Content
Mulching cucumbers in a greenhouse is one of the important conditions for a rich harvest. This procedure allows you to reduce labor costs, facilitate the process of caring for the cultivated crop. Mulching improves the quality of the soil and the amount of the harvested crop. This technology can be used when growing cucumber seedlings both in open and closed ground.
Why is it recommended to mulch the soil in cucumber beds
Summer residents often neglect mulching, citing the uselessness of this method. But this is an erroneous opinion, since many people know absolutely nothing about the benefits of this procedure. Most often, their actions are aimed at destroying all organic matter formed on the ground. However, the absence of organic additives contributes to the compaction of the earth and a decrease in the amount of mineral substances in it. As a result, constant moistening and loosening is required to increase the fertility of the land.
Constant watering leads to hardening of the soil, moisture from open areas evaporates much faster. If no crops are grown in such places, they quickly overgrow weeds... It is the soil mulching procedure that helps to overcome these problems. The quality of the mulch and its quantity can lead to different reactions on the part of plants: either good development and a rich harvest, or a depressed state and a small number of fruits.
Mulching procedure helps:
- improve ventilation of the surface layer of the earth, allowing oxygen to freely penetrate to the roots;
- reduce the frequency of watering and its amount, since mulch retains moisture from intense evaporation;
- reduce the frequency of loosening, since the earth does not harden, excess moisture does not stagnate in the soil;
- improve soil quality - organic mulch is an additional source of nutrients necessary for the normal development of the plant;
- stop regularly digging up the site - this procedure can be replaced by loosening, since the soil under the mulching material is soft;
- to reduce the number of weeding, because mulch interferes with the growth of weeds, preventing the seeds and roots of the weeds from getting from the lower soil layer to the upper one;
- reduce the ripening period of fruits by about one and a half weeks;
- promote the cultivation of cleaner fruits, excluding their rotting and spoilage;
- maintain the optimum temperature for the development of culture.
Cucumbers can be mulched with small straw, it is not forbidden to use hay or dried small grass. It is important that the applied organic material is free of inflorescences and seed pods in order to prevent the growth and development of weeds. The mulch should be homogeneous, without any signs of rot. It is worth choosing a quality mulching material without an unpleasant rotten smell.
Mulching stages
Cultivation of cucumbers using mulching technology is carried out in several stages:
- Planting plants in the ground should be carried out in accordance with all the rules, which include preliminary cultivation of seedlings, their preparation for planting in the ground and direct transplantation to a permanent place. When growing cucumbers in mulch, it is important to make the aisles and paths between the beds wide enough. Seedlings are planted in prepared holes and spilled with warm water, all weeds growing in the beds and in the aisles are removed, the top layer of the earth is leveled.
- Having decided on the mulching material, lay it on top of the formed row in an even layer.In this case, it is necessary to leave the area near the sprout open. You can only grind the rows, leaving the aisles free. It is better to cover the entire bed with mulch in order to reduce the number of weeds in the future. The depth of the mulch should be at least 3 cm. It is important to ensure that the mulch lies in an even layer over the entire surface, without forming gaps. The laid out material does not need to be pressed down or watered. Moisten the mulch once to start the composting process.
- After organized work, crop care is carried out as usual: timely watering, weed control, periodic checks for the integrity of the layer. It is sometimes worth lifting the layer and checking the soil for the presence of bear or mole moves. In case of detection of pests, certain measures must be taken immediately. When mulching beds in a greenhouse or open ground, there is no need to loosen them, and the number of weeds is reduced.
Mulching technology is used at the beginning of the summer season, when the soil is well warmed up. Before laying out the mulching layer, the soil must be well loosened and all weeds removed. Distributed according to all the rules, organic material is usually completely processed by the beginning of autumn.
If by this time there are some plant residues on the soil in the open field, then you should not remove them. In a greenhouse, cleaning is a little more complicated: you need to remove all the top layer of soil and mulch if any signs of disease are found. In the absence of disease, the soil can be left in the greenhouse for re-cultivation.
What raw materials to choose for mulching
Cucumbers in a greenhouse can be mulched at once with a large layer of material. You need to renew the mulch less often than when growing crops in the open field. This is because outdoor composting is much faster. For this culture, both organic and inorganic material can be used. Synthetic coverings and non-woven fabrics are available.
Fresh grass should not be used as mulch, as it increases the likelihood of rot and slug formation on plants.
For mulching cucumbers, you can use:
- Black perforated film. It is spread on the prepared soil until the plant is planted. Previously, holes are made in it, into which the sprouts will be placed. The only drawback of this method is the dark color, which tends to overheat the soil with high solar activity. In this case, you can lay out white material on top of the black film.
- Clear polyethylene can be used to create a greenhouse effect first, so that the sown seeds will germinate faster. After sprouting, holes are carefully made in the film. The film minimizes the risk of weeds and improves the growing conditions for cucumbers.
- If peat, straw, hay are used, then the seedlings are not deeply rooted. Failure to comply with this condition can lead to damage to the black leg, which will not be easy to get rid of. For mulching cucumbers, you can use such material as peat, small straw, sawdust, needles, fallen leaves.
Cucumber plants love moisture very much, they are sensitive to the quantity and quality of watering. Under unfavorable conditions, the sprout in a short period from the stage of growth and development passes into the stage of fruit formation. Under unfavorable conditions, the time of fruiting decreases, and the quality of the fruit deteriorates. The use of mulch helps to avoid such consequences.
Organic material allows you to retain the moisture that a capricious crop needs. In general, it creates favorable conditions for the development of strong and healthy plants, increases the period of fruiting and improves the quality of the fruit. For mulching, it is preferable to use organic matter, but in the absence of it, you can purchase inorganic material.
