The quality of the harvest depends on how much and when the cucumber drinks and eats in the garden. The diet in “infancy” and closer to the beginning of fruiting means completely different microelements, different amounts of “food” and timing of meals.
How much water do cucumbers need?
Proper watering of the plant is the basis for tasty, elastic fruits. When sowing seeds or planting seedlings, the soil in the greenhouse is spilled so that it is moistened to a depth of 10-15 cm. Often, outwardly, even the wettest soil turns out to be hopelessly dry at a shallow depth.
But the young cucumber loves moderation when drinking, so you should refrain from excessive watering of newly planted plants. Later, while the seeds are germinating and the plants are small, they are watered only when absolutely necessary. During the first weeks of growth, the soil should remain semi-dry - this is the ideal condition for root formation. When the roots grow, the plants bloom and the ovaries appear, the cucumbers will already require a lot of water.
In open ground, water cucumbers in the same way, preventing the soil from drying out. It is better to water rarely, but thoroughly.
When watering in small portions, the water never reaches the roots, and the soil surface hardens.
Irrigation water significantly lowers the soil temperature, so you should choose the most appropriate time for watering. It is better not to expose plants to unnecessary stress by watering them with cold water in the sun. The water should be as close as possible to the same temperature as the air temperature. It is easy to heat it up by adding hot water. To avoid scalding the cucumbers, determine the temperature of the water with your hand before watering.
The best time to water cucumbers is early morning or evening no later than 19 hours. The norm for watering a cucumber during the period of growth and flowering is 6-12 l/m2, and during fruiting - 20-25 l/m2.
Developing roots
Everyone knows how expensive time can be in the summer, especially when picking and canning cucumbers. When you grow them, you should not spare any labor - this is the worst type of saving.
It is not enough to water and supply plants with food in solid or liquid form. From the appearance of the seedling to the harvesting of the last greens, the main goal of the gardener is to enable the cucumber to develop the largest number of roots, since they are the ones that feed the entire plant.
When caring for plants, the soil around them is eroded, the lower part of the stem and roots are exposed. From time to time you should add soil to the base of the plant, this significantly increases the activity of the root system.
Favorite “dishes” for feeding
But plain water is a starvation diet for growing cucumber plants. In the first two weeks after germination, plants require increased nitrogen (N) nutrition, then before flowering - phosphorus (P), and during fruiting - nitrogen-potassium (N, K).
Flaw nitrogen in the soil, growth retards, the leaves become pale green, then turn yellow. The fruits grow pointed, shortened, and light green in color. Excessive nitrogen content is also harmful: it causes intensive growth of vegetative organs (shoots, leaves) and inhibits fruiting.
Phosphorus accelerates fruiting. Its deficiency weakens the plants, delays the flow of nitrogen into the roots, the leaves become smaller, become dense, and dark green in color.
Potassium increases cold resistance and resistance to pathogens, improves the taste of fruits. With a deficiency of this element, a light yellow border appears along the edges of the leaves.
The plant will need the most nutrients during flowering and fruit formation.
Root feeding. On any soil, cucumbers respond positively to fertilizing. On poor soils, 3-4 are required, on fertile soils, two are enough.
The first is carried out with a weak solution of nitroammophoska (15-20 g per 10 liters of water) in the phase of three true leaves.
The second - during the flowering period, increasing the doses of nitrogen and potassium. During the fruiting period, cucumbers are fed once a week with complex fertilizer (30-40 g per 10 liters of water), using this amount per 3-4 m2.
Simultaneous feeding with organic matter and mineral fertilizers is especially effective. For example, a glass of ash and 20 g of superphosphate are added to a fermented solution of mullein (1:4) or chicken manure (1:15). It is good to add microelements to such a solution.
Liquid fertilizing is given after watering along the furrows, which are placed 10 cm from the plant for the first and 15-20 cm for the second, then the soil must be loosened.
