In regions with cold climates, it is not possible to plant cucumbers directly into the ground. The only way to grow vegetable plants is from seedlings. And here it is important that the cucumber seedlings do not stretch out, otherwise when planted in the ground the seedlings will die and the work will be in vain.
How to properly plant cucumbers for seedlings
Planting cucumbers for seedlings begins a month before moving it into the soil of a greenhouse or vegetable garden.
Before the procedure, seeds are prepared in the form of:
- rejecting material and choosing quality material;
- disinfection with a solution of potassium permanganate;
- bubbling;
- germination by placing it in a damp cloth or layers of toilet paper;
- hardening
For better germination, take seeds that are two to three years old. The quality of seeds decreases every year they are stored. When sorting the seeds, select the larger ones. Then the seeds are dipped in salted water. Those that sink to the bottom will produce strong shoots. Those that float up are thrown away - they are hollow.
Bubbling is chosen when you want cucumbers to germinate quickly. To do this, an aquarium processor is placed in the water with the seeds, saturating the humid environment with oxygen. It is enough to keep the planting material in the container for 18 hours.
Disinfect the seeds with a one percent solution of potassium permanganate for thirty minutes or an hour in a jar with garlic pulp.
Seeds must be germinated at room temperature in a humid environment.
Hardening procedures are carried out only when planting is done directly in open ground or a greenhouse.
Now the prepared cucumber seeds are ready for planting. First you need to place a soil substrate of humus and peat, taken in equal quantities, and a small amount of sand and turf soil in a glass or pot. A week before placing cucumber seeds in the soil, it is spilled with boiling water or a solution of potassium permanganate. This will allow you not to be afraid of plant contamination by pathogenic microorganisms.
You should not bury the seeds of a vegetable plant. It is enough to place them one and a half to two centimeters inside the soil.
When growing, monitor:
- room air temperature;
- illumination;
- moisture content of the soil in the pot.
If at first seedlings of cucumbers need heat and humidity, then the temperature is reduced. The stems will be thinner if there is not enough light.
Why do cucumber seedlings stretch?
Weak cucumber seedlings occur for a number of reasons:
- Cucumbers do not like shade. They need a lot of light. Even on the windowsill, the seedlings stretch, which indicates that they need additional lighting.
- Without observing the temperature regime, cucumber seedlings will not be strong. In the first days, before emergence, the temperature is high, and then it is reduced. By stretching the stems, they signal that they are hot.
- The stems of cucumbers stretch very upward even when the soil is excessively waterlogged.
- Anyone who uses the seedling method of growing must know how to plant cucumbers. The distance between plants should not be very close, otherwise the seedlings will not have enough nutrition and light. When the plantings are dense, it is understandable why the cucumber seedlings become very elongated.
- Diligent gardeners try to stuff the seedlings with fertilizers and get elongated cucumber seedlings.
The reason that vegetable seedlings have weak and long stems is ignorance of the rules of vegetable farming. And what to do if the cucumber seedlings have become very elongated, you can get advice from experienced specialists. This is Oktyabrina Ganichkina, who will help beginning gardeners grow cucumbers using seedlings.
How to grow cucumber seedlings so that they do not stretch
To prevent seedlings from stretching when they are indoors, you need to:
- reduce the air temperature to 16–18 degrees Celsius;
- place boxes with seedlings on well-lit windows;
- add fluorescent lamps to increase illumination;
- spray the seedlings when the air is too dry;
- plant the seeds in separate cups or pots, two or three in each;
- water the seedlings only with warm water, not lower than 25 degrees;
- regularly add soil to the container to stimulate the growth of the root system;
- organize fertilizing with infusion of wood ash or potash fertilizers.
If you know how to plant seeds correctly and properly care for the seedlings, then there will be no problem as to why the cucumber seedlings have become so elongated and what to do about it.
What to do if cucumber seedlings have stretched out
Overgrown cucumber seedlings are not a reason to be upset. We need to think about how to correct the situation so that the seedlings become strong.
The elongated stems of the seedlings can be carefully placed in a depression made in the ground. Sprinkled with soil, they will take root after a while.
Moving the containers to a well-lit place will save you from pulling out the seedlings. Additional illumination is provided by phytolamps, placing them on top five to seven centimeters from the cucumber seedlings. Boxes with stretched seedlings are placed on the loggia for the day, bringing them indoors in the evening. It is important that the air temperature is not lower than 12 degrees Celsius.
Elongated seedlings require changes in watering. Switching from cold to warm water will allow you to make adjustments to the growth of the stems of the vegetable plant. It will stop stretching.
Dense stems do not have enough nutrition, hence the long seedlings. The situation must be corrected quickly, otherwise the seedlings will die. To do this, transplant them into separate cups. Since picking is painful for cucumbers, the procedure is carried out carefully. Carefully pull the stem along with the root out of the container, supporting it, and place it in a pot, sprinkled with nutritious soil. Do not forget about watering, moistening the soil abundantly. The seedling will take root only after a few days. But now he won't stretch out.
Seedlings will stop growing if you pinch the stem above the second true leaf.
An elongated plant will strengthen its immunity if you feed it with a solution of wood ash, taking a tablespoon of fertilizer per glass of water.
When cucumber seedlings do not have sufficient nutrition, moisture, or light, they will become overgrown and it will be more difficult to transplant them into the ground.
Is it possible to plant overgrown cucumbers in the garden and how to do it?
When the stems on cucumber seedlings become extremely elongated, they are transferred to the ground differently than for strong seedlings.
It is best to continue their development in greenhouse soil if the cucumber stems have become elongated. Three to four days before planting, transfer the containers to the greenhouse. But the temperature for cucumbers, both in the air and in the soil, should be comfortable. From plus twenty to plus fifteen degrees, respectively. Cucumber seedlings in a greenhouse should be protected from the burning rays of the sun. As soon as the plants adapt to greenhouse conditions, they begin to transplant them into prepared beds.
Prepare holes on the ridges, placing them at a distance of thirty to fifty centimeters from each other. It is not recommended to increase the planting density, otherwise the planted seedlings will outgrow, weaken and die.
It is known what to do in a greenhouse with elongated seedlings. It must be dried before planting, and then carefully pulled out of the cup along with the roots. Twist a ring from a long stem and place it in the hole. After deepening the seedlings, sprinkle earth around the stem, compacting it thoroughly.
To retain moisture in the soil, mulch is laid in layers around the planted bushes. You can replace it with black film.
It’s clear what to do when the cucumber seedlings have stretched out. But if flowers appear on it, they are torn off. Planted with buds, it will die.Thin, it does not have enough strength to withstand the fruiting of bushes. Most often, elongated seedlings drop flowers themselves. The seedlings need to gain strength after transplantation and get stronger in order to produce a harvest of greens a little later.
