Picking cucumbers is not a necessary procedure during their cultivation. Moreover, most gardeners prefer to do without it. The root system of the vegetable crop is superficial and weak, so it is difficult for cucumbers to tolerate replanting.
Is it necessary to pick cucumbers?
There has always been debate among vegetable growers about whether it is possible to pick cucumber seedlings. Discussions on this topic will continue, because everyone has their own opinion and growing experience on this matter.
Information on how to plant cucumber seedlings may be of interest to summer residents who have no experience in growing them. An experienced gardener will grow a good harvest in both cases. For those who know well how to pick cucumbers correctly, there are no problems.
For the information of novice gardeners: the term “dive” is simply translated into ordinary language. This is the usual transplantation of plants planted with seeds in boxes or greenhouses to a new place (a separate pot, bed).
About when picking makes sense
By the way, there is no need to replant the plant itself if the cucumber seeds are sown immediately in separate cups. Cucumber seedlings, planted in separate containers, develop well, and after 25 days they are ready to move to a permanent place.
In this, cucumber seedlings are radically different from tomato seedlings. Tomatoes need replanting; thanks to this, their root system is better formed. Picking cucumber seedlings is justified in the following cases:
- There are a lot of cucumber seeds, there are questions about germination, but there is no time to germinate them. Dry seeds can be sown in a container. Plant the strongest seedlings in separate cups after full-fledged cotyledon leaves are formed.
- If you have a polycarbonate greenhouse, you can sow several seeds into a hole at a time. In the cotyledon phase or 2 true leaves, cucumbers can be picked in a greenhouse. Plant excess seedlings in other holes, one in each.
- It makes sense to save a diseased plant by replanting. Use new soil and a new container for this.
- Transplanting overgrown cucumber seedlings is justified. Lack of sunlight causes plants to stretch out.If you transplant frail, elongated seedlings into another container and deepen them almost to the cotyledons, you can slow down the growth of the above-ground part and stimulate the formation of additional roots. Stimulates the growth of new roots by pinching the central root to a third of its length.
How to pick cucumbers
First of all, you need to clearly determine the timing of the picking work. Cucumber seeds germinate quite quickly. Full-fledged cotyledon leaves are formed within 7 days after sowing. Experienced gardeners prefer to plant cucumbers in cups during this period.
Preparing for a pick
Prepare containers for transplantation in advance. You can use disposable glasses with a volume of 0.5 liters; peat pots of the same volume are suitable. You can use milk cartons to grow seedlings. Make a drainage hole in the cups at a distance of 1 cm from the bottom. You can put an eggshell or a piece of dried banana skin on the bottom.
Many gardeners prefer peat cups, which are convenient because you don’t need to remove the plant from it. Plant a cucumber along with a glass.
When watering, the glasses get wet and do not interfere with root growth. There is a disadvantage to peat glasses: the soil in them dries out faster, cucumbers need to be watered more often.
You can fill the glasses with purchased soil. Take universal vegetable soil, consisting of turf soil, humus, lowland peat and a complex of mineral fertilizers. Peat soil is not suitable for these purposes; it must be mixed with garden soil and humus. You can take soil from the garden, from beds of root vegetables, cabbage or herbs.
Mix garden soil with humus, rotted sawdust, and peat. Take everything in equal parts.You need to add 0.5 liters of ash to a bucket of soil mixture. Shed the soil against pathogens with a solution of potassium permanganate or the fungicide “Fitosporin-M”.
The soil should be quite loose and not covered with a thick crust after watering. Store soil from your garden in the fall; in winter, you can freeze it, and before pouring it into cups, heat it in the oven for 20 minutes at a temperature of 80–100 °C. You need to pour the soil into the cups 5-7 days before transplanting; on the eve of the work, water it generously and mark a hole in the center for the seedlings. The depth of the hole is small, maximum 3 cm.
How to pick cucumbers correctly
To make it easier to remove plants from the ground, they should be watered before transplanting..
Water 2 hours before starting work. You can remove seedlings from the ground with a regular teaspoon or a table fork. Do not touch the roots with the tool, do not touch the stem with your hands, and do not scatter the root ball of soil.
Before replanting the plant, it needs to be inspected. Throw away seedlings with the slightest signs of disease without sparing. Pinch off the long central root. Bury the seedling into the ground, not reaching 0.5 - 1 cm to the cotyledon leaves. Lightly knead the soil around the stem with two fingers. Water the seedlings after transplanting.
Picking in a greenhouse or open ground
When growing greenhouse cucumbers 3 to 5 seeds are sown in a hole without seedlings. After germination, no more than one plant should be left in the hole. It is better to pick cucumbers in a greenhouse in the phase of 2 true leaves.
The principle of transplantation is the same as for home seedlings. The main thing is to keep the lump of earth on the roots intact and replant it in moist soil.
In open ground, densely planted cucumbers can be picked in a similar way.Cover transplanted cucumbers from the sun for several days. White covering material is suitable for covering.
When planting cucumbers in a greenhouse, the seedlings are planted in a permanent place according to the recommended planting pattern. When growing hybrids in one stem, the holes are placed at a distance of 30 cm from each other. The optimal density is 3 bushes per square meter.
Care after picking
Seedlings are subject to stress during transplantation. Helping them cope with it is the main task of the vegetable grower. The first week is the most important. Seedlings are comfortable at a temperature of 18 – 20 °C; higher temperatures are undesirable as they will reduce survival rate.
Air humidity in the region of 80 - 85% will increase survival rate. Now it is not difficult to achieve it. You need to place a household humidifier next to the seedlings, and the necessary humidity will be provided.
Place containers with seedlings where there are no drafts. Even mature plants do not tolerate drafts well. A window sill in winter is not the best place for seedlings weakened by transplantation. A rack equipped with fluorescent lamps (phytolamps) is the most comfortable place for young seedlings.
Daylight for seedlings should last from 8 to 12 hours. There is no need to add additional lighting beyond this time. Cucumber is a short-day crop. After 20:00, seedlings need to be in complete darkness.
Watering
You need to check the soil moisture before watering the seedlings. Excess moisture can cause blackleg fungal disease.
Cucumber seedlings most often die from it. The frequency of watering and the volume of water depend on the humidity and air temperature in the room.
Tap water must be left to stand for at least 12 hours before watering. The water temperature should be the same as the air temperature, or slightly higher (20 - 25 °C).With properly organized watering, the soil is always moderately moist.
Feeding
It is better to feed the seedlings 2 times. The first time was after the transplant, a week later. The second time - after 2 weeks. Conventional mineral fertilizers are suitable for feeding: ammonium nitrate, potassium salt, superphosphate. Pour 1 tsp of each fertilizer into a bucket of water.
Feed cucumber seedlings with a fertilizer solution in the first half of the day, preferably in the morning. Water it first, and apply fertilizer a little later, so as not to burn the tender roots. The solution should not get on the leaves and stems of cucumbers.
Reviews
Andrey, Volgograd:
“I grow cucumbers in a greenhouse. In April, I sow seeds directly into the ground, 5 seeds per hole, and cover them with film. When the cucumbers sprout, I leave one seedling in the hole and dive the rest onto the neighboring ridge. In June we collect the first harvest of fresh cucumbers.”
Conclusion
At growing cucumber seedlings at home if necessary, you can transplant it into other containers. A correctly carried out procedure will not harm the seedlings. The quality of care has a greater influence on the health of seedlings.
