Cucumbers are those green vegetables that we can quench our thirst with; we can add them to a salad, preserve them or ferment them for the winter. Cucumbers can be grown in heated greenhouses all year round, but in unheated greenhouses they ripen almost first among vegetables, second only to radishes and green onions. Read our article on how to form cucumbers in a greenhouse step by step.
Limited space in greenhouses sometimes becomes a factor that does not allow us to get a full harvest from each cucumber bush. But if you organize a full feeding of the minerals necessary for cucumbers, good care and specific shaping of the bushes, then it is quite possible that the harvest will be exactly what this or that type of cucumber is designed for.
Why do you need to shape and pincush cucumbers?
In order to unlock the full potential inherent in a particular cucumber by breeders, it is not enough to simply buy seeds and grow plant seedlings. Sometimes the cause of failure is the incorrect formation of cucumber bushes. It happens that gardeners completely neglect this agricultural technique, aimed at increasing the yield of some garden crops. The formation of plant bushes involves tying, pinching and pinching the stems as they grow.
What is stepsoning
The primordia of the lateral stems, which begin to grow from the axils of the leaves, are called stepsons. Stepping involves the removal of these processes. The need to remove some stems arises from the fact that in a limited space or due to the genetic tendencies inherent in the plant, it does not have the opportunity to enlarge its root system to such an extent that it can provide nutrition to all the stems, leaves and fruits.
For fruiting, the lateral shoots need to receive the same amount of microelements as the central stem. Peduncles, ovaries and developing fruits should receive the same nutrition. By pinching, the gardener redirects nutrients to the fruits growing on a specific, specially selected stem. As a result, the plant devotes all its strength not to lateral shoots with many weak and small ovaries, but to just one or several, on which large, fully ripe and tasty vegetables will grow.
Limit the growth of cucumber stems by pinching the growing point. This technique is used to increase and accelerate the ripening of the crop and to reduce the length of the vine. After the plant stops increasing its length, it begins to actively branch - increase the number of lateral processes. In this case, the method of stepsoning can become either inevitable or harmful.
Advantages and disadvantages of the procedure
Shaping eliminates cucumber bushes from all sorts of problems that prevent them from getting a high-quality harvest. This makes it easier to care for plantings and promotes high yields thanks to:
- formation of optimal load on the root system;
- effective ventilation of plants;
- good lighting and uniform saturation with moisture of all layered sheets and the fruits themselves;
- ease of caring for cucumber bushes;
- timely prevention of diseases;
- increased fruiting;
- comfortable harvesting of the ripe harvest.
If we neglect the formation, then:
- the ovaries turn yellow and fall off due to lack of nutrients;
- the fruits do not ripen and have an irregular shape;
- productivity decreases;
- the risk of disease increases.
How to shape cucumbers correctly
By correctly forming cucumber bushes, the gardener achieves rational use of the internal volume of the greenhouse, ease of care, improved lighting conditions, optimal air circulation inside the bushes - that is, a person, by removing everything unnecessary at his own discretion, controls the growing season and fruiting of the cucumber bush.
Cucumber bushes are formed into one stem, with further branching in the upper part of the central stem, using the bush method. Formation patterns depend on the species of the plant. The formation of parthenocarpic (not pollinated at all) and self-pollinated cucumbers is somewhat different from insect-pollinated varieties and hybrids. On bee-pollinated cucumber species, ovaries are mainly formed on the side shoots, because male flowers grow on the central stem. That is, these types of cucumbers cannot form into one central stem.
To determine whether it is necessary to remove the stepsons and allow only one cucumber vine to grow, at the very beginning of the growth of cucumbers, pay attention to the buds that first appeared in the axils of the lower leaves. If ovaries appear there, therefore, this plant belongs to a parthenocarpic hybrid or self-pollinating variety. The appearance of barren flowers will indicate that the plant must be allowed to develop into a bush. Only the further growth of the vines will show where the ovaries will grow on them.
To ensure that cucumbers do not get sick and bear fruit normally, they should not be planted densely; the load on the central cucumber vine should increase gradually. The lower leaves should not come into contact with the ground, all parts of the bush should not grow chaotically. What all cucumbers have in common is that they are all climbing vines, so they require trellises and staking.
Why form bushes
Cucumber plants require formation for several reasons:
- in heavily overgrown plantings, ideal conditions are created for the development of diseases;
- the plant spends a lot of energy on the development of shoots, respectively, the more there are, the fewer ovaries;
- a large number of leaves does not allow light and air to penetrate deep into the crown, which disrupts the process of photosynthesis;
- It is more difficult for pollinating insects to get to flowers through dense thickets.
Advice. During the formation of the bush and harvesting, you should handle the plant very carefully, that is, do not turn the lashes and leaves in the opposite direction. Such careless actions can cause the cucumber to stop growing.
How to tie it correctly
The first garter of cucumber shoots is carried out when they reach the lower tier of the support net or other support device, for example, plastic tape or metal wire. Garter tapes about 25 cm long are used. When gartering, care must be taken not to uproot the seedling. The lashes are either wrapped around a support or attached to the mesh. To prevent shading of the bushes, the side lashes are attached at an angle of 30-35°.
