How to feed cucumbers in a greenhouse for growth and fruiting

Methods for fertilizing cucumbers in a greenhouse

There are two types of fertilizers, each of which has its own indications.

Root feeding of cucumbers in a greenhouse

This method is justified in the warm season, when the roots grow quickly and the root system is able to actively assimilate nutrients from the soil. Typically, fertilizing is done after abundant watering in cloudy weather.

Foliar feeding of cucumbers in a greenhouse

This type of feeding justifies itself when there is reason to doubt the ability of the roots to absorb the necessary compounds, for example, during cold summer. The essence of the technique comes down to irrigating foliage before sunrise or after sunset. It is better if the moisture looks like fog.

Why is a lack of microelements dangerous?

The fact that a plant is missing some element or has too much of it is indicated by characteristic changes in its appearance. Its growth slows down significantly, the leaves change color and dry out, and the fruits form irregular shapes.

You can find out about the lack of microelements using the tips in the table:

Item name	Symptoms of deficiency	What to feed
Nitrogen	Zelentsy are light green in color. Formation of a narrow, sharp, beak-shaped apex in the fetus. Yellowing of the lower leaves. Side shoots and stems grow slowly.	Urea. Ammonium sulfate (10–15 g / 10 l). Herbal infusion (1.5–2 kg / 10 l, leave for 7 days).
Potassium	Active growth of stems and foliage. The leaves take on a dark green hue. The leaves have a yellow border. Pear- and hook-shaped greens are formed.	Potassium sulfate solution (spray on leaves). A solution of wood ash (at the root).
Phosphorus	Side canes and foliage grow more slowly. Formation of small young leaves. Formation of young foliage of dark color. Rapid drying of young leaves.	Ammophos solution. Diammophos solution. Superphosphate (1 tbsp / 10 l of water).

Types of fertilizers for greenhouse cucumbers

For ease of classification, fertilizers that gardeners have to deal with are divided into:

mineral;
organic;
folk;
store-bought (factory-made).

In order to save time, industrially prepared fertilizers are often used to increase crop yields.

Mineral

Nitrogen-containing fertilizer
Depending on the presence of a certain nutrient element, mineral fertilizers in relation to plants of the pumpkin family are divided into:

nitrogen (ammonium nitrate, urea);
potassium (potassium sulfate, potassium sulfate, potassium chloride);
phosphate (superphosphate, calcium monohydrogen phosphate);
phosphorus-potassium (potassium phosphate);
complex or combined, containing a certain set of microelements (nitrophoska, ammophoska, nitroammofoska).

For the convenience of preparing a certain type of solution, immediately before use the following is diluted in 10 liters of water:

60 g of superphosphate and 10 g of urea;
10 g each of ammonium nitrate and superphosphate;
50 g urea.

Organic

Mullein infusion

From a nematode

herbal infusion

In relation to pumpkin, organic fertilizers are divided into:

compost;
manure;
bird droppings.

The procedure for diluting organic fertilizers in water is as follows:

compost – 1:5;
bird comets – 1:15;
manure – 1:6;
slurry – 1:8.

Folk

Folk remedies include infusions of bread, nettle, onion peel and ash, as well as fertilizers based on yeast, iodine solution, boric acid and ammonia.

Yeast, ash, green manure

Bread infusion

You will need approximately 500 g of black or white bread, which is crushed and filled with 10 liters of water. The composition with black bread is infused for 7 days, with white bread - 9 days. The resulting substance is filtered. The pulp is used to prepare compost; the aqueous solution is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 before use.

Onion infusion

Approximately 120 g of onion peels are poured into 10 liters of water, after which the contents of the container are brought to a boil. After the composition has cooled (after about 4-6 hours), it can be used for root watering, on average, 1 liter per 1 bush.

Ash infusion

200 mg of wood ash is mixed in 10 liters of warm water. The mixture must be allowed to sit for several hours. The average consumption of the solution is on average 1 liter per 1 bush. Many gardeners advise, for preventive purposes, to sprinkle the lower area of the stem with ash before planting.

