Cucumbers are a green sweet juicy vegetable that grows in every gardener in the garden. The plants are rather whimsical and require careful care. What kind of soil is loved and at what temperature grow we will talk later in our article.
Table of contents
- What kind of soil do cucumbers love?
- Preparing the soil for planting seedlings
- How to check the acidity of the soil
- The best predecessors for cucumbers
- Spring processing of the land to plant plants
- Natural organic fertilizing
- Mineral fertilizers for growing crops
- Required soil temperature in the greenhouse and open ground
What kind of soil do cucumbers love?
For cultivation of cucumbers the soil should be practically neutral. You can use weakly acid. In such conditions, the plant will yield a rich and high-quality harvest.If the earth is acidic, then it needs to be alkalized, or the plant will simply gradually die.
For this, it is necessary to introduce limestone into it. On average, 1 square meter is required, 500 grams of the mixture. At this point cucumbers can be grown for another two years, and then change the place of growth.
| Type of soil | PH level | Temperature in summer | Suitability for cucumber |
| Peat bog and swamp podzolic | , -5 | Big difference day and night | Unsuitable, requires strong liming and protection against temperature changes |
| Podzolic, sod-podzolic, red soil | , | From, ⁰С at a depth of 20 cm | Unsuitable, requires deoxidation and the creation of warm beds, the introduction of humus |
| Gray forest | , | From 15 ° C at a depth of 20 cm | Suitable, in some cases requires a small liming |
| Frozen-taiga | , | Low | It is unsuitable, in some cases requires liming and creating warm beds |
| Black, gray, chestnut | , | From 15 ° C at a depth of 20 cm | Fit. |
| Carbonate, solonchak, solonets | , | From 15 ° C to 25 ° C at a depth of 20 cm | It is unsuitable, requires strong leaching, liberation from salts, enrichment with humus. |
Preparing the soil for planting seedlings
The best soil for growing cucumbers is considered to be high in moisture content. The type is best characterized by loamy earth.Sand should be avoided, since the plants simply do not have enough water.Cucumbers love warm air and bright sunlight.
Also in the lowland, the air temperature will be slightly lower, and cucumbers are very fond of heat. Therefore, it is recommended to plant cucumbers in late May.
How to check the acidity of the soil
Before planting seedlings in the ground, you need to check its acidity.At home, it is easiest to react with ordinary table vinegar.To do this, take a handful of earth, put it on a glass bowl. Ironware is best not to use, it can give a false result.
Spread the soil with vinegar. If the medium is neutral or alkaline, then the reaction will go and there will be a hiss, bubbles will appear. Such a reaction was conducted every once in a lifetime, when he cooked pastries or pancakes.If the reaction does not occur, then it is sour and must be lime.For these purposes, use dolomite flour, ground limestone. This should be done in the autumn. Therefore, the place for future cucumbers should be selected after harvesting.
Other folk methods, see the table:
| Plant-indicators | Soil reaction and suitability for cucumbers |
| Horse sorrel, field horsetail, crawberry, blueberry, moss, marian meadow | High acidity. Strong liming is required. |
| Lingonberry, Labrador tea, oxalose mountain sheep, mint, bearberry, marshwort, "cat's foot" | Average acidity. Requires deoxidation. |
| Bellflower broadleaf, sedge hairy, kupena, shtovnik | Weak acidity or neutral soil. Suitable for cucumbers. |
| Mother-and-stepmother, yarrow, chemist's daisy, meadow clover, wild strawberry, quinoa, nettle, shepherd's bag, sow, scum | Neutral soil. Suitable for cucumbers. |
| Osoka shaggy, "goose paw wormwood, vetch, alfalfa, arzhanets meadow, fireless | Low alkaline soil. Suitable for cucumbers. |
The best predecessors for cucumbers
Cucumbers need to change the place of growth every few years. The more you change, the better the harvest will be. The best predecessors are onions, cabbage, tomato, potatoes, rye, oats, clover. You can not plant cucumbers after growing melons, pumpkins, cucumbers, squash.
.This is due to the fact that these crops are fed with the same mineral substances as cucumbers, thus depleting the soil.Also, they have common diseases, which can persist in the ground and for the next season, infect new plants.
Spring processing of the land to plant plants
The soil needs to be loosened to saturate it with fresh oxygen. You can start from the end of May. It is also necessary to fertilize it with natural organic or mineral fertilizers. If it was carried out in autumn, then in spring it is not necessary to fertilize it.
They simply recycle all the added useful minerals, so that cucumbers may not be enough. To do this, you need to do periodic weeding.The smaller the plant, the less it consumed fertilizer.
.Natural organic fertilizing
Manure is better to make in the fall, so that it can turn into humus.If the earth is heavy clay, then it should be fertilized no later than 30-40 days before planting cucumbers in the soil. Manure has a large number of large mineral substances. Nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, potassium - all these substances are contained in it. They are absorbed into the plants and provide an excellent harvest. It is necessary to bring in about 6-9 kg per square meter of soil in the autumn time.
An excellent option is to use the place on which the compost pit was previously located. In this place will grow cucumbers in the open ground. Humus will release a large amount of heat and energy. If covered with a thick film of seedlings from above, this will create a greenhouse effect. Moreover, a large amount of nutrients suitable for cucumbers can be distinguished from humus.
Mineral fertilizers for growing crops
Ash is very similar in composition to potash fertilizers and can serve as an excellent substitute. It is usually 200 grams per square meter of land.Add the ash in the spring, after loosening the soil.
Decide which fertilizer is best needed individually. This question will help to solve the consultant in a specialized store. Do not buy fertilizers in markets and hands, since the exact composition of such liquids and powders is not known. This can damage future plants or spoil the soil.
Required soil temperature in the greenhouse and open ground
Harvest from such plants may not be the best, so it is better to grow them immediately at home on the windowsill. If the temperature is below 12 ° C, this can be detrimental to the seeds. They will start to freeze and stop growing. Therefore, it is better not to allow a critical temperature regime or to cover seedlings. Adult plants tolerate low temperatures better. The older the plant, the more enduring it is. Seedlings it is better to harden a couple of times before landing in the ground.
To do this, it is necessary to put it a couple of times in a place with a low temperature.It is best to grow cucumbers at a temperature of 24 ° C.At night, the optimal reduction should not be below 15 ° C.At too high temperatures, plants die. Too high evaporation of moisture will lead to root depression and drying of the cucumber. The leaves will turn yellow and fall off. The ensuing fruit will cease to grow, and dry up, after which it will simply fall off.
Cucumbers require a lot of attention both during planting and during subsequent care.They can be grown both in a greenhouse (greenhouse) and in the open ground.Greenhouses should be in good lighting, so that the plant has enough light. Before you start growing them, you need to study all the nuances and determine your own capabilities.
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