Content
Much is known about the process of picking seedlings of vegetable crops, but this information concerns mainly tomatoes and peppers. But about whether to dive cucumber seedlings, the opinions of gardeners were divided into two almost equal parts. The difficulty lies in the fact that cucumbers have very delicate roots, the separation of the root system from the soil is painful. Injured seedlings rarely survive, so extreme caution is needed to pick seedlings.
What is a pick and why is it needed
A pick is the transfer of seedlings from one container to another, or directly into the ground. During the dive, the seedlings are captured together with a part of the land, this is a very important condition that helps the plant maintain the integrity of the root system and better adapt to the new place.
There are a number of indications for picking, but the main one is plant hardening.
After transfer to other conditions, the seedlings adapt, after which the weak seedlings die, and the strong ones become even stronger. This approach provides cucumbers with resistance to diseases and low temperatures, prepares them for "life" in the open field.
How cucumbers tolerate picking
One of the features of cucumbers is a poorly developed root system. The roots are so thin and frail that it is better not to touch them once again. It is for this reason that many gardeners refuse to pick cucumber seedlings.
It is preferable to immediately plant the seeds in a disposable container: paper or peat cups. One or two seeds are placed in small containers and grown for 2 to 4 weeks.
After that, the seedlings are transferred to the greenhouse, greenhouse or open ground, dispensing with a dive. In this case, paper or plastic cups are cut, and peat cups are buried along with the seedlings.
When picking cucumbers is necessary
Of course, if the situation permits, it is better to prefer planting seedlings in the ground, bypassing the picking process. But there are a number of cases when the cup transplant method is not suitable., these include:
- Cases where seeds have been sown in a container that is too large or too deep... If the size of the vessel exceeds the required size, the cucumbers will feel uncomfortable there, the plants can rot, turn yellow, "sit still", that is, not grow. In such a situation, in order to save at least part of the seedlings, they dive into more suitable containers, only a separate vessel is already chosen for each plant.
- When the seedlings don't have enough sunlight... It happens that the weather lets gardeners down, the days are cloudy and rainy, and the sun is rarely shown because of the clouds. In low light conditions, any seedlings begin to stretch upward, as a result, they outgrow, become weakened and brittle. To prevent this from happening, cucumbers can be dived. In this case, the plant is more deeply buried in the ground, thereby shortening it. This method will strengthen the root system, since additional roots will appear on the buried stem.
- When the gardener miscalculated the timing of planting seedlings in the ground (or the weather has not returned to normal). To transplant seedlings into open ground, the earth must warm up to 16 degrees, a lower temperature will kill the cucumbers. 30-day-old seedlings are planted in the ground so that it does not overgrow, it can be dived, thereby delaying the disembarkation time.
- If plants or soil are infected... Even one seedling with symptoms of a fungal or infectious disease becomes the reason for transplanting seedlings from the entire box. The same rule applies to soil - contaminated soil can destroy cucumbers, it must be replaced with healthy ones.
- For natural selection also perform picking of cucumbers. Thus, only the strongest plants survive in the new place, which guarantees a high yield and makes the gardener's work more efficient.
In any of these cases, you cannot do without picking cucumbers. When there is no indication for this, it is better to avoid transplanting seedlings.
How to dive cucumbers correctly
If a pick is still inevitable, you need to carry it out as competently as possible. This is the only way to preserve as many healthy and strong plants as possible.
So, the transplant process consists of several stages:
- First of all, you need prepare containers for seedlings... They should be larger than those in which the cucumber seeds were sown. It is better to prefer paper or peat cups, as re-transplanting with separation from the ground can end badly for cucumbers.
- Prepare the soil... This can be a commercially available substrate for vegetable seedlings or specifically for cucumbers. Or you can prepare such a mixture yourself. To do this, take sod land, ripe sawdust, organic fertilizer, peat. All this must be mixed and left for the winter, that is, it is necessary to prepare such soil in the fall. Instead, you can get by with ash alone, which is added to the turf soil. The main thing is that the soil for the seedlings of cucumbers is loose, air and water-consuming, nutritious.
- The soil is scattered into containers, filling them by about two-thirds, and left for several days to seal.
- A few hours before the pick, the soil is watered make small (2-3 cm) indentations with warm water and a finger.
- Seedlings are also watered abundantly with warm water 2 hours before the pick. The soil must be completely saturated with moisture, however, care must be taken so that the soil does not wash away from the roots.
- Take out cucumber seedlings with extreme caution.... In no case should you touch the fragile stem with your fingers. It is allowed to hold a cucumber seedling for a lump of earth between the roots or for cotyledonous leaves. The seedlings are dug in together with an earthen lump, it is better to do this with a small spatula, a tablespoon or large tweezers.
- The root of a plant taken out of the ground needs to be inspected... If it is badly damaged or traces of disease, rot are visible on it, it is better to discard the cucumber seedling. Too long roots are also not needed for cucumbers, in this case they are pinched - the longest central root is cut off with nails. Pinching will allow lateral roots to develop, which will make the seedlings stronger and stronger.
- Seedlings are placed in a prepared recess. and sprinkle with earth, while the soil is slightly compacted, pressing it around the stem. This will promote better adhesion of the roots to the soil.
- After planting all the seedlings, the seedlings are watered abundantly... This should be done only with warm water, preferably previously settled.
- For the first time, dived seedlings better cover with a special white cloth... Covering material will protect cucumbers from drafts that they do not like and normalize the temperature of the soil.
Favorable conditions for dive seedlings
Everyone knows that for a capricious cucumber, two factors are very important: heat and humidity... In the first days after the pick, the seedlings should be kept warm, the temperature should not drop below 20 degrees. The humidity level should be up to 80%. This can be achieved by installing a household humidifier or placing a container of water next to the radiator.
After a few days, when the cucumber seedlings take root well, the temperature and humidity can be gradually reduced. The limit value for cucumbers is 16 degrees.
There are no clear rules for growing cucumber seedlings. Experienced gardeners argue that you do not need to dive cucumbers, and if you do it, then only when urgently needed and in compliance with all the rules.
