Growing cucumbers indoors in winter. Is it possible to grow cucumbers at home in winter?

In the long winter, gardeners dream of a new summer cottage season and upcoming harvests. The anticipation of spring can be brightened up by growing the room several cucumber plants that will delight you with lush greenery and fragrant fruits.

Cucumber varieties for growing on the windowsill

For an apartment, you need to select greenhouse self-pollinating hybrids, since there are no pollinating insects at home, and transferring pollen from stamens to pistils with a brush is tedious. The hybrid should be short-stemmed, resistant to a lack of light and dry air, and produce lettuce-type fruits.

Suitable varieties of cucumbers on the windowsill:

• Abatova;
• Adventure;
• Excitement;
• Aksinya;
• Diamond;
• Alliance plus and others.

There are several hundred varieties suitable for indoor cultivation. If the seed bag says that this is a salad-type parthenocarpic hybrid intended for greenhouses, feel free to buy and plant.

Preparing for landing

You can sow cucumbers on the windowsill at any time of the year. In winter, the plants will have to be supplemented with fluorescent lamps, since they do not have enough natural light. If there is no desire to waste electricity, it is better to sow later - in March.

Priming

Pumpkin plants like neutral or slightly acidic soil. It is easier to purchase soil of the desired acidity in the store. The bag should be marked "Neutral". The industrial substrate contains all the nutrients necessary for cucumbers in a balanced ratio.

You can prepare the soil yourself by taking:

• garden land 1;
• humus 0.3;
• sand 0.3;
• wood ash 0.01.

It is difficult to grow cucumbers on a windowsill without ash - it will remove the acidity inherent in most natural soils and protect against bacterial diseases, to which cucumbers on the windowsill are very prone in winter due to lack of light and overflow.

Each plant will require a separate container with a volume of at least 2 liters. A standard seedling box will hold 5-6 vines. At the bottom of the cucumber house, holes are required for the outflow of excess water.

Place

A well-insulated window on the sunny side of the apartment will do. Heat-loving cucumbers do not tolerate drafts and cold. If it is supposed winter cultivation cucumbers on the windowsill , it needs to be insulated by putting wooden stand or foam.

It is useful to equip slopes with mirrors or reflective film so that the plant gets more outside light. In summer, cucumbers can be grown on a regular or glazed balcony, where they will feel great, taking advantage of the abundance of light and space.

Seed preparation

Seeds greenhouse cucumbers often sold already processed. Take a closer look at the seeds. If they are red, blue or green, then they just need to be sown in the ground - there is a film on their surface that protects against harmful microorganisms.

Untreated seeds will have to be prepared for sowing on their own. They always contain spores of fungi and bacteria, which can damage the delicate seedling, and then there will be no seedlings.

The usual potassium permanganate will help get rid of the infection. The seeds are immersed in a pale pink solution for 20 minutes. If you have a balance, you can measure the exact dose of manganese - 1 g of powder is required per liter of water.

After disinfection, the seeds are thoroughly washed in clean water... There should be no traces of processing on their surface. Permanganate preserved on the seed coat will make germination more difficult.

Planting cucumbers on the windowsill

After disinfection, the seeds are immediately sown in pots, 2 pieces in each container to a depth of 1.5 cm. The seeded soil is watered with warm water separated from chlorine.

There are no particular difficulties in keeping cucumber lianas in the apartment, even for beginners. The plant requires no more careful care than geranium or any other popular indoor flower... Cucumber will tell you about defects in leaving the color and elasticity of the leaves.

Watering

Cucumbers are afraid of cold water, reacting to it with root rot and spots on the leaves. The liquid temperature should not be lower than 22 degrees. If the room is colder in winter, the water needs to be slightly warmed up. The easiest way is to start a special plastic watering can and pour tap water into it in advance, so that it has time to settle and warm up before watering. The vessel can be placed directly on the radiator.

The soil in the cucumber pot should always be slightly damp, but not wet. Once upper layer becomes completely dry, water the plants, sparing no water, so that excess moisture flows out onto the pan. Then be sure to drain it. Stagnant water leads to freezing of the roots and the outbreak of infectious diseases.

Cucumbers are tropical inhabitants. The air of their homeland is saturated with water vapor. The vines on the windowsill will be grateful for frequent spraying from a spray bottle.

In a critically dry atmosphere, even with frequent spraying, the tips of the leaves dry out. A tray with expanded clay or pebbles will help to correct the situation. The pots are placed directly on the stones and a little water is poured into the bottom of the tray so that the evaporating moisture envelops the plants and creates a zone around them high humidity.

Top dressing

The prepared soil contains all the nutrients that cucumbers need. Fertilizers are required situationally - when the plant outwardly shows that it lacks certain elements.

With a lack of nitrogen leaves become pale, stems - thin, greens - twisted. Plants take on a frail appearance. In such cases, urea will help - add 5-6 balls of fertilizer per liter of water and water the plants as usual. After 2-3 such dressings, the leaves will acquire a natural dark shade.