When mounted vertically on long cords fixed under the ceiling of the greenhouse, the stem and tendrils of the plants are wound and secured with long tapes. Horizontal fastening involves arranging arcs or trellises from long pieces of wire to which cucumber vines are attached.
How to shape cucumbers
Forming is done to strengthen the plant itself and improve the development of the bush. If this procedure is performed correctly, the fruits will become large and strong. Formed bushes have a number of advantages, which include:
- saving space in the greenhouse,
- free access to each bush for watering, loosening, fertilizing or spraying,
- the stems do not touch the ground, which provides protection from rot or pests,
- convenience in picking fruits,
- free ventilation in the beds where cucumbers grow,
- correct watering,
- ease of penetration of daylight,
- more intensive growth of cucumbers.
The fruits will develop more actively and have excellent taste, but for this, gardeners should familiarize themselves with some of the nuances of this procedure.
In one stem
In this way, cucumbers with bunch fruiting are most often formed by self-pollinating and parthenocarpic cucumber species. All ovaries, stepsons, tendrils, and pedicels are removed from the first 5 leaf axils. In all subsequent nodes, only the ovaries are left and all stepsons are removed.
Forming a cucumber into one stem: video
With side shoots
Bee-pollinated varieties and hybrids of cucumbers are formed according to a multi-stem scheme. The central stem of the plant is tied to a support. From the beginning of the stem in the first 4 axils to the 5th leaf, everything is removed. The stepson is left in the fifth axil, allowed to grow and pinched after the first leaf. Along the entire length of the central stem, as it grows, all stepsons, ovaries, and flowers are removed from every 4 nodes. At every fifth node a shoot is again left.
Formation of a cucumber bush (video)
Growing and proper cultivation of cucumbers in a greenhouse
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in forming a cucumber bush. Choose one of the above schemes and act. But, as a rule, there are subtleties of growing and pinching. Here are some of them:
- Pruning is not carried out at night, in the rain and after watering.
- Stepchildren are cut with sharp pruning shears or scissors at a distance of 5-10mm from the central stem. It’s just convenient to do this with a tool, but nothing terrible will happen if you just do it with your hands.
- Before feeding, you must first remove all excess stepsons with foliage, otherwise the nutrients will go into them and will be wasted.
- Always remove any tendrils; they are only needed if the cucumber grows in the wild. If they are not removed, the whiskers will cling to everything they can catch and will make subsequent care in general difficult.
A lot has been written about fertilizing, but one important point is often missed - mulching a bed with cucumbers. But without mulching you cannot get a good harvest. Why is it so good?
Under the mulch, microorganisms develop that help plants feed; they process all the substances that we add to the soil, be it humus or compost. Plants cannot process manure and compost themselves, but when microorganisms pass them through, they become available to our plants. All beneficial fungi and bacteria ideally develop under mulch.
In our greenhouse, we usually use straw for this.
And I also want to dwell on one very important aspect. You've probably noticed that cucumbers mostly grow at night? Whatever scheme you use to form your cucumber bushes, you must provide lighting to the leaf apparatus for one simple reason - the leaves accumulate substances during the day and release them to the fruits at night.
If the formation scheme with stepsons does not provide sufficient illumination of the foliage, this scheme is not suitable for you, which means it is better to remove the stepsons. Let there be fewer of them or none at all, but the remaining sunlit leaves with ovaries will be able to provide you with a harvest.
By the way, this is one of the reasons why it is not recommended to remove leaves from cucumbers, unlike tomatoes. If in tomatoes only closely spaced leaves participate in the nutrition of the fruit, then in cucumbers absolutely everything.
Pinching and pruning: how to do it correctly so as not to cause harm
In order not to harm the plant, it is necessary for the cucumber seedlings to remain in the ground for at least 5 days. Tools for trimming stepsons, mustaches, ovaries and flowers must be sterilized. Work in a greenhouse can be done at any time, but the soil under the plants must first be moistened to ensure proper turgor .
What is turgor?
is a process that occurs in the cells of plant leaves and is caused by hydrostatic pressure. Translated from Latin, it means “to be filled.”
Methods for forming cucumbers
If you do not pay due attention to the formation of cucumbers in a greenhouse, a number of problems may arise, which include the following factors:
- all the strength and nutrition of the plants will go to extra shoots, not fruits,
- the thickening of cucumbers will create a significant barrier to the penetration of sunlight, which in turn will be an obstacle to the normal growth and development of the crop,
- when thickening occurs, a favorable environment is created for the occurrence of various diseases and the proliferation of pests,
- dense plantings make caring for the plant much more difficult,
- access of insects to dust-pollinated varieties will be difficult, which will undoubtedly affect the fruiting of the plant.
