When grown, cucumbers love warmth, light and moisture. Watering is of great importance to them. If there is insufficient moisture, the plant withers, its growth stops, and the ovaries may fall off. However, excess supplied water also has a negative effect on the crop - aeration of the root system decreases, root hairs and young shoots begin to die, stems rot, and fruits become deformed. It is necessary to create a proper watering schedule. During some periods of development, cucumbers require less moisture, and during others more.
What are the features of irrigating cucumbers in a greenhouse?
Cucumbers are a moisture-loving vegetable crop, so you need to water the bushes regularly. In hot weather, it is not only the soil that needs moisture . Fruits and leaves of plants also require watering.
Important! When irrigating, pour water strictly between the rows so as not to wash away the soil at the roots.
A polycarbonate greenhouse is ideal for growing cucumbers . It has light transmission, retains heat, and protects fruits from wind and rain. The crop ripens faster than in open ground.
For plants to grow well , the temperature in the greenhouse should be +20...+26°C. Only in this case the plant will not stop in its development.
water into a polycarbonate greenhouse in small portions , avoiding stagnation of liquid at the roots. The soil should be loose.
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Irrigation technique
The root system of cucumbers is located quite close to the surface of the earth, so this fact should be taken into account when irrigating them.
Advice! You cannot pour water directly under the bush using a hose or from a bucket, as the root can be washed away. It is better to water the plant from a garden watering can or throw a hose along the groove if warm water flows from it.
Watch the video! How to water cucumbers correctly
Many gardeners advise not to moisten the soil too much in the place where the stem grows. This will protect the plant from many diseases, especially from root rot.
It is useful to spray this crop leaf by leaf. It should take place in the form of a spread of small drops, which do not stagnate on the leaves for a long time, but are quickly absorbed.
Important! It is impossible to water cucumbers using the foliar method, especially on sunny days. In this case, the leaves will get burned.
If sprinkling is carried out on cool days, the water can remain on the leaves for about 3-4 hours or more. In this case, the plant may develop a disease such as peronosporosis (downy mildew). It is better to water the beds in cloudy but warm weather in the evening.
Drip irrigation of cucumbers
If possible, it is best to use drip irrigation. Thanks to this method, which can be organized when growing this crop in a greenhouse and in an open area, the soil will always be kept moist.
A structure for watering cucumbers using this method can be purchased at a specialized store or assembled yourself. Gardeners often use plastic bottles of various sizes to water plants using the drip method.
Important! When growing cucumbers, it is important to prevent the formation of a dry crust on the soil, since the roots will not receive enough oxygen. Then the yield of vegetables will decrease significantly.
Therefore, sometimes between watering the area, the soil should be carefully loosened using a rake.
If you have a shortage of free time or simply don’t want to do frequent watering and loosening, the cucumber rows can be mulched . Mulch helps retain moisture in the soil, as it prevents it from quickly evaporating. In this case, the number of waterings can be reduced.
If the weather is cloudy for several days, and watering must be carried out according to the schedule, it is better to make sure that this procedure is necessary. A responsible attitude to proper watering of the plant will help protect it from waterlogging if it starts to rain.
When growing this crop, you must learn in advance about the rules of watering both in open ground and in greenhouses. Any irrigation method has its own characteristics, which it is advisable to study, and then choose the option that suits you.
How to water cucumbers in a greenhouse manually
The manual method of irrigating vegetables is used in a small garden bed . When watering plants by hand, gardeners use a watering can and hose.
This method is simple and does not require serious financial investments, since every gardener has a watering can and hose. But the manual irrigation method is time-consuming.
Important! If you water the cucumbers with a hose, make sure that the water pressure is low, otherwise there is a high risk of washing away the soil at the roots.
Fertilizing greenhouse cucumbers
Cucumbers are responsive to the application of both organic and complex mineral fertilizers. It's best to alternate them.
They can be applied both in dry and liquid form.
For example, among organic fertilizers, manure diluted in water is ideal for feeding cucumbers.
The first fertilizing after planting seedlings is done when the crop begins to flower.
To prevent the formation of barren flowers, seedlings can be sprayed with a solution of the “Bud” or “Ovary” preparation.
Next, feed the plants no more than 3-4 times during fruiting.
As for mineral fertilizers, you can use special complex fertilizers in granules or liquid form for additional dilution in water.
Water requirements
Water for watering cucumbers should be warm . Optimal temperature: 20-24°C. This temperature will provide the fruits with comfortable conditions for growth.
Important! Do not use boiled water; it does not contain the minerals plants need. It is better to use settled liquid for watering vegetables.
For convenience, water can be stored in special containers (barrels). During the day it will heat up in the sun, and in the evening you can water vegetables with it.
