When to plant cucumbers for seedlings in 2020

Cucumbers are one of the favorite vegetable crops among gardeners. In most regions, cucumbers are grown in greenhouse conditions in a seedless way. But to get an early harvest of crispy, sweet cucumbers, you will first have to grow seedlings at home, followed by transplanting them into a greenhouse. This significantly speeds up the process of the appearance of the first fruits. Overgrown seedlings do not take root well in a new place, are lagging behind in development and are often sick. Therefore, the meaning of planting it is lost, because the plants sown with seeds in the greenhouse will overtake it and fruiting will begin at the same time. The question arises: When to plant cucumbers for seedlings?

The best age for seedlings for planting in the ground is 20 days. Seeds sprout quickly - on the 5th day after sowing. This means that the seedlings are planted in the ground 25 days after sowing the seeds.

In the northern regions, seedlings are planted at the end of May, when the soil warms up to +18 degrees (at a depth of 20 cm). The temperature during the day and at night should not fall below zero. When planning the planting of cucumbers on May 25, seeds are sown for seedlings in the last days of April.

Auspicious days for sowing cucumbers in 2019. In April - 7, 11. In the month of May - 7th, 8th, 9th. The moon is in the growth stage these days. It has long been noted that cucumbers planted on a growing moon give a good harvest.

When to plant cucumbers for seedlings and the choice of seed

It is recommended to buy packaged cucumber seeds from a specialized center. Typically, these stores buy seeds from trusted producers. Counterfeits are extremely rare on the shelves.

Cucumbers are divided into two types: bee-pollinated varieties and parthenocarpic hybrids. It is important to decide on the place where the plants will be grown before buying. The fact is that the seeds of bee-pollinated varieties are planted only in the open ground, and parthenocarpic hybrids are planted in the greenhouse, which do not require insects for pollination.

Cooking seed

The preparation of cucumber seeds includes a number of activities: selection of good specimens, hardening and soaking. Let's consider each item separately.

Calibration. Cucumber seeds are sized by size - large and even specimens of a light shade are chosen. Seeds with dark spots are subject to rejection.

Disinfection. The traditional method is seed treatment in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. But it is best to use the drug "Fitosporin" for these purposes. Use the drug according to the instructions. After treatment with "Fitosporin", the remaining pathogenic pathogens die on the shell.

Soak. The processed seeds are transferred to a sieve and washed under running water. The cotton cloth is dipped in water and wrung out slightly. Seeds are placed in the wet material, wrapped in several layers and transferred to a container with a lid. Place the container in a warm place (the recommended temperature is +22 .. +25 degrees). Seeds germinate on the third day.

Preparation of containers and soil

The root system of plants does not tolerate external interference. Therefore, seeds are sown in separate containers in which the seedlings will grow before transplanting. For home cultivation, disposable cups with a volume of at least 300 ml or peat pots are suitable. In peat containers, cucumbers do not get sick with root rot.

Good to know. With repeated use of containers, disinfection is carried out. Before reuse, the cups are treated with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate.

The seedling period for cucumbers ranges from 25 to 30 days.During this period, it is better not to apply top dressing, but plant the seeds immediately in fertilized soil with a good composition. For this culture, a moisture-absorbing soil is suitable, air and permeable, saturated with mineral and organic fertilizers.

Buying ready-made soil in specialized centers reduces the time spent on preparatory work. "Packed earth" does not need decontamination.

They independently prepare nutrient soil from 4 components:

• Sod land (1 part);
• Horse peat (part 1);
• Sand (1 part);
• Ready-made vermicompost or mature compost (2 parts).

After completing the preparation of the nutrient mixture, you need to check the acidity using a test strip. The acidity level should be between 6.6 - 6.8 pH. Lime is added to the soil to reduce acidity.

Good to know. The soil consisting of these components needs to be disinfected. The best option is freezing. The mixture is prepared in the fall, and in the winter it is taken outside for a couple of weeks to freeze. In a frosty winter, the soil is cleared of pests and disease spores.

After disinfection, the soil is enriched with mineral fertilizers, which contribute to the rapid formation of the root system, suppression of bacterial infections and fungi. On 10 kilograms of soil mixture put 30 g of potassium sulfate, 40 g of phosphorus fertilizers, 200 g of wood ash. Mix thoroughly.

Sowing in separate containers

They proceed to sowing seeds after the completion of preparatory work.

Basic steps:

Separate cups or peat pots are filled with 2/3 of the nutrient soil. Be sure to make drainage holes in the containers at the bottom and lay a layer of material (expanded clay or moss).

1. The soil in the containers is abundantly moistened until excess moisture begins to drain from the holes. Placed on a pallet.
2. A dimple 1 cm deep is made in the middle and 2 cucumber seeds are placed to ensure that shoots are obtained. Sprinkle with soil and moisten the topsoil with water.
3. The containers are covered with glass or foil. Together with the shelter, they are placed in a warm place (+25 degrees) until the first shoots appear. When the first sprouts appear, they immediately transfer the cups to the lighted windowsill.
4. If 2 cucumbers have sprung up, then pinch a weak specimen at soil level.

When to plant cucumbers for seedlings: caring for cucumber seedlings

Growing healthy plants at home is difficult, but possible. The seedlings are properly looked after: watered, fed, maintained at an optimal temperature and provided with lighting.

Light mode

Lack of sunlight in the first week after germination can cause the seedlings to stretch out. With a lack of lighting, cucumbers get sick, develop poorly, since nutrients from the soil are not absorbed. With early sowing, it is recommended to organize additional lighting on the windowsill with a fluorescent lamp or phytolamp. Purchase them in specialized stores. As the containers grow, they are moved apart from each other so as not to thicken the plants.

Temperature conditions. As soon as the cotyledonous leaves of the cucumbers open, the temperature in the room is reduced to +7 degrees. Further, for 14 days, they maintain +15 degrees at night, and +22 degrees during the day. The subsequent days (two weeks after germination) are hardened by gradually lowering the temperature in the room. Before planting in a permanent place, the plants are left on the street for a day.

Watering. If the seeds were planted in moist soil, then the first watering is carried out 5 days after germination. Pour cucumbers with warm water (+25 degrees) under the root of a watering can with a small neck. Spraying leaves from a spray bottle has a positive effect on the growth of seedlings. It is enough to spray the leaves twice a day.

Top dressing. Plants planted in cups with nutrient soil do not need feeding. The food from the soil is enough for them. When grown in

"Poor" soil is fed several times with mineral fertilizers.

Planting seedlings in the ground

Cucumbers are transplanted at the age of 25-30 days. Signs of high-quality seedlings: a short and thick stem with 3 to 5 developed leaves.

Cucumbers are planted in a garden bed or in a greenhouse after 40 cm. Plants are planted at the same level as they grew in cups (the stem is not buried). After transplanting, water the plants with water. You can cover the bed with agrofibre to protect it from the cold and sun. Subsequent care for mature plants consists of watering, feeding, forming bushes and, of course, harvesting.