Nitrogen fertilizing should be done with caution - they increase the amount of nitrates in the fruit. The same rule applies to organics. Manure, compost and chicken droppings are not used in rooms for sanitary and hygienic reasons. But if you add them to the soil, the cucumbers are saturated with nitrates in the same way as when watering with "mineral water". Therefore, fertilizers (organic and inorganic) are used when the plant clearly shows that it lacks nitrogen.

Phosphate and potassium supplements can be done more freely. They do not impair the quality of the fruit, do not make them hazardous to human health.

Excess phosphorus pale necrotic spots that have appeared between the veins are signaling, and the lack of flowers and ovaries, dry spots on lower leaves... Several superphosphate granules need to be added to the soil, making a thin peg of indentations along the perimeter of the pot to a depth of at least 10 cm. 1-2 balls are put into each hole.

With an excess of potassium leaves become tough, break off easily. Potassium is important for cucumbers. With a deficiency, light stripes appear on the plates, going from the petioles to the tips. Over time, the marks get wider, the leaves break, wither and die off or take on the shape of a dome.

Getting rid of a potassium deficiency is easy. Potash fertilizers, in contrast to superphosphate, are well diluted in water:

1. Buy potassium sulfate or chloride.
2. Fill in liter jar water.
3. Add a pinch of fertilizer to the water.
4. Stir until completely dissolved.
5. Water the plants.

In order not to apply phosphorus, potash and nitrogen fertilizers separately, it is better to use complex formulations specially designed for growing cucumbers, for example, Agricola for pumpkin seeds. Top dressing is applied under the roots or along the leaves according to the instructions printed on the package.

Backlight

The cucumber is neutral about the length of the day. There is an exception - a few short-day varieties that require less than 12 hours of daylight. Information about this will be indicated on the seed package.

Such cultivars can be sown only in the first half of the year, when the day is lengthened. For the transition to fruiting, they need a short day at the beginning of the growing season. In the second half of the growing season, the length of the day no longer affects the development of plants.

Common cultivars do not react to the duration of illumination, they grow with equal success at 10 and 16 hours a day. The intensity of the light flux is important. If the leaves do not have enough photons, they will not be able to provide a full-fledged filling of zelents. As a result, flowers and ovaries will begin to fall off, only single fruits will remain on the branches.

To correct the situation, fluorescent lamps or phytolamps are installed in the window opening. The backlight can be placed both on top and on the side.

Topping

Shaping is the most difficult operation in caring for indoor cucumbers, but you can't do without it. Thickened plants will not give the required yield, since their strength will be spent on the formation of new lashes to the detriment of fruiting.

The formation of indoor cucumbers differs from the greenhouse scheme.

Carrying out:

1. In the lower three nodes, remove side shoots and ovary.
2. Starting at 4 knots, the plant is allowed to branch, pinching each lash after 5-6 knots - the liana formed in this way does not grow long, but gives a decent harvest.

What are cucumbers on the windowsill afraid of?

Pumpkin in the room are afraid of wet and cold soil at the same time. The roots of the plant must be warm, so the pot is insulated from plastic window sill, placing on a stand that does not allow low temperatures to pass through. In winter, the window must be kept closed - the flow of cold air, even if it is an imperceptible gap between the frames, will freeze the plant.

Seedlings can be damaged by a black leg. Sick specimens will have to be thrown out, and the soil changed or disinfected in the oven.

Adult plants in the room do not suffer from common garden pests: aphids, caterpillars. The development of fungal diseases is unlikely, but just in case, it is better to cut off all suspicious leaves with spots and discard them immediately.

When to wait for the harvest

Cucumber lianas begin to bear fruit 45-50 days after the first leaves appear and greens are tied for 1.5 months. If you need to receive products constantly, seeds are sown in batches every 30-40 days.

How to plant and grow cucumbers at home. How to sow, care, choose soil. How to choose a variety. Personal practical experience (10+)

How to grow cucumbers on a windowsill in winter?

The culture of growing cucumbers on the windowsill of the house has developed for a long time. The care system has already been worked out, and suitable varieties and hybrids have been selected. For example, the famous 'Rytov's Room' cucumber variety. This variety was considered the only cucumber suitable for growing on the windowsill.

But, recently, the number of fans to grow cucumbers on the windowsill has increased, and a large number of different varieties and hybrids of cucumbers have also appeared. It is better to take parthenocarpic or self-pollinated varieties, as they do not require manual pollination. Preference should be given to shade-tolerant balcony cucumbers. If you took bee-pollinated varieties, then you need to pollinate them manually in the morning with a soft brush. With its help, we transfer pollen from a male flower (barren flower) to a female one (with an ovary). You can just rip off male flower, remove all the petals from it and gently touch the stigma of the pistil. This must be done with pollen from male flowers by taking it from different bushes.

Soil preparation

The soil for sowing must be prepared from equal parts of sod or garden land, compost, wood ash, coarse sand and steamed sawdust. For disinfection, the resulting mixture is calcined, for example, in an oven at a temperature of about 120 degrees for 10 minutes. Next, fertilizer is applied in the amount of two matchboxes on a bucket of soil mixture. Fertilizers should be designed for cucumbers and pumpkin crops. For feeding, you can take a nitrophoska. We take containers of at least five liters with drainage holes and pour a homogeneous loose soil mixture there. You can take plastic buckets and make holes for water in them.