Make sure that there is no excess salt and fluoride in the liquid . Water should always be clean and not hard. Do not use dirty water for irrigation.
Reference. If the water is hard, it needs to be softened. Add 5 teaspoons of wood ash to 10 liters of water.
Temperature compliance
To obtain a large amount of harvest, in addition to moistening the soil, you need to observe the temperature regime when growing cucumbers in a polycarbonate greenhouse. It affects the growth of fruits and their taste characteristics. If the regime is not followed, diseases progress, and the crop is quickly affected and may even die. Comfortable temperature conditions for cucumbers should be as follows:
- during the daytime from 15 to 20 degrees;
- at night and in the evening 18-20 degrees.
The temperature should not change sharply; a sharp drop of several degrees is not acceptable at any time of the day. To make it easier to control the temperature in the greenhouse, install a thermometer. The readings are assessed daily. If the seedlings were just planted outside, and frost suddenly began at night, you can raise the temperature in several ways:
- mulch the soil;
- lay black cloth on the ground;
- cover with planting film.
If the greenhouse, on the contrary, gets too hot during the day and the temperature in it exceeds 20 degrees, it is reduced by ventilating through vents and doors.
On a note!
The cucumber root system stops absorbing moisture if the temperature drops to 10 degrees.
Frequency, timing and volume of irrigation
Morning and evening are the optimal time for watering cucumbers . During the daytime, the drops remaining on the leaves become a kind of magnifying glass. The sun's rays penetrate through them and burn the leaves and roots of plants.
Closer to night it is also not recommended to irrigate cucumbers, as the temperature drops. Due to waterlogging in cold weather, the roots will begin to rot.
The frequency and volume of watering depend on the growth phase of the plant and climatic conditions. The older the vegetable crop, the more water it requires . Adult plants need watering every other day. Approximately 10 liters of liquid are added to each bush.
Signs of lack of moisture
Cucumber is a tropical plant that requires warmth, sufficient light and moisture for full development. A crop with large leaves evaporates a lot of liquid and requires abundant watering.
Signs indicating a lack of moisture in the soil when growing cucumbers:
- slowing down the growth of the above-ground part of the plant;
- formation of a weak root system;
- loss of turgor in shoots, wilting of foliage during midday hours;
- yellowing, drying of leaves and lashes;
- the formation of predominantly male flowers on the bushes;
- mass abscission of ovaries;
- decrease in yield - the resulting fruits are small, deformed, with an increased content of the substance cucurbitacin in the pulp, which gives cucumbers a bitter taste.
Excessive watering causes no less harm to the cucumber: the resulting crust interferes with air exchange, and the root system does not receive oxygen. Stagnation of moisture in the soil leads to rotting of the roots.
The nuances of watering at different times
The irrigation regime depends on weather conditions, the phase of plant development and soil conditions.
Plant development phases:
- landing;
- bloom;
- fruiting.
After planting cucumbers
Most often, plants are planted as seedlings in greenhouses. After being transferred to the soil, plants need abundant watering . The seedlings should take root well in the soil.
After this, young cucumbers are watered regularly. Watering in a polycarbonate greenhouse is carried out once every five days. 3-5 liters of water are used per 1 m². Thanks to this watering, cucumbers will form ovaries faster.
During flowering
During flowering, the plant is watered more often - every 3-4 days . During this period they form ovaries. About 10 liters of water are consumed per 1 m².
During fruiting
During fruiting in the summer months, cucumbers are watered every other day or every day . The hotter it is outside, the more often the soil is moistened. For one bush use 7-10 liters of liquid.
During the heat
In hot weather, cucumbers especially need watering . In this regard, the frequency of irrigation is increased. During flowering and fruiting, if it is hot, cucumbers are watered every day.
At temperatures above 26°C, it is recommended to additionally moisturize the cucumbers by sprinkling (spraying water with special mechanisms). This prevents the ovaries from wilting. 1-1.5 liters of water are used per 1 m². The procedure is carried out in the morning and evening.
In rainy weather
In rainy weather, the frequency of watering decreases ; at this time, the soil and air in the greenhouse have increased humidity. Gardeners need to monitor these indicators. When temperatures drop, the soil becomes waterlogged, which contributes to root rot and plant death.
In rainy weather, cucumbers are watered in the morning . Make sure the soil does not dry out.
Do I need to spray on the leaves?
The cellular structure of polycarbonate protects the cucumbers inside the greenhouse from overheating, however, in hot weather the air inside can become quite hot. Cucumbers like spraying on the leaves. The crop especially needs this method of moisturizing in warm and hot weather.
If the sun is very hot, spraying cannot be carried out; on such days it should be done in the morning or evening. In cloudy weather, you can not look at the clock and moisten the leaves at any time of the day. The main thing is that they have time to dry before nightfall. This technique is not used in cool or rainy weather, when air humidity is already quite high.
