Every year I plant a lot of cucumbers, use different methods of cultivation. For seedlings, I often sow in snails, but I also use cups and cassettes. Today I want to share with you how I sow cucumbers this season, which varieties I choose and why.
This spring, I decided to use cassettes. Why? First, my space allows it: all the seedlings are placed in a greenhouse, which we heat, so there is enough space. The second reason is that this year I purchased a landing gun, and I am very interested in how effectively it will work. For its application, seedlings must be grown in cassettes or cups.
Variety of magazines
For growing cucumbers, do not take too deep or too small cassettes. What’s wrong with deep ones? When planted in a permanent place, the good age of the seedlings is about 25 days. During this time, the plants must have time to master the clod of land that we provide them. In this case, it will be convenient to take them out and plant them, and less traumatic. In too small cassettes, the root system of the cucumber begins to suffer from a lack of nutrients and is severely confused.
Selection of varieties
I prefer cucumbers of the parthenocarpic type, that is, they do not require pollination. Such cucumbers for the season can be sown 2, or even 3 times and collect a good harvest.
It is not the first year I choose the cucumber ‘Courage F1’. The hybrid has long been known, we can say, time-tested and loved by many gardeners. It is parthenocarpic, very early maturation: after 40 days, counting from the day of germination, we already begin to pluck the greens. Cucumber is a win-win, I grow it every year and the result is always excellent.
Because I sow a lot, I prefer to choose professional packaging. Cucumber seeds retain germination for a long time, so this packaging is also profitable. There are, of course, the usual bags of ‘Courage F1’: if you grow a little, you can buy them. All seeds are processed, so there is no need to pre-soak or etch them, sow them dry.
Crop
I prefer to grow cucumbers in a seedling way. Of course, you can sow immediately in the open ground or a greenhouse, but it often happens that you wait for seedlings, but they are not. This may be due to the activity of ants. Young cucumber sprouts are a real treat for them. To be sure of the result, it is better to sow on seedlings.
Even when growing in a greenhouse, I put cassettes with seedlings on a pallet, otherwise it may turn out that cucumbers, quickly increasing the root system, penetrate the roots through holes in the container. Then, when transplanting, you have to injure them. The second reason-you can water directly in the tray, it is very convenient.
So, fill the cassettes with nutritious loose soil and carefully spill. Make holes about 1 cm deep and put the seed. I am often asked how to Orient this seed. Someone insists that it should be sown necessarily with the sharp end up, another puts it exclusively on the edge. I believe that there is no fundamental difference here, and cucumbers will still grow from high-quality seeds.
Spread out the seeds carefully sprinkled the ground. Cassettes cover with film and so they remain until 2-3 loops appear, then I remove the cover. The crops are sent to a warm place — in my greenhouse there is a special seedbed, where the temperature is quite high during the day. During this period, I do not open cucumbers and do not water them, I wait for the pecking.
I wish you strong seedlings and excellent harvests.
Leave a Reply