Content
Almost all gardeners grow cucumbers on their site. And they know firsthand that it is very difficult to get a good harvest without additional fertilizing. Like all vegetables, cucumbers need minerals and organic matter in order to actively grow and fruit... Many are interested in what kind of mineral fertilizer for cucumbers use. You also need to know what kind of feeding should be applied at each stage. growth this culture.
When to feed
Healthy and strong cucumbers can only be grown with the correct feeding regime. Fertilizers will help cucumbers grow well and set fruit. For the entire period of growth, they are fed 3 or 4 times. For this, you can use both organic matter and minerals. Each gardener decides for himself what he likes best. But you still need to adhere to the basic rules:
- the first feeding is done 2 weeks after planting the cucumbers;
- the next feeding is necessary for the plant during the period when flowers appear;
- the third time nutrients are introduced during the formation of ovaries;
- the fourth and last feeding is optional. It is done with a purpose prolong the fruiting period during the mass formation of fruits.
In this case, it is necessary to monitor the amount of fertilizer applied. Remember that excess minerals can be bad for plants. If the soil on your site is already fertile enough, then it is not necessary to carry out all four dressings, you can do with only two. It is recommended to use both organic matter and minerals for fertilization, alternating them with each other. This technology will help you achieve better results.
Top dressing for cucumbers can be divided into 2 types:
- Root.
- Foliar.
Foliar dressing carried out with poor absorption of nutrients by plants and the appearance of various diseases. For example, due to a lack of nutrients in cold rainy weather, plants are sprayed with special mixtures and solutions.
Fertilizing cucumbers with mineral fertilizers
The use of mineral fertilizers along with watering and adherence to agricultural practices will help plants quickly develop green mass, and also form quality fruits. For the first feeding, use the following formulations of mineral fertilizers.
Fertilizing cucumbers with urea:
- 45–50 r urea;
- 10 liters of settled water.
The solution is mixed and used for watering. For one seedling, you will need about 200 ml of the ready-made mixture. As a result, this amount of solution is enough to water more than 45 sprouts.
Mixing these substances leads to the fact that most of the nitrogen simply evaporates.
Ammofoska is also suitable for the first feeding. It is manually spread over the soil surface between the rows of cucumbers. Then the soil is loosened, burying the substance deep into it. This feeding is effective on any type of soil, especially on clay and sandy. Ammofoska has a number of advantages that distinguish it from the background of other mineral fertilizers. It does not contain nitrates and chlorine, so that the harvest will be extremely natural and harmless. It contains a large amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.Such feeding is used both in the open field and in greenhouses.
During flowering fertilize cucumbers not necessary. Feeding should be applied only if signs of disease or insufficient amount of trace elements are visible. You can also stimulate the growth of seedlings if it has slowed down. To do this, use the following mixture:
- 10 liters of water.
- 1 tablespoon superphosphate.
- 0.5 tablespoon of potassium nitrate.
- 1 tablespoon of ammonium nitrate.
This feeding option is also suitable:
- A bucket of warm water.
- 35-40 grams of superphosphate.
Plants are sprayed with similar solutions in the morning or evening so that the sun's rays do not fall on the leaves.
Some gardeners use for feeding boric acid... It fights well against fungi and rotten diseases. To prepare such a fertilizer, it is necessary to mix in one container 5 grams of acid, potassium permanganate at the tip of a knife and 10 liters of water. All ingredients are mixed and the plants are sprayed with this solution.
During the period of active fruiting, cucumbers are fed with potassium nitrate. To do this, dissolve 10-15 grams of nitrate in 5 liters of water. This feed is able to strengthen the root system of cucumbers, and also helps plants to get the necessary nutrients from the soil. At the same time, saltpeter protects the roots from rot.
For spraying plants during fruiting, a urea solution is used. This procedure will help cucumbers to form ovaries longer, and accordingly bear fruit longer.
Fertilizing cucumbers with organic fertilizers
Organic fertilizers for cucumbers must be applied throughout the entire growth. In this case, it is important to know the measure and observe the regime. Too much organic matter can lead to the fact that the foliage of cucumbers will begin to develop very rapidly, and the ovaries will never appear or there will be few of them. But by judiciously applying home-made feed, you can strengthen the plants and increase the amount of the harvested crop. For these purposes, use various improvised means. For example, cucumbers are well influenced by Yeast... They can increase the resistance of plants to various diseases, as well as strengthen the root system and shoots in general. The quality and quantity of cucumbers with such feeding increases significantly, and the palatability improves.
Yeast contains almost all the necessary for cucumbers microelements:
- nitrogen;
- phosphorus;
- potassium;
- iron;
- manganese.
