What to do if cucumber seedlings are stretched out?

Many summer residents grow cucumbers, tomatoes and other vegetable crops on their backyards. You can grow cucumber seedlings both outdoors and indoors, but often during the growing process you can see that the cucumber seedlings are stretched out. What to do in this situation, why is this happening?

Cucumbers are a rather unpretentious vegetable crop that even novice amateur gardeners can grow. In the hope of collecting a good harvest at the end of the season, it is not enough to choose high-quality planting material. It is necessary to observe a number of agrotechnical conditions, to know when to plant seedlings, how to properly care for the bushes during the growing season.

Conditions for growing strong, healthy seedlings

In order to grow excellent seedlings of cucumbers, you need to choose planting material that is suitable for growing in a specific climatic zone, and prepare the right seeds. It is necessary to pay attention to the quality, structure of the soil, do not miss the time when you need to plant cucumbers, create correct temperature conditions when growing young plants in a greenhouse complex.

In open ground, in a permanent place, seedlings can be planted when two real leaves have appeared on the seedlings. Young bushes should have a strong short stem, a sufficiently developed root system, rich green leaves.

For planting in greenhouse complexes, it is best to choose self-pollinating, parthenocarpic varieties of cucumbers.

Seeds for planting seedlings are:

• ordinary;
• granular;
• pre-processed.

Seeds for growing cucumber seedlings are planted in greenhouse complexes at the end of March, and planting in open ground should be organized in mid-April, only after there is no danger of night frosts and the soil warms up well.

Before planting ordinary seeds in the ground, they must be properly prepared. The planting material is sorted out, calibrated. Strong, healthy seeds are recommended to be pre-immersed in a concentrated saline solution. Those seeds that have surfaced should not be planted. Seeds that have sunk to the bottom of the container can be safely planted in the soil for growing seedlings.

To protect against fungal diseases, experienced summer residents recommend soaking the seeds in fungicidal, antimicrobial compositions, a solution of potassium permanganate for a few minutes. To speed up the germination process, seeds for growing cucumber seedlings are soaked in nutrient solutions (growth stimulant) for a day. As soon as a small root is visible, young plants are planted in planting pots, peat pots, flower containers.

For seed germination, it is necessary to create favorable conditions: prepare the soil, create an optimal temperature regime, choose lighting, and the level of humidity. If agrotechnical conditions are not followed, even germinated seeds can die in the open field or in a greenhouse.

Advice

Cucumbers are moisture-loving plants, but if the leaves of the seedlings are very waterlogged in the evening, it is possible that the seedlings will be affected by fungal diseases.

For watering seedlings, use filtered, settled water at room temperature. The frequency of watering depends on the temperature and climatic conditions.

Choosing a soil for cucumber seedlings

To get a high-quality, healthy harvest of a garden crop, it is very important to properly prepare the soil in terms of its mechanical and physical composition.The soil mixture for seedlings should have an approximate physical and chemical composition until it is planted in a permanent place. This will help young plants to quickly adapt to a new place, to form a strong root system.

Seedlings of cucumbers grow well and develop on fertile, nutritious, breathable, well-drained soils. Before planting young bushes, choose a flat, well-lit area, protected from strong winds.

Cucumbers grow best on chernozems, light nutritious loams with a neutral pH reaction. With an acidic reaction of the soil, about a month or two before the planned planting, liming is carried out with ash, high peat, charcoal, compost.

Correct cultivation of cucumber seedlings

Even with the observance of all agrotechnical measures, you can see that some bushes began to grow in height, stretch out. This problem is very often encountered when growing seedlings at home.

Strongly elongated bushes will not only not give a full harvest, but may also die. What to do in this situation, why is this happening, what reasons provoked excessive growth, pulling out young seedlings of cucumbers? Let's try to figure out the situation, give tips, recommendations of experienced gardeners who will help fix the error.

Do not give in to panic, and even more so to destroy young plants. It is necessary to find out what caused some of the bushes to begin to grow rapidly upward. It is necessary to change the mode of growing young plants.

The reasons that led to the elongation of seedlings include:

• non-observance of temperature, light conditions;
• insufficient moisture level;
• improper preparation of planting material.

If the seedlings of cucumbers are strongly stretched, the reason lies in the excessive watering of the bushes.

There are a number of actions that need to be taken to resolve the problem.

1. Increase lighting level. Arrange artificial lighting if necessary.
2. Exposure to ultraviolet light, which almost completely replaces the sun's rays, should not be less than seven to eight hours a day.
3. Seedlings stretch out if the cucumber bushes are planted too tightly. It is best to allocate a separate peat pot for each plant, a glass.

Young plants do not tolerate transplanting well. In order not to damage the root system, the seedling container is chosen deep and wide enough. Each seedling must have enough room for full growth.

Advice

If the cucumber seedlings are stretched out, adding potash nutrient mixes will help. Additionally, you can spill the soil with an ash solution (one tablespoon per liter of water), immune stimulants, which can be purchased at specialized garden centers.

To stimulate the growth of the root system, to prevent pulling the stems of the garden crop, it is recommended to increase the amount of soil mixture.

Planting elongated seedlings in open ground

If the seedlings are thin, strongly elongated, but already need to be planted in a permanent place, it is necessary to adhere to the correct planting technology, burying young bushes into the ground.

If the seedling has very thin, elongated stems, it should not be deeply buried in the soil. Bushes with highly elongated, weak stems should be planted at approximately the same depth as they grew in planting pots.

Having previously prepared the planting holes, a wooden support is installed next to each bush. Plants are very carefully planted in planting holes, trying not to damage the delicate fragile root system. The seedlings are buried up to the cotyledons, gradually falling asleep with loose, heated soil.

After the young bushes adapt to the new conditions, they get a little stronger, they carry out a vertical garter of the seedlings.Outdoors, plants will support each other with antennae.

If you had to plant seedlings in cold ground, cover the soil around each bush with a dark-colored perforated film. The dark color attracts heat from the sun and helps to evaporate excess moisture. Such a simple procedure will prevent the processes of rotting of the buried parts of the culture, stimulate the growth of new roots, additionally supporting the elongated weak seedlings.

In order for young plants to adapt and get stronger faster, provide timely moderate watering, properly organize feeding using complex nutrient mixtures. Water the culture in the early morning, before sunrise, or late in the evening, using settled, not too cold water.

For feeding cucumber seedlings use phosphorus-potash, complex fertilizers containing the necessary macro- and microelements. For the entire growing season, the culture is fed four to five times. The multiplicity of dressings depends on the quality and structure of the soil.

To prevent the rapid development of green mass, ammonia nutrient mixtures are not used for feeding young plants.

Advice

If the seedling has thin, weakened stems, it is recommended to remove the first buds before flowering, which take up some of the plant's nutrients.

When growing cucumbers in a greenhouse, greenhouse complex, be sure to monitor the level of illumination, microclimate, and temperature conditions. The greenhouse is periodically ventilated.

Observing the correct planting technology, knowing what to do to avoid pulling the stems, adhering to agrotechnical rules, you can grow strong, healthy seedlings that will bring a tasty and healthy bountiful harvest.