Foliar feeding is necessary especially after a cold snap, during which the activity of the roots is disrupted and the plants begin to lack nutrients. A solution of 0.5% ammonium nitrate, 0.3% superphosphate, 0.2% potassium chloride, 0.05% potassium permanganate will support them well.
If the ovaries are slowly filling, then it is advisable to carry out foliar feeding with urea (0.5-1 g/l) with microelements, primarily boron (100 g of boric acid per 1 liter of solution).
However, foliar feeding is not recommended at high air temperatures, since due to the rapid evaporation of water from the leaves, the concentration of fertilizers sharply increases, which can cause burns. In addition, cucumber is one of the crops most sensitive to excessive doses of boron.
Touches to the portrait
The biological characteristics of the cucumber have developed under the influence of the tropical climate where this crop comes from. That is why it is so demanding of heat and humidity. Prolonged cold and wet weather causes more damage to plants than drought
Cucumber fruits grow at night. They pour most intensely at night temperatures above 16-18°C.
Cucumber bears fruit even in low light. If the plants are shaded in the morning and evening hours for 20-25 days during the seedling period, the formation of female flowers in the cucumber is accelerated, and accordingly the harvest can be obtained earlier.
If tomatoes prefer dry air and moderate watering, then cucumbers prefer moist air and frequent watering. The root system of the cucumber is superficial, far from powerful, and in our conditions, which are far from Indian (the homeland of the cucumber), is not capable of feeding a lush vine and juicy greens. Therefore, proper watering of cucumbers in combination with proper fertilizing is the only possible option for a reasonable gardener.
We suggest you find out how often to water cucumbers, how to organize bottle watering of cucumbers, what are the features of greenhouse watering of cucumbers, and what are the norms for water consumption for a cucumber bush.
Watering cucumbers: how often?
Watering cucumbers in open ground carried out when the soil at the depth of the roots (10-15-20 cm) ceases to be moist. Take a lump of earth at this depth: if it does not crumble when clenched in your fist, you are free from “water procedures” for now. That is, the soil should always be moist, but not slushy.
Concerning watering cucumbers in a greenhouse , where the only source of moisture is your watering can/bucket, then before the cucumbers are set, they are watered daily at the rate of up to 2 liters per plant, and during the fruiting period - 3-4 liters of water per plant. And subsequently, in the second half of the cucumber growing season, at the end of summer and beginning of autumn, the number of waterings is not reduced and their volume is not reduced.
Moisture is very important for greens during the fruiting period - without it they will grow bitter due to excess cucurbitacin, as well as bent and crooked.
How to water cucumbers?
The main watering of cucumbers is on the soil, but water is poured not at the root, but into special grooves or a kind of “trunk circles”. Why? Because the droplets, once they fall on the leaf-shaded stem at the bottom of the vine, will not dry out for a long time. Under unfavorable conditions, several hours of moisture on the stem will be enough for the development of pathogenic microflora (rot).
But on cucumber leaves illuminated by the sun, moisture evaporates quite quickly. This can be used for open ground cucumbers by sprinkling on a hot morning, before a hot day, when the plant “hangs its ears.” Sprinkling should not be done in direct sunlight, as the leaves may get burned. But even sprinkling would be better done with a small sprayer, rather than pouring over the cucumbers directly from a watering can. Small droplets are guaranteed to dry quickly, the air will become more humid, and this is a key factor in fruit set. When the humidity is below 70-80%, cucumbers do not set well.
IN watering cucumbers in a greenhouse sprinkling is not the best option. Owners of greenhouse cucumbers often notice tiny holes on the upper leaves. These holes occur when drops of night dew and condensation drip onto the leaves from the film and become “lenses,” causing burns. The same thing will happen when sprinkling in a greenhouse. Another thing is to go over the plantings early in the morning with a small sprayer. This will benefit the cucumber.
And to preserve moisture at night, you can cover cucumbers, both open ground and greenhouse, with agrofibre or other material.
