Caring for cucumbers in the open - how to get a good harvest?

It does not matter if the vegetable has been planted with seeds or seedlings, it grows in the southern regions or in a colder climate, to get a good and abundant harvest, care for cucumbers in the open field must be correct, qualitative and timely.

Care of seedlings of cucumbers

The newly planted bushes, which are not yet rooted and unbuilt, are particularly sensitive and vulnerable, so once cucumbers are planted in the open ground, care must be taken to carefully plant the plants. To begin with, it is important to provide cucumbers with fertile soil - the ground must be loosened up.

After the seedlings are rooted and began to grow, caring for cucumbers in the open ground implies regular weeding of the soil from weeds. But this issue is very easy to solve once and for a long time, just by making mulching - this will save your time and energy significantly. For mulching it is necessary to plant seedlings with straw, dry grass or sawdust - this will not allow the weeds to grow on the bed.

Care of seedlings of cucumbers

The second option, how to grow cucumbers in the open ground, is planting seeds in the soil. This process is more long and laborious - the fact is that the care of the shoots of cucumbers requires a particularly soft and loose soil, previously saturated with fertilizers. Another important rule of growing from seeds - cucumbers in the growth stage are especially sensitive to cold, and even the lightest frost can destroy the bush. Therefore, if the spring weather does not inspire confidence, shoots should be covered with a film or jars.

How to water cucumbers in the open ground?

Cucumbers need a lot of water and moisture both at the growth stage and during the fruiting period. Even a small lack of watering during the period of fruit formation can spoil the harvest and let all care and care go off - the cucumbers will be bitter, and it will be impossible to correct the situation. To water cucumbers during the growth period is important with warm water - cold water will lead to oppression of their development. How often to water cucumbers in the open ground, depends on the stage of development of the bush - before flowering cucumbers should be watered every 6-8 days, and during fruiting - every 3-4 days.

For irrigation it is better to use a spray nozzle, it is impossible to do this from a hose. Watering is necessary only the soil, the plant itself does not need water to pour. To preserve moisture in the soil after planting or emergence of shoots, you can make mulching shrubs that do not allow the sun to dry the earth.

Cucumber formation in open ground

When the seedlings are rooted and begin to grow, the cucumber is padded in the open ground, or pinching. Produced as follows: all stepsons, ovaries and shoots, which grow from the first three or four leaves, must be removed. Such a procedure will ensure the formation of a good root system.

If you grow varietal vegetables, care for cucumbers in the open field has its own rules - you need to make a pinch of the main stem after 5-7 leaves. This is due to the fact that pure varieties of cucumbers often give only male flowers, and this procedure will ensure the development of lateral stems with female flowers, which will ensure pollination. Hybrid cucumbers prischipki main stem does not require.

How to feed cucumbers in the open ground?

Pledge of plant health and, as a result, a good harvest - proper care and timely feeding, as which you can use both special fertilizers and folk methods. Let's consider in detail how to fertilize cucumbers, and what top dressing is better to use.

Cucumber - feeding with yeast

Growing vegetables, many seek to choose the simplest, natural and effective way of fertilizing, and yeast dressing of cucumbers refers to such. Yeasts include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the composition, which favorably affects plant growth, improves resistance to diseases, and promotes the formation of large fruits.

Prepare yeast dressing for cucumbers easily, you need to take 10 g of dry yeast for 10 liters of water and add 2 tablespoons of sugar. Infusion should be left for 2 hours, then diluted in 50 liters of water. You can water cucumbers with yeast no more than once every 10-15 days, if you do it more often, you can do much harm to them. It is also important to know that this type of top dressing is not basic, it is only stimulating, so it does not exclude other fertilizer options.

Cucumber - feeding with bread

Another good way than to fertilize cucumbers in the open ground is a self-made bread mixture, absolutely identical to yeast in its effect. It is very easy to prepare it - we throw pieces of yeast bread into a barrel, fill it with water, press it with a lid, so that the bread does not float, and let it brew for several days. The resulting solution can be watered plants every 10-15 days, as well as yeast.

