Containing many vitamins and a juicy cucumber came to us from the tropics, for this reason, planting cucumbers in a polycarbonate greenhouse should take into account the characteristics of this vine.
It is important to choose suitable seeds, varieties that can grow in protected buildings, get strong and healthy seedlings and create optimal conditions for plants.
As a result, you can get a decent harvest in the greenhouse.
Attention! It is important to correctly determine the time when the seedlings will be ready to plant in the greenhouse. Strange as it may seem, it’s easy to find out, examine the plants — 5-6 leaves should form on them completely (cotyledons are not counted), 1-2 antennae should grow, the plant should have a thick stem without signs of illness and a bunch of intact roots (damage to the root system can ruin cucumber seedlings).
Preparing a greenhouse for cucumbers
According to experienced gardeners, it is in the polycarbonate greenhouse that you can get a rich harvest of fruits. The question is, why is this happening?
Firstly, in such a building it is easier to create a suitable microclimate for the vine - there are no cracks in the structure, the rays of the summer sun do not burn the vegetative mass and it is easier to organize proper ventilation.
Secondly, there is no need to remove the cover of the greenhouse for the winter, for this reason in the spring you can start the necessary work earlier and make them faster. As a natural result, thermophilic plants are planted earlier on beds. Of course, you need to thoroughly prepare the greenhouse for planting seedlings. Like a plant coming from the tropics, a cucumber is very sensitive to various pests and diseases. His genetic code does not have the necessary protection against our diseases.
If cucumbers already grew in the greenhouse, and during the season they were sick, then it is necessary to completely replace the soil, and the greenhouse - treat with bleach solution - dissolve 400 g of lime in 1 bucket of water, then just whitewash the structural elements of the structure, carefully treat the building frame.
Preparation of beds for cucumbers in greenhouses
After this, you need to check the acidity of the soil - it should not exceed 6.5 units. If the indicator is greater, then lime must be added. Cucumbers do not respond well to high acidity, such a soil is favorable for many harmful microorganisms and bacteria.
Before planting seedlings, it is necessary to prepare the beds. For this reason, compost or fresh manure is better in the spring. Optimal - add 10-15 kg per 1 m2.
They feed the soil per 1 m2:
• Wood ash 2 tbsp;
• Superphosphate 2 tsp;
• Special composition for cucumbers or a mixture of "Eco" 2 kg.
Try to sprinkle the mixture evenly, after which the rake mixes the soil to a depth of half a bayonet shovel. Pour the garden bed with the Energen stimulator, dissolving the capsule in a bucket of warm water (temperature about 50 degrees), mix and water the soil, 2-3 liters per 1 m2. So you saturate the soil with humus, increasing fertility.
Landing pattern
Traditionally, in a greenhouse, cucumbers are planted in a polycarbonate greenhouse on beds 100 cm wide, with paths 50 cm leaving a space of 40 cm between the plants in the row. You can plant seedlings and pre-prepared seeds on the beds. When planting seedlings, you can be sure that you have healthy and strong planting material, and when sowing seeds you will not need to injure plants with delicate roots.
But first you need to grow seedlings, for this:
1. Pre-prepared soil mixture (or sand with peat) is scattered in plastic cups;
2. Water them with very hot water - as a result harmful microorganisms will be destroyed;
3. When the soil becomes warm, dry seeds are pressed 1-2 cm directly into the creamy mixture and cover the cups with cling film;
4. In the morning, you will already be able to notice the first seedlings.
Before planting seedlings, water the beds and prepare the planting holes. They need to be staggered after 50-60 cm. So you can give each plant the necessary amount of light. Pour them after planting with a solution of "Effekton-O", dissolving 3 tbsp. composition in a bucket of water at a temperature of 30 degrees, pouring 1 liter of liquid per well. Do not forget that the soil in the greenhouse, like air, has its own temperature regime, when planting seedlings, the soil should be no colder than 18 degrees.
Cucumbers are planted in a polycarbonate greenhouse by placing seedlings strictly vertically. Sprinkle too long seedlings after planting with a mixture of sawdust and peat 1: 1 - to the cotyledons.
Plant the plants on the beds carefully - you can not tilt or fall asleep the stem, otherwise the seedling may die. Watering is necessary so as to soak 15-20 cm of soil (root zone). Note that in fruiting plants, the roots are located at a depth of 18-20 cm.
Many beginner gardeners are interested in whether to plant a plant stem or not? First of all, you need to figure out what this operation will give. Covering the soil with the stem of the plant, you provoke the formation of additional roots, and the appearance of side shoots. For regions with a long growing season, this is a suitable technique, a more powerful root and more vegetative mass in good light will bring more fruits. But for the northern regions and the middle strip, it is undesirable to dig up the stem, otherwise the plant will spend strength on the growth of greenery and root processes.
The formation of a bush of cucumbers in a greenhouse
The cucumber growing in the greenhouse must be formed into one shoot. After a week, the plants are tied to supports, gradually each internode of the growing lashes is wrapped with twine. After the stem reaches the top of the trellis, pinch the top of the shoot. On the lower sinuses, all inflorescences are removed, and the lateral rudiments of the lashes are torn off. The lower ovaries grow very slowly, they slow down the growth of the bush, taking away food from other parts of the plant. The next 4-6 shoots forming at the bottom of the bush pincer (pinch the growth point) above the first leaf, you can leave 1-2 ovaries on these lashes. Shoots in the middle of the stem are pinched over the second leaf.
Important points
Note - if the planted seedlings on the second day the edges of the leaves turn white, then there may be 2 reasons - low temperature or illness.
In the first case, if the temperature of the soil turned out to be low, the roots of the plant begin to rot, as a result white spots appear on the leaves. In this case, pour the soil with warm water with potassium permanganate dissolved in it. It is advisable to warm the air in the greenhouse, though this will not help much - you need to heat the soil, and then raise the temperature in the greenhouse.
When the disease appears, it is better to remove the plants immediately, from them the infection can get to other bushes in the greenhouse. In spring or fall, be sure to disinfect the entire structure. This trouble can occur if the planting of cucumbers in a polycarbonate greenhouse was made not by their plants, but purchased on the market.
That's all the main points that a novice gardener may encounter. And then - regular care for the cucumber bushes and the daily harvest of a rich harvest!