Advice! Spraying on the leaves can be combined with foliar feeding or treatment against pests.
Forming cucumbers in a polycarbonate greenhouse
How to make a drip irrigation system
The drip method is a good way to irrigate vegetables .
It does not require large investments. Special pipes with holes are installed on the site .
Through them, the liquid flows directly to the plant. This method not only saves water and time, but also allows you to control the volume of incoming liquid. A barrel of water, where the liquid for irrigation is heated in the sun during the day, is placed on an elevated place. A special hose is attached to the barrel .
Using a tap, you regulate the volume of incoming water. After the tap opens, the liquid flows through the pipes directly to the plant. This method does not allow the soil to erode around the roots.
Recommendations for watering cucumber bushes
Experienced gardeners give advice on watering cucumbers:
- after each watering, it is recommended to loosen the soil around the plants, preventing the formation of a crust on the surface;
- Irrigation of cucumbers is carried out by supplying water under low pressure, preventing erosion of the soil around the plants;
- in case of accidental exposure of the root system, the soil is carefully added to the previous level;
- the best time for watering is evening and early morning, at this time moisture is intensively absorbed by the roots without having time to evaporate;
- the appearance of a white coating on the soil surface indicates waterlogging of the soil; it is necessary to reduce the frequency and dosage of liquid application;
- It is rational to combine the process of irrigating cucumber bushes with the application of liquid fertilizers;
- during prolonged heat, dousing the outside of the structure with water from a hose and whitewashing the ceiling of the greenhouse with a mixture of chalk and water can help reduce the temperature in the greenhouse;
- for sprinkling, dividers with the smallest holes are used so as not to injure the leaf blades of plants;
- The sprinkling method is permissible only for healthy plants; wetting the foliage of cucumbers with fungal pathologies leads to the spread of diseases.
Watering cucumbers is the most important agrotechnical technique for growing crops. If you follow the regime and rules of soil moisture, cucumbers take root well, grow quickly, and bear fruit abundantly. To obtain a generous harvest, you need to ensure the correct watering regime, taking into account a number of important points: weather conditions in the region, crop variety and soil type.
Advice from experienced summer residents
To get a good harvest and avoid common mistakes, you should follow the rules for watering cucumbers. Experienced summer residents can tell you how best to irrigate vegetables:
- To prevent cucumbers from becoming bitter, water them regularly. Do not allow the soil to dry out. The water should be warm. Combine with fertilizing watering.
- A white coating on the soil surface indicates that the frequency of watering and the volume of water should be reduced.
- In hot weather, you can cool the greenhouse structure using a regular chalk solution. They irrigate the walls of the greenhouse with it.
- Do not water plants directly at the root. This way the soil is eroded. Moisture stagnates at the roots and mold appears. Water the vegetables in the grooves near the plant, which are dug at each bush.
- For drip irrigation, a regular bottle is suitable. Several holes are made in the lid, the bottom of the container is cut off, and the neck is placed in the ground next to the plant. Each bush should have its own container. After this, the bottle is filled with water. Through the holes, the liquid reaches the roots of the vegetable crop.
- If the plant suffers from a fungal infection, the sprinkling method is excluded. Water with a watering can or by drip.
- Iodine and urea will protect plants from infections. Add them to the liquid when irrigating vegetables.
Common Mistakes
There are several common mistakes that lead to watering crops in a greenhouse harming rather than helping:
- Watering is carried out with cold water. Such a mistake leads to the death of plants - cold water can provoke the death of roots. Water only with warm water. Usually there are barrels at the sites that are filled with water in the morning. By the end of the day the liquid is sufficiently warm. In another case, if necessary, water is heated and added to watering cans.
- Using hard water. This problem can be easily solved. To reduce the hardness of water, it is settled and softened with citric acid or vinegar. Rainwater is also suitable for irrigation.
- Failure to comply with water standards for irrigation. Waterlogged soil has a detrimental effect on cucumbers, no less than drought. Vegetables are irrigated depending on climatic conditions and stages of crop development.
- Failure to comply with temporary watering standards. For example, if irrigation occurs during the daytime.
Useful tips for gardeners
Growing any vegetables in a greenhouse has its pros and cons. Of course, a greenhouse protects plants from the external environment and bad weather; the temperature in the greenhouse is much higher, which means growth will be better. But there are also some disadvantages. It is imperative to monitor the humidity; humidification should always be carried out, regardless of the weather outside. Sometimes, the leaves of plantings in a greenhouse may turn yellow. This is not such a huge problem and can be easily solved. Fertilize in a timely manner with special fertilizers, which are very convenient to apply along with watering. Also, do not leave the fruit harvest on the plants for a long time, because they greatly overload the delicate stems, which also entails negative consequences.
