Content
For full development, cucumbers require a supply of nutrients. Foliar feeding cucumbers allows you to provide them with minerals, protect them from diseases and pests. Treatment is carried out by spraying the stems, leaves and inflorescences of cucumbers. Feeding should be done regularly throughout the entire life cycle of the plants. Such measures have a positive impact on cucumber growth and promote their fruiting.
Rules for foliar feeding
To get the maximum effect from foliar feeding, you need to follow a number of rules:
- When sprouts form, concentrated fertilizers will not have a beneficial effect on cucumbers. When there is an excess of nutrients, the leaves turn yellow and the inflorescences fall off. Therefore, weak solutions are used first. Over time, their concentration gradually increases.
- Cucumbers should be sprayed in the morning or evening, when there is no sunlight. When exposed to the sun, certain substances cause burns on cucumber leaves.Another condition is the absence of rain and wind, which is especially important for plants growing in open space.
- It can be difficult to determine by the appearance of cucumbers what nutrients they lack. Therefore, it is better to use solutions on several plants. If their condition has improved, then they begin to process the remaining cucumbers. Another option is treatment with complex fertilizer.
- Spraying is more often used for preventive purposes. Processing must be carried out in cold weather, when the root system of cucumbers cannot fully function.
- Organic fertilizers are not used in hot weather.
- Foliar treatment is carried out in the morning or evening, always in cloudy weather.
Foliar processing of cucumbers is distinguished by its efficiency. All beneficial substances are stored on the leaves of plants for several days. At different stages of development, cucumbers require certain microelements. Active growth is possible due to nitrogen, and during fruit formation it is required potassium.
Time spending
Foliar feeding of cucumbers is carried out at each stage of cucumber development:
- before flowering begins;
- before fruiting;
- during the harvest to extend his term.
At the same time, the leaves of the plants turn yellow, the shape of the fruits changes, and the inflorescences fall off. Then fertilizing will become a mandatory measure to support cucumbers.
Feeding methods
Foliar feeding cucumbers in a greenhouse involves the use of special solutions containing water and minerals.Spraying is done using a special watering can or spray bottle with a fine nozzle. In open ground, processing is carried out in the absence of rain and wind.
Use of urea
Urea is a common fertilizer that comes in granular form. This substance serves as a source of nitrogen for cucumbers, which is necessary for the full growth and development of plants. This is a universal fertilizer that dissolves well in water.
First fertilizing with urea performed during the growing season. First, cucumber seedlings transferred from in open ground or a greenhouse. The next feeding is done before fruit formation.
Urea should be stored in a dry place where exposure to moisture is excluded. How much substance to spray depends on the type of crop being treated.
When leaves are treated with urea, cucumbers receive nitrogen, which is quickly absorbed and promotes the appearance of new shoots. Urea is used to control pests. An additional effect of its use will be the protection of cucumbers from weevils and aphids.
Boric acid
Due to boric acid you can get a good harvest and protect cucumbers from diseases. After spraying with this substance, the plant is saturated with oxygen, and the fruits are saturated with calcium. As a result, the taste of cucumbers improves.
Treating seeds with boric acid increases their germination, normalizes metabolic processes, and strengthens the immunity of seedlings.
It is not recommended to constantly use boric acid. The second feeding is done during the formation of the ovary. To attract pollinating insects, honey or sugar is added to the solution. Boric acid is necessary for the following unfavorable symptoms:
- there are yellow spots on the leaves;
- a small number of ovaries were formed;
- the fruits fall.
The substance dissolves only in warm water. Therefore, first the solution is made in a small volume of water, then cool water is added for spraying.
Various products are produced based on boric acid. For foliar feeding of cucumbers, the drug “Mag-Bor” is suitable. One package is diluted in water, and then the stems and leaves of cucumbers are sprayed.
Calcium nitrate
Calcium nitrate refers to alkaline fertilizers, highly soluble in water. The substance contains calcium, which is quickly absorbed by cucumbers. Calcium nitrate is effective even under unfavorable conditions: cold weather, high humidity, lack of precipitation. The use of the substance has the following effects on cucumbers:
- cell walls and membranes are formed;
- metabolism and enzyme activity are activated;
- the resistance of cucumbers to stress factors increases;
- the plant acquires immunity to diseases;
- the storage time of fruits increases;
- the yield, appearance and taste of cucumbers increases.
To saturate cucumbers with calcium, prepare a solution containing 1 liter of water and 2 g of calcium nitrate. The first spraying is carried out after the third leaf appears on the seedling. The procedure is repeated every 10 days until fruiting begins. Calcium saltpeter protects cucumbers from diseases, ticks and slugs. After treatment, the effect lasts quite a long time, and the plants acquire additional immunity to pathogenic bacteria.
Spraying with iodine
During the flowering stage, cucumbers are especially susceptible to diseases. To prevent them, cucumbers are sprayed with a solution containing iodine. The procedure begins after the third and quarter leaves of the cucumbers appear. The solution is prepared by mixing 30 drops of iodine, 1 liter of milk and 10 liters of water. Additionally, soap is added to it so that the liquid remains on the leaves longer.
