Picking cucumbers: how and when to do it right at home

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Author of the article

Yakov Pavlovich

Professor, Head of the Department of Vegetable Growing

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If you sow cucumbers in a large container, then after the cotyledon leaves have fully opened, the seedlings need to be planted in a separate container. Not all gardeners agree that this work needs to be done. Some believe that it is better to immediately distribute the seeds into separate cups, so as not to injure the seedlings later. But it is believed that this strengthens the root system and accelerates its development. Everyone decides for themselves whether picking cucumber plants is necessary, but if the seeds are sown in one container, you need to understand how to do this work.

How it all happens

Step-by-step picking of cucumbers in open ground or in a greenhouse is carried out 7-8 days after sowing. The signal about the beginning will be the first few full-fledged cotyledon leaves. Preparation begins with searching for soil. It is bought ready-made at a gardening store. Here the soil has been pre-treated, so there is no risk of infection.

If there is no store nearby, then prepare the soil yourself. Take garden soil, humus, peat, sawdust in a ratio of 1:4:2:1. Everything is mixed and fertilized with a mixture of Nitrophoska and wood ash. Further actions:

Container – planted cucumbers should be picked correctly in plastic cups. Several holes are made at the bottom to ensure drainage. An alternative container is a peat pot. It is placed in the ground along with the seedlings.
24 hours before the planned manipulation, fill the container with soil to 2/3 of its volume. The soil is slightly moistened. Under the influence of water, the soil will settle slightly.
10 minutes before picking, water the soil generously. Small depressions are made in containers with prepared soil.

Take a plastic spoon and carefully remove the seedlings. The scheme also provides for the capture of a small volume of soil.

Note! It is allowed to only lightly support the stems.

Constant monitoring of seedling condition

When picking future cucumbers, keep an eye on the root. If there are visible signs of rot or damage on it, it should be disposed of immediately. Excessively long roots should not be ignored. They are subject to pinching. It is allowed to place the seedlings in a new place only if the root looks healthy. Immediately after this, it is watered with water at room temperature. The liquid must first be settled. Further actions:

the seedling is covered with soil up to the so-called “knee” - an inflection point that is located on the stem;
it is forbidden to deepen the growing point;
the root system is 100% covered with soil.

After 4-5 days, roots will form in a greenhouse or open ground.

Basic rules for caring for seedlings

Water the cucumbers two to three times a week, depending on the temperature background. Control the soil moisture - it should not dry out. Both lack and excess of water are dangerous for seedlings. It is allowed to increase the intensity of watering if a drought occurs. It is good that the air humidity in the greenhouse does not fall below 85%. The upper limit value is 90%. If the actual value is less, then there should be a bucket of cold water near each bush.

The recommended daylight hours are 8-10 hours. If the indicator is not met, then fluorescent lamps are installed inside the greenhouse. After 20 hours, the vegetable needs darkness in a greenhouse, open ground or at home. Comfortable temperature conditions for seedlings are from +18 C to + 20 C. In a greenhouse it is easier to provide it than in open ground. In order for picking cucumbers on your own at home to be successful, you need to prepare a protective garden film. It is needed for those cases when it gets very cold.

Other recommendations:

the container with seedlings is placed in a place protected from drafts;
do not use tap water for irrigation without prior filtration;
water temperature for irrigation from + 22 C to + 25 C;
after it has been possible to successfully pick the planted cucumbers in the greenhouse, the first fertilizing is applied immediately after completion of the manipulation;
the second feeding is carried out after 14 days;
fertilizing is carried out with mineral fertilizers.

Attention! Potassium salt, ammonium nitrate, and superphosphate will help saturate the soil with nutrients. Recommended consumption: 1 teaspoon of substance per 1 bucket of water

Each bush requires 1 liter of mixture. Fertilizing is applied only in the first half of the day.

Advantages and disadvantages

The procedure for picking cucumbers at home has both advantages and disadvantages. Each gardener himself decides whether to carry out this stage or skip it. The positive features are that:

At a time when cucumbers are picking, it is possible to select the healthiest plants and those most suitable for further planting. They are determined by their roots, leaves and viability.
Initially, a lot of space is saved. The first sowing is carried out in a single container and there is no need to waste space in the garden beds or in the greenhouse.
The growth of one plant is stimulated. Useful elements go to one sprout, and in tandem with good soil, fertilizing and proper care, this has a beneficial effect.
A powerful root system develops rapidly, which subsequently easily adapts to the new land. Plus, the bush receives more useful microelements at its expense.

Picking has many advantages.

Flaws:

If most of the seeds were damaged to begin with, it will be difficult to breed healthy seedlings.
If handled carelessly, most seedlings may die.

All varieties of cucumbers initially have a rather weak root system - this is their negative feature. Therefore, picking in some cases does not live up to expectations. But with the right technique, you can achieve the opposite effect.

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 using the seedless method, 3 to 5 seeds are sown in a hole. 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.

