Cucumber care in the greenhouse - it’s a troublesome business, but an interesting one. Such crops are beneficial for everyone. And it is not always possible to grow this crop in open ground. It is somewhat easier to do this in a greenhouse, and even from a smaller area it will be possible to harvest a large amount of crop if you do everything correctly.
Soil preparation
Before considering how to care for cucumbers in a greenhouse, it is necessary to dwell in more detail on the features of preparing a greenhouse for growing these crops. The main condition for successfully growing this vegetable in a greenhouse is good soil. So, if any plants have already been planted in the greenhouse before, then the top layer of soil should be replaced with a new one in order to avoid the development of diseases.
It is best to use soil for greenhouse cucumbers that contains humus, manure, peat and turf soil in equal parts. Optimal acidity should be approximately 5-6. If it is higher, then you should definitely lower it with lime. It is also advisable to disinfect the soil if the greenhouse is small. To do this, it is poured with boiling water.
To prevent cucumbers from getting fungal diseases, you should add wood ash to the soil immediately before planting. The greater the quantity, the better.You can also sprinkle some mineral fertilizers on the soil in advance. This way, the plants will develop faster.
Watering and fertilizing
To know how to properly care for cucumber seedlings in a greenhouse, you need to clearly understand what kind of watering the plants need. Everyone knows that a cucumber is 90% water. But this does not mean that it can be filled. This plant, like all others, can begin to rot from excess moisture.
At an early stage, while the plants are still small, they need to be watered once every 2-3 days. This will be sufficient while maintaining normal levels of humidity and temperature in the greenhouse. But during the fruiting period, watering will need to be more frequent. Cucumbers will require water every day. And in this case it is important not to overdo it.
For watering, use slightly warm water, but not cold. It is important that there is no strong temperature difference between the water and air in the greenhouse. It is best to heat the water in advance under the sun's rays. If this is a greenhouse in a house, then the water should be at room temperature. Under no circumstances use boiled water to water cucumbers!
Experts recommend watering not only the soil, but also the above-ground parts of plants. If this is not possible, then you should spray the plants with a spray bottle at least once every 3 days. This should only be done when the cucumbers are not exposed to direct sunlight. Ideally, to water cucumber seedlings in a greenhouse, you should use watering cans with special attachments that allow you to create a rain effect for the plants.
Fertilizing also plays an important role in caring for greenhouse cucumbers. The soil in a greenhouse is depleted much faster than in open ground.Therefore, in this case, feeding is needed more frequently for good development and abundant fruiting.
It is often not possible to constantly provide sufficient lighting in the greenhouse. Then the seedlings need to be sprayed with nutrients. It is best to use boron, manganese, copper or magnesium for such feeding. But it is not recommended to do this during the fruiting phase to avoid contact of the listed substances with the fruit.
If the cucumbers in the greenhouse are provided with optimal conditions, then it is quite enough to get by with ordinary root fertilizing. Superphosphate is good for this purpose, potassium sulfate and urea. You can even make a mixture. You need to pour 15 g of urea, 20 g of superphosphate and about 15 g of potassium sulfate into a bucket of water, mix everything thoroughly. This amount of fertilizer is enough for about 3-4 m2 plantings.
Temperature and humidity
Almost all experts know how to properly grow cucumbers in a greenhouse. In order for cucumbers to bear fruit well and not get sick, optimal air and soil temperatures should be maintained. So, before the fruiting period, the air temperature should be approximately 17-20°C, depending on whether it is daytime or nighttime. When the plants begin to bear fruit, the temperature should be increased to 24-25°C.
In the temperature regime of greenhouse cucumbers, much depends on the plant variety. The fact is that there are plants that need higher or, conversely, lower temperatures. Therefore, it is important to take all this into account.
The temperature of the soil and air should be approximately the same. Otherwise, fungal diseases attack the seedlings very quickly.To maintain the temperature at the same level, good humidity in the greenhouse should be ensured. The optimal level is 80%. But during the fruiting period there should be more moisture, so it is recommended to increase the humidity to 90%. This can be easily achieved if the plants are sprayed more often and small containers of water are placed in the greenhouse.
Useful tips
To properly care for greenhouse cucumbers, you should also follow a few simple rules.
Following these recommendations will help protect seedlings as much as possible from diseases and in the future get a bountiful harvest of cucumbers:
- It is better to grow cucumbers in a greenhouse on trellises. This way, you will not only save space, but also make it easier for you to harvest in the future. And the plants will feel better, since their above-ground parts will be in less contact with the ground.
- When the cucumbers grow large and begin to bear fruit, you need to make sure that the lower leaves do not take away moisture and nutrients. Experts advise periodically plucking off the lower and yellowed leaves. Of course, the plants may not look entirely aesthetically pleasing, but there will be more fruit.
- Be sure to take into account the individual characteristics of varieties when growing in greenhouses. This applies to both small indoor greenhouses and large greenhouses that are built on summer cottages. Each variety may have some special requirements that will be completely unimportant for other varieties.
- You should periodically check that the walls of the greenhouse located on your summer cottage do not have holes or cracks. This will protect the seedlings from drafts and pests, and will help maintain optimal humidity and temperature conditions.But at the same time, it is important that the greenhouse has windows, which are needed to allow fresh air to enter when it is needed.
- Try not to spray cucumbers with pesticides, especially during the fruiting period. Of course, this will protect against pests, but it will have a very bad effect on the quality of the crop. If you want to grow organic food, it is best to use harmless methods of pest control, although not as effective.
So, it’s now clear how to care for cucumbers in a greenhouse. This is not a very demanding crop, so it will grow even if care is insufficient. But following the recommendations described above will make it easier to care for cucumbers in the greenhouse, help the plants develop well and produce a constant harvest. The long-term practice of gardeners once again confirms that growing cucumbers in a greenhouse method can give a good harvest.