Due to iodine, pathogenic bacteria that cause the development of root rot, powdery mildew and other diseases are destroyed. Milk forms a film on the surface of the leaf that protects against pests.
If signs of the disease have already appeared, then a more concentrated solution is required. To obtain it, iodine and water are required in a ratio of 1:2. The solution is sprayed on the stems and leaves of cucumbers. Affected parts of plants must be removed and burned to avoid the spread of the disease.
Complex feeding
Cucumbers benefit from complex feedings that include several types of nutrients. This requires two types of solutions consisting of macro- and microelements. A solution of macroelements is prepared in 10 liters of water and contains:
- urea – 20 g;
- superphosphate – 10 g;
- potassium sulfate – 7 g.
Microelements are diluted in 10 ml of water:
- ammonium – 0.01 g;
- copper sulfate – 0.008 g;
- magnesium sulfate – 0.18 g;
- boric acid – 0.2 g.
For 10 liters of solution with macroelements, 10 ml of liquid containing microelements is required. Per square meter of beds with cucumbers, 300 ml of ready-made solution is required.
Traditional methods
Traditional methods of feeding cucumbers are no less effective than using chemical components. Such products contain safe substances that are affordable and available in stores.
Yeast solution
Yeast contains carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. When they are dissolved in water, compounds are formed that have a positive effect on the growth of cucumbers.
Yeast fungus is characterized by increased resistance. It remains viable under mechanical stress, high and low temperatures. However, the fungus cannot withstand the aggressive effects of other microorganisms.
First, prepare a solution containing fresh yeast and warm water in a ratio of 1:5. To spray the cucumbers, add another 5 parts of water. Another solution option is to use dry yeast. First, 3 liters of water are heated to a temperature of up to 38 degrees, to which 10 tablespoons are added. sugar and 10 g of yeast.
After mixing the components, the solution is left for 5-10 hours. The mixture must be stirred periodically. To prepare the yeast solution, it is best to choose the morning time and fertilize it in the evening.
The final solution contains 3 liters of starter and 7 liters of water. You can use the product every week. 1 liter of solution is enough for one plant. Yeast feeding is used both for spraying and watering cucumbers.After spraying cucumbers yeast feeding after a few days, the leaves turn bright green and more inflorescences form.
Bread infusion
An alternative to the yeast remedy is bread infusion. Part of bread also includes yeast, which has beneficial effects on plants. To process cucumbers, take a loaf of bread, which is infused in a bucket of water. After a day, you need to knead the bread and add 10 ml of iodine. 1 liter of bread infusion is diluted with 10 liters of water. The resulting product is used to spray cucumbers every 5 days.
Ash treatment
Ash serves as a universal fertilizer for cucumbers, which is applied to the soil and used for spraying. Ash is formed after complete combustion of organic substances. For spraying, a substance obtained after burning wood or plant residues is suitable. If the ash contains residues of plastic or debris, then it is not used for fertilizer. Ash contains useful components necessary for the growth of cucumbers: calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus.
The product is infused for a week, after which it is sprayed on cucumbers. To make the solution stay on the foliage longer, add 50 g of soap to it. Processing is performed every 10 days.
Foliar feeding of cucumbers with a solution containing ash protects plants from aphids and other harmful insects. Ash is also used for preventive purposes to protect cucumbers from powdery mildew.
Onion peel infusion
Onion peels have a complex effect on cucumbers, which receive the necessary nutrition and protection from harmful bacteria.Onion peels contain a complex of useful substances: vitamins, phytoncides, antioxidants, organic acids, potassium, manganese, iron, phosphorus. The husk stimulates the development of cucumbers and enhances their immune properties.
To prepare onion dressing, you need 20 g of onion peel and 5 liters of warm water. The infusion is left for 4 days, after which it is filtered. The resulting husk is used to mulch the soil.
Onion solution is indispensable in the fight against aphids, spider mites, and diseases of cucumbers. If signs indicating the presence of diseases or pests appear, treatment is carried out every 5 days.
"Herb tea"
The so-called herbal tea for spraying cucumbers is prepared based on any weed (nettle, woodlice, sow thistle). The stems and leaves of the plants are crushed and then filled with 10 liters of water. A week later he receives the finished fertilizer. “Herbal tea” is used for watering or spraying cucumbers. With its help, cucumbers are saturated with nitrogen.
An infusion of broken hay is prepared within 2 days. It is sprayed on cucumbers at the fruiting stage to extend the life of the plants. An additional effect of the infusion is protection against powdery mildew and other diseases.
Conclusion
Foliar feeding supplies cucumbers with nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium and other microelements. To obtain solutions, mineral substances are used, which are diluted with water. Spraying is necessary at every stage of cucumber development. Folk remedies for spraying are no less popular among gardeners.They do not require large expenses and at the same time provide cucumbers with additional nutrition.