“Is it possible to water cucumbers with cold water?” many gardeners ask. Like, all my life I poured water directly from the well, and nothing happened - green plants grew. Normal water for watering cucumbers is at least 15, and preferably 20-25 degrees. Water at a temperature of 5-10 degrees is already stress for the plant. This can come back to haunt you in different ways. Most often, after watering with cold water, cucumbers grow with a constriction in the middle of the fruit, they can grow bitter, the ovaries can fall off, and powdery mildew or root rot can develop. In any case, the plant will spend energy to overcome the extreme situation (and watering cucumbers with cold water is just extreme for cucumbers). This is the energy that it could spend on a more generous harvest.
Cucumbers are watered either early in the morning or in the evening, that is, before or after sunset.
How to water tomatoes using a bottle?
This method is especially useful for those who visit the dacha on short visits and cannot do it every day. water the cucumbers. Take a regular plastic bottle: if it’s 1.5-2 liters, that’s enough for two plants; if the bottle is 3-5 liters, you can adapt it to 4 plants at once. It is better to take a dark bottle - it accumulates daytime heat, and at night it will give it to the roots.
So, water is poured into the bottle without adding “like in a factory.” In the lower part, stepping back two centimeters from the bottom, make the appropriate number of holes (for 2 cucumbers - 2, for 4 - 4 holes). You can make holes with a hot nail, but they will turn out large, uneven, and the water will quickly pour out. Therefore, it is advisable to use an awl with a diameter of 1-2 millimeters. Now all that remains is to bury the bottle so that the neck sticks out of the ground. They are buried so that the holes are at the depth of the roots (about 15 cm). In this case, there is no need to unscrew the lid, otherwise the water will drain away in a matter of minutes. When the bottle is empty, unscrew it, add water, and screw it on again.
Fresh cucumbers are always good for the table, especially in winter and spring - a period of shortage of vitamins and ground vegetables, so it is worthwhile to grow them yourself in a greenhouse. To do this, it is necessary to understand the characteristics of plant development and determine suitable conditions. Proper watering of cucumbers is one of the main components of successfully obtaining a good harvest. In the article we will look at how often and how much to water cucumbers in a greenhouse after planting, with yeast, in hot weather, rainy weather, during flowering and during fruiting.
Optimal mode for watering cucumbers
- The cucumber loves the soil to always be moist, but does not tolerate it being waterlogged - it starts to hurt. For its development and fruiting, the temperature is + 21-26 ° C on sunny days and + 16-23 ° C in bad weather and at night. Air humidity should be 75-85%, soil - 72-82% HB. During the fruiting period, soil moisture is maintained at 90%.
- Excessive watering of plants on a cloudy day, as well as the use of cold or overheated water, careless drying of the soil, will take delicate vines out of their normal state for a long time. They begin to drop flowers en masse, ovaries do not form, and fruits do not develop.
- Plants are also negatively affected by sharp fluctuations in air temperature due to external heating on sunny days but cold nights.
- Another negative factor is the appearance of dampness and dripping from the slopes of the structure due to moisture condensation at night and in the pre-dawn hours. This has a bad effect on cucumber leaves and leads to root rot and other diseases.
That is why it is so important to maintain the optimal regime for the normal development of plants. Suitable conditions are ensured by the following measures:
- Humidity support by abundant watering and spraying with water of plants, soil, shelving and water heating devices. You can place boxes with damp sand on the floor, lining the bottom with polyethylene so that moisture does not escape.
– Temperature reduced by ventilation, curtaining the outer windows, and also spraying them with a chalk suspension for shading on hot days.
But when creating a suitable maintenance regime, you need to remember that for successful cultivation a lot depends on the correct choice of seeds. Varieties and hybrids specially bred for greenhouses are adapted specifically to these conditions. They are shade-tolerant, resistant to many types of diseases, and, as a rule, self-pollinating (parthenocarpic).
