Seed preparation
In order for the seedlings to germinate well, it is necessary to carry out several simple manipulations with the seed material.
We separate the full-fledged seed from the “dummies”. To do this, place the cucumber seeds in a salty solution (2 tablespoons of salt per 1 liter of water) for 5 minutes. During this time, good seeds will end up at the bottom, and bad ones will float to the surface.
We disinfect the seed by placing it for 30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After treatment, rinse with warm water.
We strengthen the seeds by immersing them in a biostimulating solution of Elin or Sodium Humate for 10-15 minutes. You can also make your own infusion of wood ash (20 g per 1 liter of water, leave for 1 day), aloe juice diluted in water 1:2.
To make plants react less to sudden temperature changes typical of our climate, we harden the seeds. We keep them at a temperature of 20°C for about 6 hours, then at a temperature of 0-2°C for 18 hours. In this case, the seeds must be moist.
We germinate the seeds for 48 hours and sow.
Some people plant seeds directly in the ground, while others make seedlings. When choosing a planting method, you need to take into account that when planting cucumbers as seedlings, they begin to bear their first fruits 30 days earlier than cucumbers sown directly in open ground.
Growing cucumbers under film
Cucumbers under film can be grown in two ways: sowing seeds in the ground and seedlings.
When planting cucumber seedlings, fruiting occurs 15–20 days earlier, mass harvesting takes place at more favorable times, which increases the duration of fruiting.
As a result, the yield is significantly higher than when sowing with seeds. Seedlings at the age of 20–25 days, grown in greenhouses, greenhouses or in a room, are planted under the film.
In indoor conditions, where there is a lack of light even on the sunny side, seedlings should be grown for no more than two weeks, otherwise they will stretch.
Seedlings are grown in pots of turf soil mixed in half with humus or compost, adding 40 g of ammonium nitrate and superphosphate, 20-30 g of potassium nitrate to a bucket of the mixture.
They can be made from a mixture of humus (25%), turf soil (10%), sawdust and mullein (5% each). The mixture is moistened with a solution to such a state that the pots do not fall apart and are well permeable to the roots. From one bucket of mixture you can make 30 - 40 pots, depending on the size.
Growing cucumber seedlings
Prepared seeds are sown in pots or cups with a nutrient mixture placed in a greenhouse or on a rack, and when grown indoors - in a box, at the bottom of which a 2 cm layer of soil is poured.
They fill the spaces between the pots with it, but not to the edges, but leaving 2-3 cm. Place two sprouted seeds in each pot, sprinkling them with a 1 cm layer of soil.
Seeds with long (more than 0.5 cm) thin sprouts are rejected, since the plants from them grow weakened.
Cucumber seedlings require higher temperatures and relative humidity than tomato seedlings. In sunny weather the temperature should be 24-26°C, in cloudy weather 20-22°C, at night 17-18°C. The most favorable relative air humidity is 85 – 90%.
If seedlings are grown in a room, then they try to maintain the temperature at least 22°C during the day and 16°C at night. Air humidity is increased by placing trays of water or moistened fabric rolled into a roll on heating devices so that it does not dry out longer.
Special moisturizers can also be used.
At high temperatures and lack of light, the subcotyledon of cucumber seedlings, even before the formation of true leaves, becomes strongly elongated, which negatively affects the quality of the seedlings. To avoid this, carefully lay the stem up to the cotyledon (it is elastic) in the form of a ring on the soil along the inner wall of the pot or glass, cover it with a layer of 1.5-2.0 cm of soil and water it.
After about a week, the pubescent stem takes root well and the seedlings become low and strong.
Regardless of the place of cultivation, it is fed twice: the first time at the age of two weeks with a garden fertilizer mixture (30 g per 10 liters of water), a glass of the solution is spent on 6-8 plants; the second day or two before planting the seedlings in a permanent place, increase the concentration of the nutrient solution (70 g per 10 liters of water), pouring a glass onto 2 plants. Mineral fertilizers can be replaced with mullein (1 liter per 10 liters of water) or bird droppings (1 liter per 15-20 liters of water).