Sowing seeds

Before sowing seeds, it is necessary to moisten the soil a day. The time when you need to sow seeds indoors depends on the specific weather in a particular area. Mostly from natural lighting and additional lighting. In the autumn-winter period, illumination is indispensable. For this we use special plant lamps. You must be careful, because drafts and a whitefly accidentally brought in with flowers pose a danger to cucumbers.

First, you must first pickle the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate and leave in a warm environment for germination. Then we make holes 1.5 cm deep and lay the hatched seeds horizontally in them and cover them with moist soil. We cover the entire landing area with film or glass, placing it in a room with a temperature of 22 - 24 °. And we are waiting for the emergence of seedlings.

Emergence of seedlings

When shoots appear, remove the film or glass and move the planting container to the coolest and brightest place with a temperature of 18 grams. C. For planting cucumbers, you need a bright and spacious place. For this, window sills, glazed loggias, verandas, etc. are suitable. To increase the light, put a mirror or attach mirror film from the side opposite to the window. And to save root system from hypothermia, it is necessary to put a wooden board or a sheet of polystyrene under the planting container. Why are we doing this? To grow a good fruiting plant.

When 4-5 leaves appear, pinch the top of the stem. This is necessary for the active growth of the lateral lashes. Over the third or fifth sheet, pinch the side lashes.

Care

When growing, a support up to about one meter in height is required to tie the top of the main stem and hook the twine to the cornice or to a suitable object. When forming, you need to protect the leaves, because the harvest depends on them. The mustache is removed so that the remaining 'hemp' does not rot. Water the cucumbers every day or every other day with warm water, but not pouring. It is also necessary to humidify the air with a sprayer, or simply by placing a container of water.

You can stretch the film by adding a greenhouse effect. You can feed the cucumber ready-mix, as well as diluted fermented organic matter. For example, diluted water solution with fermented banana peels. You can also spray the crown with a weak solution of manganese, zinc and boron salts. When the cucumbers are already coming, they need to be harvested daily so that they do not outgrow. The growth of the ovaries depends on this. If you take care of the cucumbers as we told you, then one plant will give you 10 to 30 fruits.

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Who said winter is not the time for fresh homemade cucumbers? It's just about time for them self-cultivation in the room, on the windowsill. If you land in early November, then on new year holidays the first crop can already be harvested. How to properly grow cucumbers indoors will be described in this article.

Selection of cucumber seeds

For successful cultivation of these vegetables on the windowsill, you need to choose suitable grade... The stores sell cucumber hybrids for indoor cultivation. There are also ordinary self-pollinated ground cucumbers that can be grown in the house. Among the varieties that are in demand among lovers of indoor cucumbers, the following can be distinguished:

• Crunch;
• Brownie Kuzya F1;
• Room;
• Miracle at the window;
• Our Masha F1;
• Ant F1.

Each variety has its own benefits. Most of them are early ripening varieties, the average period from seed germination to maturation of the first cucumbers is 45-55 days.

The choice of soil and containers for planting cucumbers

In order for the plants to feel good and not wither, and without beginning to bear fruit, you need to pick up a soil mixture. Ready-made substrate can be bought at the store. Suitable option there will be soil for pumpkin plants. If you wish, you can prepare yourself by mixing necessary components: humus, rotted sawdust, peat (2: 1: 2). Add 1 glass of ash to a bucket of mixture.

Seeds can be planted in small containers ( plastic cups, yogurt boxes), and then replant when the first two true leaves appear, in large pots or containers. Or you can immediately - in large containers. For the constant growth of cucumbers, you need pots or other containers with a volume of at least 5 liters per plant. Drainage holes need to be made at the bottom of the pot.

Germinating seeds and replanting seedlings

It is advisable to germinate the seeds before planting. If these are hybrids or processed seeds, they do not need to be pre-soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate or salt water.

There are several ways to germinate cucumber seeds:

• On the cotton pads: wet the disc warm water, spread the seeds and cover with another wet disc. Place in a warm place, leave for three to four days. Maintain a moist condition. After the roots appear, you need to transplant the seeds into small pots for growing seedlings.

• In pots with soil: pour the soil hot water... Arrange several pieces in a pot.

  How to grow cucumbers on a windowsill in an apartment?

  Cover with foil and put in a warm place. After the roots appear, sprinkle with a thin layer of soil and put in a permanent place of growth.

When the second true leaves appear on the cucumbers, it is time to transplant the plant into a large pot (if before that they grew in small containers). It is necessary to very carefully remove the plants and by the transshipment method, transplant into large flowerpot... Don't forget about the drainage layer.

Forming the correct bush

When growing cucumbers on a windowsill, you need to know how to properly shape the stem so that fruits can form. If you do not pinch the lateral stems, the plant will stretch out, grow, but will not be able to give fruit.

