Content
Throughout his life, a person does not abandon attempts to prolong life, youth, health. He follows a diet, lies under a scalpel and travels to sanatoriums. He carries over his experiments to the flora he dearly loved. In the critical farming zone, where summer is shorter than any other season, the most interesting exercise was the desire to extend it. Thus, give the plantings the opportunity to bloom and bear fruit for as long as possible.
The tricks of breeders, the construction of greenhouses and the cultivation of seedlings, which had matured by the beginning of summer, were used. Cucumbers, popular among the people, did not escape this fate. They have no equal on holiday tables, in various salads and in the form of spicy and salty snacks. The summer heat is unthinkable without Russian okroshka with onions, cucumbers and horseradish. Torn off by the dew, a crispy cucumber is a vivid witness of the summer solstice and a healthy village life. I just want it all to happen early and last longer.
Seedlings, early cucumbers
Cucumbers and strawberries can be eaten all year round. But there is still an irresistible desire among the people to prolong this little cucumber happiness, created with their own hands.
The experience of growing early cucumbers through seedlings suggests that this is a very promising occupation. Low financial and labor costs have made the seedling option of cucumber cultivation very popular.
Where to start
First of all, from harvesting seedling soil in the autumn period, consisting of humus, peat and sand, in equal proportions. You can, if necessary, buy ready-made soil in the store, but the aftertaste from your own labor will be spoiled. Although the bulk of the worries are still ahead:
- the volume of seedling soil is stored at the rate - 400 g of soil is needed for one seed of seedling sowing;
- the number of cups for cucumber seedlings should be equal to its number. It is not worth it, even in order to save money, to dive cucumber seedlings - they do not like it;
- the volume of the glass, from under sour cream, fermented baked milk or yogurt, should be close to 400 g and a height of at least 120 mm. The presence of drainage holes in them is mandatory; 22222
- there is no need to grow large quantities of cucumber seedlings. The area of the light window sill should be more than enough for these purposes. Sowing cucumbers directly on the ground (in early June) - will give the main crop of cucumbers without additional, seedling worries;
- installation of mounts for backlight lamps is carried out on the basis of 3 sprouts of seedlings, 1 incandescent lamp with a power of 60 watts is needed. Fitolamps are mounted along the entire length of the window sill. The distance between the planting of cucumbers and the backlight is within 200 mm. As the cucumber crop grows, the lamps should be raised regularly; 3333
- germination of seeds of cucumbers for seedlings. It is necessary to soak the required amount of cucumber seeds, taking into account the possible rejection, in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Dry cucumber seeds. Place them on damp gauze placed in a saucer. Cover the saucer with glass to prevent the seedlings from drying out. Moisten gauze regularly with warm water. In order to stimulate the pecking of cucumber sprouts, the saucer can be placed for a couple of days, for hardening, in the refrigerator. Seed bubbling cucumbers before planting, under the aquarium compressor will also have a healing effect on them.
Seed sowing dates
On the one hand, when solving this problem, almost all time intervals are known.
Lined up, in their sequence, in a harmonious equation, they give a specific time sowing cucumber seeds... On the other hand, no one ever names a specific number for establishing a stable 150, night temperature.
Only experience and a little luck will help here. Otherwise, either insulate already planted seedlings or plant insufficiently developed ones. Both are very bad, since they increase the likelihood of diseases and an increase in the timing of the onset of fruiting. We are trying to calculate the sowing time of the best cucumber seeds:
- according to the selected variety of cucumbers, you can determine the duration of its development from germination to fruiting. We take as a basis one of the early varieties of cucumbers with a period of 40 days.
- the duration of germination of sowing cucumbers is usually equated to 4 days. At a temperature close to 300, plantings germinate between 3 and 6 days. At a temperature close to 180, plantings germinate between the 8th and 10th days;
- pickling cucumber seeds and soaking them, until the sprouts hatch, will add another day;
- in total we get the duration, from the germination planting cucumber seeds before planting in the ground, no more than 4 weeks;
- if you want to get the first cucumber by May 1, then you need to plant it for seedlings at the beginning of the 3rd decade of March. At the same time, seedlings will have to be planted in the ground by April 20;
- for this time it is necessary to order from the forecasters a stable, night temperature not lower than 150... Unfortunately, during this period, there is a high probability of return frosts.
An example of the planting timing of cucumber seeds was unsuccessful. Most likely, all seedlings may die. But who does not take risks, he does not eat his cucumbers on May Day.
If we talk about the timing of planting cucumbers directly into the ground, then here are other calculations. Dry seeds are planted in the last decade of May. Swollen seeds and barely germinated - in the first decade of June. In this case, the soil at a depth of 120 mm should be stably warm - at least 150.
When illuminating grown cucumber seedlings, in order to reduce the time it takes to grow up, it is necessary to adhere to the following regime - in clear weather, turn on the lamps for 3 hours in the morning and for 2 hours after work. And in cloudy weather, do not turn off the lamps over the seedlings all day.
Features of planting seedlings in the ground
After 3-4 weeks of rearing cucumber seedlings, it got stronger and grew strongly. It is simply impossible to keep it on the window any longer. There is, of course, an option to keep it on a warm balcony or loggia. But this is if the case is exceptional, associated with bad weather conditions.
If there is even an unheated greenhouse, you can risk it and instead of home overexposure, nevertheless plant seedlings of cucumbers there. But even there it will have to be covered in some cases. It will develop poorly in such conditions and diseases of some plants are possible.
It is best to transplant cucumber seedlings during stable warm weather, when the possibility of recurrent frosts has passed. This time, in the middle zone of the country, begins in June. By this time, the soil has already warmed up to 160 and a comfortable temperature for seedlings will be established in the region of 200... The transplant process is as follows:
- cucumber seedlings are hardened for several days, taking them out into the open, fresh air. In this case, direct sunlight should be avoided;
- the day before planting, cups of cucumbers must be watered abundantly;
- it is necessary to plant seedlings in well-fertilized, compostable soil;
- wells, in the size of a glass with seedlings, it is good to spill with warm water;
- planting scheme for cucumbers - in accordance with agrotechnical, varietal recommendations;
- cups with cucumber seedlings, when planting, are turned upside down in the palm of your hand. You need to knock on it and remove the empty glass from the palm of your hand. You can cut it with scissors if it seems convenient;
- the sprout, with a lump of earth, is lowered into the hole and easily squeezed the earth surrounding it. Well-developed seedlings are planted vertically. If the seedlings are overgrown, it is necessary to plant obliquely.
A few small tips
Before planting cucumbers in the soil of the selected area, it is necessary to analyze all previous plantings on it. Crop rotation recommendations saying that after pumpkins and zucchini, cucumbers can be planted after 4 years.
Cucumber seedlings grow well in fully illuminated areas with light and fertile soil. Systematic and abundant watering is mandatory for them. Good conditions for seedlings can be created by covering them with a light portable greenhouse. This will protect the seedlings from both direct sunlight and cold winds.
Thus, having received the basis for the optimal development of seedlings, a bountiful harvest of zelents will not be long in coming. Of course, not by May 1, but the cucumbers are their own and the most delicious.
