The mistake of many inexperienced owners who do not know the nuances of how to properly pinch cucumbers is to apply one selected scheme to all types and varieties of the crop being grown. In fact, there are several methods for pinching cucumbers, and they strictly separate the procedure for carrying out the procedure in open and closed ground.
Why pinch the side shoots of cucumbers and is there any real benefit from this?
The essence of the procedure for pinching cucumbers
Pinching cucumbers has another name - blinding.This operation is performed in order to provoke the formation and promote the rapid growth of lateral shoots from the main stem of the cucumber bush. What is this for and why pinch cucumbers?
With the natural growth of the bush, without human intervention in this process, the plant mainly produces “single” male shoots, characterized by the fact that when the flower withers on them, no fruit sets. Needless to say, such a plant will respond to even the most careful care with a meager harvest.
For full fruiting, each plant must have a paired set of female and male inflorescences and the creation of female inflorescences is the actual task of such a method as pinching cucumbers.
An important condition for the procedure is the preservation of healthy leaves of the seedlings. The value of the leaf is in its unique combination of microelements, which are then transferred into growing vegetables. For the same reason, it is necessary to promptly remove leaves that are rotten, damaged by insects, or beginning to turn yellow.
If the algorithm is followed correctly blinding cucumber, in the end we get the following type of bush: a long vine with short shoots coming from the stem. Experienced owners go further and do not allow the shoots of the lower sinuses to grow, removing them from the base. The same procedure is applied to the stepsons that form in the leaf rosette and the small cucumbers that appear in the lower four leaves. This type of pinching of cucumbers in open ground or in a greenhouse preserves the plant’s strength for abundant fruiting.
Proper pinching
Even when the seedlings are just transferred from the seedling box to the ground, it is already taken into account that in the future the bushes will need to be pinched.The optimal distance between cucumbers is determined in advance to be no less than 30 cm, and a trellis for future garter is installed near each vine. It is customary to tie up cucumber seedlings 12-15 days after planting, and it is recommended to use soft copper wire or thick twine.
Hybridity or purity of the variety, type of plant according to the type of pollination - all these nuances are taken into account when the question arises of how exactly to pinch cucumbers, and whether it should be done at all. Since there are a huge number of varieties of these bushes, it is conventional to divide them into two main categories: parthenocarpic (self-pollinating) and insect-pollinated. The following differentiation of the crop occurs according to the timing of fruit ripening: Renne, mid- and late-ripening varieties.
The basic method of how to properly pinch cucumbers can be used both indoors and outdoors:
- first they make a garter, and the attachment of the cotyledon leaves is avoided, and the application of the twine itself is not done tightly, just to secure the top in the desired position;
- six sheets are counted from the bottom and the crown is trimmed above the sixth sheet;
- in cucumbers pollinated by insects, only weak, non-viable shoots are removed, leaving four growing points;
- hybrids retain 3 strong shoots;
- with the beginning of flowering, the formation of the bush stops.
Leaves need to be preserved as much as possible, but only if they are completely healthy and undamaged, so you need to carefully pinch cucumbers in open or closed ground, without pinching the leaves with twine or twisting them with wire. You should also pay attention to the presence of insects and remove those parts of the plant that have been severely damaged by their activity.
Pinching in open ground
Whether it is necessary to pinch cucumbers in open ground again depends on the plant variety, which in turn is characterized by the length of the side shoots. If there are scanty branches, it is not necessary to pinch cucumbers in open ground. If the shoots are of medium and high length, the top is removed as soon as the central shoot reaches a meter in length. The development of shoots on other shoots is also corrected.
When gartering is impossible due to the fact that the planting was done too densely, pinching the cucumbers means removing the growth points located on top of the fourth leaf on the main shoot and on top of the second on the side shoot.
Hybrids are blinded a little differently - their side shoots and all axillary shoots are removed.
Insect-pollinated cucumbers, as those most in need of care, require pinching with mandatory preliminary tying, so they are placed in the garden at a sufficient distance from each other and a trellis is installed in advance. Step-by-step instructions for blinding such varieties include strict adherence to important conditions:
- distance between seedlings – from 30 to 45 cm;
- tying is carried out no earlier than the 10th and no later than the 15th day from planting the seedlings;
- From the bottom of the bush, not only the shoots are removed, but also the very first ovaries, because the developing cucumbers draw all the juices of the plant onto themselves and do not allow the upper ovaries to form;
- Be sure to preserve all healthy leafy greens.