Preparing the site and planting cucumbers
The area for film shelters should be sunny and protected from cold northeast winds. Cucumbers work well with fresh manure.
When growing them under a film, dig a strip of earth 70 cm wide to a depth of at least 25 cm. If there is enough manure, a trench 40 cm deep and 40 cm wide is made in the center of this strip.
Warm manure is placed at the bottom in a layer of up to 25 cm, and 15-20 cm of fertile soil (humus mixed with turf or compost) is poured on top.
If there is little manure, you can scatter it in the middle of the dug strip (alongwise) at the rate of a bucket per linear meter and dig it up.
Furnace ash is added to the fertile soil (a liter jar per linear meter of ditch) and mixed thoroughly with the soil.
Sow seeds and plant cucumber seedlings only in heated soil, in two rows with row spacing of 30 cm. The distance between plants in a row is 15-25 cm, depending on the variety.
Caring for cucumbers under film, watering and fertilizing
When growing cucumbers under film, care must be taken not to chill the plants when ventilating them or not to overheat them. You need to ventilate the cucumbers carefully, tucking the film on one side (in case of wind).
Due to the increased humidity of the air, more favorable conditions are created under the film than in open ground, therefore additional roots often form on shoots in contact with the ground. To avoid damaging them, the soil is not loosened, but added to the plants using the same nutrient mixture as before sowing or planting.
Cucumbers need increased carbon dioxide nutrition for the accelerated formation of female flowers, so the application of organic fertilizers for cucumbers is mandatory.
When loosening the soil after each watering or rain, the flow of air into the soil increases, the vital activity of microorganisms that release carbon dioxide, which accumulates in the area where the leaves are located, increases.
For the same purpose, it is useful to cover the plants with mullein, but so that it does not touch them.
Plants should be watered abundantly, at least once a week. With the onset of warm, stable weather, especially when the plants bloom, the film should be opened (twisted inward) on the leeward side. This will also promote pollination of flowers by insects. Feed the plants and add fertile soil to them in the same order as when growing cucumbers without shelter.
Despite the application of increased doses of fertilizers, fertilizing is needed before sowing or planting. During the growing season, 2-3 feedings are carried out. If the summer turns out to be rainy and cold, the film is not removed from the cucumbers.
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Composition of soil for seedlings
There are several options for preparing soil for planting sprouted gherkin seeds.
- Sod soil, fresh sawdust and humus in a ratio of 1:1:2, urea 25g, wood ash 1 cup;
- Turf, humus, compost, ash;
- Peat, sawdust in a ratio of 8:2;
- Soil from the garden, peat, compost, sawdust in equal parts;
- Soil from the garden and humus (1:1).
Planting seeds
Cucumbers do not tolerate transplantation well. In order not to injure the plant during frequent replantings, it is better to plant the seeds in separate cups.
Pour the prepared soil mixture into the seedling container. We moisten with warm water and make shallow holes (1.5 - 2 cm). We plant the seeds, cover them with soil and water them again.
To make the seeds germinate faster, cover the cups with film. When the first sprouts appear, remove the film. We place the cups with seedlings on the windowsill, where there is more light. Water the cucumbers with warm water. After watering, the soil needs to be loosened so that the root system can develop better.
Preparing the beds
In order for cucumbers under the film to produce a large harvest, you need to choose the right site and prepare the ground. The most suitable soil for pumpkin crops is loam and sandy loam soil.
The most unfavorable conditions for cucumbers are acidic soil and dark areas. The area where pumpkin crops were previously grown is also not suitable. But a bed where cabbage or potatoes grew would be ideal.
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We dig up the bed, remove the top layer of soil 20 cm deep. We put straw, shavings, and manure there. We fill the top with earth. If there is not enough manure, then we simply dig it up. Manure is useful not only as necessary organic fertilizers, it also warms the soil well and improves its structure.
