellow, cut the flesh in half, scoop out the contents, and place them in a glass of water. Place the glass in a dark place for two days. Then, use a colander to separate the liquid from the seeds. Dry the seeds in the sun and then store them in a dry place.

Caring for this crop is not difficult; even a novice gardener with no previous experience can grow cucumbers. Following all the recommendations and nuances described above will ensure an early harvest of the highest quality.