Popular cucumber hybrids (F1) for greenhouses: Gladiator, Hercules, Marinda, Masha, German, Tempo, Rhythm, Courage, Legend, Moscow Evenings, Emelya, Murashka, etc.
|
Options |
Growth phase | Beginning of fruiting |
Harvesting |
| Air temperature at night (°C) | 16-17 | 17-18 | 18-20 |
| - sunny during the day | 21-23 | 21-23 | 24-26 |
| -cloudy during the day | 19-20 | 20-21 | 21-24 |
| Soil temperature | 22-24 | 22-24 | 19-20 |
| Air humidity % | 75-80 | 75-80 | 75-85 |
Tip #1. After a certain time, plants age, the stem begins to conduct water and nutrients worse. To prolong normal fruiting, the lower part near the root must be sprinkled with humus, soil or peat (2 cm) to form new roots.
Basic rules for watering cucumbers
#photo 1. Sprinkling of cucumbers using a watering can is carried out in clear weatherLet's consider the basic rules for watering cucumbers in a summer cottage.
- Water requirements
- The water must be warm – +20-25°C. It can be heated in any way, but not to a boil.
- It should not contain harmful impurities: excess salts, chlorine, sodium, fluorine.
- Hard water can be softened by adding wood ash (5 tsp per 10 liters of water).
- Irrigation technique
- Do not water with a hose with strong pressure, as this will erode the earth, exposing the roots, and damage foliage, flowers and stems.
- It is preferable to insert special nozzles into the end of the hose that disperse or reduce the stream.
- Watering in clear weather should be alternated with sprinkling using special devices or a regular watering can.
Watering systems for cucumbers in the country
#photo 2. The irrigation tank can be placed next to the greenhouse - If there is no running water on the site, a capacious tank on supports is installed inside or next to the greenhouse, where water is supplied using a pump from a well, well, or rainwater is collected. The container should be painted black, it attracts the sun's rays better. The water will be naturally heated on warm and sunny days.
- Hoses or a more economical and convenient drip irrigation system are connected to the tank. Tubes with holes in the bottom are laid along the beds, placing them next to the roots. It is convenient to fertilize through the drip system by adding fertilizer solutions to the tank.
- Watering can be done using a watering can, and can also be used to sprinkle plants.
- Mechanical sprayers are used to spray cucumbers with water or fertilizer solutions during foliar feeding.
#photo 3. Mechanical sprayers are used to increase humidity or for foliar feeding Watering frequency and water consumption
- The frequency of watering is directly related to the development phase of cucumbers, weather conditions and room temperature. There will be different watering regimes for ground greenhouses, where plants are planted in beds, and for a rack system.
- Water consumption depends on the development of the root system of the vegetable. For example, for young seedlings with a root length of no more than 4 cm, up to 4 liters per 1 sq.m. is required. For an adult plant with roots of 15 cm, the amount of water is increased to 15 liters per 1 sq.m. Watering is required so that moisture penetrates the entire depth of the roots. Of course, on hot days more moisture may be needed.
Watering after planting
As soon as the young seedlings are determined to a permanent place, they are watered abundantly for good establishment. Then the need for watering is quite moderate, approximately once every 3-6 days, 3-5 liters per 1 sq.m. This regime continues until flowering begins.
Watering during flowering and fruiting
The quantity and volume of irrigation is gradually increased to 6-15 liters per 1 sq.m, watering every 2-4 days. In this case, the condition of the soil and weather must be taken into account. See table No. 2 for approximate data on ground greenhouses. Approximate irrigation regime and water consumption per 1 sq.m for a ground greenhouse, Table 2
Watering in rainy weather
If it is cloudy, cold and damp, then it is better to stop watering or reduce it to a minimum, monitoring the humidity of the air and soil. At this time, the evaporation of moisture is insignificant, and waterlogging and cooling of the soil with a decrease in air temperature can lead to basal rot of the roots and the death of plants.
On cloudy but warm days, it is better to water during the day if necessary, since the evaporation of water from the soil will maintain optimal humidity.
