How and with what to mulch cucumbers in a greenhouse and open ground. Proper mulching of cucumbers in open ground Mulching of cucumbers in open ground

Mulching is not a particularly popular procedure among ordinary summer residents. Not all fans know about it. In most cases, they destroy all organic derivatives of the earth. However, this is a serious mistake, since the soil without such additives dries out and turns into concrete.

Therefore, to make the soil fertile, gardeners have to constantly water and harrow it. Regular two-season digging becomes a necessity, and any plot of land free from cultivated plantings (even in a greenhouse) will invariably become overgrown with weeds and require weeding.

To make the work of agricultural workers easier, mulching or covering the soil under vegetable plants and fruit trees with a protective layer was invented. It is permissible to mulch the soil between the beds. This technique gives excellent results.

Why do you need to mulch cucumbers?

Mulching cucumbers greatly simplifies the process of caring for them both in the open ground and in the greenhouse. The procedure, firstly, provides protection against temperature fluctuations, which has a particularly bad effect on heat-loving cucumbers. Secondly, fruiting increases significantly (almost 2 times). Thirdly, mulching reduces the vegetable crop's need for water, since the covered soil is less exposed to the drying effects of wind and direct sunlight, and, accordingly, consumes less moisture. Fourthly, the presence of mulch reduces the growth of weeds. In the case of cucumbers, you do not need to use wire to develop the vines.

In addition, there is no hilling after the procedure. Mulch makes the soil, especially in a greenhouse, more breathable, which, in turn, helps to increase the number of earthworms and other microorganisms. As a result, plant roots can breathe easier without additional loosening, which injures the root system.

Also, nutrients that contribute to plant development are not washed out or eroded from the soil. Accordingly, cucumbers need to be “fed” with mineral fertilizers much less often.

And finally, the emerging cucumbers do not lie on the ground, but on a layer of mulch and remain clean, which means they spoil less.

Professional agronomists believe that it is necessary to mulch the soil under cucumbers in a greenhouse. The best composition here is straw, compost or dry leaves.

What to use to mulch cucumbers

The procedure can be carried out using synthetic coatings, non-woven materials, straw, sawdust, peat, etc. Experts do not recommend using freshly cut grass, as it can contribute to the development of rot in the soil.

You can use black perforated film or lutrasil material. In this case, the seedlings are planted directly into the slots of the covering laid on the soil in advance. The only drawback of this method is severe overheating in hot weather. To prevent this, with the onset of hot days, the film is removed or a light cloth is laid on top of it.

Another unusual method of mulching is using unusable transparent polyethylene. This method has not yet found widespread use and is not used in greenhouses. Vegetable seeds are planted directly into the soil, after which they are covered with a loosely laid thick film. When the first shoots appear, the shelter is not removed, but slits are made in it directly above the cucumber shoots. Of course, in such a greenhouse, not only crops grow vigorously, but also weeds. But their growth is restrained by the film, and, accordingly, there is no need to weed them out. Weeds die over time and rot under the influence of temperature and humidity. This provides the root system of cucumbers with favorable conditions, and the plants bloom and bear fruit magnificently. Loosening or weeding is no longer required.

Timing and features of mulching

The process should begin immediately after the detection of shoots or planting of seedlings. The layer of organic mulch should be replenished and renewed throughout the season.

Before mulching cucumbers, you need to thoroughly weed out all the weeds that have managed to grow. This is especially important in a greenhouse.

It is advisable to lay a layer of mulch so that it does not come into contact with the sprouts, especially at an early age. This can damage them or even cause blackleg disease.

The mulch on open ground will rot by September and there is no particular need to remove it. Cleaning mulch in greenhouses and greenhouses is necessary, so when preparing the soil for next year there are a number of subtleties.

So, mulching in a greenhouse or on the soil significantly reduces the need for weeding, watering, harrowing, digging, requiring minimal costs. At the same time, productivity increases many times over.

For most, growing vegetables in a greenhouse is unaffordable due to the high costs of its construction and equipment. Most gardeners grow cucumbers in open ground. To increase their productivity, one excellent agrotechnical method of caring for crops is used - mulching.

In addition to the abundance of fruits from the garden, this simple process has a lot of advantages, making it very attractive for every lover of growing vegetables.

Why mulch cucumbers

However, everyone decides for themselves whether it is necessary to mulch cucumbers in open ground. Cucumbers are quite heat-loving plants. And if the region has unstable cool or hot weather, then a layer of mulch is clearly indispensable.

Before abandoning this agricultural technique, let’s consider its undoubted advantages:

Protection against temperature extremes;
Significant increase in fruiting;
The need for cucumbers for water and frequent irrigation is reduced;
A layer of mulch prevents the growth of weeds in the garden bed;
Beneficial microelements from the soil are not washed out or eroded;
Mulch for cucumbers in open ground eliminates the need for loosening and hilling of cucumbers.
It protects the roots well and creates the best air exchange for them. They can breathe perfectly well without rotting;
Cucumbers with mulch can be fertilized less;
When the fruits ripen, they do not lie on bare ground, spoil less, and are cleaner.