• Carry out the first pinching of the top after the appearance of 4-5 true leaves.
• After the formation of the next 5 leaves, you can pinch again.
• When the first ovary of the fruit appears, you need to pinch off the top of the 5 leaf.

Features of caring for cucumbers

When growing cucumbers indoors, you need to remember:

• A suitable place for growing cucumbers would be a windowsill or warm balcony, on the south side. Placement is allowed on the east and west sides, but not on the north. Although with regular lighting, some growers manage to grow these plants on the northern balconies.
• In winter, on cloudy days, it is recommended to illuminate the cucumbers with fluorescent lamps, at least two hours a day.
• The optimum temperature for growing is + 21 ° C - + 23 ° C. If it's freezing outside and it's cool on the windowsill, then you need to put wooden coasters under the pot.
• When pulling the stems, they need to be tied up so that they do not fall.
• Water the cucumbers regularly. Spray the entire plant once a week.
• Fertilize with mineral fertilizers once a week. Specialty mixes are sold.
• Rotate the pot once a day so that the plant receives light from all directions.
• Ripe cucumbers should be picked as they ripen. Prevent them from aging. Thus, more fruits can be set on the plant, and the harvest will be good.
• Avoid drafts and cold - cucumbers do not like this.

If not everything works out the first time, do not get upset and give up. It is necessary to analyze the mistakes, study the material again and, with new strength and knowledge, start growing cucumbers in the room. It's so nice to pick a cucumber that is grown with my own hands, at the time of snow and frost.

If you choose the right varieties of cucumbers for growing on the windowsill in winter, then every cold month you can enjoy your own delicious harvest. Moreover, you will be completely sure of the naturalness of the product and the absence of any harmful pesticides.

Of course, to grow cucumbers in winter, you only need to use varieties that can be self-pollinated. Then you don't have to deal with manual pollination, which is extremely difficult. Therefore, when choosing certain varieties, you need to pay attention to hybrids.

Important! Hybrids are designated by special accepted markings. In particular, the first generation hybrids are labeled F1. Do not confuse hybrids and genetically modified vegetables: these are completely different concepts.

Suitable varieties for growing on a windowsill:

• Masha F1 The variety ripens extremely quickly. Already from the moment the seed is planted, the first fruits appear after 45 days. Cucumbers of this variety are resistant to diseases. Differ in dark in green, there are large tubercles on the surface. On each brush, when grown on a windowsill, up to six fruits are formed with an average length of 10 centimeters.
• Miracle on the window F1 Early ripening cucumbers that are suitable for the saucer. The fruits will be small, only up to 8 centimeters, but have an excellent taste.

  Growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter

  The fruiting period will begin after 40 days from planting the seeds in the soil.

• Ant F1 Even with home cultivation, it will be possible to get good harvest... The length of each fruit will be around 10 cm, the surface is even, and the color is bright green (which is especially pleasing in winter). The ovaries tend to form in bunches, in each node there are two ovaries when grown at home, but on average their number can reach seven.
• Prestige F1 The peculiarity of this variety is that it bears fruit for a long period. The cucumbers will be dark green in color, about 12 cm long, which for home cultivation satisfied a lot. Due to long-term fruiting, it will be possible to provide seven vitamins for almost the entire winter.

How to choose a place to grow

Of course, only a choice good grade will not provide a crop. You need to choose the right place for growing. Best suited glazed loggia: there will be an opportunity to develop upward, there is where to tie the bushes. If there is no loggia, then a wide window sill on the south side is chosen in the apartment.

Of course, in winter, cucumbers will need additional lighting. It is necessary to provide backlighting in the morning from 6 in the morning until blooming, as well as several hours in the evening after sunset.

Which soil to choose

Today you can buy ready-made soil for home growing cucumbers on the windowsill at any garden store.

The purchased potting mix will have the required composition and necessary nutrients. It is welcomed in the composition of humus, wood ash.

But even the purchased soil additionally needs to be calcined in order to clean it of possible insect larvae and simply harmful bacteria. Before filling the soil in the cucumber growing container, you will need to provide a drainage layer.

Correct seed preparation

Another important factor when growing cucumbers at home on the windowsill. Here, the preparation of seeds will not differ from what is done for seedlings, which are planned to be planted in open ground. First, you need to select large seeds and soak them in a saline solution. If some seeds float up, then they can be safely thrown away.

Next, you will need to soak the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes. Then rinse under running water and spread out on damp cloths. Leave this way for a few days for the first shoots to appear. After that, you can safely plant cucumbers in the ground, burying them two centimeters deep.

The container will need to be covered with a film: in order for the first shoots to appear, it is necessary to ensure maximum humidity conditions.

Place in a warm place at a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. When you see the first sunrises, it is a sign that you can shoot the film. Now the seedlings are transferred to their permanent place (loggias or windowsill) and can withstand lower temperatures from 20 degrees Celsius.