Nettle infusion

Preparation of the product includes mowing and drying in sunlight, chopping, followed by pouring warm water. Soon the green mass will begin to ferment. To activate the process, it is advisable to limit the access of oxygen to the container using plastic film. After 1.5-2 weeks, the concentrate will be ready for use. Before watering it should be diluted 5 times.

Yeast feeding

Yeast accumulates nitrogen, phosphorus, manganese, potassium and iron. To use it as a top dressing, just dissolve a purchased packet of yeast in 10 liters of water and let the solution sit for 24 hours. After this, the composition can be used for root feeding. 10 liters (1 bucket) is enough for 10 cucumber plants.

Iodine based solution

Iodine is not only a valuable nutrient. This is also an important prophylactic agent used to prevent the growth of parasitic fungi.

To prepare the solution, add 30 drops of an alcohol solution of iodine and 1 liter of milk to 10 liters of settled water. The composition should be allowed to brew, after which it can be used for root feeding every 2 weeks.

Ammonia

Iodine

Boric acid

A nutritional composition for cucumbers is prepared by dissolving 10 boric acid in 10 liters of water. The consumption for each root is approximately 0.5 liters. The product can be applied to the green part of the plant by irrigation.

Ammonia

Ammonia, ammonia or a solution of ammonia in water contains nitrogen, is easily digestible, and has an insect repellent effect. Typically, 30 ml of ammonia is consumed per 10 liters of water. The product is used for both root and foliar feeding of cucumbers.

Ready-made products

The use of industrially produced fertilizers is convenient and practical:

Fontana. Available in granules, diluted at the rate of 1 g per 1 liter.
Agricola. It is a powder, 2.5 g is dissolved in 1 liter of water.
Vegetable. It looks like a powder. Before use, 2 g of the substance is diluted in 1 liter of settled water.
Good power. Produced in liquid form. On the eve of feeding, 20 ml of the substance is dissolved in 1.5 liters of water.

What to feed, what fertilizers to use

To feed greenhouse cucumbers, a whole range of fertilizers is used. At every period of plant life, they require certain useful substances. For fertilizing, folk remedies, ready-made preparations or fertilizer complexes are taken.

Folk remedies

A lack of carbon dioxide in a greenhouse has a negative effect on plants. You can compensate for the deficiency by using dry ice. A greenhouse of 15 square meters requires 300 grams of ice. It is laid out in the morning on special stands raised above the ground.

Mullein is considered a good way to first feed cucumbers. To do this, furrows are prepared between the rows, mullein is introduced and sprinkled with soil. Mullein fertilizes the soil with microelements and releases a sufficient amount of carbon dioxide needed by plants. Mullein should not be planted near the root system of cucumbers, as this can harm the plants.

Top dressing from onion peels is used both for spraying and for watering cucumbers at the root. Take 40 grams of husks and 10 liters of warm water. The mixture is infused for 4 days. Before use, the infusion is filtered.

The most popular top dressing after planting cucumbers in a greenhouse is herbal infusion. This organic fertilizer contains easily digestible nitrogen.

To do this, take equal amounts of water and grass. The infusion takes 3-4 days to prepare. It is ready when bubbles and a characteristic sour smell appear on the surface of the mixture. 1 part herbal infusion is diluted with 5 parts water. Plants are fertilized after abundant watering of cucumbers. 5 liters of fertilizer are poured per square meter of planting. After fertilizing, the soil around the plants is sprinkled with wood ash.

Yeast

For feeding, take 10 grams of dry yeast, 0.5 kilograms of ash, 5 tablespoons of sugar, 9 liters of settled water. The components are mixed in a container and infused for 5 hours. Before use, the fertilizer is diluted in a ratio of 1:10 and 1 liter is applied to each plant.

Yeast feeding is carried out 1-2 times per season, with an interval of 1 time in 2 weeks.

Fertilizing with yeast for an excellent harvest: video

Ash

Ash is a universal fertilizer containing potassium, phosphorus and microelements.

Before planting seedlings, take 100 grams of ash. It is mixed with soil and poured into the bottom of the holes.

For the first feeding after planting cucumbers, a solution of wood ash is used. 250 grams of ash are added to 10 liters of water. The mixture is stirred. The prepared solution is added to the plants at the root. 2 liters of solution are consumed for 1 bush. Feeding is repeated after 2 weeks.