How to plant cucumbers under film with seeds
Every gardener tries to get a bountiful early harvest of vegetables, but the climatic conditions of the region do not always allow this. To make work easier and grow their favorite crops, farmers are developing original methods. How do you plant cucumbers under film? Let's look at the main points of the unusual agricultural method.
Planting cucumbers under film
Description of the method
The aromatic vegetable is one of the most popular plants among domestic summer residents. However, weather conditions are not always suitable for the normal development of the crop, because India is considered the birthplace of cucumbers, with its abundance of sun and humidity. And modern people don’t have much time, so many care procedures are tedious.
In the climate of the Middle Zone, you have to adapt to the requirements of culture. Cucumbers prefer to be in the ground at a temperature not lower than 16 degrees. Growing in greenhouses is not always justified and is quite expensive for a simple summer resident. The use of technology on polyethylene does not require significant financial investments; one sleeve of old agrofibre is enough.
In addition to heat and humidity, plants need to be constantly shaped and tied up. When planting cucumbers under film, the weaving parts are located on the material and do not come into contact with the ground. The abundance of moisture from the soil at low temperatures is an excellent environment for the development of fungi, and in this way it is possible to protect fruits and leaves from rotting and make care easier.
By the way, being on the warm surface of agrofibre, the greens will ripen two weeks earlier than their Soil counterparts. The harvest is highly visible, making it easy to harvest and monitor ripening. The seedlings do not need to be loosened and mulched, and weeds play their role in the technology. Cucumbers under film are not a whim, but a way to protect the plantings from possible troubles.
Plot
Preparations for growing vegetables should begin in the fall. A well-lit place, not shaded by plants or outbuildings, is suitable. For the garden bed, leave an area whose width is at least 1.2 m.
The soil is carefully dug up and covered with plant debris. To do this, you can use fresh compost, tree branches or shavings. The raw materials are placed on the site in a thick layer, dug in and a bed is formed. As materials rot, heat and nutrients will be released.
When growing cucumbers on film, it is necessary to disinfect the soil from diseases. In the spring, the area is loosened and treated with a solution of copper sulfate. Sprinkle the top with any mineral fertilizer - nitrophoska or ammophoska. The soil must sit for at least three weeks, after which you can plant.
How to plant
Planting cucumbers in open ground under film has recently been gaining popularity among farmers in the Moscow region. Growing is suitable for summer residents who cannot constantly be near plants. Holes are dug in the garden bed, 20 cm deep and at intervals of 35 cm. A nutrient cushion is placed at the bottom of the holes:
- wood ash – 1 cup;
- superphosphate – 1 tablespoon;
- humus - half a liter jar;
- ammonium nitrate, potassium salt - 10 g each.
Fertilizers are mixed with loose soil and the bed is thoroughly watered. Six seeds should be planted in each hole, crushed with soil, and covered with polyethylene. Planting cucumbers on film can be done with either transparent or black agro-fabric. The edges are tightly fixed with bricks or boards.
Covering material will retain heat and moisture
Under the covering material it will be constantly warm and humid. The plants are protected from temperature changes and you don’t have to worry about the leaves getting burned. Shoots appear a week after sowing.
Using a sharp knife, make cross-shaped cuts in the polyethylene and “release” the plants into fresh air. Four strong seedlings are left in each hole, and the rest are pinched.
As the plants grow, they unravel over the film and completely cover it.
Care
When planting cucumbers on film, gardeners minimize their growing worries. However, you can’t just plant and forget: every crop requires a little attention, so it’s worth remembering a few points. If you follow the recommended rules, the vegetable will delight you with a bountiful harvest.
Soil treatment
If seeds are sown or seedlings are planted under covering material, then usual agricultural activities are reduced as much as possible. Now there is no need for hilling and you can forget about weeding. The fact is that weeds serve as “nannies” for cucumbers on film. The plants lift the polyethylene and create additional heat for the vegetable crop.