Cucumbers have a root system close to the surface. Therefore, it is very important that the soil does not dry out.

A properly applied layer of mulch can protect the roots well. It needs to be updated periodically. If you don’t do this, the plant will dry out and eventually die!

Why mulching is not always appropriate

In addition to the advantages, you can always find significant disadvantages. They relate to the material with which mulching is carried out.

Many people think - is it possible to cover your cucumbers with sawdust to make them feel good? And they do mulching, not taking into account the fact that after swelling, wood chips retain moisture for a long time, which is not always good for the roots and can impede their natural ventilation.

Also, pouring freshly cut grass onto the beds attracts the attention of slugs. Cucumbers generally love acidic soil. Therefore, many types of mulch are not suitable for them. And you must always remember this!

Classification

The material for mulching can be either organic, which at the same time performs the functions of fertilizing, or inorganic. Performing protective functions.

Among all the things that can be used to mulch cucumbers, we can highlight:

Sawdust;
Bark;
Large wood chips;
Straw;
Peat;
Rotten pine needles;
Cones;
Fallen leaves;
Manure together with straw (1:1);
Rotted compost;
Black (color) film;
Wild stones (pebbles, crushed stone);
Expanded clay.

Bird droppings and pig manure are not used as mulch.

Mulching together with drip irrigation will significantly increase the productivity of the bed. Before mulching cucumbers in open ground, let’s listen to the advice of professionals:

The procedure is carried out in the spring, when the soil is already warm after germination;
The mulch layer is replenished (renewed) throughout the season;
In the fall it is removed (the only exception is compost. It can be left on the beds until the next planting);
All weeds are carefully pulled out (later, when they sprout in the mulch, this will be inconvenient);
When adding mulch, make sure that the stems do not come into contact with it;
Cucumbers like to grow in acidic soil. Taking this into account, you need to select material for mulch. Sawdust, peat, wood shavings, pine needles are the best option).
Anything that can rot (paper, cardboard, freshly picked grass, fallen leaves) should be avoided. This can provoke disease in cucumbers and attract the attention of slugs to them.

It is important to understand how you can mulch cucumbers in open ground so as not to destroy the crop. From a variety of covering materials, you need to choose the right one.

Decide whether it will also feed the plants (the same compost) or simply protect them from aggressive environmental influences. Cucumbers are moisture-loving plants. We should not forget about this, do not allow the soil to dry out.

When cucumbers are warm and humid, a bountiful harvest is guaranteed.

Photo of mulching cucumbers in open ground

Now you can buy ready-made designs. You can make a greenhouse yourself - the Internet will provide you with numerous drawings, descriptions, and exchange of experience. We will assume that since you are reading this article, you already have a greenhouse.

Preparing soil in a greenhouse

Planting cucumber seedlings

Caring for cucumber seedlings

Feeding cucumbers in a greenhouse

Cucumbers variety Real man

It can greatly simplify all these unpleasant operations for processing almost all country crops. Mulching allows you to free up time for more relevant and useful things in the summer.

It is only necessary to carry out mulching once a season, which allows you to enrich the soil with useful substances and thereby increase the yield and its quality.

The meaning of mulching

Diagram of a trellis for growing cucumbers. As a result, when harvesting, it is necessary to remove both the top layer of soil and the layer of mulch.

Mulching materials and their application. Types of mulching

If during the growth of cucumbers, neither they nor the soil were exposed to diseases, then it is quite possible to reuse these layers. Cucumbers, unlike other crops, are not so capricious, so all existing coverings are suitable for them.

Mulch compositions

in mulch.

Mulching

Planting plants in the ground

Mulching beds

Further actions

As a result, the fruiting time and, accordingly, the quality of the crop are reduced. Mulching can neutralize such negative consequences.

Methods for mulching the soil

Material	Application
Grass
Compost
Straw
Leaves
Tree bark
Sawdust
Needles
Reed

for bushes and trees;
for strawberries and strawberries.

Why mulch cucumbers in a greenhouse?

To cover winter crops or for further decay, mulch is left for the winter. In spring, the beds are plowed together with rotted mulch.

Remove the top part of the soil.
They form ridges for crops.

Question No. 1.

Question No. 2.

Question No. 3. When do you start mulching?

Question No. 4.

Question No. 5.

Home » Cucumbers » Mulching cucumbers in a greenhouse

Mulching cucumbers in a greenhouse

A spring film greenhouse is easier to maintain than a temporary film shelter. A greenhouse more effectively maintains the desired temperature and humidity conditions; it is more convenient to care for plants there. I will not describe greenhouse structures to you - there are a great many of them.