In addition to liquid fertilizers, cucumbers are dusted with ash. She sifts through. Each plant leaf is sprinkled with ash. It is not only good feeding, but also protection against pests.

Feeding cucumbers with ash during fruiting: video

Boric acid

Boron promotes the formation of buds, the formation of ovaries, and the filling of fruits. This feeding is used during flowering and fruiting of cucumbers.

Boric acid is practically insoluble in cold water. Crystals touching the leaves cause burns and therefore they are diluted only in hot water equal to 50 degrees.

The solution is prepared before spraying. 1 teaspoon of crystals is dissolved in 100 milliliters of hot water. After cooling, the mixture is diluted with 2 liters of water. All bushes are thoroughly sprayed with the solution. For a greenhouse with a diameter of 10 square meters, 1 liter of fertilizer is enough. The leaves are processed on both sides.

Boric acid - the best effect for the crop: video

Mineral fertilizers

To feed cucumbers, use complex fertilizers or ready-made fertilizers, such as: Rodnichok, Agricola, Vegetable, FERTIKA Cucumber Crystal, Good Power.

Fertilizing Rodnichok is diluted as follows: 10 grams of the substance are taken per 1 bucket of water.
Agricola: 25 grams per 10 liters of water. The solution is enough for 10-25 square meters of planting.
Vegetable: 20 grams of the substance are taken per 10 liters of water. For root feeding, the solution is enough for 2-5 meters of planting; when spraying 10 square meters, 0.3 liters is enough.
FERTIKA Crystalon cucumber: take 10 grams of product per 10 liters of water. When watering, use a 0.1-0.2% solution (20 grams/10 liters of water) once every 2 weeks. When spraying, take 10 grams of the substance per 1 liter of water.
The drug Good Power is diluted as follows: take 20 milliliters of the substance per 1.5 liters of water.

Rules and table for fertilizing cucumbers in a greenhouse depending on the phase of development

The ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the cucumber plant is as follows: 2:1:3. In different phases of ontogenesis, the need for vitamins, organic compounds, as well as micro- and macroelements varies.

Urea and others

The need for fertilizing, as well as its quantity, is determined by the gardener. If the cucumber develops favorably, additional fertilization may not be necessary.

Phase	Growing season	Feeding
First sheet	Seedling	Requirements for calcium, phosphorus and nitrogen. The seedling is sprayed with a solution (1 g of boric acid and baking soda are dissolved in 1 liter of water). A week before planting, 20 g of ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and potassium sulfate are added to the soil of the beds.
Appearance of 3-4 leaves	Transplanting	Complex feeding. 2 weeks after planting (after the formation of 3-4 leaves), the cucumbers are fed with organic and mineral fertilizers. A solution of mullein (1:6), or slurry (1:8), or bird droppings (1:15), or herbal infusion (1:5), as well as ammonium nitrate (1 g per liter), double superphosphate ( 2 g per liter) and potassium chloride (1 g per liter). Adding ash to the soil (200 g per liter) has a good effect.
Flowering and appearance of the first ovaries	Bloom	Requirements for potassium, nitrogen, boron and magnesium. Root and foliar fertilizers are used. Of the mineral components, ash, superphosphate, potassium and ammonium nitrate are added to the soil in the ratio (in grams): 200 + 40 + 20 + 30. Among the organic ones, solutions of mullein and bird droppings are used. For foliar application of the nutrient mixture, solutions of superphosphate (3.5 g per liter), boric acid (2 g per liter), and potassium permanganate (10 crystals per liter) are used. In order to stimulate flowering, irrigating plants with a suspension of the “Bud” product is recommended.
Fruiting	Fruit formation	Complex feeding. For root feeding, solutions of mullein (1:5), ash (1:5), potassium nitrate (30 g per 10 l) and urea (5 g per 10 l) are used. For nutritious irrigation, prepare a herbal infusion (1:5) and a urea solution (10 g per 10 l).

In addition to the above-mentioned fertilizing, if the desired effect is not obtained and the cucumber shoots shed their leaves, additionally resort to nutrient irrigation. For this purpose, solutions of urea, organic fertilizers, ammonium nitrate, micro- or macroelements are used, but in very low concentrations. This is explained by the fact that by the end of the growing season the intensity of metabolic processes in pumpkin crops decreases.

