Cucumbers are a whimsical and moisture-loving culture. If you do not follow the rules for caring for a plant, it begins to bear fruit poorly and wither. To harvest a good harvest, you should properly water the cucumbers, as well as fertilize and protect the crop from disease.
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General rules
Due to the fact that cucumbers are 95% water, they need a lot of liquid. The root system of a horticultural culture does not go deep into the soil, therefore it cannot take moisture from deep layers of the soil. A large loss of moisture also occurs due to large leaves (water evaporates through them). An excess of moisture can also cause the death of a plant. To harvest a good harvest of cucumbers from all beds, you should adhere to these recommendations:
- Water the plants with settled water. The liquid can be collected in buckets, barrels, pans and left in the sun. Also, the water will heat up well in the greenhouse. The optimum temperature for irrigation is considered to be + 25… + 28 ° C.
- Do not use hard water. Deposition helps to improve its properties. Citric acid or vinegar added to the barrel will also help soften the water.
- In cold weather, when the thermometer shows no higher than + 10 ° C, water the cucumbers with water heated to + 45... + 50 ° C. Colder liquid will not be absorbed by the plant. In order not to damage the root system of cucumbers, during watering, water should not fall on the stem. From it (the central stem) it is necessary to retreat about 10 cm.
- Water the cucumbers in the evening, after the sun has decreased, or in cloudy weather. Watering in the morning is not recommended as moisture will evaporate as the outside temperature rises. Most of the liquid will not have time to be absorbed by the culture. During the day, cucumbers are not watered due to the fact that drops that fall on the bush under the influence of sunlight can cause leaf burns.
Cold water can be used to water the plants only when there is a prolonged drought outside. Cucumber bushes must be moistened at the root. The jet of liquid should not be supplied under high pressure. Cucumbers, poured with cold water in a drought, quickly recover - wilting leaves come to tone.
At the beginning of the season, cucumbers are watered at a rate of 2-3 l / m². Moisturize every 3-4 days. After the beginning of flowering, the volume of liquid is increased to 5-10 l / m² (in prolonged heat - 8-12 l / m²). Watering is done daily or every other day. If the weather is cold, then the frequency of wetting the beds is reduced. In mid-August, the volume of water is reduced to 3-4 l / m².
Drip irrigation and fertilization
Water-saving drip irrigation prevents crop root exposure and prevents crust formation on the ground. Moisturizing cucumbers can be done with a watering can, which has a matching nozzle. The most convenient is the use of an automated system, but the cost of such equipment is high. Gravity irrigation can be used to keep costs down but maintain a good irrigation system.
From the barrel, which is installed on a hill, a hose is laid to the garden bed. Holes are made in it. The distance between the slots should correspond to the distance at which the cucumber bushes are planted. Tubes 2-3 mm in diameter are inserted into the holes and watering is started.
Moistening by gravity from barrels is convenient because it can be used to fertilize plants evenly and safely. To feed the culture, it is enough to dissolve the required amount of the nutrient in the barrel (following the instructions). You can feed a vegetable crop using such means as:
- Orton;
- Fertika;
- "Kristalon";
- "Novofert", etc.
Fertilizer should be applied to a pre-moistened soil - after the start of watering, you must wait 10-15 minutes, and then dissolve the nutrient in the barrel.
Organic fertilizers are not applied to the soil through the drip irrigation system, since such dressings clog the tubes and outlets.
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