What is important to get an excellent harvest of cucumbers on the windowsill:

• Lots of light and free space;
• Props for growing bushes, which must be tied up;
• Reflected light will serve as a good additional lighting: you need to put a mirror behind the seedlings or make a layer of foil;
• Protect seedlings, especially roots, from hypothermia. An additional stand can be made for the container;
• Conduct the formation constantly. Start when the first four leaves appear (pinch the top);
• To pinch also side shoots;
• Tie the brushes to dressings;
• Remove the mustache in time, otherwise it will take a lot of growth nutrients from the ground;
• Provide moisture, you can spray the leaves every day;
• Be sure to provide top dressing. You can buy ready-made complex fertilizers;

To grow a good harvest, you need to know more than the best varieties cucumbers for growing on the windowsill, but also properly care for them. Particular attention should be paid to a sufficient amount of light, heat. You should also provide the necessary moisture and constantly feed the seedlings.

Content

• Which cucumbers are better
• When to sow
• Preparing soil and containers
• Seed preparation
• Sowing
• We form cucumbers
• Choosing a place, organizing watering and feeding
• Harvesting

Cucumbers on the windowsill in winter are a real opportunity to get a delicious harvest of crispy vegetables at home. Many people like to pamper themselves with fresh vegetables even in winter, so this knowledge will come in handy for novice gardeners and salad lovers.

Cucumbers can be grown on a windowsill even in winter

Which cucumbers are better

To begin with, it is worth choosing the best varieties that can be successfully grown on the windowsill. If your balcony is insulated, any varieties of this plant grow just perfect and give an excellent harvest.

They generally prefer to use varieties of hybrid origin. The fruits will be tied without special pollination, so it is these varieties that are best planted at home.

Varieties that should be planted on your windowsill:

• Shchedryk - ripens quickly and approximately 45 days pass before the harvest. Cucumbers grow in a whole bunch of 5-7 pieces. The vegetables are small and ideal for salads.
• Khutorok - ripens very quickly, namely within 30 days. The cucumbers are about 10 cm long and have black thorns. At home, you can easily pollinate these plants. You can transfer pollen from the male to the female inflorescence with a brush.
• Crisp is a common cucumber that is capable of producing crops within 50 days after germination. The hybrid can be pollinated on its own and produces a large amount of yield. If you organize the right care, then you can collect more than 40 fruits from this variety. The vine grows actively and abundantly.

These varieties can also be easily grown in a greenhouse or open field. You can pick up other varieties of cucumbers - it all depends on individual preferences.

Cucumbers Shchedryk - high-yielding early variety

When to sow

Growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter has the main aspect - the correct adherence to the timing of sowing seeds. You can start planting seed any day - focus on the ripening time to get crispy homemade cucumbers on time.

Preparing soil and containers

The cucumber prefers good, loose soil. For home cultivation, you will need a large amount of high-quality soil. Nutrition is required for the proper development of a vegetable. The soil is also prepared independently: the garden soil is mixed with sand, humus, ash, rotten sawdust. Preheat such soil in the oven to rid it of all kinds of bacteria and other harmful particles.

For seedlings, boxes are purchased in which no more than 6 cucumber bushes are placed so that they grow correctly and give a bountiful harvest. There is drainage and holes in the dishes without fail. This will ensure that excess moisture can drain off. The earth is filled up even before planting so that it settles a little and is saturated with water.

Seedlings can be planted in pots or boxes

Seed preparation

Dry cucumber seed emerges within a few days. You can germinate the seeds ahead of time to ensure you get a good winter harvest of cucumbers. You can plant those seeds too. Which were in advance in a solution of potassium permanganate.

Fragrant homemade cucumbers grown on the windowsill or on the balcony

This will help to grow cucumbers without unnecessary pests and diseases.

Sowing

You can use small and special cups, or plant the seeds directly into the box. Germinated or dry seed is placed in the soil about 1.5 cm deep. The soil must be moist for the sprouts to grow actively. Before sprouting directly from the ground, you need to close your containers with glass or film.

If you prefer to sow in a small container, then treat the transplant carefully so as not to harm the leaves. Water the containers just before transplanting so that the soil around the root system crumbles and the roots are not damaged in any way. In this case, the plant can easily endure such stress. Further, bushes and lashes are already formed so that a sufficient number of cucumbers are formed on them.

Cucumbers do not like transplanting, so you need to take them out of the pots very carefully.

We form cucumbers

To grow delicious cucumbers, you need to know one more nuance. After the appearance of 4-5 leaves, it is necessary to pinch the point of direct growth of the seedling. So the side lashes will actively develop. It is necessary to ensure good growth of shoots, on which the most vegetables are formed.

Organize a secure garter so that the vegetables receive the maximum amount of sunlight. Be careful with the leaves to avoid harming them. Excess antennae can be cut off, but so as not to catch the main lashes.

Choosing a place, organizing watering and feeding

Without these aspects, you will not be able to get a harvest. Therefore, it is recommended to use organic fertilizers. In winter, you can organize watering based on fermented banana skins. Dilute such an infusion with plenty of water.

Collecting cucumbers should be done daily.

Choose a light place for growing. The best option is a southern windowsill, where sunlight will constantly fall on the plant.

Always remember that cucumber is a heat-loving vegetable. Try to create a certain microclimate around the seedlings and the correct humidity.