How often should you feed cucumbers?

Usually 4 feedings are carried out per season:

Two weeks after planting the seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse, or in the phase of 4-5 true leaves.
During budding.
During flowering.
During fruiting.

If plants are grown in very poor soil or fruiting declines sharply, a fifth, unscheduled fertilizing can be carried out.

Additional fertilizing is also carried out if there are certain problems, for example, when the leaves turn yellow or pale, the fruits do not gain weight, or you want to stimulate the plants to bear abundant fruit.

When choosing the type and dose of fertilizers, you need to take into account the external condition of the plants, the composition of the soil, and weather conditions.

Feeding cucumbers in a greenhouse in different situations

Often, when growing cucumbers, a situational approach is required.

What to feed to prevent cucumbers from turning yellow in the greenhouse

To avoid yellowing of plants, in addition to regular root fertilizing, you should also resort to foliar fertilizing.

Nettle infusion

It is recommended to use two types of solutions. To prepare them, you need:

Infuse 100 g of bread crumb in 10 liters of water for 24 hours, then add 10 ml of a 5% alcohol solution of iodine. Before spraying, the required volume of solution is diluted 10 times.
Chop young nettles, after removing the seeds and inflorescences, add water and leave for 24 hours. The resulting solution should also be diluted in a ratio of 1:10 before irrigation.

How to feed cucumbers in a greenhouse if they grow poorly

If the development of a cucumber bush is slowing down, you should try to find out the reason and determine the deficiency of necessary substances, as well as micro- or macroelements. If this is difficult to do, resort to complex fertilizers. For diagnostic purposes, selectively feed 2-3 bushes. If the dynamics are positive, all problem plants are fertilized.

Feeding cucumbers in winter greenhouses

In the cold season, plants need feeding 2 times a month.

It is recommended to alternate organic and mineral fertilizers. The products of choice are wood ash, as well as mullein and bird droppings.

Mineral supplements

All existing mineral fertilizers useful for cucumbers can be divided into groups:

Nitrogen. Ammonium nitrate.
Potassium. Potassium sulfate.
Phosphate. Superphosphate.
Sources of microelements - calcium, iron, boron, molybdenum, manganese, etc.

To save time on preparing mineral solutions, gardeners turn to ready-made store complexes - “Fertility”, “Ideal”, “Breadwinner”, “Giant”. Zircon and Epin are useful for foliar feeding.

Determining what cucumbers lack: table

A deficiency of a certain element may be indicated by the type of soil in which the plant grows:

Soddy-podzolic crops are characterized by a lack of phosphorus and nitrogen.
Sandy and sandy loam soils are poor in potassium, boron and copper.
In peaty, alkaline and carbonate soils, a lack of manganese may occur.
Copper is usually found in small quantities in peat bogs.

Cucumbers quickly respond to a deficiency of micro- and macroelements by changing their appearance, which gardeners should pay attention to.

