Every gardener wants the maximum yield in his beds, and he can brag about it to his friends. This also applies to cucumbers. What kind of summer cottage can do without this crop? In order to get a good harvest of cucumbers, you need to strictly follow some rules. These rules include choosing the right variety, the time of planting seedlings, feeding rules and knowing at what distance to plant cucumbers. All this is extremely important so that cucumbers can get the maximum possible nutrients.
General information
Cucumbers have long been known to people and are revered for their beneficial qualities and properties. They are used to make twists for the winter period, are widely used for cosmetic purposes, extracts are made from them, and cucumbers are also of great importance in dietetics.
Every summer resident tries to maximize the yield of these useful and irreplaceable vegetables, and grows this garden crop both in a greenhouse and in open ground. But just planting cucumbers is not enough.
You need to know at what distance to plant cucumbers in open ground. If you do not adhere to these simple rules, the plant will produce fruit worse, become sick and degenerate.
Drop off distance
First, let's figure out at what distance to plant cucumbers in open ground? You can grow cucumbers in a greenhouse using 2 methods:
- horizontal;
- vertical.
But, despite this, there is a general scheme, if followed, you can get the maximum yield. How far apart to plant and how to plant cucumbers is key. The total distance between cucumbers when planting should be at least 20 cm, and between the beds themselves at least 45 cm. You can plant 2 rows, and the passage between them should be at least 95 cm. This scheme has proven itself well in the method vertical planting of cucumbers.
For horizontal planting, cucumber bushes must be tied to special pallets designed for this. You can use strong twine or string it with wire.
Seeds or pre-sprouted seedlings must be planted in a special staggered manner.With this method of planting cucumbers, the distance between bushes located in the same row should be at least 65 cm.
Germination and cultivation of cucumber crops
Every connoisseur who has at least once encountered the cucumber culture knows that there are 2 ways of growing - seedlings or seeds. But not all gardening enthusiasts are aware that the best yield from a bush is obtained only if the plant is first properly planted and all the rules are followed. It is also extremely important to choose stratified, persistent, high-yielding seeds for germination.
Note! In order to get the maximum yield from your garden bed or greenhouse with cucumbers, it is not enough just to adhere to the planting scheme. An important criterion is the soil being properly prepared for planting. If the soil contains a small supply of essential minerals and other useful elements, the harvest may not be expected. If the soil is oversaturated with useful components, the distance for planting can be significantly reduced.
This will be relevant if the land allocated for the garden is small in size, and you need to plant not only cucumbers, but also other types of vegetables and berries.
The horizontal method of planting cucumbers is very suitable for planting plants in open soil where there is a sufficient amount of free space. Cucumber bushes tend to grow on the soil surface in random order.
It is inconvenient to do such a planting in a greenhouse. But experts do not recommend watering when planting horizontally in the usual way. The fact is that the soil begins to compact, forming a surface crust. This makes it much more difficult for cucumbers to grow and develop further.
Preparing soil for planting cucumbers in greenhouse conditions
It was already indicated above that prepared cucumbers can only be planted in soil that is rich in a large amount of minerals and nutrients. For this you can use ready-made mixtures. But from a financial point of view, this is not at all economical.
It’s not all that scary; you can easily prepare the mixture yourself. You can use natural ingredients such as compost, humus or ash.
Due to the development of technology, on the shelves of gardening and horticulture stores you can find a large number of products to help farmers. One such know-how is bacteria that are in an active state. They will help enrich the soil of your garden plot. These bacteria are created to eliminate unpleasant odors from outdoor toilets and cesspools.
Bacteria are capable of processing any type of sewage, converting them into industrial water. These microorganisms are diluted in water and poured into a cesspool or toilet. The water obtained after such processing is purified from possible suspensions of chlorine, detergents and other things. This liquid can be safely used for watering gardens and cucumbers in open ground. Microorganisms continue to actively grow and develop, and then begin to settle to the bottom. This type of sludge can be safely used to make compost.