The only thing worth keeping an eye on is the condition of the land. With increased humidity and increased decomposition of plant residues, fungi may appear. By the way, in order to prevent troubles, we recommend disinfecting the film with a solution in March:
- water – 1 bucket;
- formalin – 1 tablespoon;
- karbofos – 15 g.
As a preventive measure, young plants and the ground next to them can be watered with liquid containing ash and copper oxychloride. If the disease still affects any seedling, then it must be uprooted. Symptoms of the disease are drooping leaves.
Recommended varieties
You need to choose the right variety
It is better to choose cucumbers on plastic wrap from strong hybrids. With high-quality seed material, growing plants from seeds will be easy. Proven varieties should be planted in open ground and in greenhouses.
Emerald
A strong self-pollinating variety of domestic selection, it is resistant to all diseases that can be caused by planting under film. Whatever method you choose (seedlings or seeds), the shoots are always friendly. A powerful, medium-branched bush has racemose ovaries and forms 5-6 greens in a nodule.
With proper care, you can harvest over 4 kilograms of vegetables from one plant. The fruits are cylindrical, covered with a skin with slight tubercles. The pleasant aroma and lack of bitterness allows it to be used both fresh and canned.
baby crane
If you want to grow on film, then it is better to choose this variety. The bee-pollinated early hybrid ripens within 6.5 weeks, and 10 kilograms of fruit can be collected from each square meter. Zelentsy are characterized by a pleasant crispy pulp, completely devoid of bitterness. It will be relevant for fresh cutting and suitable for making pickles and marinades.
It is better to plant the plant with seeds: seedlings have strong immunity to powdery mildew, tobacco mosaic and peronospora. Growing a crop will not be difficult, because all care under polyethylene will consist of watering. By the way, the hybrid has a long stem, so you will have to carefully lay the vine on the film.
fontanel
A strong, medium-branched cucumber of domestic selection forms three ovaries in each node. The total yield per square meter can reach 25 kg. The bee-pollinated plant begins to bear fruit 7 weeks after emergence. It is recommended to plant the crop both in open ground and under film.
Cylindrical greens grow up to twelve centimeters. Aromatic pulp without bitterness and without voids is suitable for universal use. The hybrid has good resistance to all cucumber diseases.
Krinitsa
The bee-pollinated plant will delight gardeners with a harvest in 45 days. It is recommended to plant a strong vine both under polyethylene and in open ground. The low-maintenance crop is not afraid of powdery mildew or excessive watering. You can plant both from seedlings and seeds.
The fruits are of the gherkin type and grow no more than 10 cm in length. The bright green skin with light stripes is covered with small tubercles. Greens are great for pickling and will also be a tasty addition to a salad.
Cucumbers under film without watering or weeding. Cucumbers on film. We monitor growth in mid-June. Growing cucumbers on film without watering and weeding. How to plant cucumbers on film.
Competitor
A bee-pollinated plant will produce a harvest 1.5 months after germination. Good survival rate of seeds and seedlings will make caring for cucumbers under film easier. From each vine you can remove up to 4 kg of fruit. Resistant to powdery mildew and not afraid of excess moisture in the soil.
The greens are covered with lumpy skin and grow up to 12 cm. Pleasant white flesh without voids or bitterness. The hybrid is intended for universal use, so it will be relevant in salads, pickles and marinades.
Growing cucumbers under film is an unusual way to obtain tasty vegetables in any climatic conditions. If planted and cared for correctly, a bountiful harvest will be a gift for an attentive farmer. The recommendations present all the subtleties of the original technology.
Source: //FermoVed.ru/ogurtsyi/kak-posadit-pod-plenku-semenami.html
Landing in the ground
When the seedlings have 3-4 leaves, cucumbers can be planted under film. Approximately 2 hours before planting, water the seedlings. It is better to plant in the evening or on a cloudy day, otherwise the seedlings may burn or wither.