In still	How to determine deficiency	What to do
Nitrogen	The green part of the plant brightens, the top takes on the shape of a “beak” (or hook), the lower leaves turn yellow, the upper ones become light green. The development of the cucumber plant slows down. The fruits look pointed and the roots die off. The scourges quickly become woody.	Regular and abundant watering, fertilizing with solutions of ammonium sulfate, urea or herbal infusion.
Potassium	Giant leaves and rapidly developing lashes appear on the plant, having a dark green color. Zelentsy take on a pear-shaped shape. The lower leaves become light. A yellow border appears on them. Brown burns often form on yellow foliage.	Feeding with a suspension of potassium sulfate or a solution infused with ash.
Phosphorus	There is inhibition of the growth of vines and leaves. Young tops are dark green with a purple tint, dry out quickly, and are smaller in size than the old ones.	Fertilizing with solutions of ammophos, diammophos or superphosphate.
Calcium	The tops become covered with light yellow spots, plant growth slows down, the apical buds dry out, the foliage becomes small, dark green, and the edges of the blades become rough. Old leaf blades take on a purple color. The roots gradually die off. The fruits decrease in size and become rough.	Liming the soil.
Magnesium	The appearance of light green blotches or spots on the leaf blades, the leaves turn yellow and crumble. The development of the bush slows down or stops.	The use of magnesium-containing lime fertilizers, for example, dolomite flour (CaCO3*MgCO3), or magnesium carbonate.
Copper	The tips of the leaf blades turn pale and white, curling into a tube, the tops become blue-green.	Feeding with a solution of copper sulfate or chelated copper compounds.
Zinc	The green part of the bush becomes brown in color, the leaves become transparent.	Application to the soil or spraying of foliage with a solution of zinc sulfate or its chelated compounds.
Bor	Dying of roots and growing points, deformation of leaves (take the shape of a spoon), stems and fruits, shedding of flowers. Reduced foliage strength.	Adding a solution of boric superphosphate or boric acid to the soil during the entire growing season.
Manganese	The leaves become covered with brown or yellow spots.	Feeding with solutions of manganese sulfate and manganese superphosphates.
Molybdenum	The leaf blades curl, the veins become pale, and the size of the flowers decreases.	Spraying the green part of the plant with a solution of molybdic acid or its salts (sodium molybdate or ammonium molybdate).
Iron	The leaves become light green, whitish, sometimes acquire a lemon color, growth points do not form, the tops turn brown and yellow.	The use of root and foliar fertilizing with a solution of iron sulfate or iron chelates.

It is important to remember that cucumbers tolerate an excess of nutrients worse than their deficiency. Also, by its appearance, the plant will indicate the need for additional moisture. Lack of watering leads to the formation of a “waist” in cucumbers. In this case, the fruits look swollen at the end with pronounced hypotrophy at the base.

What should not be fed during fruit growth?

During the fruiting period, nitrogen is applied with caution, in small quantities. An excess of the element directs the development of the bush towards increasing green mass to the detriment of the formation of new ovaries. An overdose of nitrogen fertilizers leads to the accumulation of nitrates in fruits, which can lead to poisoning.

For these reasons, from the end of June, feeding with chicken manure, which has a high percentage of nitrogen, is stopped. Urea and ammonium nitrate are applied in small doses in combination with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, or when there are signs of nitrogen starvation.

Adult plants have difficulty assimilating phosphates contained in superphosphate and azophosphate fertilizers. The crop must obtain phosphorus from organic or mineral fertilizers, where the elements are in an easily accessible (chelated) form.

Fertilizing cucumbers during fruiting is an important agrotechnical technique that increases the yield, quality and taste of the fruit, and prolongs the period of formation of new ovaries. In order for fertilizers to bring only benefits, you need to follow the dosage and feeding schedule, alternate mineral preparations with organic matter, use the methods of watering at the roots and spraying on the leaves.

Advice from Mister Summer Resident: grandfather’s feeding of cucumbers

Our portal https://mrdachnik.com suggests using three “grandfather’s” tips:

Steamed peas, which are added to the holes to improve the quality of the soil, have proven themselves well.
Mullein is also held in high esteem. Place the fresh cake in a bucket, add water and stir until smooth. The resulting substrate is diluted in a ratio of 1:10, adding 1 liter of solution for each bush. The process ends with abundant watering. It is recommended to fertilize with mullein solution in the morning and evening.
To feed seedlings, you can use chicken egg shells, which are placed in a three-liter container and periodically filled with hot water. Before watering, the contents of the jar are shaken.

Organic fertilizers

The most effective organic fertilizers for cucumbers for gardeners are:

Chicken, cow, sheep, horse, rabbit manure.
Fish waste.
Peat.
Compost.
Green infusions, “herbal teas”.

horse and chicken manure in granules as fertilizer for cucumbers
The most popular organic recipes:

Ash solution. For 10 liters of water – 100 g of ash.
Infusion of bird droppings. Fill ½ of the barrel with manure, add water to the rest of the space, stir well. Leave to infuse for 8-10 hours. The concentrate is diluted 1:8 with water and used for irrigation.
Mullein infusion. The preparation of the mixture is similar. Only the concentrate is diluted with water 1:4 or 1:5.

You can supplement organic fertilizers with the Nutrivant Plus complex for pumpkin crops.