Harvesting

And some information about the most enjoyable moment - harvesting. It is worth doing this every day so that the plants can easily grow new vegetables and do not waste their energy on the already ripe ones.

In addition to greenhouses and open ground, cucumbers can also bring good harvests on the windowsills of ordinary city apartments. How to grow cucumbers at home? There is a fairly well-established technology for growing cucumbers on the windowsill, and this can be done even in winter. The main subtleties of obtaining decent yields on the windowsill, from the varieties used to the care system in our material.

Varieties for growing at home

To get early cucumbers at home, you need to have the appropriate varieties and hybrids. For many, the only variety for growing at home on the windowsill is still considered "Room Rytova". But, breeders do not sit idly by, and recently many varieties of fast-growing cucumbers for the home have appeared.

The first thing to consider is whether cucumbers can grow at home without pollination. No, they certainly can grow, but they are unlikely to form full-fledged fruits. Therefore, first of all, for home cultivation, you need to choose parthenocarpic varieties:

• Legend;
• April;
• Stella;
• Klinsky;
• Tournament;
• Lada;
• Prestige;
• Balalaika;
• Masha;
• Toddler;
• Ant;
• Claudia;
• Kinglet;
• Moscow greenhouse;
• Pallas' cat.

If you have information about varieties for growing at home on a windowsill, share your experience in the comments. Many home growers will be grateful to you.

All of the above listed hybrids of cucumbers are parthenocarpic, that is, the participation of insects in the pollination process is not required. The choice of varieties for growing on the windowsill must be approached carefully, stopping at shade-tolerant ones.

Before growing early cucumbers at home, you need to take a closer look at the hybrids for balcony purposes, which also showed themselves well when grown on a windowsill. It is convenient to grow such balcony-type cucumbers in plastic bottles suspended from a balcony or loggia. These hybrids include the following:

• Balcony;
• Swallowtail;
• Balagan;
• Hummingbird;
• City gherkin;
• The calendar.

If your attention is still attracted by bee-pollinated varieties, then you will have to pollinate the flowers by hand, preferably in the morning. Such a measure will allow you to grow cucumbers at home quickly. To do this, you need to prepare cotton wool or a cotton swab and carefully transfer the pollen from a male flower, which is also called a barren flower, to a female one, which will subsequently form an ovary.

Another way is to pick the male flower and pollinate the female flower directly with it. To be sure to grow cucumbers in a pot at home, it is advisable to pollinate the female flowers with pollen of different varieties.

How to grow cucumbers on the windowsill

Cucumbers are very fond of freedom, so you need to choose a larger pot for growing.

Growing cucumbers in the winter on a windowsill at home

The crockery capacity per plant must be at least 5 liters. When thinking about how to grow cucumbers at home, you can also consider flower pots and small boxes. Recently, it is considered relevant to grow cucumbers at home in plastic bottles, after cutting off the neck. In terms of capacity, each five-liter bottle is just right for one plant.

Some enthusiasts grow cucumbers at home in plastic bags. Regardless of which container you choose, you need to ensure good drainage by making several holes in the bottom.

Growing soil

For homemade cucumbers, you can use a store-bought potting potting mix or make it yourself. To grow cucumbers in a pot at home, you can make a mixture based on the following proportions:

• 1 part of turf or garden land;
• 1 part compost;
• 1/5 of coarse sand;
• 1/5 part of sawdust;
• 1/5 part of wood ash.

Before sowing seeds into the soil, it must be disinfected by calcining or hot water. Immediately add about 2 matchboxes to the potting mix. mineral fertilizers for pumpkin crops or especially for cucumbers. A good substitute for this is nitrophoska.

The resulting soil mixture for growing cucumbers at home is laid out in five-liter plastic bottles or another container and the day before sowing the seeds there are abundantly watered.

Sowing seeds

Before growing gherkin cucumbers at home, you need to decide on the timing of sowing seeds in room conditions. Although there are no strictly defined deadlines. It is necessary to adapt to the weather conditions and take into account the characteristics of the variety or hybrid.

To grow cucumbers in a greenhouse at home from November to February, you need to use additional lighting in any case. To do this, you will have to purchase special lamps for illuminating plants.

Seeds are sown in small cups or directly into pots. First, you need to prepare the seeds for planting by keeping them in a potassium permanganate solution for several hours and germinating them on wet gauze.

Sprouted seeds are placed in pots to a depth of about 1.5 cm and sprinkled with a damp substrate. The pots are covered with foil, imitating a greenhouse at home, in order to achieve the optimum temperature for the emergence of seedlings of + 22 + 24C. After the emergence of seedlings, the planting container is rearranged to a cool place with a temperature of + 18C, providing additional good lighting.

How to grow cucumbers at home in spring

The place for growing cucumbers on the windowsill should be well lit and spacious. To increase the illumination, you can attach reflective foil or a mirror next to the plant. To prevent hypothermia, a sheet of foam plastic or any other heat-insulating material is placed on the windowsill, under the pot with the plant.