The optimal distance between plants is 40 cm, between rows 0.5 - 0.6 m. This is necessary so that the plants do not darken each other. We plant seedlings no lower than the cotyledon leaves. When planting, you need to be very careful not to damage the root system.
Types of spunbond - characteristics, application
Agrofibre is made from environmentally friendly polypropylene.
The material has a fibrous structure, so, depending on its purpose, it is produced in different densities. Types and purpose:
- use in open areas - white, density 17-30 g/m²;
- greenhouse or greenhouse shelter - white, density 30-60 g/m²;
- as a mulch covering – black, density 50-60 g/m²;
- for mulching beds with planted vegetables and berry crops - black and white, density 50 g/m² (the black layer is mulch, the white layer is protection from ultraviolet radiation and overheating of the root system);
- protection of bushes, trees, flowers, vegetables from adverse weather factors - red-white, red-yellow material.
Application of white spunbond
Polyethylene film is successfully replaced with agrospan - it can be used to cover plantings on a ridge, in a greenhouse, and greenhouses and small greenhouses are built from it. It is used as a covering material all year round - in winter it serves as protection from frost, in the warm season it protects from bright sun, wind, and hail. The non-woven fabric is easy to remove and re-tension, depending on the weather conditions.
For plants that need a lot of light, a thin white canvas with a low density (17, 19, 23 g/m²) is suitable - they cover an area with seedlings and crops. The material is very light, so it will not harm young tender seedlings. Its disadvantage is poor protection from frost. With a density of 17 g/m² it protects against frost down to -3 °C, at 19 g/m² - up to -4 °C, at 23 g/m² - up to -5 °C.
Information! Agrofibre, the density of which is 17 g/m², transmits 80% of light, while with a density of 60 g/m² – only 65%.
Denser white fabric (30 and 42 g/m²) is used in the construction of greenhouses. On arcs with a height of 30-35 cm, a fabric with a lower density is stretched, on arcs higher, the material is denser. It protects well from slight frosts (up to -6 ° C), from cold draft winds, hail, snow, but transmits less light than a thin canvas. They are recommended to cover crops that do not require lighting.
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The densest fabric (50 and 60 g/m²) serves as ideal protection in windy areas, withstanding frost down to -10 °C. Suitable for greenhouses, winter shelter for perennials, trees, shrubs.
Tip!Dense spunbond can be replaced with several layers of thin one.
Black spunbond - how to apply
Black agrofibre has a density of 50 and 60 g/m² and does not transmit sunlight, so it is not suitable for growing plants - it is used as a mulching cover. It retains heat well, creating its own microclimate on the ridge, prevents the growth of weeds, the fruits do not have contact with the soil and remain clean.
The canvas is spread out, holes are cut for seedlings or for sowing seeds. Weeds that interfere with the growth of cultivated plants do not grow under it, there are no conditions for the development of rot or mold, but moisture and light enter through the slots in the required quantities.
Watering
Gherkins love moisture and warmth. Therefore, you need to water them more often so that the soil does not dry out and only with warm water. But you shouldn’t overwater the vegetable either - the plant’s roots may begin to rot.
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You can water only at the root of the cucumber, being careful not to water the leaves, so as not to cause burns on the leaves. Burnt parts of the plant are not restored.
How to care for cucumber crops
Since the roots of this crop are located close to the surface, they require constant loosening and constant irrigation. You can use a drip irrigation system. In order to retain moisture in the beds, it is recommended to lay mulch.
Watering is carried out at least three times during the week. It is better to carry out water procedures in the evening, when the heat subsides a little. If the weather is too hot, it is recommended to irrigate the soil under the roots without affecting the leaves. In extreme heat, it is recommended to shade young plants.
Fertilizer
Seedlings respond well to fertilization:
- organic matter (mullein, urea),
- mineral water (superphosphate, potassium phosphate, ROST 1, ROST 2).