Importance of greenhouse material
It seems that it makes no difference what the greenhouse is made of and how it relates to moistening the soil and plantings. But in reality, everything matters. The material from which the greenhouse is made determines the temperature, humidity level, and therefore the amount of watering. If the soil dries out, then naturally more water will be needed. Polycarbonate has shown itself very well as a material for the manufacture of greenhouses. It is durable, flexible and this means that the greenhouse can be given different shapes. Polycarbonate is resistant to mechanical damage and, in addition, has an attractive appearance.
Of course, there are some disadvantages. But there are few of them and this is a significant and expensive cost of the material and its flammability. But if you follow safety measures, you don’t have to worry about it. And the high cost is justified by the long shelf life and excellent harvest of vegetables that can be grown in a greenhouse all year round. In a polycarbonate greenhouse, you can grow a crop of tasty, crispy, healthy fruits. Caring for them is easy and simple if you make your work easier by installing a drip humidification system. There is nothing complicated or impossible, the main thing is to ventilate the greenhouse in a timely manner and moisten the plantings. Only in this case will you be able to get a bountiful and healthy harvest of cucumbers.
Caring for cucumbers after watering
After watering, it is recommended to carry out some simple manipulations, which will also help achieve a good harvest of cucumbers.
After each application of moisture and rain, it is necessary to loosen the soil in the bed around the plant. The event prevents the formation of an earthen crust and improves the air permeability of the soil, due to which oxygen better flows to the root system of the plant. Loosening is carried out to a depth of 3-5 centimeters; it is convenient to do this with a rake.
If you don’t want to loosen every time, you can spread mulch around the cucumbers. Mulching retains moisture in the soil longer. For example, you can use straw or hay.
How to determine by appearance what fertilizers are missing
Using the so-called leaf diagnostics, it is possible to determine by the color and shape of the leaves which nutrients are lacking in greenhouse cucumbers.
If the cucumbers look healthy, then there is no point in rushing to fertilize. But, when you notice that the leaves suddenly begin to change their color or shape, the cucumber vines slow down their growth, and the plant stops blooming - you urgently need to understand the reasons for these undesirable phenomena and promptly apply the missing fertilizers. How does a deficiency of basic nutrients in cucumber plants manifest itself in practice and what should be done to solve the problem:
- Lack of nitrogen. Experiencing nitrogen deficiency, plants stop the growth of young shoots, the leaves become smaller and paler. Subsequently, the leaf blades become yellow and dry out. The flowering of cucumber plants becomes rare, the ovaries become smaller and the greens grow poorly. You can quickly solve the problem if you feed the cucumbers at the root with slurry or ammonium nitrate. Add slurry in the amount of 1 kg, and nitrate 30 g per 1 m2 of area. It is also possible to perform foliar feeding with urea, dissolving 30 g of the drug in 10 liters of water.
- Phosphorus deficiency. Its symptoms first appear on older leaves. They take on a blue or red tint. Deficiency of this element is most often observed in acidic soils. To replenish phosphorus deficiency, you need to do the following:
- take a bucket of water;
- place 50 g of superphosphate there;
- mix thoroughly until the granules are completely dissolved;
- filter the solution.
Spray cucumber plants with the prepared solution. After 15 days, repeat feeding the plants with complex mineral fertilizers, at the rate of: 1 tbsp. l per 10 liters of water.
- Lack of potassium. When cucumbers lack potassium, rusty spots form on their leaves, most often along the edges of the leaf blades. The leaves themselves become corrugated. Cucumber shoots become thinner and almost do not grow. To solve the problem, cucumber plants are fed with ash or a solution of potassium chloride.
- Magnesium deficiency. This element is the main element in chlorophyll molecules and without it photosynthesis cannot take place. Magnesium starvation causes a slowdown in the movement of photosynthetic products to different parts of the plant. In this case, the growth of cucumbers is inhibited, the roots stop developing and cannot properly absorb water and nutrients dissolved in it. The leaves wrinkle and yellow spots appear on them. Only the veins of the leaf blades remain green. The problem can be solved by adding magnesium sulfate or magnesium nitrate.
- Sulfur deficiency. Causes a general slowdown in plant growth. The stems do not thicken and remain thin and brittle. The leaves become whitish, their veins turn pale. If a deficiency of this element is detected, you need to feed the cucumbers with calcium sulfate or magnesium sulfate.
- Lack of calcium. In this case, the leaves become deformed, they curl and become lethargic. The immunity of plants is reduced, they can be affected by rot. The roots, fruits and stems of plants rot. With a deficiency of this element, a dry, brownish border appears at the tips of the leaves. Timely application of calcium nitrate, when the first symptoms appear, solves this problem.