Tip #2. To prevent water from the beds from getting into the passages, they are covered with film around the perimeter.
Watering cucumbers in the heat
Cucumbers do not tolerate heat well. You can lower the temperature by humidifying the air with forced ventilation or refreshing watering. To do this, in addition to the main watering, which is already more abundant and frequent, plants, paths, beds, racks, walls are sprayed with water at a rate of 1-1.5 l / sq.m. On clear and sunny days, fruit-bearing plants are watered in the morning, so the plants use the received moisture more fully.
Please note: cucumbers do not tolerate drafts. Ventilation is only possible if the temperature inside is more than +28-30°C, and the transoms are opened only on one side, selectively. Under no circumstances should a sharp change in both humidity and temperature be prevented.
Watering in the evening and at night
It is allowed as a last resort on very hot days if it was not possible to water the plants in the morning or afternoon.
Evening and night watering is dangerous for cucumbers, as it causes cracks in the fruits and stems. Watering is best done 1-2 hours after sunrise and ends 1-2 hours before sunset.
Mulching
Mulching will help maintain constant soil moisture while reducing watering. For mulch, use fine straw, peat, non-woven materials, and film.
The advantages of using mulch include the fact that the earth will no longer overheat on hot days, excessive evaporation will not occur and air humidity will not increase above the permissible limit.
#photo 4. Mulching and drip watering of cucumbers in a greenhouse will help maintain optimal soil moisture, saving water and labor costs Feeding cucumbers: key points
- Liquid root dressing
- Root feeding begins when the first greens appear and is repeated every 8-11 days; they can be alternated with foliar feeding.
- Nutrients are better absorbed from liquid fertilizers, but the plant does not like high concentrates of nutrient solutions. The total amount of fertilizer is no more than 70 g per 10 liters. water, consumption – 2 l./sq.m.
- When the leaves are pale and small, the plant requires nitrogen. You can feed it with urea or nitrogen nitrate. But if there is a danger of powdery mildew, nitrogen fertilizers should be used only in combination with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
- Cucumber accepts ammophos and superphosphate well, but has a negative attitude towards chlorine, so instead of chlorine-containing potassium fertilizers it is better to take potassium nitrate and potassium sulfate.
- You can take this recipe as a basis: for 10 liters of water – 16 g of urea, 28 g of superphosphate, 15-18 g of potassium sulfate.
- Fermented mullein or bird droppings are also used. Manure slurry or droppings should be soaked in a container for 2-3 days, remembering to stir. It’s a good idea to add more wood ash (1-1.5 cups) to the slurry bucket. The resulting mixture is diluted with water: manure 1:6, and droppings 1:20. You can add superphosphate to the manure solution - 25 g per 5 liters.
#photo 5. Mullein solution for fertilizing is prepared with preliminary soaking and fermentation - this way it is much more effective - Foliar feeding
- Fertilizing is also done foliarly (through cucumber leaves) using a sprayer, consumption - 2.5 liters. for 5 sq.m.
- A weaker solution is prepared (no more than 25 g of fertilizer per 5 liters of water). Recipe: for 5 l. water take 3 g of ammonium nitrate, 5 g of superphosphate, 4 g of potassium sulfate.
- Once a month, cucumbers benefit from microelements. Recipe: for 5 l. of water, take potassium nitrate 3 g, superphosphate 5 g, sulfates of iron, magnesium, manganese (0.5 g each) and boric acid (0.5 g).
- It is advisable to apply foliar feeding in cloudy weather in the morning, but if it is sunny, then at the end of the day.
- Yeast feeding
- Yeast is a very useful fertilizer for cucumbers, especially when growing seedlings and during the rooting period of young plants. Fertilizing with yeast stimulates vegetation and increases the number of roots several times. Plants become more resilient and strong.
- Feed 1-2 times per season - in early spring and after the first harvest.
