How to properly transplant cucumbers to another place and is it possible

There is an opinion among summer residents that replanting cucumbers is a waste of time, since the plants will die or the cucumbers will take a long time to adapt to the new place. It's a delusion. Let's look at how to transplant your cucumbers to another place so that the procedure is successful.

Timing for transplanting cucumbers and soil

These two parameters - the period of transplanting cucumbers and the degree of readiness of the soil - are interconnected, and the success of changing locations largely depends on them. It is necessary to take into account the age of cucumber seedlings.By the time cucumbers are planted in open ground, at least 20 days must have passed from the emergence of seedlings, and the optimal age for seedlings is 25 days.

By adding five days for seed pecking, we get the time before transshipment of cucumber seedlings to a new location:

• to the greenhouse;
• in open ground;
• under temporary shelter.

The soil on the future ridge for cucumbers in open ground should mature - warm up to a temperature of 15 °C. You need to measure the temperature in the morning, and not on the surface of the soil, but at a depth of 15 - 20 cm - where the roots of the young plant will be located. There are special thermometers for soil on sale.

The roots of cucumbers planted in cold soil do not absorb nutrients in the required volume, the plant stops growing and lags behind in development. The immune system is weakened, and the likelihood of disease in cucumber seedlings increases.

Possible diseases of cucumbers in open ground:

• ascochyta;
• bacteriosis;
• cladosporiosis;
• root rot;
• mosaic;
• powdery mildew;
• fusarium wilt.

In addition to soil temperature, the chemical composition, structure and acidity of the soil are important. Transplanting cucumbers into heavy, dense soil is rarely successful.

Preparing the soil for replanting

Already on the 20th of April, you can plant seedlings in a greenhouse, after May 20 - in the ground under arcs, in June - in open ground. For any planting option, prepare the bed in advance.

Be sure to add organic matter (compost, humus) to the soil before digging. Organic matter will not only enrich the soil with nutrients, but also improve its structure. Peat increases soil looseness, and river sand is added to heavy loamy soil. Acidity is adjusted by adding ash, chalk or dolomite flour.

According to the standards indicated on the package, when digging the soil for cucumbers, scatter fertilizer over the area of ​​the ridge:

• urea;
• superphosphate;
• potassium nitrate.

I'm going to water it well. You can use any biological product such as Baikal Em1. The use of biological products accelerates the reproduction of microorganisms needed by the plant, which will have a positive effect on cucumber seedlings.

Spill the soil with a solution of phytosporin. Use a fungicide if there were plants infected with fungus in the previous season. There will be no problems with preparing the drug. The packaging provides detailed instructions for using the drug.

Growing cucumber seedlings correctly

Propagation by seedlings accelerates the fruiting of cucumbers in open ground and in greenhouses. For greenhouses, you need to purchase varieties (hybrids) that do not require pollination - parthenocarpic; any are suitable for the street:

• bee-pollinated;
• self-pollinating;
• not requiring pollination.

Before planting, sort cucumber seeds that have not been treated by the manufacturer, throw away any damaged ones, soak them whole without visible defects, and soak them in water. Discard those seeds that float, and place the rest in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 15 minutes. Treating seeds kills fungi and other infections.

The seeds can be wrapped in a damp cloth, placed in a plastic container, and placed near the battery. Plant the hatched seeds in peat pots filled with loose, fertile soil and water. To speed up germination, cover the container with PVC film and place in a warm place. Cucumber sprouts at an air temperature of 25–28 °C will appear in 5–7 days.

Transplant tips

A good manufacturer will always indicate the recommended planting pattern on the package of cucumber seeds. The scheme must be followed when forming planting holes. In general, they should be placed no closer than 35 cm from each other. Maintain row spacing from 50 to 70 cm.According to summer residents, if cucumbers are planted less often, the yield per plant is higher.

When transferring plants from the container to the planting hole, do not damage the earthen ball and do not deepen it too deep. The cotyledon leaves of the cucumber should be 1–2 cm above ground level.

Pour warm water over the holes and sprinkle with humus - a 2-3 cm layer will be enough. When it gets cold, mulch protects cucumber roots from cold, in hot weather it will slow down the evaporation of moisture from the soil.

If the cucumbers have sprouted thickly

Seed germination is never 100%. When sowing cucumbers with dry or germinated seeds, place 3 to 5 cucumber seeds in the hole. The number of seeds depends on the size of the holes. If the seeds are successful, with good germination, you will have to decide how to thin out the seedlings.

Thinning of cucumbers is necessary within 20 - 25 days. Cucumbers planted densely will shade each other as they grow. This will affect the volume of cucumber harvest and the health of cucumber vines in the future.

You can thin out by pinching out weaker plants or moving excess bushes to another ridge. Do not delay replanting, because during flowering the bushes have a harder time moving to a new place. Transplanting into open ground should be done in the evening.

Choose a convenient scoop for transplanting cucumbers, preferably a large one. Dig a hole 25*25 cm. Try to dig up the plant along with a large lump of earth, carefully move the cucumber to a new place. Sprinkle with soil, do not press too hard into the root area, water the soil. Under the influence of water, the loose soil itself will adhere tightly to the roots of the cucumber.

Care after transplant

When 10–12 days have passed after transplanting the cucumbers, the first application of fertilizers to the soil is carried out.To water 1 m² of soil with plants, dissolve 1 tbsp in a 10 liter bucket. l. urea and 2 tbsp. l of superphosphate, the time for the second application of fertilizer will come when the cucumbers begin to bloom.

Fertilizers are used for the same volume of water:

• 40 g superphosphate;
• 30 g ammonium nitrate;
• 20 g of potassium nitrate.