Now you can buy ready-made designs.

Technology for growing cucumbers in mulch

You can make a greenhouse yourself - the Internet will provide you with numerous drawings, descriptions, and exchange of experience. We will assume that since you are reading this article, you already have a greenhouse.

The article will be useful to residents of different regions. The greenhouse is covered with film (of course, this does not apply to polycarbonate greenhouses) early, when there is still snow - each region has its own timing. In Kuban, this is approximately the first ten days of February. Long-term observations of temperature conditions have shown that the snow melts inside the greenhouse 5-8 days after it is covered with film.

For faster thawing and warming of the soil in the greenhouse, it is useful to cover its surface with a transparent film (can be old). In 3-5 days the earth will thaw and warm up to 6-8°C. The air warms up faster, especially when the sun is shining.

Even at night, it is 4-8 degrees warmer in the greenhouse than outside.

Preparing seeds for growing cucumbers in a greenhouse

The yield of cucumbers grown in a greenhouse depends on the variety, quality of the seeds, and methods of preparing them for sowing. It must be taken into account that, regardless of the variety, large seeds germinate faster and, as a rule, give a higher yield of greens.

They are selected manually. Whether you are preparing cucumber seeds for sowing in a greenhouse or open ground, there is no fundamental difference. It is better to use seeds that are 2-3 years old and have good germination. Plants from them produce more female flowers and bear fruit well.

If you use seeds from last year's harvest, they are heated for 3-4 hours in a thermostat or on a radiator at a temperature of 55-60 ° C. A number of diseases are transmitted to plants with the seeds (corner spot, anthracnose, etc.). To prevent this from happening, the seeds are treated with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per ½ glass of water) for 20 minutes, followed by thorough rinsing under running water. Instead of potassium permanganate, which is now almost impossible to buy, you can use a 2-3% solution hydrogen peroxide, preheated to 38-40°C (soak the seeds for 7-8 minutes) or a solution of boric acid (1/2 teaspoon of boric acid powder per 1 glass of water) - soak the seeds for 2-3 hours at a temperature of 25-30? WITH.

Do not forget to also rinse the seeds under running water after this. The growth and development of plants is stimulated by hardening the seeds at variable temperatures. To do this, they are first soaked for 12-14 hours at a temperature of 20-22°C, then the swollen seeds are placed in the refrigerator for 16-18 hours, then kept at a temperature of 18-20°C for 6-8 hours.

So alternate low and high temperatures for 4-5 days. Before sowing, the seeds are kept warm for a day or two and, as soon as they begin to hatch, are sown in pots.

Cucumbers in a greenhouse - which containers are suitable for seedlings

You can use different pots - plastic glasses (large), paper thermopacks for dairy products, peat pots, cans. Choose the size of the pots so that there is no intermediate picking before planting in the greenhouse.

Cucumbers do not like transplants and do not tolerate damage to the root system. Therefore, containers for seedlings should be at least 400-500 ml. Then they are placed in boxes - plastic or wooden, pre-lined with film.

Fill with a nutrient mixture consisting of humus and peat (1:1). You can buy ready-made soil. Do you add this mixture or soil to a bucket? cups of granulated superphosphate and 2 cups of wood ash. Mix everything thoroughly.

How to plant sprouted cucumber seeds

One sprouted seed is sown in each pot to a depth of 1 cm. The surface of the soil is covered with film and placed where it is warm. As soon as the shoots begin to appear, the film is removed and the plants are provided with good lighting conditions.

The temperature for the first 3-5 days is maintained at 14-16°C, and then in sunny weather - 20-22°C, and in cloudy weather -17-19°C. On sunny days, moderately water with warm (necessarily warm) water. Feed with mullein solution (1:10) or mineral fertilizers (superphosphate 20-30 g, potassium chloride 10-15 g per 10 liters of water).

Preparing soil in a greenhouse

The soil for planting cucumbers in a greenhouse is usually prepared in the fall. When digging, add humus or well-decomposed compost at the rate of 8-10 kg per 1 square meter. m and nitrophoska 30-40 g per 1 sq. m. In the spring, the digging is repeated, the soil is well leveled, humus (200-300 g) and superphosphate (3-4 g) are added to the designated holes.

Planting cucumber seedlings

So, we plant cucumbers in the greenhouse. The distance between rows is 70-80 cm, and between plants 25-30 cm. Seedlings are planted in the last ten days of March (in Kuban) or the last ten days of April (central Russia).

If the weather is cold, additionally place wire arcs inside the greenhouse and cover the plants with film.

Caring for cucumber seedlings

When the weather warms up, the plants are tied to a trellis. One end of the twine is attached to a wire stretched in a greenhouse over a row of plants, and the other goes down, it is fixed on the stem above the 2-3rd leaf.

