Cultivation of cucumbers on the windowsill: rules and secrets

In each person there lives a gardener and gardener. With the arrival of the first spring heat, everyone is drawn to the dacha, to the village on the garden. It's nice to dig in the fresh earth, breathe in its fragrance and throw the first seeds on the bed. But not everyone is lucky to meet spring on their own piece of land. Many townspeople do not have time to travel to the garden or their own beds. This is fixable. If there is no possibility to go to the garden, it can be built at home on a balcony or a window sill. On small self-made beds you can grow radish, green onions, tomatoes, cucumbers. The last vegetable requires special attention and care. To get a rich harvest, you need to know how to properly grow cucumbers on a window sill and balcony and not to damage the plant. Because of inexperience, its tender sprouts can be ruined within a few hours. But if you properly choose the soil mixture, capacity, grade, adhere to the temperature regime, then the green liana will thank with tender, crispy cucumbers.

The best varieties of cucumbers for growing on a windowsill

If you pick the right sorts of cucumbers, then on the windowsill you can get a harvest, much richer than that the neighbor grows in the country. Fans of home gardening should pay attention to the hybrids of the F1 group:

• Natasha F1;
• Marinda F1;
• Masha F1;
• Spring F1.

The last grade can be called a cucumber masterpiece of Moldovan breeders. For several decades, he has successfully pleased his owners with generous fruit and resistance to disease.

Of the usual varieties for indoor growing cucumbers are suitable:

• Boy-with-finger;
• Mazay;
• Stella.

They are photophilous and require cross pollination, but they have high yield, resistance to diseases in an enclosed space.

Parthenocarpic hybrids - the best varieties of cucumbers for planting on the windowsill, as they tie fruit regardless of the weather, temperature fluctuations, sun rays, have a large number of female self-pollinated inflorescences, do not require special conditions content.

The main rules of healthy seedlings of cucumbers

The guarantee of a rich harvest is quality seedlings. In order for the seeds to rise quickly, several important rules must be observed:

• The soil for sowing should always be sterilized. Do not trust the purchased mixtures: they can be infected with bacteria and pests. The earth must pass air well and absorb moisture. Well, if the composition of the soil does not include many micronutrients. At this stage, they are not needed by the plant in large quantities. The best way for sowing cucumbers is a mixture of peat and river sand.
• You can not plant freshly picked cucumber seeds. Such plants are dominated by male flowers, which do not bind fruit. Five-year seeds give the largest number of female inflorescences.
• Seeds covered with a special multi-colored shell, emerge much later and require constant moisture. When the soil is dry or low, the plant may die in the soil.
• Seedlings are best grown in small cups or peat tablets, and after the appearance of the third present leaf is transplanted into a large container.
• The optimum temperature for emergence is 22 degrees with high humidity. To achieve this effect, you need to spray the room three times a day, or keep a damp rag under the glasses.
• After the appearance of the first shoots, it is necessary to slightly lower the temperature in the room, humidity, increase the amount of sunlight.
• To young shoots are not stretched, you need a backlight fluorescent lamp. Lamp assistance is also necessary before laying buds on cloudy days (hybrids can do without lighting).
• Irrigation with warm, steady-state water will help the plant absorb moisture faster.

After the appearance of the first real leaf, seedlings can be fed with liquid nitrogen, potassium fertilizer. It is important to ensure that water and liquid with microelements do not get on the sheet during the day. A drop of moisture can cause a burn.

Tableware for planting cucumbers

To grow cucumbers on the windowsill, you need to choose the right capacity. Then the plant will feel comfortable all season. Cucumber roots are located shallow from the surface of the soil and love to be warmed by the sun, irrigated by a warm rain. For one plant will be enough pyatilitrovogo plastic bucket or pot. Well, if its width will prevail over the height.

Care instructions

Observe the rules of care for cucumbers on the windowsill under the force of even inexperienced truck farmers. The main thing: clearly follow the instructions and do not expect "maybe".

• Cucumbers love diffuse sunlight. On the southern window their leaves will burn from the heat, and on the west - the stems will stretch, most of the fruits will have a characteristic, pear-shaped form.
• Water the plants better after sunset or in cloudy weather under the root, at the edges of the pot.
• The soil for adult plants can be similar to that used for seeding, with the addition of potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen fertilizers, wood ash. When landing on a permanent place, drainage should be built. If there is not under the hands of expanded clay, then you can use ordinary pebbles or break into small pieces of ordinary polystyrene.
• After the appearance of the fifth leaf, the plant needs a support. You can pull a special mesh along the window or tie a string with ropes. The trellis grid on the windowsill looks aesthetically pleasing and is a good support during the fruiting process.
• In summer, the biggest problem, when growing cucumbers on the windowsill, is heat: the percentage of humidity in the room and outdoors is lowering, the earth mixture dries quickly even with frequent watering. Mulching the soil in pots will help to protect the root system from overheating and will retain water. For mulch the crushed bark, straw, moss sphagnum, sawdust, fresh grass will do.
• When growing non-hybrid varieties, it is recommended to pinch the top of the plant after 7-8 leaves. This technique will give impetus to the growth of lateral shoots, which are a greater percentage of female flowers.
• Proper care and cultivation of cucumbers is not only timely watering, quality soil, fertilizers, but also regular harvesting. To plant the fruit at full strength, collect the greens are needed every day. Then he will have the strength for abundant flowering and tying new fruits.

In addition to these recommendations, it is necessary to monitor the condition of plants, to observe how they develop, whether there are signs of disease and to check the quality of the soil in the tank.

Problems in growing

It seems that in a room the plants are protected from all diseases and pests, but gardeners often face problems against which the most effective drugs are powerless. In most cases, this is a violation of the rules of agricultural technology or the lack of trace elements.

The most common question for many novice truck farmers: why do cucumbers on the windowsill turn yellow leaves?
There are several reasons, but if there are no signs of infection with powdery mildew, then this may be untimely watering, stagnation of moisture in the soil (there is an unpleasant smell from the pot and chalk black flies) or lack of nitrogen.

When you do everything right, adhere to the advice of experienced colleagues, it is difficult to understand why the cucumbers started, but do not grow. A similar situation occurs when the temperature is lower than +16 or in extreme heat. Then the plant sheds fruit or slows down their growth in order to maintain strength.

Grow cucumbers on the windowsill under everyone's power. The main thing: do not be afraid to make a mistake and love the business you are doing. A reward for diligence will be new knowledge and crispy cucumbers for lunch.

Cucumbers on the windowsill - video