Cucumber Planting Methods and Techniques

Cucumber is widely grown throughout China. It not only grows in temperate regions, but also makes its home in tropical regions. It prefers warm climates and cannot tolerate cold environments. Cucumbers prefer moist soil and sunny natural environments, and are not very picky about the length of sunshine. Its tender fruit is stick-shaped, with a green skin covered with dense nodules and many white thorns. When the cucumber is ripe, the fruit will turn yellow-white, with a smooth surface and no net marks. Learn about cucumber planting methods and techniques below.

1. Variety selection

Choose cucumber varieties that have high yield, strong disease resistance, good market performance, and are suitable for open-air cultivation in spring.

2. Seedling management

Cultivate strong seedlings and control the seedling age to about 35 days. The characteristics of strong seedlings include: complete cotyledons, 3-5 true leaves, short internodes, petiole and main vine angle of about 45 degrees, dark green leaves, thick leaves, strong stems, vigorous root system, and no diseases or insects.

3. Fertilization and land preparation

When preparing the land, apply about 5 cubic meters of fully decomposed organic fertilizer , as well as 25-30 kg of superphosphate or 10-15 kg of diammonium phosphate (the specific ratio is 5-5 kg ​​of superphosphate per cubic meter and 2-3 kg of diammonium phosphate per cubic meter). Before planting, the land should be plowed to make beds with a width of 1.2 meters and a height of more than 15 centimeters, and then covered with mulch.

4. Key points for planting

(1) Planting time

Plant as early as possible while ensuring that there is no frost. For example, in Chengde area, it is usually planted in late April to early May. The temperature requirements are that the minimum night temperature is above 5℃ and the 0-10 cm soil temperature is above 12℃. Cucumbers grown outdoors in autumn are usually sown directly.

(2) Planting spacing

4000-4500 plants are planted per acre, using large and small rows, with a small row spacing of 40 cm, a large row spacing of 80 cm, and a plant spacing of 25-30 cm. The dark water method is used for planting.

5. Field management

This includes timely inserting racks to prevent wind damage, using flower racks or herringbone racks, 8-10 cm away from the roots; using the "8" method when tying vines to prevent stem damage and vine drooping, tying every 2-3 nodes, preferably in the afternoon; when pruning and pinching the tips, for varieties that bear fruit on the main vine, all side branches should be removed, and for varieties that bear fruit on the side vines, leave one or two leaves and pinch the tips after the fruit is formed, and remove all tendrils; when the stems and vines exceed the height of the rack, pinch the tips in time to promote the growth of the lower melons, and the twisting tip method can also be used to control the upper growth; fertilizer and water management requires timely watering and inter-cultivation, and the amount and frequency of watering should be adjusted according to the weather and growing period. Water the seedlings 5-7 days after transplanting; control the moisture, till the soil and stunt the seedlings before fruit setting; water the fruit when the root melon grows to 10-12 cm; water the fruit every 5-7 days during the fruiting period. Top dressing should follow the principle of light at the beginning and heavy at the end, and small amounts and multiple times. Apply fertilizer to accelerate the melon growth after the root melons are established, and apply fertilizer to replenish the melons after the root melons are harvested. It is recommended to use organic fertilizer for top dressing.

The above is an introduction to cucumber planting methods and techniques. When planting cucumbers, you need to choose suitable varieties based on local environmental conditions, and then do a good job of field management and other work.