Summer residents, who managed to grow more than one crop, are in no hurry to use industrial plant products on their site. First of all, this applies to such a culture as cucumber, since it is eaten raw. There are many proven and safe feeding methods that can help you grow a healthy, robust plant and reap a tasty and healthy crop.
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Top dressing from bread
Such fertilizer can be prepared by any summer resident, since its main ingredient can be found in any home. Top dressing with a bread-based product is the simplest and most popular method.
Method for preparing bread dressing
To prepare high-quality bread fertilizer for cucumbers, it is necessary to fill the bucket with bread crusts by 2/3 and fill them with water. A load is placed on top and the mixture is left to infuse in a warm place for a week. To enhance the beneficial qualities, you can increase the exposure time to 10 days.
The infusion is filtered through a layer of gauze. To prepare a working solution, the resulting starter culture is diluted with water in a 1: 3 ratio. Add 1 tablespoon of complex fertilizer to a large bucket of liquid.
This tool is used once a week for watering cucumbers from the beginning of flowering and throughout the entire fruiting period.
NOTE
Due to its acidic reaction, this product is perfect for use on acidic soils. To neutralize the acid in the composition, dolomite flour or chalk is added to the strained liquid.
Ash for feeding cucumbers
Ash is a natural organic fertilizer obtained by burning plant residues. Its composition directly depends on which plant was burned. Any ash is rich in compounds of calcium, potassium and magnesium, which are necessary for the proper formation of the aerial part of young cucumbers. Strong and healthy shoots are the key to a good harvest.
Ash application rules
Ash is applied under the cucumbers several times during the entire growing season. Before planting, add 1-2 tbsp to each hole. tablespoons of dry ash. The first feeding is carried out at the time of the appearance of 2-3 true leaves on the shoots. Subsequent ones are carried out with the onset of flowering and further throughout the entire period of fruit formation. The interval between applications is 10-14 days.
Ash is used:
- dry;
- in dissolved form.
Cover the soil around the plants with dry ash before watering.
To prepare a tincture from ash, 300 g of dry matter is dissolved in 10 liters of water and kept for 10 days, stirring the solution from time to time.
Tips from experienced gardeners:
- For plant nutrition, ash obtained after burning residues of biological origin is suitable. Residues after incineration of household waste should never be used.
- It is not recommended to apply ash together with other organic fertilizers. Ash accelerates the release of ammonia. Due to the speed of the reaction, it does not have time to penetrate into the soil and evaporates.
- Fertilization should be carried out in a pre-moistened soil in good weather.
Yeast for feeding cucumbers
Yeast is a natural and effective remedy that improves soil composition and positively affects the growth of cucumbers. Their composition is rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. Getting into the soil, yeast improves its structure, which contributes to the development of beneficial microorganisms. They accelerate the process of decomposition of organic substances that saturate the soil with nitrogen and trace elements.
Influence of yeast feeding on cucumbers:
- promotes the formation of a high-quality root system;
- increases resistance to adverse environmental factors;
- stimulates the growth of green mass;
- accelerates fruiting.
Rules for the use of yeast feeding
Cooking method:
- stir 10 g of dry yeast in 10 liters of warm water;
- add 2 tbsp. tablespoons of granulated sugar;
- leave to infuse for 2-3 hours;
- the resulting solution is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 5 and cucumbers are watered.
To accelerate growth and improvement, two applications of such a tool are sufficient:
- a couple of weeks after planting seedlings in open ground;
- after adding phosphorus.
Chicken droppings for feeding cucumbers
Chicken manure is the most affordable organic fertilizer. In terms of the content of nutrients, it surpasses the cow dung, which is popular with many summer residents. According to the content of macronutrients, 1 kg of manure can replace 100 g of complete mineral fertilizer. In addition to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the composition of chicken manure is rich in zinc, copper, boron, iron, sulfur, manganese, molybdenum and cobalt.
The use of chicken manure contributes to:
- an increase in the green mass of the plant;
- reduces ovary shedding;
- accelerates fruiting;
- increases productivity.
You can apply the droppings dry or as a tincture. This type of fertilizer is recommended to be used a maximum of 3 times per season:
- in the spring during the active growing season, in order to accelerate the growth of high-quality green mass;
- at the beginning of the flowering phase;
- during the ripening period of the crop.