Mullein is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. Consumption per plant is 1 liter. Urea is diluted during the first feeding in 10 liters of water with 50 g, and during the second - 10-15 g. Potassium sulfate and superphosphate are added to the soil at 20 and 100 g, respectively. Preparations ROST 1 and ROST 2 add 1 tablet each to a 10 liter bucket of water.
You can feed no more than once a month.
Agricultural technology
To get a good harvest, observe the temperature conditions of the soil and air and their humidity. On a sunny day, the temperature in the greenhouse should be from 25 to 30°C, on cloudy days 20 to 22°C. At night the temperature should not fall below 15°C. On hot days, be sure to ventilate the greenhouses without creating drafts.
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It is recommended to collect cucumbers at least once every 2 days, otherwise the yield will drop.
Materials and their properties
"Spunbond"
This is a brand, but among gardeners the name is already a household name. The material is named so because of the technology of the same name. This is a non-woven fabric that is durable and lightweight at the same time. It is environmentally acceptable and is not afraid of temperature changes or deformations. It can be either white or black, and in density - from 17 g/m² to 60 g/m².
White “spunbond” with a density of up to 30 g/m² protects plants from recurrent frosts in the spring and too much sun in the summer. They can cover not only seedlings, but also berry and ornamental shrubs, flowers, young trees, including to protect them from birds and insect pests.
White material of medium density - between 30 and 50 g/m² - is suitable for winter covering of absolutely all crops, both garden and ornamental. It can also be stretched onto a greenhouse or greenhouse frame with arcs.
Black “Spunbond” with a density of 50-60 g/m² is dark in color due to the presence of a UV stabilizer in its composition. It not only gives it a black color, but also greatly increases its service life and technical characteristics.
Not a single weed will survive under such cover, and garden plants will receive maximum heat and sun.
Agrofabrics
All “agrotex” and other names with “agro” belong to the category of agrofabrics, which are manufactured using technology that excludes the use of herbicides during their use. This results in environmentally friendly farming, which amateur gardeners and professional farmers are increasingly striving for today.
Agrofabrics can be used to limit the growth of weeds and to cover greenhouses. The density is approximately the same as that of Spunbond. The colors of the materials are white, grey, green and black.
"Lutrasil"
Traditionally used for frost protection, but can also perform all other functions of covering materials. Among gardeners it is considered the best - a little more expensive than Spunbond, but cheaper than Agrotex. In terms of properties it practically duplicates the first one. Density is divided into three categories - from 18 g/m² to 60 g/m². Color options – black and white.
Exactly the same as “Spunbond” is used:
- for spring shelter of seedlings and seedlings - in a light white version (withstands temperatures down to -3°C);
- for the construction of greenhouses and winter protective shelter - white of medium and high density (protects from frost at 6-7°C);
- for weed control and mulching – medium and dense black.
Shading nets
They also belong to the category of covering materials, although the range of their use is quite narrow. They save plants from the burning effect of direct sunlight, and they are used both inside greenhouses and outdoors.
Another irreplaceable property of nets is protection from birds when growing berries and small fruits, which, without such shelter, birds collect much earlier than summer residents.
They are also made from light-stabilized polypropylene film, but, unlike non-woven materials, they have a mesh structure. May be white or dark green.
Film
Nobody has canceled polyethylene film as a covering material, and today the industry produces many types of it with improved characteristics that help “compete” with nonwoven materials for areas of use.
Light stabilized
As the name suggests, this film contains a UV light stabilizer, which helps the polymer not decompose under the sun's rays. The more stabilizer added, the more stable the material and the longer its service life.
A dye can be added to the polymers, which varies the properties by changing the spectrum of rays that may or may not easily penetrate it.
Reinforced
This type is characterized by increased strength, since the manufacturing technology includes several layers. Two layers - outer and inner - film. Between them there is a reinforcing mesh. UV stabilizers are usually present too. The service life of this material is much longer than that of all other types of film and non-woven materials.
It is best used to cover greenhouses. After reinforced film, not inferior to it in quality and wear resistance, only polycarbonate and glass come. But these are covering materials from a completely different price category.