As in the case of a greenhouse cucumber, when growing a house on a windowsill, you need to take care of correct formation the stem of the plant. To do this, pinching the top is done upon reaching the 4-5 leaf phase. This procedure stimulates the active growth of lateral lashes, which should also be pinched over 3-5 sheets.

When growing cucumbers at home, you will need a support about a meter above the pot. It will be used to tie up the main stem and can be made from regular wire. The vines formed as a result of pinching should also be pinched over 11-12 leaves.

When pinching, you need to take care of the leaves. The more there are, the more harvest. The mustache is removed.

You need to water cucumbers at home daily, avoiding waterlogging. In addition, it is necessary to increase the humidity of the air. To do this, plants are sprayed from a spray bottle or a container with water is placed next to it.

Feeding cucumbers at home is made with ready-made mixtures for pumpkin crops. Some people feed the plants with organic fertilizer solutions. An example of such fertilization would be a solution of fermented banana peels. Good results are obtained by spraying the stems and leaves with solutions of trace elements.

Fruiting

As the cucumbers at home begin to bear fruit, you need to monitor the timely and daily collection of zelents. Overgrowth should not be allowed. This procedure stimulates even more fruiting of cucumbers on the windowsill. Proper care will allow you to remove 10-30 zelents from each plant daily. Moreover, appearance the windowsill, entangled in green vines, arouses admiration and interest, especially in winter.

You can grow cucumbers not only in the open field, but also at home on the windowsill. It is worth starting to plant seeds in early January. For planting, varieties are used that do not require pollination by bees. Optimum temperature for seed germination is 25 degrees, and when the first shoots appear, it should drop to 20 degrees. The optimum humidity for growing cucumbers at home is 85–90%. Plants need to be fed regularly using store-bought fertilizers. For these purposes, you can use an infusion of banana peels, egg shells, tea.

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  Suitable varieties

  If it is not possible to go to the country house and grow cucumbers in a greenhouse during the cold season, then this can be done at home on a window or balcony. In order for the cultivation of plants at home to be successful and bring a good harvest in winter, you should adhere to some recommendations regarding the choice of cucumber seeds.

  Important for the right choice varieties of cucumbers are the following conditions:

  • Self-pollination.
  • Short stature.
  • Ability to grow in shade conditions.
  • Small fruits.

  The most suitable species are hybrids, in particular self-pollinated varieties:

  • Masha;
  • Natasha;
  • Fontanelle;
  • Smear;
  • Stella;
  • Thumb Boy;
  • Miracle at the window;
  • Ant;
  • Khutorok;
  • Crunch;
  • Shchedryk;
  • City gherkin;
  • Balagan;
  • Courage;
  • Pallas' cat.

  How to prepare seeds and soil for sowing?

  In order to properly prepare the seeds for planting, you need to dip them into a saline solution at the rate of half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water. Then soak them for 3 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. It should be noted that for planting it is necessary to choose those seeds that have sunk to the bottom, since those that remain on the surface have a rather low germination rate.

  The soil for planting can be prepared by yourself. But you can use the soil bought in the store. In this case, it should be as follows:

  • Loose.
  • It is good to allow air to pass through.
  • With an acidity of at least 6.6.
  • Absorbs moisture well.
  • Contain all substances necessary for plant growth.

  For self-preparation of the soil, you can use 2/5 of the land from the nearest vegetable garden, 1/5 of humus, 1 part of peat and the same river sand... Fertilizers Agricola, Kemir, Azofosk can be added to the resulting composition.

  

  Planting cucumbers

  Before you start sowing vegetables, it is advisable to buy a seedling lamp. This will help prolong the daylight. Planting can be done in early January. In this case, the first fruits will be in April.

  In order to get fresh cucumbers for the New Year's table, plants should be planted in late October or early November.

  For planting, you will need soil, containers, plastic caps. You can plant seeds in small cups or directly into a box. There should be a small hole in the bottom of the cup. This is necessary so that water does not stagnate and the roots do not rot. Drainage must be poured at the bottom. For this purpose, you can use expanded clay, clay shards.

  It is important to consider that one plant takes up about 30 cm of space.

  To plant cucumbers, you need to go through the following steps:

  1. 1. The seeds must first be soaked.
  2. 2. The container must be filled with soil not reaching the edge of 2 cm.
  3. 3. Place the seeds to a depth of 1.5 cm. The distance between them should be about 2 cm.
  4. 4. Pour soil on top of the seeds.
  5. 5. Next, you should make abundant watering of the soil with seeds.
  6. 6. Top the cups should be covered with polyethylene or plastic plant caps. This will create a greenhouse effect.
  7. 7. Planting should be placed in a warm place with a temperature of at least 25 degrees.

  

  Plant care

  After the first shoots appear, the film must be removed and the seedlings must be placed on the windowsill, where sunlight is well received. Do not place them in the south, as the scorching rays of the sun will be difficult to avoid. The best option there will be a window on the east side of the world. You can place the sprouts under a lamp, which is best turned off at night. This will allow the plants to rest and not stretch out.