- The composition is prepared according to the following recipes:
– Dissolve 100 g of yeast in 0.5 l. water and then dilute again in 5 liters. water before feeding;
– dilute 50 g of fresh yeast with 5 liters of warm water and leave for 24 hours;
– 1 tbsp. l. mix dry yeast with 2 tbsp. l. sugar and 2 g of ascorbic acid, add a handful of earth and infuse in 5 liters. water 1 day. Dilute the resulting infusion again in a proportion of 1 liter. infusion for 10 l. water.
#photo 6. Yeast feeding will help cucumbers with rooting and growth Answers to pressing questions from gardeners
Question No. 1.Is it possible to loosen the soil in the beds in a greenhouse around cucumbers if the water stagnates?
Answer. No, it is not advisable to loosen the soil. The plants have branched and delicate roots, which are very easy to damage if they are touched when loosened. Try not to flood the soil too much when watering, reducing the amount of moisture. If the soil is too compacted, carefully pierce the soil with a fork between the rows, approximately 5-6 punctures per 1 sq.m.
Question No. 2. Due to rainy and cold weather and increased dampness, the lower part of the cucumber near the root began to turn brown. Is there anything I can do to help the plant?
Answer. The cucumber suffered from root rot. If the disease can be captured at the very beginning, the plant can still recover. To do this, you need to increase the temperature of the air and soil, and also carry out deeper digging (the so-called lowering) of the lower part of the stem, adding less moist soil or humus to it. New roots may form and the plant will be saved.
Question No. 3.How to correctly determine whether cucumbers need to be watered?
Answer. There are special measuring instruments with probes that are lowered into the ground, showing its humidity and acidity. You can also monitor the appearance of the plant itself and the soil, visually determining the need for moisture by its structure. Lack of moisture manifests itself in darkening of the leaves and their fragility, excess - in a pale green color. If you take a soil sample from a depth of 15-18 cm, then by its condition you can also judge the need for watering. If you feel moisture with your fingers, watering is not needed.
Question No. 4. What varieties of cucumbers should I choose for the greenhouse if there is no opportunity and time for regular watering and maintaining ideal conditions?
Answer. If the conditions in the greenhouse are not ideal in terms of light and temperature, and it is difficult to ensure the correct watering regime, try growing the following undemanding hybrids: Relay, Domashny, Paratunka, Swallowtail.
Question No. 5.Why is it recommended in a greenhouse to bury rusty nails in the soil near the plants?
Answer. This method is used by some to replenish iron reserves in the soil, but it is difficult to say how effective it is. It is better to carry out foliar feeding with complexes with microelements.
All garden crops have different requirements for conditions of maintenance and care. Some of them need a lot of sun and light, others are sensitive to soil conditions, and others need to be watered frequently. Such moisture-loving plants include everyone’s favorite cucumbers. If you are new to growing vegetables, then before planting you should definitely read the information on how to care for planted plants. We suggest you find out how often you need to water cucumbers, immediately after planting and later, during flowering and fruiting.
Moisture for cucumbers is perhaps the most important thing. Without it, both the quantity and quality of future fruits suffer. If there is a lack of water, cucumbers can become bitter, and with stagnation, the roots often begin to rot. That is why when watering these plants you should look for a “golden mean”.
So, cucumbers should be watered as the soil dries out. Unfortunately, it is impossible to announce a specific figure for the frequency of watering (for example, once every 5 days), because it always depends on weather conditions. For this reason, you need to check every day whether it’s time to water the cucumbers: if the soil under them has already dried out, it’s time to water it. If the soil at the roots is still wet, it is better to wait another 1-2 days, because waterlogging can lead to the plant becoming infected with root rot or. As a general rule, cucumbers should be watered more frequently in hot weather than in cool weather, up to and including daily watering.