How to properly use fertilizers during watering

But it is recommended to use root fertilizers in conjunction with watering cucumbers. Moreover, it is important to first water each bush at the root as standard, and then, when the moisture is sufficiently absorbed into the soil, feed it directly with prepared mixtures.

ADVICE. In particularly hot weather, it is better to give preference to root feeding. In this case, the root system of cucumbers develops very well, therefore during the fruiting period it absorbs liquid fertilizers especially effectively.

What to do if you fertilized too much

Regarding the application of fertilizers for cucumbers, there is a golden rule that is better to adhere to: it is better to under-fertilize than to over-fertilize. How can you determine if your plants have a lot of one element or another? Let's figure it out.

1) With an excess of nitrogen fertilizing, cucumber ovaries on plants form too slowly. The foliage of cucumbers becomes denser and rougher, and its color takes on a not very natural green tint. At the same time, the cucumber vines become denser and thicker.

2) If you see a yellow color on cucumber foliage, it means that you most likely went too far with phosphorus. Also with this problem, necrotic spots appear on the leaves. After this, the leaves will most likely begin to fall off.

3) Excess calcium also has a bad effect on plants, this can also be determined by the condition of the leaves. There is a risk that your cucumbers will develop interveinal chlorosis.

4) If there is too much potassium in your plants, then the cucumbers will begin to “slow down” their growth. A lack of potassium is determined by the fact that the fruits begin to curl.

Feeding for yellowing leaves and ovaries

A deficiency of macroelements immediately affects cucumbers: their appearance deteriorates, they develop worse, fewer ovaries appear, fruits are deformed, yield decreases, etc. Most often, gardeners are faced with yellowing of foliage and cucumbers.

Table. Signs of nutritional deficiencies and recommendations for correcting the situation.

Type of problem	Signs	Troubleshooting methods
K deficiency	Yellow stripes appear along the edges of the leaves. After some time, the leaves curl. The fruits are deformed (closer to the stalk their diameter decreases), their taste characteristics deteriorate.	To compensate for the lack of potassium, use an aqueous solution of potassium sulfate or wood ash.
N deficiency	The leaves growing in the lower part of the vine acquire a light green color and gradually turn yellow. The stem becomes thinner, the ovaries fall off, the cucumbers lighten and become hook-like.	Solutions of urea or ammonium sulfate are used as fertilizing.
Ca deficiency	The ovaries begin to crumble, the fruits turn yellow and become bitter.	The situation can be corrected by adding powdered eggshells or, preferably, calcium nitrate.
Lack of P	Brown-yellow spots may appear on the leaf blades in a chaotic manner. Leaves become wrinkled.	You need to add superphosphate.
Mg deficiency	The first sign is the fragility of the sheet plates. Yellowish spots appear on the leaves growing in the lower part of the bush.	It is recommended to feed cucumbers with magnesium sulfate.

How to spray with fertilizers?

It has long been known that it is worse to overfeed cucumbers than to underfeed them. When there is an excess of nutrients in the soil, this garden crop first of all produces a lot of green mass and, accordingly, bears very little fruit.

Spraying of cucumbers is carried out less often than root feeding (watering at the root). This is because root-based methods allow plants to absorb nutrients faster.

On the other hand, the best option for feeding garden crops is alternating methods: root and foliar methods of applying fertilizer.

Foliar methods (spraying) should be used only in cloudy weather or in the morning or evening hours. Also, experienced gardeners prefer to choose days for spraying when there is no strong wind.

How to use biostimulants?

Remember that during the fruiting period, special emphasis in fertilizers should be placed on microelements such as phosphorus, potassium and very carefully, almost minimally, nitrogen.

The most popular purchased biostimulants for cucumbers are:

"Crystalon cucumber";
"FlorHumate";
“Clean slate” - for cucumbers and zucchini;
“Good power” – for cucumbers and zucchini.

Of course, you can feed with purchased products only in strict accordance with the dosage recommended by the manufacturer.

Some experienced gardeners do not rely on purchased preparations, but prepare complex fertilizer during the fruiting period on their own. In this case, they take 25 g of potassium salt, 35 g of ammonium nitrate and 45 g of superphosphate per 10-12 liters of clean water.