Dates

It is better to determine the time when it is necessary to replant seedlings by their appearance - 1-2 true leaves should grow. During this period, seedlings are less sick after picking. Do not delay; after the formation of 3-4 leaf blades, the plant suffers greatly from replanting. The first leaves grow approximately 6-7 days after emergence. And after 3-4 leaves have grown, the plant begins to lay the first inflorescences.

See also Characteristics and cultivation of cucumbers of the Murashka variety

In closed ground, picking is performed in the same time frame. Weak and thin plants need to be discarded. Strong seedlings are planted in pots or in a permanent place.

How to pick cucumbers correctly

Picking is transplanting a seedling from a common container into a separate one with a new soil mixture. To make this process painless, it is carried out when the seedlings are at an early stage of development. Cucumbers can be picked when their cotyledon leaves have fully opened or their first true leaves have appeared.

While the seedlings are just starting to grow, they do not need much space, so they get along well in one container. But gradually the seedlings begin to form a root system, and accordingly, they need more space and more nutrients in the soil. How to plant seedlings?

Step 1. Preparing containers

Before removing young plants from the soil, containers for replanting should be prepared. We chose regular plastic cups: they are deep enough and easy to make drainage holes in.

The cups should be filled with new soil mixture. You can use the same substrate in which the seedlings were grown. If you want to make the mixture yourself, combine turf soil (1 part), peat (1 part), sawdust (1 part) and humus (2 parts). But you can also use ordinary universal soil for growing vegetable seedlings, which is sold in any specialized store.

It is advisable to pour the substrate into the cups a day before planting the cucumber seedlings. After this, it needs to be watered well so that the soil settles.

Step 2. Picking cucumber seedlings

The next day you can start seedlings.

To do this, you need to water the young plants thoroughly, wait until the soil absorbs the water, and then remove the seedlings one by one using a small spatula or plastic spoon.

You need to remove the seedlings from the container with a small lump of earth. You should not touch the stem during picking (in extreme cases, the seedling can be held by the leaves). In addition, if you forcefully pull plants from the soil, you can injure the delicate roots.

You need to make indentations in the cups in advance so that the seedlings with a lump of earth can be easily placed in them. When the plant is in the hole, it needs to be watered with warm water along the stem: the soil will “draw in” the plant and its roots will straighten out.

Seedlings need to be buried almost to the cotyledon leaves. But the leaves should not touch the ground, otherwise the plant may rot.

It is not always possible to carry out the picking perfectly and not injure the roots of some seedlings. Due to the loss of part of the root system, the growth of seedlings slows down. But don’t worry: as soon as the plant develops basal suction roots, it will begin to grow again.

What is picking?

Picking is the transfer of seedlings from the original sowing site to a wider container or directly to the soil in open ground. When picking, the shoots are removed along with a small part of the soil covering the roots, which is important for preserving the integrity of the rhizome, and therefore ensures rapid adaptation to new conditions.

With such a transfer, particularly weak seedlings that are unable to cope with adaptation die, while stronger ones strengthen their growth. This process increases the resistance of cucumbers to disease and their resistance to low temperatures, which is necessary when grown in open ground.

Pollinated varieties

If a plant needs to be pollinated in order for juicy fruits to begin to grow, then most likely on its main stem there will be more barren flowers that do not produce a harvest.

Many people don’t know how to properly pinch cucumbers and therefore don’t bother themselves. In addition to the volume of the harvest, you can also grow more tasty fruits.

The fact is that secondary shoots can be either male or female. All male fruits have an unpleasant bitter taste, while female fruits are most often juicy and tasty. Therefore, if desired, you can organize up to eight secondary shoots, and only then remove unnecessary male shoots.

You also need to know when to pinch cucumbers. In insect-pollinated varieties, you need to wait until 6-8 leaves appear on the main trunk.

The procedure looks like this:

You need to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and clean your working tools before cutting cucumbers;
On the first row of leaves you need to remove the ovaries;
The main shoot is pinched.

Representatives of this variety begin to form lateral branches quite late, so you need to help them. Remember, if you work with a dirty tool, you can introduce an infection that will slow down growth or even kill the plant.

Parthenocarpic varieties

A feature of these varieties is their self-pollination process and a large number of female stems. However, they are not suitable for growing outdoors, only in greenhouse conditions.

The procedure looks like this:

The main stem should grow up to half a meter;
All leaves and ovaries in the lower part are removed;
Pinching is done through each next row of leaves.

If the stem continues to grow, you can throw it over the beam so that the growth continues downward.

How to understand when it's time to pinch

Modern breeders have long learned to produce varieties that do not need to be pinched. Because of this, opinions differ at times regarding the appropriateness of the procedure.

Pinching cucumbers growing in open ground is more of a measure to help form a bush if growth is not going well.

If the main shoot has reached a great length, 7 or more leaves have formed on it, but there are no side shoots, then pinching is necessary, otherwise the harvest cannot be called rich. But if the plant already has healthy side shoots, then you can leave everything as it is.