  It must be remembered that the room in which the plants are located must be regularly ventilated. But drafts should be avoided, as cucumbers do not like this. Therefore, during airing, the boxes with sprouts should be removed from the windowsill. Windows must be insulated and sealed.

  To grow cucumbers on a windowsill in an apartment, the water temperature for watering plants should be within 22-24 degrees. This should be done every other day. Care must be taken to ensure that the soil is sufficiently moist. Air humidity should be at least 85–90%. To do this, you can periodically humidify the air using a spray.

  2 weeks after planting, you can start feeding the plants. For this purpose, a solution should be prepared with 10 liters of water based on components such as ammonium nitrate (10 g), double superphosphate (10 g) and magnesium sulfate (8 g). The first feeding should be carried out at the rate of 1 glass of solution for 5 plants. The next feeding is repeated after 10 days. However, this time, 1 glass of fertilizer is designed for 2 plants.

  How is seedling transplant carried out?

  You can start replanting plants after two real leaves appear. To do this, you need to use large containers with a capacity of at least 5 liters. If it is not possible to purchase special pots, then ordinary water containers are suitable for these purposes. There must be holes at the bottom of the dishes to drain excess water.

  Algorithm of actions:

  1. 1. A small amount of soil is poured into the bottom of the container.
  2. 2. If the seeds were planted in small cups, then they must be watered abundantly, mash from all sides. After that, it will be possible to easily reach the plant without damaging its root system.
  3. 3. A plant is placed in the center and covered with earth. It is necessary to leave a little space for bedding.
  4. 4. The seedling is tied to a peg, the height of which should be about 80 cm.
  5. 5. The pots are installed in a pan filled with water. This is necessary to moisten the soil.
  
  

  How to care for seedlings after transplanting?

  After the third leaf appears, the seedlings must be pinched. After this procedure, lateral shoots grow well. After the 5-6th leaf is formed on the lateral shoots, this procedure must be repeated in order not to overload the bushes.

  Plants need to be tied up to form bushes. This can be done as follows:

  • A wire is stretched over the plants at a height of 1–1.5 meters. It depends on what will be maximum height plants. Typically, this information is indicated on the seed package.
  • Twine is tied to it, and the other end is lowered to the plants and neatly tied around them.
  • The twine must be lifted again and tied to the wire.

  This method of tying plants will provide them with safety and will be a good support.

  
  

  Grown plants should be watered 1-2 times a week. In addition, cucumbers will increasingly need sunlight. Therefore, its deficiency can be replenished with phytolamps. The use of ordinary fluorescent lamps is allowed. You can increase the lighting by using foil, a mirror, and other reflective materials on the windowsill.

  If there is not enough light, then the plants can stretch.

  And also used organic feeding... For these purposes, you can use fermented banana peel infusion. It must be diluted with water at a ratio of 1:10. Use warm water for watering, but do not overfill the plants. Once a week can be fed using eggshell, tea.

  Yellowing of the leaves is an important indicator that a plant needs to be fed. Fresh vermicompost should be added once a month.

  When fruits appear, harvest must be done every day. At proper care from each plant it turns out to collect up to 20-30 cucumbers.

In every person there is a gardener and a gardener. With the arrival of the first spring heat, everyone is drawn to the dacha, to the village, to the garden. It's nice to dig in the fresh soil, breathe in its aroma and throw the first seeds on the garden bed. But not everyone is lucky to meet spring on their own piece of land. Many townspeople do not have time for a trip to the garden or their own garden. This is fixable. If it is not possible to go to the garden, then it can be built at home on the balcony or. In small homemade beds you can grow, green onions, tomatoes cucumbers. The latter vegetable requires special attention and care. To get a rich harvest, you need to know on the windowsill and balcony and not harm the plant. Due to inexperience, its tender sprouts can be destroyed within a few hours. But if you choose the right land mixture, capacity, variety, adhere to temperature regime, then the green liana will thank you with tender, crispy cucumbers.

The best varieties of cucumbers for growing on a windowsill

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

• Natasha F1;
• Marinda F1;
• Masha F1;
• The fontanelle F1.

The last variety can be safely called a cucumber masterpiece of Moldovan breeders. For several decades, he successfully pleases his owners with generous fruiting, resistance to diseases.

Of the usual varieties for indoor cultivation, cucumbers are suitable:

• Thumb Boy;
• Smear;
• Stella.

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

Parthenocarpic hybrids are the best varieties of cucumbers for planting on the windowsill, since they set fruits regardless of the weather, temperature fluctuations, sunlight, have a large number of female self-pollinated inflorescences, and do not require special conditions of detention.

The main rules for healthy cucumber seedlings

The key to a rich harvest is. In order for the seeds to sprout quickly, several important rules must be followed:

• The sowing soil must always be sterilized. Do not trust purchased mixtures: they can be infected with bacteria and pests. The earth should be good for air permeability and absorb moisture. It is good if the soil does not contain many trace elements. At this stage, the plant does not need them in large quantities. River sand is best suited for sowing cucumbers.
• Do not plant freshly harvested cucumber seeds. These plants are dominated by male flowers that do not set fruit. