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Winter sang blizzard songs and cowered in a worn sheepskin coat under the high sun. It's time to think about what cups to buy for planting seedlings for cucumbers.
Avoiding transfers during pick-ups
Cucumber seedlings are tender. Transplants and picking retard the growth of cucumber seedlings due to injuries to the root system. But the seedling method helps to get the first cucumbers in 1–2 weeks. The solution is obvious: sow in a large container and do not disturb until planting on the site.
Disadvantages:
- For a month, plants take up as much space as seedlings before planting;
Pros:
- Germinated seeds produce 100% germination;
- The soil for planting seedlings is scalded with boiling water, no one will encroach on the tender roots;
- Weak plants are rejected on the day of planting;
- There are about five spare plants left for emergencies.
Peat cups
Peat cups began to be produced in the 80s of the last century. The idea is good: the roots will be kept intact, the fertilizer will be nearby during growth. Peat pots do not collapse when wet and retain their shape until planting. Manufacturers claim that antiseptic treatment against insemination has been carried out weeds and pests. And that the composition is chemically harmless.
There is always not enough space for seedlings of cucumbers. If you purchase sets of different-sized cups, then gradually transplanting into a larger pot will partially help you find a place on the windowsill before transferring it to the balcony for hardening off the seedlings. The purchase costs will increase, but the fight for the sun from the window is worth it. The final size of the cup for 30-day cultivation is Ø 11 cm.
Gardeners complain that peat cups are being replaced with recycled cardboard products. The differences are difficult to determine by eye.
Manifestations of falsification:
- Depression of cucumber seedlings;
- Inability to penetrate roots after planting;
- The remains of the cups do not decompose in the ground.
Difficulties arise with maintaining the humidity regime. The walls of the glass are added to the area of evaporation, the soil dries out, and excess moisture leads to the appearance of mold. The optimal solution is to add soil, sawdust or other filler around the conical cups to prevent evaporation. Problems with soil drying out will disappear.
Even in a permeable peat pot, it is advisable to perforate the bottom. When replanting into a larger cup or into soil, it is recommended to cut off the bottom, cut the side walls to their full length in 4 places, or remove them if the quality of the pot material is in doubt.
Favorable conditions for the early development of cucumber seedlings in peat cups are created in mini-greenhouse cassettes: the humidity regime is constant, controlled by the amount of evaporation on a transparent cap. Cool air does not cool the sprouts. In addition to the pots, you will have to take care of the substrate.
Peat tablets - ready-made substrate for seedlings
The ease of use of peat tablets has already been appreciated by gardeners who grow cucumber seedlings on their own.A fivefold increase in the volume of the substrate creates ideal conditions for seed growth:
- Air permeability due to the porous structure of peat;
- The roots grow in a loose environment;
- Low probability of drying out the root system;
- The substrate serves as fertilizer until the end of the plant’s growing season;
- Planting in a greenhouse occurs with an intact root system.
Peat tablets – a ready-made nutrient substrate for growing cucumber seedlings in a plastic cup or pot with a volume of 0.7–0.9 liters. The tablet is designed for 20–30 days of autonomous growth. High-moor peat is enriched with microelements and a growth stimulator. The compact peat disk swells after watering for 15 minutes. The mesh on top of the peat tablet keeps the shape of the substrate unchanged.
Peat tablets measuring 8x3 cm are optimal for growing cucumbers. The hole at the top is for planting the seed.
The germination percentage of ungerminated seeds in a peat tablet is higher than in soil. Seed germination is accelerated due to aeration of the substrate. Controlling the moisture regime of peat is easier than that of conventional soil. Growing cucumber seedlings in deep trays with peat soil tablets or sawdust around them creates the best conditions for cucumbers.
Method of growing cucumber seedlings on peat tablets
The rave reviews about peat tablets are justified. Plants during germination and during the growing season develop dynamically on a natural substrate. The peat ball serves as a top dressing for the root system of cucumbers even after planting in open ground.
When growing a large number of cucumber seedlings, it is convenient to use special plastic cassette trays. Peat tablets are placed in cells and filled with warm water. Excess water is removed.One germinated cucumber seed is placed into the tablet holes and sprinkled with soil. Dry seeds are planted in pairs, the weak seedling is subsequently removed so that the plants do not oppress each other.