Top dressing of cucumbers with ashes

Ash is a complex fertilizer that feeds cucumbers with a lot of microelements, which makes it one of the best options for top dressing in the open. You can simply sprinkle the beds with dry ash, but the best effect can be obtained by preparing a special solution. It is prepared for a couple of minutes - for 10 liters of water we take a glass of ash, stir it, and the top dressing is ready, it can already be watered.

Watering cucumbers with iodine

The next effective option, than to feed cucumbers in the open ground is the treatment of seedlings with iodine. It is a good prevention of many diseases, for this you need to prepare 9 liters of water, one liter of low-fat home-made milk and 12 drops of iodine. In addition, iodine contributes to an excellent harvest of cucumbers.

Fertilizers for cucumbers in open ground

In order to feed cucumbers, you can also use ready-made fertilizers used in the open ground. They can be divided into the main groups:

  1. Nitrogen - are needed at all stages of growth, cucumbers. When choosing, one should give preference to those that do not contain nitrate nitrogen.
  2. Phosphorous - should be used constantly, but in small quantities. Correctly applied fertilizers will help cucumbers bloom in a timely and abundant manner.
  3. Potassium - ensure the movement of nutrients throughout the root system, ensure healthy growth and fruiting.

When choosing fertilizers, remember that cucumbers do not like chlorine very much. Before fertilizing the entire bed, you should try the mixture on several bushes and in a few days observe the condition of the seedlings. If you see a positive dynamic, you can safely handle the whole garden. If, on the contrary, the plants reacted not in the best way, it is better not to fertilize them.

Garter cucumber in the open ground

An important point that implies the care of cucumbers and their formation in the open ground is the correct garter, which is produced when the plant reaches 30 centimeters. There are two methods of garter cucumber:

  1. Horizontal method. A pair of supports is installed on opposite sides of the bed, between which several strong ropes are stretched. According to it, cucumbers will grow. This method has a significant drawback - plants are very difficult to grow in this position, and, having reached one row of ropes, it is difficult for them to reach the next.
  2. Vertical method. For this method, a U-shaped support is installed. To the horizontal part of it are attached ropes, which will crochet cucumbers, on these ropes the bushes are woven upwards. This method, according to many, is more convenient and practical.

Cucumber diseases in the open ground

A huge trouble that a summer resident may encounter while caring for cucumbers in the open is cucumber disease, many of which can kill the entire crop. But, armed with knowledge, you easily recognize the disease and successfully cope with it. Most diseases are fungal, and the best preventive measure can be called the correct planting scheme (cucumbers should not grow too close), control moisture and remove sheets that begin to wilt or dry.

When growing cucumbers there are such diseases:

  1. Powdery mildew. The main sign is a white mealy coating on the stem and leaves. This fungal disease affects the leaves, so they completely wither. To treat powdery mildew of cucumbers, you can use folk remedies - 1 liter of sour milk, mixed with 1 liter of water, spraying should be done once a week. Another effective tool is a solution of 50 grams of soda, 5 grams of laundry soap in ten liters of water, sprinkled plants every 5-7 days.
  2. Ascochitis. Gray spots appear on the edges of the leaves. The fruits of infected cucumbers turn black or covered with a network of black dots. Cure Bordeaux 1% liquid, copper sulfate will help. Preventive measures include proper care, avoidance of temperature fluctuations and cold water irrigation, annual soil cultivation - steaming and fumigation.
  3. Anthracnose. This is one of the most common reasons why cucumber leaves turn yellow outdoors. On the leaves are formed round spots of a yellowish brown color. At high humidity on the spots, pink pads can form - this is how the fungus manifests itself. The disease is treated by the same means as the above-described diseases.
  4. Bacteriosis, or angular spotting. On the leaves between veins appear angular spots, at first simply oily, and then they acquire a light brown color. On the back of the leaf on the spots you can see droplets of liquid, turbid from the accumulation of bacteria. During rain or watering under pressure, this liquid can scatter throughout the bed, hitting the rest of the healthy bushes. Treatment of the disease consists in proper care and removal of affected leaves, then you can use the solutions described above.
  5. Gray rot. The disease manifests itself during active fruiting - on leaves, flowers and cucumbers appears a gray coating, often manifested in densely planted beds due to the difficulty of development in cramped conditions. The rot is treated by removing the affected leaves, fruits, and sometimes the whole bush. At the removal site, a mixture of potassium permanganate and chalk should be applied.