Forming cucumbers: an easy way (video)
The formation of cucumbers in a greenhouse is divided into several stages:
- Removing side shoots and flowers in the axils of 4-5 lower leaves;
- The ovary above 4-5 leaves must be left, and the stepsons must be removed;
- If the stepsons have sprouted more than 20 cm, then removing them can lead to the shedding of the ovaries;
- After 5 more leaves appear in this area of the plant, the stepsons can be left, but you need to pinch off their tops after the first leaves appear;
- Stepchildren growing on side shoots are immediately removed;
- The top of the main stem must be pinched at the height where it hangs over the tensioned wire, when it can easily be thrown over a couple of times.
Each type of cucumber formation has its own differences.
In a polycarbonate greenhouse
Cucumber bushes in the greenhouse must be properly cared for; they must be formed in such a way that this care ensures normal taste and a good harvest of fruit. When planting seedlings, it is necessary to maintain such a distance between the bushes that one or another method of tying and pinching cucumber vines ensures that the shoots and leaves are not thickened.
Parthenocarpic hybrids
Hybrids of non-pollinated cucumber species are usually grown using the vertical staking method, forming them into one central stem.
Bouquet type cucumbers
Cucumbers of bouquet (beam) type of ovaries belong to parthenocarpic and self-pollinating hybrids. The main way to grow this type of cucumber is by vertically tying one central stem. Sometimes, if there is sufficient space in the greenhouse, at a height of approximately 1.5 m, the stepsons on the central stem are not removed and the plant is allowed to form one or two lateral shoots. In this case, it is necessary to secure a horizontal fastening made of wire or rope in the upper part of the greenhouse, to which the side shoots must be tied.
Guide to caring for bushes after they form
The formation of a cucumber bush is not a one-time process. This is a long task. Therefore, try to look into the greenhouse and inspect the plants throughout the growth of the bush.
Try to remove excess shoots in the morning so that the wound of the plant heals by evening. The process itself must be carried out using a sharp knife, so the cut will not cause much harm to the plant. But if you pull out the stepson with your hands, the wound can be large and take a long time to heal.
How to tie cucumber lashes correctly
Properly tied lashes improve the quality of the crop and make it easier to harvest. After all, no one likes to wade through thickets of branches for a cucumber. Moreover, cucumber bushes are easy to break.
Depending on the height of the greenhouse, there are two types of lashing: horizontal and vertical.
With vertical, all the twines coming from the plants are tied to the top crossbar of the greenhouse. Or for these purposes, instead of the crossbar, a special long trellis is installed.
When horizontal, crossbars are installed at different ends of the greenhouse. Threads are attached to them at different heights and cucumbers are secured to them with tendrils. More details in the article - Horizontal garter of cucumbers.
How can you feed cucumber bushes while they are growing in greenhouses?
Plants in a greenhouse should be fertilized more often than in open ground. One of the main rules for fertilizing cucumbers is to add fertilizer only to moist soil. Therefore, the cucumber should be watered before feeding. It's better to do this in the morning.
It is better to dilute fertilizers in water, so the plant can absorb more useful elements. Fertilizing cucumbers after the formation of bushes is not much different from fertilizing the rest of the time. For these purposes, a solution of mullein or bird droppings is an excellent choice of organic fertilizers. They are diluted with water in a ratio of 1:5.
A urea solution is suitable for mineral fertilizers. To do this, 50 grams are diluted in 10 liters of water.
Monitor the condition of the plant. If its leaves begin to turn yellow, then apply a liter of mullein or urea solution described above under each bush.
You can use ammonium nitrate. For these purposes, dilute 50 grams in 10 liters of water.
If the plant’s fruits begin to grow in a hooked shape, thickened at one end, it means it lacks potassium. Such a plant can be fed with potassium sulfate diluted in water. Or ash, also diluted in ash.
With a lack of phosphorus, the leaves become lilac in color and the fruits stop growing. Apply chemicals containing phosphorus to the soil.
If the fruits are narrowed in the middle, this indicates that the plant is watered with cold water.
It will be useful:
Application of fertilizers for cucumbers
Reviews
Cucumbers were planted without formation. The harvest was below average. A neighbor once suggested how to do this procedure correctly. Now the harvest is enough for the whole family. Care is not very labor-intensive, but the result of the effort is obvious. I am very pleased with this method of growing cucumbers!
Marina, 49 years old, Rostov-on-Don
I am an experienced gardener. I managed to try a lot in my greenhouse. At first it seemed that this would result in less harvest, because to form a bush in a greenhouse you need space. But after reading the works of other gardeners and spending a little time browsing gardening forums, I realized my mistake. Now I don’t save space to the detriment of the harvest. In addition, each variety requires a special approach, so you must always take into account which type of cucumber you are talking about. It is this factor that determines the planting and care of the plant.
Oleg, 52 years old, Astrakhan
The formation of a bush is a prerequisite for obtaining a good harvest. Our family has always used this method in the greenhouse. The results are beyond praise!
Tamara, 34 years old, St. Petersburg
Natalia
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Ask a Question
To get an excellent harvest, you need to water on time, fertilize and create favorable conditions for cucumbers. As this crop grows, it will need proper shaping, without which it is impossible to get an excellent harvest. Having completed all the procedures correctly, the gardener can count on a bountiful and tasty harvest. Health to you and your loved ones!