Many people do not know how to pinch cucumbers in open ground; the procedure is quite simple, but requires careful adherence to several rules, such as:

Maintaining hygiene;
The tool must be clean and sharp;
The cut area must be treated with ash or crushed coal.

First, you need to remember that the main purpose of pinching cucumbers in open ground is to form lateral branches.

Procedure:

It is necessary to securely fasten the main trunk to a net or stick; After the 7th row of leaves, you need to carefully cut off the top; After secondary shoots begin to form, the male ones need to be removed; Yellow leaves that may begin to form should be removed to ensure that nutrients are not wasted; If the branches curl or have an unpresentable appearance, they can be removed; the working stems from which most of the harvest will be harvested should be left at 4-5.

Cucumbers are plants that have a fairly small root system. Because of this, the amount of minerals obtained from the soil may not be enough. Pinching allows you to more rationally distribute the plant's forces.

It is imperative to remove the lowest ovary. This is due to the fact that the fruits from it usually grow crooked, small and tasteless, so in order not to waste precious nutrients they must be removed.

Important Tips

Since cucumbers have a weak root system, you need to be careful when working with them;
It is necessary to cultivate and fertilize the soil;
Remove male shoots;
Use only clean and sharp tools;
If you notice leaves or branches starting to wilt, remove them immediately;
After pruning, stumps should not be left, as this can lead to plant disease.

Conclusion

Pinching is an important procedure that allows you to get a healthy and tasty harvest. The methods and necessity for the procedure depend on the plant variety and its condition; not every bush needs to be pinched

Which cucumbers need picking?

You can pick any cucumbers, regardless of the variety. Replant all seedlings that grew in one container. Cucumbers are planted in separate pots when the first pair of full leaves appear on them.

The weakest point of cucumbers is the root system. It takes a very long time to develop, so picking even healthy seedlings can lead to their death. Therefore, many gardeners prefer not to touch the seedlings once again.

Useful tips

When carrying out root feeding, nutrient mixtures are distributed over the entire surface of the bed: cucumber roots reach 2 m in length and spread in different directions from the stem. When the plants begin to sprout, be sure to cover the ground with mulch. If the weather is dry, the latter is watered. As a result, steam will come from the mulch, which vegetables love very much.

To increase the vegetable's resistance to fungal diseases, plantings are sprayed with special means as a preventive measure. It is safer to use biological products (Fitosporin), as well as soda solution and whey. They are harmless even during the fruiting period, when the development of the disease can lead to a significant crop shortage, and it is impossible to use a fungicide for protection due to the long aftereffect.

For your information! Colonies of aphids are often noted as pests on vegetable shoots. Both chemical preparations (insecticides) and folk remedies (garlic infusion, soda solution with added iodine) help to get rid of them.

The lunar calendar for cucumbers for May does not guarantee a bountiful harvest if the vegetable grower violates the agrotechnical requirements for cultivating the crop. In addition to astrological recommendations regarding favorable planting days, you need to take into account the characteristics of the selected variety and the agroclimatic features of the region.

Preparing for a pick

Before picking, you need to prepare nutritious soil for seedlings. It is best to use the substrate in which the seeds were sown; plants adapt much faster. Each gardener has his own soil recipe. For beginners, you can try one of the following options:

a mixture of garden soil with old humus and a small portion of washed river sand;
turf soil with sawdust and peat;
garden soil mixed with compost and a small portion of perlite or vermicult.

Small containers made of plastic, film or paper are suitable for transplantation.

ADVICE! Washed milk or kefir containers, homemade pots, and special cassettes with trays are suitable.

Ready-made peat cups with a diameter of no more than 10 cm are convenient.

In containers that are too spacious, the soil turns sour, causing root rot of the seedlings. Drainage holes are made in the containers, then the cups or pots are placed on a deep tray. Learn more about different growing containers.

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.

Picking seedlings - how not to harm the seedlings

When growing seedlings of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cabbage and other garden crops, after the appearance of 1-2 true leaves, the seedlings are picked, that is, transplanted into separate containers.

Do you need to pick seedlings? What is the purpose of picking? The fact is that the seedlings obtained in this way are completely preserved when planted and the root system is not injured.

When transplanted, the plants quickly take root, grow well, and do not get sick.

Until now, gardeners treat picking differently. Some believe that this is a mandatory and necessary procedure when growing good quality seedlings. Others, on the contrary, consider picking an unnecessary stressful moment and sow the seeds immediately in large containers.

Here, of course, the choice is yours.

When is it necessary to pick seedlings?

Firstly, picking is necessary if you sowed the seeds directly into a common container. Picking done in time will protect the plants from intertwining roots and will make the process of planting plants in a permanent place easier.

Secondly, you cannot avoid picking if a lot of seedlings have sprouted. In addition, they will still have to be separated from each other. It is better to do this when the seedlings are still small and their roots have not grown.

Thirdly, picking allows you to select the best, healthy seedlings for planting in a permanent place.

Fifthly, picking promotes the development of lateral roots, which means that your seedlings will have a powerful root system after transplantation.

And lastly, picking will slow down the growth of seedlings when there is a danger of overgrowth. That is, replanting will help delay the development of plants.

I think that I have convinced you that picking is very important and must be taken with full responsibility. The further growth and development of seedlings depends on its quality.

Transplanting seedlings

The first method is transplantation. To make removing plants from the pot easy and problem-free, water them 2 hours before picking. A well-soaked lump of earth can be freely removed from any container.

Those pots, cups, boxes into which you will transplant the seedlings are filled 3/4 with the prepared soil mixture and compacted. Use a stick, pencil or just your index finger to make a hole in the soil. The root and stem of the seedling are lowered here.

There are some picking rules for different crops.

Tomato seedlings can be buried almost to the cotyledon leaves, and peppers or eggplants should be planted at the same depth as they grew before picking. In this case, hold the seedlings by the cotyledon leaves, and not by the stem, which can be easily damaged when picking.

If desired, you can pinch the longest main root of the plant by 1/3 of its length to stimulate the formation of lateral roots.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=9QgbPYX9wzo

Then carefully compact the soil around the seedling. You can even check whether you did the picking well: lightly lift the seedling up by its seven-lobed leaves.

If the picking is unsuccessful, the plant is pulled out without difficulty, that is, the soil does not adhere tightly to the main root and stem.

After picking, the seedlings are watered. If these are very small plants, for example, celery, then the pots are placed in a tray and the plants are sprayed. After picking, the plants can even be moved into the shade, away from bright light - this way they will better withstand a stressful situation.

Transshipment of seedlings

The second method of picking seedlings is transshipment. This technique is good because the roots of the picked plants are not damaged at all. The seedlings will not need any time to adapt and their development will not slow down at all.

When transshipping, a couple of days before the procedure, they stop watering the seedlings so that the earthen lump comes out of the cup freely. Just as with the first method, fill 3/4 of the containers into which you will transfer the seedlings with soil mixture.

Small cups with seedlings are turned upside down, while passing the above-ground parts of the plants between the fingers. Then they gently press on the bottom of the glass - the plant, along with a lump of earth, remains in the hand. Then the plant is placed in a large container, and the empty space is filled with soil mixture.

I advise you to use transshipment when picking seedlings of peppers and eggplants, since their delicate root system is very painful to transplant with exposure of the roots.

That's all the wisdom. I am sure that your seedlings will tolerate the picking procedure perfectly and will delight you with a good harvest in the future.

And one more thing in conclusion. I spied it on one of the forums. After picking the seedlings, place a piece of foil on top of the soil - the light intensity will increase. This will help the seedlings not to stretch out.

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

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.

When should you pluck seedlings?

Picking is required

No matter how much gardeners would like this, there are a number of cases when it is simply necessary to pick all the cucumbers.

When planting seeds in large or deep containers. In this case, the plantings feel discomfort, which leads to the formation of rotting, the shoots becoming yellow, and the plantings lack growth. In order to save at least part of the plants, it is necessary to carry out picking in a container of the optimal size.
In case of insufficient lighting. It happens that the weather turns bad, it rains all day long and the sky is overcast. At the same time, plants, in search of light, stretch upward, become weak and brittle. Proper picking of all cucumbers in open ground will help in this case to avoid problems during cultivation and care. By burying seedlings in the soil, it can be shortened, the rhizome of the plant is strengthened, due to the appearance of new root branches on the stem. Plantings activate their immunity and become more resilient.
In case of an incorrect calculation of the time for planting crops in the soil. Cucumbers are transplanted to open soil when the temperature reaches 16 degrees; at low temperatures, the cucumber stems will die. Seedlings are transplanted when they reach 30 days. If after this period, for some reason, you did not transplant the cucumbers into open ground, then they need to be planted in wider containers for optimal growth and development. In this case, picking is done in order to prevent overgrowth and stretching of leaves.
When the soil or plant is infected. If at least one seedling has symptoms of the disease, the seedlings must be transplanted into a new container. The same rule applies to the soil - if it is infected, healthy soil is necessary.
To carry out natural selection, it is necessary to pick cucumber plants. Thanks to this, only strong seedlings will survive, guaranteeing a good harvest.

In these cases, mandatory picking of cucumbers is required. In all other cases, it is better to avoid replanting plants.

Picking technology

Before moving the seedlings to new containers, prepare the soil in advance. The soil should be fertile so that the cucumbers take root well and grow quickly. To fill the containers, take a ready-made substrate or mix it yourself. In the latter case, it is undesirable to use soil from the garden. It may be infected with pest larvae or pathogenic microorganisms. When mixing independently, the soil mixture must be disinfected. To do this, it is poured with a hot solution of potassium permanganate, steamed or heated in the oven.

To mix the substrate, humus, turf soil, sawdust and peat are used in equal parts. After thoroughly mixing the components, fill the selected container with the soil mixture and water it with warm water. Then let it sit for 24 hours.

Picking cucumbers in a greenhouse

You can dive seedlings grown at home, transplanting them into a greenhouse, or plants planted in a shelter to a new location.
First, the soil is cleared of weeds and dug up, while applying fertilizer. Then small holes are made in the arranged beds. Seedlings in a seedling box are watered with warm water. They are dug out along with a small lump of earth and placed in the holes. The remaining space is filled with soil and compacted next to the stem. When transplanting, the seedling is not deeply buried. After moving all the plants, the bed is watered again with warm water.

Advice! When growing in greenhouses, it is not advisable to pick. It is more convenient to immediately plant the seeds in separate holes, 1-2 pieces at a time. Then you won’t have to disturb the seedlings again and expose them to stress.

Picking at home

Seedlings are planted in separate containers if they begin to stretch or the first pair of true leaves have already appeared.
On the scheduled day, the soil is moistened with warm water. Then, in individual cups filled with soil, a small hole is made in the center. Use a teaspoon to dig out a seedling from a common box, without holding the plant by the stem. The bush is transplanted into an individual cup and sprinkled with soil. Then compact the soil and water the plant a little with warm water. Before replanting, it is advisable to inspect the root system of the seedling. If there are signs of damage, the bush is thrown away, since the likelihood of its successful engraftment is very low.

Picking in open ground

Plants are transferred to unprotected beds when they are already well established. It is better to postpone this procedure to the beginning of June or the last days of May. the weather should be warm, without the threat of sudden frosts.

Picking is carried out according to the following scheme:

the place under the garden bed is dug up, clearing weeds and adding fertilizers;
Having arranged the bed, make holes in it at a distance of 30 cm from each other;
seedlings are planted together with peat cups; seedlings are first removed from plastic or paper cups;
the free space in the hole is sprinkled with earth;
Having compacted the soil around the stem, water the plants with warm water.

During the first time after transplanting into open ground, the plants are covered with film or covering material at night. This is necessary to facilitate adaptation and protection from possible cold snap.

Picking cucumbers

When the seedlings close their leaves and begin to shade each other, you need to pick them into seedling cups. For picking, I use cups made of polyethylene sleeves 12 cm wide and 8-10 cm high. The volume of soil that fits in the cup will be quite enough to grow a full-fledged plant until transplanted into the ground.

After picking, the seedlings should be fertilized with a complex mineral fertilizer with a high phosphorus content to stimulate root formation. As the cucumbers grow, the glasses should be spaced more freely so that the plants do not interfere with each other.

I plant seedlings in the ground in the development phase of the seedlings having 5-6 true leaves. If the cucumbers were grown in optimal temperature, light and watering conditions, they should not lie down.

Proper care of cucumbers after diving

So, to the question of whether it is necessary to pick cucumbers, a positive answer was received, the picking was carried out, what next?

Sprouts planted in containers require special attention, especially during the first time after transplantation.

There are a number of simple rules, if you follow which you will not have problems with cucumber seedlings:

The first few days are the most important, they largely determine how the plant will develop further. It is best that these days the temperature in the room with the plants is in the range of 17-20 degrees. Cucumbers love high humidity, so if you have a humidifier at home, you can use it. Under these conditions, plant rooting occurs. It is better to avoid unnecessary stress in the form of low temperatures or dry air.

Cucumbers do not like drafts. It is best to find a warm place where they are not at risk of hypothermia.

Do not forget that for seedlings to sprout naturally, they need proper lighting. It often happens that in the spring, many plants do not have enough natural light, which they have a great need for. If there is not enough light, the picked cucumber seedlings will have a hard time; they may stretch out and turn pale. You can use specialized lamps that are fixed 4-12 cm from containers with seedlings. In total, cucumbers need at least 8-11 hours of light per day.

Watering is no less important. The water must be at least 20°C, soft, without unnecessary impurities. You can water only after the soil structure has dried and slightly changed in color - from black to gray. You should not overwater the sprouts; cucumbers do not like swamps as well as drought. Let the soil in the peat pots remain slightly moist. To achieve this effect, you can water the cucumbers 1-2 times a week (or more often, depending on the temperature, climate and humidity level in the air in the room).

After a couple of days, you can feed the sprouts with mineral fertilizer (dissolved in water). Some use nitrate (ammonium nitrate, 8 g), superphosphate (10-16 g), potassium sulfate (10 g). All this is dissolved in 10 liters of water and mixed thoroughly. Fertilizer is applied in the morning, simultaneously with watering. Before planting in a permanent place, such fertilizing can be done 2-3 times. The first time - with the appearance of a real leaf, again - after a couple of weeks, the last time - a few days before planting in the ground.

Even if you doubt whether it is possible to dive, it is worth trying this method at least for the sake of experimentation, in order to draw your own conclusions and gain important experience. Moreover, the picking itself, as well as the subsequent care of young cucumbers, is nothing complicated.

