Rules and dates for planting cucumber seedlings in open ground

Planting cucumber seedlings is one of the most crucial stages in growing a vegetable. Seeds are planted in the spring so that the sprouts grow stronger before planting. It is important to clearly define the timing of picking seedlings. Planting too early can dry out or die of young plants. However, overexposure in home ("greenhouse") conditions leads to weakening of the bushes. After planting, they quickly succumb to garden diseases and die, despite constant care.

How to prepare seedlings?

Many experienced gardeners prefer to sow cucumber seeds directly into the ground. Whether or not to follow their lead depends on the climatic conditions in your region. It is also necessary to rely on previous experience. Better to play it safe and plant the seeds in small containers with prepared soil. Before disembarking decide on the variety of cucumbers... It should be designed for outdoor planting.

Best options:

• "Universal";
• "Competitor" (early variety);
• "Altaic";
• "Cascade";
• The varieties of the F1 family (Leader, Kornishon Kai, Twixy, Novgorodets, etc.)

You need to plant seeds in a small container of 2-3 seeds, not exceeding a depth of 3 cm. For this, disposable plastic cups are suitable, a quarter covered with soil. The ideal option is a mixture of peat, humus, turf and mullein in a ratio of 5: 3: 1: 1. When the sprout reaches 3-4 cm in height, it is necessary to transplant it into a larger container in order to activate the development of the root system. Some gardeners prefer to immediately plant seeds in long seedling boxesso as not to disturb the fragile roots during transplantation.

Any seedlings need proper care and certain conditions. Ideal temperature for fast germination of seeds - 25 degrees. At a lower temperature, the sprouts will sprout later (about the 10th day). Seedlings can be transplanted into the ground no earlier than 3 weeks after seed germination, when at least 2 leaves appear on each bush. At the same time, the temperature outside should be stable and not fall below 18 degrees during the day and 15 degrees at night. In warm regions, planting is possible in May. According to general recommendations, seedlings should be planted between June 5 and 15, when temperature conditions return to normal.

Before planting in open ground, you need harden seedlings... 7 days before planting, reduce the indoor temperature to 16 degrees. You can take out the boxes with seedlings to the balcony. This procedure will help the plant adapt to the upcoming transplant.

Soil preparation

It is undesirable to plant cucumber seedlings in the place where other pumpkin crops previously grew. This increases the risk of contracting viruses and infections from other vegetables. Cucumbers can be planted in place of tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage and peas. The root system of cucumbers is weak, but it quickly absorbs moisture with nutrients and minerals.

In the fall, the area for planting cucumbers must be dug up, the roots and branches of old plants must be removed, fertilized and manure... Cow manure is applied at the rate of 1 liter per 1 square meter. 10 days before planting seedlings in open ground, you can dig up the beds again and apply fertilizer. Digging depth - 15 cm.

Planting should be done in prepared soil, reminiscent of a "layer cake". Lay out the layers correctly in the following sequence:

• coniferous sawdust or chopped coniferous brushwood;
• compost (humus);
• peat;
• sawdust (straw);
• cow dung (can be replaced with humus with the addition of ash);
• land (black earth).

The last (earthen) layer must be at least 20 cm thick.After laying out the layers, two days before planting, you need to water the soil with hot water (at least 60 degrees). This disinfects the ground.

Advice

It is better to plant seedlings in wells just filled with hot water.

How to plant?

When the seedlings have grown stronger, and the earth temperature has reached 13 degrees, you can start planting cucumbers in open ground. It is important to correctly calculate at what distance to arrange the beds. It depends on the variety of cucumbers and the type of planting. Landing is horizontal and vertical.

With the horizontal method of planting seedlings, the stems of the plant spread along the ground. The beds should be spaced 100 cm apart. The holes should be at least 60 cm apart. If you have installed supports along which the bushes will curl upwards, you can plant seedlings at a distance of 40 cm. It is advisable to maintain a distance between the beds so that the rows of plants do not shade each other. The cucumbers should be evenly lit by the sun's rays.

"How deep should the seedlings be planted?" - another frequent question of novice gardeners. The depth of the holes should be between 10 and 12 cm. The deeper the hole, the colder the soil. The root system of cucumbers stops growing if the soil temperature drops to 14 degrees.

Care

From the moment of planting to the cessation of fruiting, cucumbers need care in the form of feeding and watering. Immediately after planting in open ground, you need to fill the seedlings with warm water. Cucumbers do not need feeding before flowering. All care consists only in regular watering (1 time every 5 days with water no colder than 25 degrees). In rainy weather, such frequent watering is not necessary. During a drought water cucumbers follows every 3 days. It is important to consider in which region the summer cottage is located.

It is interesting

Few know that cucumber is a vegetable that belongs to the pumpkin family. The little green cucumbers we eat are unripe fruits. Self-grown vegetables are always tastier, juicier and healthier.

The timing of further fertilizing is 10-14 days. Until the end of fruiting, you need to make from 6 to 8 dressings. Maintenance means regular weeding and loosening of the soil. This contributes to better nutrition of the root system.

To ensure a rich harvest of cucumbers, you must follow the rules for growing seedlings and transplanting them into the ground. It is important to correctly determine the timing of the pick, to calculate at what distance to place the beds and holes. Any vegetable crop needs proper care during growth, flowering and fruiting. This is a set of measures: watering, feeding and weeding the soil.