The liana is modeled in this way:
- the top is cut off above the 6th leaf, and the side branches can be tied up so that they curl further;
- all but the 3 most viable sprouts are cut off;
- The shoots are inspected, and all weak ovaries are removed and no more than 4 are left on each shoot.
Late varieties of these vegetables require the closest attention - when growing such cucumbers, pinching is carried out in any case.
Blinding parthenocarpic varieties
Self-pollinating cucumbers They are completely independent and more often than others are supposed to be sown in the regions of the middle zone. Growing them does not require much effort in terms of modeling the pattern of the vine, since the bush quickly throws out the required number of shoots, on which over time, from almost every flower, a full-fledged ovary is formed.
Why even pinch cucumbers in open ground if the yield does not depend on it? The fact is that by letting the cucumber vine grow as it pleases, there is a risk of getting a wild, elongated and completely useless plant, randomly strewn with unformed fruits. Therefore, by adjusting growth, the gardener at the same time improves the quality of each fruit unit. When should you pinch these cucumbers? Just like any others, between 10 and 15 days from the moment of planting the seedlings.
Scheme on how to pinch cucumbers in open ground if they are self-pollinating varieties:
- the bush is tied to the supporting element;
- when the main stem reaches a height of 50 cm, all shoots from below are removed, along with flower rosettes and small cucumbers - this will become a blinding area;
- on top of the designated area, the lateral lashes growing above the first leaf are stopped;
- at a distance of 40-50 cm from the blinding area, leave the formed ovary and 2-3 leaves;
- further, at a distance of already a meter, four shoots with 2-3 ovaries are preserved on each;
- even higher, after 40-50 cm, on the same number of shoots you can save 4 cucumbers and 3-4 leaves.
Often, after the manipulations have been carried out, the plant begins to grow even more intensely - in this case, the vine is thrown over a bar stuffed on top of the support and the bush grows further down. When 25-30 cm remains to the ground, the growing point of the cucumber is cut off and it stops growing in length.
Do hybrid cucumbers require pinching?
The task of breeders involved in breeding unpretentious varieties of crops that are convenient for home cultivation has long been to create species that do not require pinching at all. These varieties belong to the single-stem type - let's take Sarovsky F1 as an example, or to hybrid derivatives that produce a small number of underdeveloped shoots. These varieties were given the name: Valdai F1, Dubler F1, Vyuga F1.
On the main (or only) stem of cucumber hybrids there is a sufficient number of fruitful inflorescences, but in some cases it is necessary to provoke their appearance, for which pinching is used. When purchasing seeds of one of the hybrid varieties, you need to check with the seller about the need for this procedure.
Pinching of hybrid varieties has its own pattern:
- side lashes need to be removed at the stage of formation of the fifth leaf;
- Having counted the next 6 leaves, you need to pinch off a little at the side shoot, leaving about a quarter of a meter on the bush;
- the next pinch is done after another 6 leaves, but leaving about half a meter of the shoot;
- Finally, after waiting for six more leaves to form, pinch off the top.
- gardeners with extensive experience are unequivocally confident that no matter what variety ends up in the ground, pinching is necessary until the barren flowers are completely removed, since the presence of “male” flowers is one of the reasons why cucumbers taste bitter.Accordingly, the more barren flowers take away the strength from the cucumber stem, the more clearly the bitterness will appear.
Procedure in a greenhouse
Cucumbers intended for planting in a greenhouse are formed into one stem, removing the shoots so that they contain no more than two fruiting inflorescences. Varieties Ritual, Malachite, Topolek, that is, varieties that are actively involved in branching, are organized in exactly this way.
On the contrary, varieties with conditionally degraded side shoots require attention to this procedure. If the plant grows into a single stem on its own, and the branches do not reach an obstructive length, it is not recommended at all.
Pay attention to the varieties to which this warning applies: April, Zozulya, Dublyor. All are labeled F1 and require minimal adjustments.
Among owners who emphasize growing crops in greenhouses, a popular method allows harvesting within 5-6 months. For this method, you need to pinch the top of the part of the ogudina located on the wire or crossbar of the trellis, and send two branches down the support, on which more shoots will subsequently grow. They do not need to be touched, as the flowers that appear on the vines will become fruit-bearing.
Do not forget about the organization of the so-called blinding area, which forms at a distance of half a meter from the ground. There should be no ovaries or side shoots in the area included in this zone. You should also regulate the mass of leaf formation - at least one full-fledged healthy leaf should remain for each ovary.