Picking rules

If picking is unavoidable, competent execution of a clear sequence of the transplantation process is required. Otherwise, it will not be possible to save some of the plants that do not have great health and growth vigor. Only the youngest crops need to be picked. As a material, it is necessary to choose seedlings that are no more than 7-30 days old (counting from the moment the first greenery appears on the soil). In addition, you can be guided by the appearance of the seedlings - they must have two cotyledon leaves.

Preparing containers for cucumbers. The size of the containers must be selected slightly larger than those originally selected for sowing the cucumber. Cups made of paper or peat would be optimal, due to the fact that when replanting, removing the soil can have a bad effect on the development of the plantings. And in such cups you can easily place the plant in the soil. Soil preparation. As a filler, you can use a substrate from the store, which is optimal for vegetables or just cucumbers. You can also choose a self-prepared mixture consisting of turf soil, rotted sawdust, organic fertilizer and peat. Preparing the mixed mixture should begin in the fall so that the mixture has time to rot. It is possible to use only ash added to the turf soil. Whatever soil you choose for replanting, the main conditions are looseness, air and water capacity, and nutritional value of the soil. Otherwise, after watering, nutrients will not be able to penetrate to the entire depth of the soil. Pouring soil into prepared containers. Filling should be done two-thirds full, after which the container is left for a couple of days to allow the substrate to compact. If necessary, you need to add more soil if there is a lot of free space left after compacting the soil. Before picking (2-3 hours before), the soil in the container should be watered with warm water (not lower than room temperature), followed by making 2-3 cm deepenings. Before picking, the plants are watered with warm water (2-3 hours before transplanting) . When watering, it is necessary not to overdo it so that the soil does not separate from the root system and at the same time becomes saturated with moisture.

Otherwise, it will not be possible to plant seedlings in a container without damaging the root system. Removal of small seedlings must be done carefully. It is necessary to avoid touching the fragile stem with your fingers so as not to damage it, as it is very brittle

It is optimal to hold the seedling by a lump of soil between the roots or in the area of the cotyledon leaves. Digging up seedlings should be done with a small round spatula, a regular tablespoon or long tweezers. In this case, it is necessary to dig not along the entire length of the working tool, but gradually going deeper under the root. The root of the extracted plant should be examined. If traces of infection or suppuration are found on it, it must be thrown away. If the roots of the plant are very long, they must be pinched, cutting off the long central shoots. This will provide the opportunity for the development of lateral roots, providing the seedlings with strength and strength due to uniform development. Place the seedlings in the prepared hole. The soil should be lightly compacted around the plant stem. This operation has a positive effect on the active adhesion of the root to the soil and on the adaptation of the plant to a new place.

Planting cucumbers should be accompanied by abundant watering. In this case, pre-settled water is used. Upon completion of planting, all seedlings should be covered with thick white fabric. Such material will protect plants from drafts and ensure normalization of soil temperature, creating favorable climatic conditions. It is necessary to avoid significant deepening of cucumber plantings into the soil, as this will lead to the stem rotting, which will reduce the growth of the plant. The optimal depth is to fill the seedlings up to the knee - the inflection line that can be found on the stem.

Picking in a greenhouse

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.

Picking cucumber seedlings: how to pick cucumbers correctly.

Probably every experienced and novice gardener knows that it is better to grow everyone’s favorite cucumbers without the picking stage, since their root system can be damaged, to which the plant can “react” very badly.

Preference should be given to planting in individual plastic or paper containers. In addition, you can use peat humus cups for this. However, situations in life are very different and sometimes it is possible to create the most favorable conditions for the growth of seedlings only in very small areas. It is in such rare cases that picking cucumbers is used.

Picking cucumber seedlings

Of course, in order for everything to go as fruitfully and painlessly as possible for the plant itself, it’s worth knowing how to pick cucumbers correctly. By following some rules, you can be sure that your seedlings will develop well, building up a powerful root system.

The most optimal period in which to pick cucumber seedlings is 5–7 days after seed germination, namely in the phase of developed cotyledon leaves. In order to get good 30-day seedlings, you should choose containers with a volume of 0.7 - 0.8 liters. In order for planting to be successful, the root system of the plant must be well entwined with the clod of earth. In the same case, if you are not going to wait a whole month and plan to cut this time in half, then you can get by with smaller containers - 0.5 - 0.6 liters. The use of large containers does not have any advantage, so you don’t have to bother looking for this huge container.

Soil for picking

In order for picking cucumbers to have a high chance of a positive outcome, the soil selected for this process must meet the following criteria:

- be light; – moisture permeable; - loose; – air-intensive; – have a neutral reaction; – contain all the necessary microelements; – free from pathogens and weed seeds.

You can prepare such a miracle soil yourself. To do this you will need to mix the following components:

1. one part of turf land; 2. one part of peat; 3. one part of sawdust; 4. two parts of humus.