To feed the cucumbers with these nutrients, you need to dissolve 1 pack of yeast in a bucket of water. The prepared mixture is left for a day to ferment. Then this solution is used to water the bushes. To water 1 seedling, you need a liter of liquid. Also, other minerals can be added to this solution. Such feeding can be carried out no more than 2 times a month.
It is very effective to use a solution of ordinary wood ash for fertilizing cucumbers. To do this, add about 200 grams of ash to a bucket of water at room temperature, and then mix everything thoroughly. Each bush is watered with 1 liter of this mixture. Dry ash can also be used. It is simply sprinkled on the soil around the cucumbers. This procedure will serve as an excellent prevention of fungal diseases of the root system.
Many gardeners praise feeding from chicken droppings... For this method, both fresh and rotted droppings are used. Before using the solution, the soil should be well watered so that the droppings do not cause burns in the plants. For 10 liters of water, you will need 0.5 kg of chicken manure. Cucumbers are watered with this solution at the root at the rate of 800 ml of liquid per 1 bush.
You can also prepare a bread infusion for feeding cucumbers.An empty bucket is placed stale bread, it should take up more than half the capacity. Then the remnants of the bread are poured with water, pressed down with oppression, and left in a warm place for a week so that the solution ferments. Then the mixture is diluted with water in a ratio of 1/3. Now the fertilizer is completely ready and you can start watering.
Not only to strengthen the plants, but also to increase resistance to diseases will help feeding on the basis of onion peel. To prepare the infusion, you need to pour 200 g of husk with a bucket of water and put on fire until it boils. After that, the infusion should cool completely. For watering 1 plant, you will need a liter of this infusion.
Top dressing of cucumber seedlings
When growing cucumbers in the open field, seedlings are planted first. This is not necessary in warm climates or greenhouse conditions. Seedlings are grown for about a month. At this time, she also needs nutrition with minerals. The future harvest depends on how strong and healthy the seedlings are.
For feeding cucumber seedlings, mixtures based on superphosphate and nitrate are used. Cow dung can be used as an organic fertilizer. When feeding cucumber seedlings, it is very important to fertilize the topsoil. The fact is that the seeds of cucumbers are planted shallow, and the roots of this plant are compact. Because of this, it can be difficult for seedlings to extract nutrients from the soil.
Cow dung and ash can be added to the seedling soil. The components are mixed in the following proportions:
- 1m2 soil;
- 7 kg of manure;
- 1 glass of ash.
And for feeding the seedlings themselves, solutions are prepared from superphosphate, nitrate or the same manure. You can also buy ready-made fertilizers for cucumbers in specialized stores. Such mixtures do not contain nitrates and are completely safe for human health and life.
Top dressing during active growth of cucumbers
Plants need nitrogen for normal growth. While the cucumbers have not yet begun to bloom and bear fruit, top dressing should be carried out using fertilizers containing nitrogen. This is done in the following ways:
- By watering.
- By spraying.
- Using a drip irrigation system.
During the period of active growth, plants need phosphorus. This element is responsible for the development of the root system, the growth of green mass, the setting and ripening of fruits. It should be added in small portions, but often, since cucumbers need it throughout the growing season.
With the help of potassium, plants can receive nutrients without hindrance. It is potassium that is responsible for the transport of trace elements from the roots to other parts of the plant. With normal development, cucumbers in the open field are fed only 2 times. But greenhouse vegetables will have to be fertilized up to 5 times per season.
Top dressing during fruiting
When small cucumbers appear on the bushes, the composition of the feed should be changed. Now cucumbers simply need magnesium, potassium, and nitrogen. But it is important to remember that at this time the amount of nitrogen should be reduced, but potassium, on the contrary, should be increased.
Potassium nitrate not only has a positive effect on the growth of fruits, but also improves their taste. Such fruits will not taste bitter, which is often the case with a lack of mineral fertilizers. Also, bitterness can appear as a symptom of an excess of phosphorus and potassium. Top dressing of the bushes during this period will contribute to the appearance of additional ovaries, due to which fruiting will become longer.
Signs of micronutrient deficiencies and deficiencies
Due to the wrong process of fertilizing cucumbers, growth may be disrupted, as well as the appearance of the bushes will deteriorate. Signs of a malnutrition will be the following:
- With an excessive amount of nitrogen, flowering is delayed. There are also a large number of leaves on the stems, but very few flowers.
- Excess phosphorus negatively affects the leaves. They turn yellow at first, and then they can become completely stained and crumble.
- A large amount of potassium in feed prevents the plant from receiving the necessary nitrogen. Because of this, the growth of the bush is delayed.
- Excess calcium is manifested by the appearance of pale spots on the leaves.
Having noticed the first signs of malnutrition, you should immediately stop the introduction of feeding or change its composition depending on the needs of the plants.
Conclusion
By feeding cucumbers using the methods described in this article, you can achieve excellent results and grow an excellent harvest of cucumbers in your area.