The type of fertilizer obtained in this way can be used to enrich the soil in greenhouses, greenhouses or in open soil. Cattle manure and ash can be used.
Planting cucumbers in a “warm bed”
Experienced summer residents and farmers claim that the best way to grow cucumbers is in a “warm garden bed.”An important criterion for plant growth is heat localized in the root system. This will make the harvest much larger. Such a bed does not require any special expenses for its creation. You can use all the plant debris available on the site and plant cucumber seedlings directly there. Such garbage could be:
- straw;
- mowed forbs before the flowering period;
- leaves from trees;
- small sawdust;
- coniferous branches;
- unnecessary paper.
You should not use tops from potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini or pumpkins as garbage to create a “warm garden bed”.
At the beginning of spring, you need to choose a place for the future garden bed. It is necessary that it be light enough, be in the sun, and be protected from the winds. Plant debris is mixed and placed on a level surface. The width of the bed should be 75-85 cm, the length can be at the discretion of the gardener. The “warm bed” should be quite high - 55-65 cm.
The plant debris is laid out, watered with warm water, and then compacted. You can simply walk along this bed with your feet for subsequent shrinkage. Then you can start sowing the seeds.
Schematic planting
Scheme for planting cucumbers in open ground implies the choice of territory where future cucumbers will grow. You can use an area where tomatoes and root vegetables were previously grown.
It is worth remembering that cucumbers that are planted in greenhouse conditions must receive the proper amount of sunlight and, accordingly, heat. The temperature in this room should not be lower than 21 degrees.
Using equipment intended for planting, you need to make markings for future beds. Mark the holes there. What distance should be between them? The gap between cucumber bushes depends on the variety of the future plant. There are species that simply need space, and they cannot stand the proximity of other plants.
During planting, and especially for seedlings, supports must be installed in the garden bed. To do this, use pins made of metal and wood. A string or wire is pulled between these supports. It is important to properly support cucumbers, as they are climbing plants. Then they will begin to weave on their own. With a certain desire, gardeners can form beautiful, aesthetically pleasing bushes.
Planting material is planted in wells prepared in advance, which are much faster to do, but we must not forget about the planting pattern. When planted in a checkerboard pattern, the plant will receive more space in the future, which will have a positive effect on the future harvest.
When replanting plants from pots, you need to ensure that part of the earthen ball remains above the surface of the bed. The fact is that the root neck should not touch the ground, otherwise infection with all kinds of diseases is possible.
Cucumbers are not very whimsical, however, they require close attention.
Feeding cucumbers planted in a greenhouse
If the soil preparation for planting cucumbers was done according to all the rules, then additional fertilizing may not be necessary. But every gardener and gardener tries to do everything correctly as much as possible to achieve the best results.
Important! Cucumbers grown in greenhouses require much more attention than those planted with seeds in open ground.
By feeding the plants correctly and on time, you can most likely grow disease-resistant cucumbers.
- If you pre-germinate the seeds before planting them in the soil, you can add a small amount of natural honey to the water. It will act as a strong and powerful catalyst for the seed germination process. The first shoots will begin to appear much faster.
- Fertilizing can be given when the first true leaf sprouts. As a rule, organic matter containing K, P and nitrogen is used. These components are indispensable for the future cucumber. A lack of these elements can affect the general condition of the plant, as well as cause various diseases and even its death.
- At the beginning of the flowering period, it is necessary to fertilize the soil with products high in magnesium and potassium. The same fertilizers can be used during the fruiting period of seedlings.
When planting cucumbers, you can use fertilizers that are on hand - yeast and ash. A glass of ash is diluted in water, allowed to brew, and then they begin to water the plants. Yeast is diluted in warm water with added sugar. Keep in a warm place until the foam on the surface of the liquid disappears, this takes about 4 days. The product obtained during fermentation is diluted in five liters of water and watered over the plants.
In order to fight various diseases, Bordeaux mixture is widely used. This complex of copper sulfate and slaked lime can help preserve not only the yield of cucumbers, but also protect other types of plants in the garden from diseases.