It is also advisable to add about 30–40 grams of complex fertilizer and one glass of ash to a bucket of such a mixture.

How to pick cucumbers correctly?

As already mentioned, picking cucumbers is a rather undesirable process, but if you still cannot avoid it, you should follow some tips that will help you avoid many unpleasant surprises:

– It is worth pouring the soil into containers in advance to give it time to settle a little;

– A day before the expected dive, the soil needs to be well watered so that it is well saturated. On the day of picking, you should also “water” the seedlings;

– Small depressions are made in the picking containers;

– The sprouts should be removed from the common box very carefully, trying to grab a lump of earth and avoid injuring the roots. To do this, it is best to use wide tweezers or a small spatula;

– The seedlings must be placed in the prepared holes and sprinkled with soil, slightly compacting it, which will help the root system to better contact the soil. It should be remembered that it is best not to sprinkle the subcotyledon with substrate, as this can cause damage to the plant by various root rots;

– After the transfer of all the sprouts into the holes is completed, they are once again well watered with warm water;

– To improve the rooting of seedlings, it is recommended to maintain high ambient humidity for several days, as well as maintain a thermal regime in the range of 18 – 20 0C;

– Seedlings must be carefully protected from drafts, covered with white covering material.

Picking cucumbers: video

Regardless of when you decide to pick, you need to remember that during this process you will certainly not be able to avoid losses of the root system, as a result of which the growth of seedlings will slow down. However, do not rush to get upset, because all this will be compensated for quite quickly when the basal suction roots begin to intensively form.

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Selection of containers for picking

Before picking cucumbers, you need to take care of containers for plants in advance. For this purpose, it is wise to use peat or plastic glasses with a diameter of at least 10 cm.

It is important to ensure that the container for cucumber seedlings has drainage holes to remove excess moisture. When using food containers, you should cut the holes yourself. They are easy to make in plastic cups using an old screwdriver heated over an open fire.

Containers for cucumber seedlings must be clean, so it is recommended to wash them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Sowing cucumber seedlings

Growing good cucumber seedlings begins with sowing seeds. Details on how to do this are written in this article.

1. Soak the seeds in a growth stimulator solution (after soaking, the solution can be used for watering and spraying indoor plants and seedlings). Seeds can be left for 2-4 hours if you are in a hurry, or left until germination - this is more reliable.

IMPORTANT
Sprouted seeds are planted as sprouts appear.

There is no need to wait for all the seeds to hatch.

Otherwise, the sprouts will overgrow and may break off when sowing.

2. Sprouted seeds are planted in small separate containers with prepared soil mixture (it is advisable to use a special “fat” soil for cucumbers).

3. The crops are placed under film (in a plastic bag), making sure that the soil does not dry out.

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Additionally, see complete instructions for growing cucumber seedlings.

Photo: high-quality and overgrown cucumber seedlings

Features of growing cucumber seedlings

The seedling method allows you to harvest cucumbers much earlier and also increases productivity. It is important to take into account weather and climatic conditions and the time of planting seedlings in open soil.

Reference. In central Russia, cucumber seeds are sown for seedlings in late April - early May , but if you have your own greenhouse, you can do this in late March - early April.

Cucumbers are heat-loving, and if planted too early, they may die or become sick on cold spring nights. First of all, this manifests itself in yellowing of the leaves. Then they will begin to dry out, and the plant will practically stop developing.

Therefore, before you start growing seedlings, you need to study all the intricacies of the matter, and then move on to further actions.

Why are cucumbers planted as seedlings and not in the ground?

In addition to those already mentioned, there are two more important reasons :

To achieve mass fruiting of cucumbers before the spread of fungal diseases. Diseases in cucumbers begin to worsen closer to mid-summer. And if you grow them through seedlings, then by this time the plants will already be quite strong and with good immunity, which will help them to resist all unfavorable factors well.
Many gardeners prefer to grow imported cucumber hybrids, the seeds of which are not cheap. And protecting ready-made seedlings from diseases and pests is much easier than protecting small cucumber sprouts grown outdoors.

Optimal conditions

Before emergence, it is recommended to maintain a temperature of about +22+26°C . Then the seedlings are placed in cooler conditions (+18+20°C) so that the young plants do not stretch out.

Important! Temperatures below +16 and above +30°C will lead to the death of sprouts .

There are several more important conditions , following which you can grow excellent seedlings:

seeds should be planted in separate pots;
water for irrigation should be warm;
plants should be provided with good lighting;
It is recommended to place containers at a distance from each other;
as it grows, it is necessary to add soil;
It is important to harden off the seedlings before planting.

Sowing methods

You can grow cucumbers for seedlings not only in ordinary cups, peat pots or tablets. Inventive gardeners have come up with many unusual ways with minimal effort and expense: in sawdust, boiling water, eggshells or diapers. Everyone can choose what suits them best.

In cups

The most affordable and common container for planting cucumbers is disposable plastic or paper cups. Dairy containers, bottles and the like are also suitable.

