Content
The idea of using disposable self-disintegrating containers for seedlings of cucumbers and other garden plants with a long growing season has been in the air for a long time, and was realized 35–40 years ago. Seedlings develop in peat pots under conditions of increased aeration of the root system. Peat tablets appeared on the market later, but are no less known.
Advantages of growing seedlings in peat pots
The seedling method of growing cucumbers for the gardener brings the date of receiving the first fruits closer by at least 2 weeks. Young plants tolerate transplantation painfully, so seedlings are grown in peat pots, and peat tablets are the only possible way to transfer a plant with a lump of earth into open ground without disturbing the underdeveloped roots.
To make peat pots, high-moor peat is reinforced with ground recycled cardboard in a ratio of 70% natural component, 30% auxiliary. An increase in the proportion of cardboard leads to stronger and cheaper production, but cucumber seedlings with overgrown roots are not able to break through the dense cardboard walls.
Why do gardeners choose cucumber seedlings for forcing?
- Air permeability of peat - the soil is aerated from the walls as well;
- Peat is a natural mineral fertilizer;
- Stability of cone pots;
- An abundance of standard sizes, making it easier to select cassettes for a mini-greenhouse;
- Plants are planted in the ground in a pot.
Seed preparation
Concerns about the new harvest of next year begin in the summer: lovers of their own seeds select large cucumber fruits without visible flaws from vines that are faster in growth and development for growing seed plants. Preparing your own seed material is justified: it becomes possible to select large seeds that will produce strong, viable seedlings. Engage in breeding work, improve the quality of the variety and productivity.
Hybrid varieties of cucumbers with the letter F1 are not capable of producing full-fledged seeds with full preservation of the properties of the variety. Every year you will have to buy seeds with a reserve - rejecting small seeds is justified. Seedlings that are lagging behind in development will produce weak plants that are unable to bear a bountiful harvest.
Long before the onset planting cucumber seedlings The seed material is calibrated by size. Saturated saline solution is an unmistakable indicator for checking the density of the semen. The floating seeds are mercilessly rejected. Seeds must be checked for germination. Seeds of each variety are selected and germinated. Based on the test results, a conclusion is made about the suitability of the batch for planting. Seeds with a germination rate of less than 90% are not viable and will fail.
Soil preparation
Ready-made soil mixtures do not tempt the sophisticated gardener.The peat-based substrate does not compact, is breathable, can feed seedlings, but is poor in minerals. A mixture of several components with the obligatory addition of mature humus from your own plot will allow you to get strong cucumber seedlings.
The components are mixed and subject to disinfection. Pathogenic microflora, larvae and ovipositors of insects that can eat roots are destroyed by pouring boiling water or roasting in the oven. Cool the substrate, ready to accept the seeds, moisten it and fill the peat pots.
Peat mixtures are characterized by an acidic environment, and cucumber seedlings prefer a neutral or slightly alkaline soil reaction. Adding crushed chalk or lime will correct the situation. Watering with hard water is possible: add a pinch of chalk to the water that is settled for irrigation.
Soil for cucumber seedlings:
Planting seeds for seedlings
The timing of sowing seeds in peat pots is determined by the feasibility of protecting plants on the site during daily temperature changes and cold snaps. A stationary greenhouse or a reliable greenhouse allows you to sow seeds for forcing seedlings in early April, so that a month later hardened cucumber seedlings will grow in protected soil.
Disinfection of cucumber seeds is traditionally carried out using manganese acid potassium. Dissolve 2 g of potassium permanganate in 200 g of warm water. Each batch of seeds is kept in the solution for 20–30 minutes. After this procedure, the seeds are rinsed in running water.
In a damp cloth or paper napkins, we germinate cucumber seeds on saucers. A vessel with water is placed nearby. A feeding wick is placed in each saucer so that the seeds do not dry out and become under a layer of water.Seeds that do not sprout within 3 days are removed.
Forcing cucumber seedlings in a mini-greenhouse
A dilemma arises: cucumber seedlings are painful to transplant, so it is advisable to plant the sprouted seeds in a permanent place in peat pots with a volume of 0.7–0.9 liters, where they will develop branched roots during a month of growth in uncrowded conditions.
Practice has shown that a mini-greenhouse with cassette rectangular peat pots creates acceptable conditions for the development of cucumber seedlings and significantly saves space. Through the glassy plastic lid it is convenient to control the growth and moisture of the plantings.
The final transplantation into pots of a size suitable for the development of roots occurs painlessly due to the preservation of the integrity of the earth ball on the roots.
A 1 cm high drainage of washed river sand or expanded clay is placed at the bottom of the mini-greenhouse container to prevent the substrate from becoming waterlogged. The bottoms of the peat pots are perforated. The pots are filled 2/3 full with soil. The sprouted seeds are placed in holes 1.5 cm deep, the substrate is slightly compacted. Lighting is not required before germination. Recommended room temperature is 20–25 degrees.
The appearance of the first shoots signals that it is time to allocate space on the windowsill. In cloudy weather and on northern windows, additional lighting is required so that cucumber seedlings do not stretch. A mini-greenhouse, grown seedlings in peat pots are turned 180 degrees every day.
Drip watering is desirable; cucumber seedlings are loosened with caution every 2–3 days. As the plants grow, precipitation and soil compaction occur, the substrate is added until the pot is filled.After unfolding the leaves, the cover of the mini-greenhouse is removed, and the plants are hardened at room temperature.
Transplanting into larger pots
Transplanting cucumber seedlings into spacious pots is not technically difficult, but the weakness of the roots and the content of cardboard in the walls of peat pots require the following manipulations:
- The bottom of the smaller pot is cut off;
- The side walls are cut in height from edge to edge.
Due to the breathing structure of peat, evaporation occurs not only from the surface of the substrate. And moisture evaporates from the walls of the pots, which leads to drying out of the soil. Excessive watering of plants causes the opposite effect - the walls of the pot become moldy. Experienced gardeners fill the voids around peat containers with a neutral, non-moisture-intensive substrate. Sawdust and soil residues are suitable materials that will be useful for improving the soil on a cucumber ridge.
The final transplantation of cucumber seedlings into a greenhouse or open ground follows the same scheme with cutting the walls and removing the bottom. It is impossible to determine the composition ratio of a mixture of peat and cardboard by eye, and risking the development and growth of plant roots is excessive arrogance.
Cucumber seedlings, planting in a greenhouse:
Peat tablets
Peat tablets are used for growing most types of vegetables through seedlings. A disk of pressed peat 8–10 mm thick and 27–70 mm in diameter with a recess for seeds increases in volume 5–7 times, swelling when wet. The volume grows vertically; the mesh holds it in the horizontal direction.
Peat tablets are adapted for forcing seedlings of various crops.The gardener selects the acidity of the substrate, ranging from acidic to slightly alkaline. Conclusion: the substrate is suitable for growing cucumber seedlings. Impregnation of peat tablets by the manufacturer with a balanced composition of complex fertilizers increases the value of the substrate.
In mini-greenhouses, cucumber seedlings are grown in small volume peat tablets and then transplanted into a spacious pot with prepared soil. In the uniform, breathable structure of the tablet, plant roots grow freely.
Transplanting cucumber seedlings into the ground is non-traumatic for the roots: the mesh reliably holds the lump of substrate. It is worth considering purchasing peat tablets. Such comfortable conditions for root development cannot be achieved in other soil.
Planting cucumbers in peat tablets:
Conclusion
Plastic pots and containers are strong and durable. But environmentally friendly materials based on high-moor peat for growing cucumber seedlings are in ever-increasing demand among gardeners. The reason is known.