Pay attention to the age of the plant, as well as whether they were grown from seeds or through seedlings. Young cucumbers need more frequent watering than adults, but the amount of water for sprouts should be larger. The conclusion is this: as soon as the cucumbers have sprouted, they need to be watered little by little, often, while mature bushes require abundant watering (about a bucket of water for each bush), but less often.
Before the cucumbers bloom, they are watered moderately, no more than 4 liters of water per square meter. In the future, the amount of water is decisive in whether all the set fruits can ripen before the leaves turn yellow. It is the nutritious moisture that makes the cucumbers in our beds juicy, crispy, bright green and so appetizing!
Cucumbers also have requirements for water temperature for irrigation, which should not be less than 10-12°C, and ideally reach 23-25°C. They should be watered, just like other plants in the garden, early in the morning or in the evening, especially if the weather is hot outside. If water gets on the leaves, the plant can easily get sunburned, but this should not be allowed. At the same time, a reservation should be made: before flowering, cucumbers are best watered in the morning, and during the period of mass fruiting, it is better to do this in the evening.
It also matters how you water your beds: using a watering can, directing a stream of water directly into the hole, or through a two-liter bottle with holes buried in the ground near the root of the plant.
In addition to watering, an agrotechnical technique called sprinkling is very effective when growing cucumbers. Artificially created rain over cucumber bushes is much more similar to natural precipitation; it moisturizes the above-ground part of the plant and the air above the leaves. You just need to remember that sprinkling is unacceptable in sunny weather - only in the early morning or after sunset.
After watering, the soil dries out and a hard crust forms on it. It should be loosened regularly so that the root system of the plant receives enough air. When loosening the soil under each bush, carefully move the vines to the side.
Cucumbers come from hot India, so to get a good harvest you need to create tropical conditions for them. This can be difficult to do when growing outdoors, so gardeners have to resort to various tricks to protect delicate plants from cold dew, north winds, rain, diseases and pests.
A warm manure bed is perfect for growing cucumbers. To do this, at the end of April - beginning of May, gardeners place cattle manure in a pile 70-80 cm high, spill it with water and cover it with a dark film. Under these conditions, fermentation of biological material occurs, manure is heated to 55-60 ° C. Under such conditions, all pests die, and nutrients after fermentation become available to the cucumber roots.
In addition to excellent nutrition, such a bed maintains optimal humidity and temperature for cucumbers. If it is not possible to use manure, you can replace it with compost made from weeds or hay, but in this case, instead of water, you need to use a warm urea solution to speed up the maturation of the compost. The appearance of white mycelium and then mushrooms on the manure bed means that the temperature inside it is optimal for planting cucumbers. You can plant both pre-soaked seeds and cucumber seedlings, but it is worth remembering that these plants do not tolerate root damage well, so the seedlings must initially be planted in separate cups. To protect from atmospheric influences, the bed is covered with film or non-woven covering material.
How to water cucumbers in open ground
It is better to water the plants in the evenings, after 18-19 hours local time. At this time, plants are most receptive to watering, and there is no longer intense heat. The water has time to soak into the ground before morning, and the dew drops dry without causing burns on the leaves. It is not recommended to water cucumbers in the morning and during the day, since in this case the water quickly evaporates without having time to reach the roots, and condensation forms on the film at night, which leads to the development of various diseases.
Cucumbers require daily abundant watering, especially if the weather is hot, dry. For watering, you need to use a watering can with a divider, watering throughout the entire bed, including the leaves of the plants and the soil around them. It is better to use warm water heated in the sun, since cold water causes cucumber roots to die. If the heat is intense, you can additionally place containers of water on the cucumber beds - by evaporating, the water increases humidity, which has a beneficial effect on the condition of the plants.
If the air temperature has dropped and it has rained, daily watering is no longer required, but you need to monitor the condition of the soil and water the cucumbers as needed. Overmoistening of the soil leads to rotting of the roots and the growth of fungal infections. The soil around the roots should be mulched with humus or peat to avoid drying them out and retain moisture. By taking into account all the features, you can achieve good harvests of this capricious crop.