The tray is covered with a transparent cap to create a greenhouse microclimate. When cucumbers emerge, the trays are exposed to light and the seedlings are regularly ventilated. When the plants get stronger and their leaves reach the lid, the cap is removed. Watering cucumber seedlings after this it is carried out regularly.
Planting cucumbers in peat tablets:
How are cucumbers doing in peat tablets?
Plastic containers for cucumber seedlings
Plastic containers for cucumber seedlings with peat-based soil have been used for many years. It is preferable to purchase multi-place containers with rectangular cells that have conical tapers towards the base. Inconveniences are created when using more than two cells in width:
- Cucumber seedlings on inner cells will receive less light;
- Before planting in the ground, crowded cucumbers will interfere with the growth of neighbors;
- There will be inconvenience when removing plants from the container;
- The transportation and off-season storage of narrow containers is simplified.
Using mineral wool cubes
A promising method of growing cucumber seedlings on an artificial substrate using the hydroponics using drip watering of plants. Chemically inert mineral wool with zero toxicity is used as a substrate. The choice of substrate material is determined by the following properties of mineral wool:
- There is no chemical interaction between the nutrient solution and the substrate due to the chemical neutrality and sterility of the material;
- The stability of the shape and volume of the material allows the use of mineral wool cubes for several years. The root system is released from the substrate without injury;
- Availability of control over the development of the root system;
- Uniformity of germination and growth of cucumber seedlings;
- Affordability of low-volume hydroponics.
The impossibility of infecting the substrate with soil pathogens and the knowledge of the chemically inert material make mineral wool an ideal substrate for low-volume hydroponics in obtaining consistently high yields of cucumbers in summer cottages and farms.
The hygroscopicity of mineral wool allows you to get by with a small volume of substrate and solution (no more than 3.5–4 liters per plant). Low-power drip irrigation installations are able to provide the required amount of nutrient solution for both seedlings and fruit-bearing cucumber plantations, using chemically neutral mineral wool when forcing seedlings and cultivating them in a greenhouse.
For the root system of cucumber seedlings and fruit-bearing plants, the development and nutrition conditions in the artificial substrate are optimal. It is important not to make a mistake in choosing the manufacturer of the nutrient solution. The early maturity and vitality of cucumber seedlings are completely dependent on the strategy of watering and development of the root system.
Rooting cucumber seedlings grown on an artificial substrate into the ground is quite painless. The root system of cucumber seedlings develops actively if work has been done in the greenhouse to create an optimal microclimate, the soil is prepared for drip irrigation, and is fertilized with air permeability.
Cups for seedlings made from scrap material
Traditionally, our gardeners accumulate food packaging during the winter, which are used as cups for seedlings.Container containers are quite acceptable for forcing cucumber seedlings: the materials are chemically neutral, do not decompose, and have a safety margin.
The prevailing advantage of such cups for seedlings is their zero cost. Stability and volume come in second place. Laminated rectangular bags of dairy products are convenient. Gardeners are attracted by stability, the absence of border voids, as is the case with round cups, and the ability to fill with a large volume of soil.
It should not be overlooked that in a small volume of soil, cucumber seedlings are inhibited in development before planting. The root system of such plants is not sufficiently developed and the first time after planting in the ground, the seedlings will not receive enough nutrients through the roots. The plant's vegetation will slow down until the roots grow.
It is possible to replace laminated milk bags for growing cucumbers with the help of plastic bags with a volume of up to 1 liter. The corners of the bag are connected in the center of the bottom with a paper clip or tape. This ensures the formation of an almost regular rectangle after filling with soil.
Ideas for making degradable cups yourself from newspapers and other printed paper products are time-consuming and have little prospects. In addition to the accumulation of lead in the soil and plants, we end up with moldy containers that can fall apart after excessive watering.
Cups for seedlings made of polyethylene tapes:
Brief summary
There are so many gardeners with so many opinions about the convenience of cups for growing certain types of cucumbers. The shape of the cups and the material are secondary.Ease of maintenance, how much space it takes up on the windowsill, internal volume and quality of the substrate - these are the criteria that determine the gardener’s choice.
The cucumber harvest is placed in cups on the windowsill. Mistakes and successes will appear within a week after planting the plants in the ground. We listen carefully to the advice of experts. And we do it as our own experience of growing cucumbers suggests.