Basically, dry chicken manure is used for direct application to the soil during digging in the spring before planting or at the end of autumn. Whole or crushed poultry droppings work well. If your own chickens are not on site, you can purchase fertilizer based on chicken droppings from specialized stores. For 1 sq. m of land will require 0.5 kg of manure.
For root dressing, many summer residents use the infusion of chicken manure. To prepare it, you need to fill the bucket by a third with droppings and top up the remaining volume with water. The mixture is kept for 2 to 4 days, stirring regularly. The resulting solution is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 3 and poured over the soil around the plant. For 1 sq. m make 1.5 l of the diluted infusion. If fertilizers have already been applied to this place in previous years, the infusion is made weaker and diluted in a ratio of 1: 4.
To speed up the decomposition of chicken manure, it is recommended to add special preparations to it. For example, "Tamir", "Baikal-M". One tablespoon is enough per bucket.
The use of iodine and greenery in the cultivation of cucumbers
Few people know that such familiar remedies from a home medicine cabinet as iodine and brilliant green can help increase the yield of cucumbers. Summer residents who have been growing this crop on their site for several years know that cucumbers often suffer from various diseases. This happens especially often during wet rainy summers. To protect the plant from the invasion of diseases, these simple and affordable pharmaceutical products are used.
Root rot
1 way. To combat root rot, you need to add 10 drops of greenery to 10 liters of water and shed all the plants under the root with the resulting solution. Then 10 drops of iodine are diluted in the same amount of water and the shoots with leaves are carefully sprayed on all sides.
2 way. You will need one of these tools. The selected drug is diluted with water in a 1: 2 ratio. The resulting mixture is thoroughly lubricated with the stem from the very base to a height of up to 10 cm. Just a couple of such treatments will help protect cucumbers from dangerous diseases.
Powdery mildew
A solution made from a liter of milk and 10 drops of iodine will help save cucumbers from this unpleasant phenomenon. The volume of the resulting mixture is brought up to 10 liters with water and the plants are abundantly sprayed.
The secret of the effectiveness of these drugs is that they contain trace elements, which strengthen the immunity of plants and increase resistance to adverse environmental factors Wednesday.
The composition of brilliant green contains copper, which is necessary for the good development of cucumbers. It is especially useful to use brilliant green on marshy soils, the composition of which is almost completely devoid of this trace element.
Iodine will not only help protect cucumbers from the invasion of diseases, but also accelerate the growth of plants, prevent the ovary from falling off.
Onion husk fertilizer
You can prepare a simple and effective fertilizer with minimal costs from onion husks. Such feeding helps a lot if the leaves on the plant begin to turn yellow en masse.
To prepare the infusion, you will need a glass of onion peel, which is poured into a saucepan with 8 liters of water. The mixture is heated and brought to a boil, then removed from heat and covered with a lid. The broth is left to infuse for several hours. After that, the infusion must be filtered to remove particles of the husk. The resulting solution is used for watering cucumbers and foliar dressings. In addition to its nutritional value, such a drug serves as an excellent remedy for protecting against diseases.
Onion peels can also be used dry. It is introduced into the soil before planting seedlings in open ground, then there is no need to use a decoction. To protect against pests, the husks can simply be scattered between the plants.
What to do if the leaves on cucumbers turn yellow
Soda
Regular baking soda will help protect the leaves of the crop from yellowing, protect against diseases and pests, and improve the taste of the fruit.
For watering, dissolve 2 tbsp. tablespoons of soda in 10 liters of water. This top dressing can be applied up to 3 times during the entire growing season.
For the prevention of powdery mildew, cucumbers are sprayed with a soda solution. For this, 3 tbsp. tablespoons of soda are diluted in 10 liters of water. If you add 25 g of grated laundry soap to the resulting mixture, the product will help fight aphids and other pests.
Kefir
Another available tool for treating a culture with yellowing of a leaf plate is kefir. Pour 2 liters of kefir into a bucket of water and carefully spray the cucumbers from all sides.
You don't have to buy expensive compound fertilizers to grow healthy plants and reap a good harvest. You can use simple affordable tools that are in every home.
Do you use modern dressings for cucumbers?
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