Holes must be made at the bottom of such containers. To install cups with seedlings, it is better to immediately prepare some kind of tray into which water will flow during watering.

Some gardeners use homemade pots from glossy magazines or newspapers. They are very simple to make: wrap the bottle in material and secure with tape or a stapler.

In tablets

Growing cucumber seedlings in peat or coconut tablets is a convenient novelty for many. They are made from pressed dry peat or coconut substrate. They have a lot of advantages:

no need to waste time searching for containers and soil;
space saving;
good breathability;
have additives of various nutrients in optimal proportions.

The tablets come in a variety of sizes, making them suitable for a wide variety of crops. Imported samples are often wrapped in a special mesh to prevent the substrate from crumbling. They are used in the same way as cups, on pallets.

In peat pots

Peat pots are containers made from a mixture of peat and pressed cardboard. They completely dissolve in the soil, which allows the plant to take root in the soil without problems. Two big advantages of this container:

safe and convenient planting of fragile seedlings;
when decomposed it becomes fertilizer.

It is important to choose pots wisely so that the root system, after planting the seedlings in the ground, can break through the walls and the plant does not die.

In a shell

This original method is not much different from growing seedlings in plastic cups, but it has an advantage: you do not need to remove the seedlings from the shell before planting, just crack it.

The only thing you need to prepare in advance is to collect egg material and several packaging grids for stability. The shell needs to be lightly pressed down from below and only then covered with soil so that the roots can develop.

In boiling water

Only plastic containers are suitable for this method. If you heat plant in paper cups, peat pots or tablets, they may turn sour.

When using boiling water, the seeds are not just disinfected - they are steamed well and will produce more female flowers in the future. This will have a beneficial effect on pollination and the number of fruits. For the same purpose, cucumber seeds can be sown in hot sawdust.

When can you perform a pick?

Initially, the timing of the transplant is determined so as not to damage the plant. In a large container, the seeds develop within a week. Cotyledon leaves are formed in young shoots. Then you can dive them into separate cups with peat or other filling. At this stage, the root system is poorly developed, so any mistake can damage it.

Soil selection

The soil for picking is the same as for the initial sowing of cucumber seeds. You can prepare the soil yourself or buy universal soil for growing seedlings at the store.

If the first option is closer to you, you can prepare the soil at home by mixing turf soil, sawdust, humus and peat in equal proportions.

An important stage in preparing for picking is the process of soil disinfection, which eliminates pathogenic microorganisms that cause diseases of seedlings. This video will tell you how to do this:

How to properly grow cucumber seedlings

To grow good, strong and healthy cucumber seedlings, you need to know the agrotechnical features of this crop. For example, the needs of a cucumber are very different from tomatoes.

Here are 5 characteristics of a cucumber that must be taken into account from the moment of growing seedlings:

Cucumber is thermophilic . For seed germination, it needs a temperature of 23-25 degrees. Plants are sensitive to changes and decreases in temperature. Do not allow the temperature to drop below 15 degrees
Cucumber is moisture-loving . The earthen ball should always be moistened. In this case, you cannot overfill, because... The root system of a cucumber is very necessary.
Picking a cucumber is contraindicated; it suffers very painfully from injury to the root system. Any replanting is stressful for the plant; the cucumber will become more stressed and its development will slow down for 1-2 weeks.
The cucumber is “ gluttonous ”; fattening is what it needs. Some gardeners even plant seeds in “clean” humus without adding soil, but plant them in warm manure beds. Cucumbers are fed abundantly with nitrogen-containing organic matter, without fear of overfeeding - slurry, mullein infusion, etc. With a lack of nitrogen, the cucumber leaves noticeably turn pale, fewer fruits are produced, the ovaries turn yellow, dry out and fall off.
Cucumber needs high humidity . The plant loves spraying, leaf irrigation - this is not only beneficial for growth, but also protects the cucumber from diseases and pests.

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Siberian blizzard F1

Cold-resistant early-ripening hybrid for open and protected soils.

The fruits are bright green and grow up to 8–12 cm.
The plant is very unpretentious and cold-resistant.

It easily tolerates changes and differences in day and night temperatures (this is especially true in the Urals and Siberia), and is not at all afraid of the cucumber mosaic virus and downy mildew.

Photo: fruits of the Siberian Vyugovey whole and in cross-section

The plant's vines, completely covered with small lumpy cucumbers with white thorns, resemble fluffy snowflakes. It is impossible to hide from this storm of cucumber “snow” - it covers you with such positive emotions that you want to look at this miracle endlessly.

But you don't need to do this! Since cucumbers are not only good-looking, but also have excellent taste characteristics, they are especially good when lightly salted. Mmm, can't put it down! And if also with fresh potatoes, drizzled with butter and sprinkled with fresh herbs!.. How delicious!

Photo: Cucumber seeds Siberian Vyugovey F1 from the Ural summer resident