Then, as the plants grow, they are twisted around the twine, while plucking out the tendrils. In the lower tier (up to 6 cm), the side shoots of cucumbers are pinched to one ovary and one leaf; higher up, in the middle tier, to 2-3 ovaries and the same number of leaves. In the upper tier the number of ovaries and leaves is 4 or more.

When the main stem reaches the upper trellis, it is tied with twine to the wire in two places, the top is pinched, leaving 4-5 leaves. During the period of growing cucumbers in the greenhouse, the air temperature during the day in the sun is maintained at 26-30 ° C, in cloudy weather - 20-22 ° C, at night – 17-19°C. The optimal air humidity in the sun is 85-90%, in cloudy weather - 75-80%. To increase air humidity, paths and plants are watered with a hose through a strainer.

Feeding cucumbers in a greenhouse

Cucumbers variety Real man Cucumbers grown in a greenhouse respond well to fertilizing. In this case, organic fertilizers alternate with mineral ones.

For organic fertilizers, use a solution of bird droppings 1:18-20 or mullein 1:8-10, add 15-20 g of superphosphate per 10 liters of solution. Mineral fertilizers include urea, superphosphate, potassium chloride, and wood ash. The ratio of fertilizers depends on the condition of the plants.

If plants grow rapidly, but few ovaries are formed, then the soil contains excess nitrogen. If this is the case, then only phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are used for fertilizing. The roots of cucumbers are shallow, so watering is carried out after 1-2 days, but at small rates - 12-15 liters per 1 square meter. m. Once a month it is useful to feed with microfertilizers (1 tablet of Riga mixture per 10 liters of water). Often, cucumbers in a greenhouse begin to bloom, but insects (bees, bumblebees and others) do not yet fly.

Plant self-pollinating varieties, so-called parthenocarpics. Greens begin to ripen 40 days after germination. Collections are first carried out every other day, and then daily.

The fruit should not be allowed to outgrow. With proper care (watering, fertilizing, removing spent leaves), cucumbers in a greenhouse bear fruit until September 5-10, that is, about three months. During this period from 1st quarter. m get 15-18 kg of fruit.

What does mulching cucumbers in a greenhouse give?

I want to tell you about one more technique that significantly increases the yield of parthenocarpic cucumbers. When the plants have reached a height of 12-15 cm, add a small layer (2-3 cm) of compost under them, and mulch the top with freshly cut grass, it’s good if there is clover - The mulch turns out to be very good, of high quality. What is the point of such mulching? Firstly, you will protect the soil under the cucumber from weeds, because weeds will not grow under compost and under mulch, but even if they do, they will be weak. Firstly secondly, compost or mulch will protect the soil from drying out. When watering, the mulch will decompose after some time - thus, the cucumber will receive additional nutrition. It seems to me that it is necessary to mulch the soil under cucumbers in a greenhouse.

Because mulch prevents drying out, and it is known that this vegetable loves moisture very much - covered soil does not require frequent watering. In addition, infrequent watering will be more uniform, water will not splash, and splashes from soil containing pathogens will not fall on the leaves.

That is, the plants in the greenhouse will be healthier. Mulch prevents overheating of the soil in hot weather, maintaining the temperature required for the crop. A crust does not form on mulched soil; water is better absorbed under the mulch. Mulched plants develop their root system better.

Therefore, mulch, mulching is a very important technique for growing cucumbers in a greenhouse. Mulching is a process of caring for agricultural crops that allows you to achieve high yields and make the work of the summer resident easier. Allows you to ease the work of summer residents in growing various crops, thereby freeing up time for rest. In addition, the use of organic mulch compositions helps improve soil quality and increases harvest yields. Installation diagram of a polycarbonate greenhouse for growing cucumbers.

Features of mulching in a greenhouse

The mulching process is not a very common procedure for agrotechnical influence on crops by simple summer residents. Not all amateur gardeners know about such a useful procedure as mulching.

For the most part, they are accustomed to destroying all organic products that the earth produces. But this is a serious misconception, since the earth without these additives turns into concrete.

Accordingly, in order to somehow make the soil fertile, gardeners have to moisten and harrow it for long hours. And annual two-season digging in such a situation is an urgent necessity. In addition, every piece of land free from crops will sooner or later be overgrown with weeds, accordingly, it must be weeded regularly.

Any uncovered piece of soil will harden after the next watering, and this leads to the need for loosening. And in addition, moisture from the same unmulched lands evaporates much faster, which means that watering should be done much more often. And the procedure of mulching has become a very useful discovery in gardening and horticulture.

It can greatly simplify all these unpleasant operations for processing almost all country crops. Mulching allows you to free up time for more relevant and useful things in the summer. It is only necessary to carry out mulching once a season, which allows you to enrich the soil with useful substances and thereby increase the yield and its quality.