If you want to enjoy a delicious and juicy harvest of fresh cucumbers all year round, then this article is for you.
Today I will talk about the features and nuances of winter growing cucumbers in a greenhouse, which, of course, must be equipped for this.
Choosing a variety
Cucumbers are very fond of warmth and an abundance of light. With all these factors in winter, things are not as good as we would like. Therefore, it is so important to choose varieties that are better able to adapt to such winter restrictions. Personally, I would recommend the following: Anyuta, Dynamite, Machaon or Calendar. All these varieties are united by a common prefix F1, which means their ability to self-pollinate.
We grow seedlings with our own hands
Personally, I grow seedlings immediately in the greenhouse, following a series of sequential steps:
- First, I prepare the substrate. Cucumbers love light soil with low acidity. Ideally, it is worth preparing a composition of peat, humus, clean sand and garden soil. If you are preparing the mixture yourself, it will need to be disinfected. For these purposes, I use a solution of copper sulfate with a concentration of 7%.
- Preparing containers for growing. I think the most convenient option is peat cups.
- Next, we start preparing the seeds. First, we sort them and select the best specimens, then we disinfect them by keeping them in a manganese solution for twenty minutes. After disinfection, do not forget to rinse the seeds with clean water. Another necessary step before planting in the ground is the hardening of the planting material. To do this, just wrap the seeds in a damp cloth and send them to the refrigerator for a week. To help the seeds grow faster, they can be held in a growth stimulant solution.
- We sow seeds. We choose the timing depending on when we want to get the harvest. Fill the prepared peat cups with soil and water. We deepen the seeds by a maximum of two centimeters. To avoid drying out of the substrate, the cups must be covered with foil.
How to care for seedlings
In order for the seedlings to germinate safely, they need a dark place and a temperature regime of at least 25 degrees. As soon as you notice the first shoots, they need lighting for up to 20 hours a day, while the temperature should be within 15 degrees. After three days, the lighting can be reduced to 14 hours a day. Water the sprouts twice a week with warm water. As soon as a full-fledged third leaf appears, you can feed the young plants with organic matter.
After about a month, as soon as the seedlings get stronger, they can be transplanted into a greenhouse. In order not to thicken the planting, maintain a minimum distance of 20 centimeters between the holes, and 90 centimeters between the rows.
How to care after transplant
To make you happy with the harvest, you must follow basic care:
- Systematic watering. It is very important to maintain constant soil moisture. You can water both by drip method and under the root. Water for irrigation should be warm and settled so as not to harm young plants.
- Fertilizers. The first feeding should be done at the seedling stage, the second time comes as soon as the ovaries begin to form. For the third time, the cucumbers should be fed at the time of flowering. As top dressing, I alternate the introduction of organic and mineral compounds.
- Formation and tying of bushes, depending on the variety. If the bushes are sufficiently branched, they should be formed into three stems.
- Maintaining normal air exchange in the soil. To do this, you need to systematically loosen the soil so that a crust does not form on it, preventing the access of oxygen.
Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse method is not as difficult as it might seem, the main thing is to choose the right varieties and care in accordance with the requirements of the culture.
Read also: What can not be done when pickling cabbage? We analyze the main mistakes
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