The active formation of ovaries and fruits in cucumbers has begun. This means it's time to feed for the third time. Dilute 2 tbsp in a bucket of water. l. potassium nitrate and water each plant.

Many modern hybrids require pruning to maintain normal fruiting. The pruning pattern for cucumbers depends on the variety. In bee-pollinated varieties, the crown of the central conductor of the cucumber is pinched, provoking the growth of lateral shoots in the cucumber.

In parthenocarpic cucumbers with a bunched type of fruiting, the central conductor is not touched. Remove flowers from cucumbers and ovaries from the lower 4–5 axils of the leaves. The next side shoots are left, but they are pinched above the first ovaries of the cucumbers.

You need a trellis if you plant cucumbers in a greenhouse. Support will not hurt for cucumbers in open ground. As the cucumber vines grow, they need to be attached to the wire (mesh) using soft ties or twine.

The main point of caring for cucumbers is watering. It is carried out regularly, at least once a week at the beginning of the growth of cucumbers and once every 3 days when flowers and fruits appear on the cucumbers. The frequency of watering cucumbers can be reduced only during cold weather.

In cold soil, the absorption of nutrients and moisture slows down. Remember that cold water is prohibited, only warm and settled water. Water the cucumbers only in the morning, spending at least 10 liters of water per 1 m² of soil.

The absence of weeds is rare.Usually, all summer long, in the garden beds, despite the efforts of summer residents, weeds grow, which not only takes away nutrients from the cucumbers, but also contributes to the spread of diseases. Keeping the beds clean is an important responsibility of the summer resident.

Pests attacked cucumbers

The question of what to do if cucumber vines are attacked by pests (aphids, thrips, thrips, spider mites) often worries gardeners.

You can get by with folk remedies if you noticed the problem at the very beginning and the insects have not yet begun to multiply exponentially. Until the lashes have reached a great length, they can be washed by collecting water in a basin and passing a soft sponge over the plants.

You can repel aphids and other pests from cucumbers with a soap solution. Liquid soap (antibacterial) is suitable for preparing the solution. For 1 liter, 2 tbsp is enough. l. The resulting liquid should be sprayed onto all plants.

Harmful insects do not like the smell of tobacco, hot pepper and garlic. To obtain a 3-liter jar of infusion, you need 0.5 kg of pure garlic. The process of preparing bitters takes a little less than a week (5 days).

The following folk recipe for pests may be useful: 5 parts Coca-Cola, 1 part water. This is not a joke: Coca-Cola helps repellent insects. You need to spray the lower parts of the leaves of the cucumber with an aqueous solution of Coca-Cola.

Treatment of plants with any means will have to be repeated several times. At a minimum, cucumber treatment is carried out once a week, in case of severe infection of plants - 2 times a week.

Signs of disease on cucumber leaves

In the middle and at the end of summer, a common picture is seen - on the leaves of the cucumber there are white spots that darken over time or dried leaves and bitter fruits.These are symptoms of a common disease - powdery mildew.

Without the summer resident's fight against the fungal infection, the cucumber will gradually wither and stop bearing fruit. To prevent this from happening, you need to treat the leaves and stems of plants when the listed symptoms appear with a soda solution (4%). You can use the drug "Baktofit". Reviews about the drug are positive.

Danger to cucumbers represents Fusarium wilt. Up to 50% of the crop can die. This disease especially often affects summer cottages with cucumbers in the southern regions of the country and among summer residents growing cucumbers in greenhouses. Sick plants are recommended to be treated with the drug “Privikur” or mercilessly pulled out and burned.

You can prepare a fashionable folk recipe for all cucumber diseases. To prepare it you need 1 liter of milk (can be sour), 35 drops of iodine and a tablespoon of grated soap. Plants are sprayed with this preparation in the morning before the sun rises.

Summer residents about transplanting cucumbers

Reviews about the procedure for transplanting cucumbers are mixed.

Alina, 59 years old, Moscow:

“I prefer to sow dry seeds directly into the beds. In my many years of experience, replanting cucumbers is a troublesome task. Cucumbers get sick much more often after transplantation and take a long time to take root. It’s easier if the seedlings are small, with 2 – 3 leaves. It’s worse if the cucumbers stretch out and gain color. After transplanting cucumbers, the flowers and ovaries will still have to be cut off. True, they themselves can crumble from stress.”

Andrey, 44 years old, Kostroma:

“I don’t have a question about whether cucumbers can be replanted if they have sprouted too often. I always do this successfully. In rare cases, plants do not take root. I'm not smart about technology. I do this in cloudy weather: I dig up cucumbers with a large lump of earth and immediately plant them in a different place in the garden.I cover the cucumbers in the garden with cardboard boxes for 3 days. Plants adapt quickly.”

Alexey, 67 years old, Voronezh:

“The cucumber shoots turned out to be uneven. One half of the garden bed was completely empty, but on the other half all the cucumbers had come out. Until this year, I had not transplanted cucumbers in open ground, so I had my doubts, but I planted the cucumbers evenly throughout the entire ridge. At first, the transplanted plants were noticeably behind in development, but then the cucumbers leveled off and produced a good harvest of cucumbers. I treated the cucumber plantings once with Epin, then a week later I sprayed the cucumbers with milk and iodine.”

Conclusion

Regarding transplanting cucumber seedlings, there are as many opinions as there are summer residents. Whether the resulting harvest will justify the effort and time spent on growing cucumber seedlings can only be found out in the fall. But it’s worth a try, because early cucumbers are tasty and healthy.