We all love wildlife, we always wait for summer to go to the country and work in our garden, but what to do when this wonderful time ends? It is for this purpose that an abundance of varieties of various vegetable crops have been bred that can be grown at home, right on the windowsill, and today we will talk about what fertilizers are used for cucumbers on the balcony, how to grow them correctly, and so on.
Acceptable conditions for cucumbers
It is very important for cucumbers that they receive enough light and the temperature around them is acceptable.Try to place containers with them on windows facing east or southeast. If there is not enough lighting, artificial lighting should be done by installing special phytolamps. Please note that this vegetable crop does not tolerate drafts.
For good growth of cucumbers, the room temperature during the day should be from 23 to 26 degrees. At night it should be at least 15 degrees. Regarding watering, it should be regular, but it is highly not recommended to overwater the bushes, otherwise the rhizomes may begin to rot.
The soil
If you choose the right soil, a good harvest is guaranteed. Often the best option is considered to be when the following types are mixed in equal proportions:
- turf soil;
- humus;
- sawdust;
- peat.
You should get approximately 5 kilograms of this mixture. To it should be added 15 grams of nitrophoska, 100 grams of wood ash and 7 and a half grams of urea. Then you need to mix it all well. Then cucumbers are planted there, and from the very beginning they will grow strong and healthy.
The soil mixture must be scattered into containers. There should be about 5 liters of soil per plant. Plastic pots or boxes are used as containers. Vegetables need to have space, so don't plant them close to each other.
The optimal distance between bushes is 30 cm. In no case should one plant oppress another, otherwise everything will end badly. Containers with seeds should be placed where there is sufficient lighting and the temperature is 22 degrees (lower is unacceptable). It is in such conditions and with good soil that you will be able to get an excellent harvest at home. It is not so difficult to create such conditions at home; lighting can be added using lamps, and the temperature can be adjusted with heaters.
How to plant correctly
Before planting cucumber seeds, they should be prepared accordingly. It is necessary to make a solution of potassium permanganate and soak the seeds in it for literally half an hour. After this, you need to place them on a damp cloth and wait for them to peck.
When the seeds are ready, you need to plant them 2 cm deep in the ground. After this, cover the container with polyethylene and place it in a warm place. After the first shoots, you can clean the greenhouse and place the plants in a bright place. Make sure there are no drafts. Next, you need to harden the seedlings, for this the temperature is reduced to 19-20 degrees. After a month, the seedlings will have grown and can be transplanted. This must be done carefully, because cucumbers have a very complex root system and it can be easily damaged. Now let's look at feeding cucumbers on the windowsill.
How can you feed cucumbers at home?
How to feed cucumbers? There are quite a few ways to feed cucumbers at home. However, there are some folk remedies that are most often used when growing cucumbers on a window:
- Ash. This is the most common fertilizer for organic farming. It contains two important components - phosphorus and potassium. Thanks to them, the fruits grow and bloom quickly. If containers with plants are placed on a windowsill, you need to wrap the leaves and soil. This is done with a special solution that is very easy to prepare. One tablespoon of ash is mixed in a container with two liters of boiled water. Then you need to leave the fertilizer to infuse and be sure to strain it.
- Banana peel. It contains potassium, and in large quantities, so there is no need to throw it away; use the peel so that the cucumbers grow better. As a top dressing, it is necessary to be dry; you can dry the peel on a radiator.Next, you need to grind it almost to a powder state, and you can add it to the soil. In addition, they also make an infusion from banana peels, which is infused for two to three days.
- Egg shells. This is also a very useful fertilizer, as it contains a huge amount of microelements. After the shell is soaked in water, it will begin to release a useful substance - hydrogen sulfide. It smells very unpleasant, but thanks to it, cucumbers grow much better. The infusion is prepared simply, you need to take the shells of 4 eggs (chopped) and soak them in three liters of water. Next, leave the whole thing and let it brew for three days. Be sure to leave the lid slightly open. Fertilizer can be used when its color becomes cloudy and its smell becomes specific. Fertilizer is applied every day, the soil and leaves are treated with it.
- Coffee grounds. Not everyone knows that coffee can be used as fertilizer. Thanks to coffee beans, the soil becomes looser and its water permeability increases significantly. They contain many microelements that have a beneficial effect on growth cucumbers on the balcony. Please note that only roasted coffee grounds are suitable; unroasted beans spoil the soil.
- Onion peel. It is used by experienced gardeners when growing cucumbers on the balcony, since onion peels have a double effect. It not only promotes the development of the plant, but also prevents the development of unwanted microorganisms. An infusion is prepared by adding 20 grams of husk to 5 liters of boiled water. Then all this needs to brew for about 5 days, after which you need to strain the infusion.
- Potato peel.A considerable number of plants are capable of accumulating starch, and gardeners are well aware of this. Starch improves the growth of cucumbers, so you should use a fertilizing decoction of it. To prepare it, you need to boil the potato skins.
- Sugar is also an excellent fertilizer for fruit growth. Houseplants receive a lot of useful substances from it. Plants also love sweets, just like people, so sometimes it’s worth pampering the seedlings. Sprinkle the soil with one teaspoon of sugar and pour warm water on top.
There are some other ways to feed cucumber seedlings:
- Manganese with wood ash. A solution is made from them and applied to the soil every 10-14 days.
- You can use pure wood ash (not a solution). It is poured under the root and watered. Gradually, the ash will flow into the soil.
- Chicken droppings. Another very good remedy for improving the growth of cucumber fruits when grown in a loggia. However, the dosage must be observed, since fresh droppings are not recommended to be added to the soil due to the fact that it contains harmful toxins that can burn the roots. This can be avoided if you make an infusion of 1 to 20. By the way, this fertilizer may contain helminths, be careful.
- Horse dung. It is also used to make fertilizer for cucumbers, and to feed cucumbers on the windowsill.
- You can use water in which fresh meat was washed to feed cucumber seedlings on the windowsill. Plants should be watered with it.
- Fresh frozen capelin. This is also a very good fertilizer for balcony cucumbers. Pieces of fish should be buried in the soil around the plant.
So we looked at all the popular ways to fertilize cucumbers at home.
Nitrogen deficiency
Sometimes plants may lack nitrogen, they become frail, look bad, and their fruits are very small. To compensate for the deficiency, fertilizers based on urea are needed.
It may be the other way around, that there is too much nitrogen, then the color of the foliage changes to dark green, and the old leaves bend. If there is too much nitrogen, the plant will die within a few days. The problem is eliminated by daily watering the plant and soil with calcium nitrate.
Lack of calcium
If a plant lacks calcium, its leaves will turn yellowish. Then the cucumbers need to be treated with potassium sulfate - 1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water. Often, calcium deficiency affects young leaves. By the way, the other side of the leaf will be slightly purple.
Features of caring for cucumbers
Now you know how to feed cucumbers. When growing cucumbers at home on a windowsill, you should take into account some features in order to get the best results.
For example, it is highly recommended that a week and a half after the seedlings are transplanted, tie the plant with twine to a rope or wire. Next, you should wait until the bush grows to the rope, and then pinch the top of the main shoot.
To get an even stem, you should periodically tear off the tendrils and fertilize the cucumbers. Various secondary shoots also need to be eliminated, otherwise they will impair the fruiting of the plant.
Conclusion
This article is useful for everyone feeding cucumbers. Now you know how to feed cucumber seedlings and what products to use. The main thing is to do this regularly to get good results.
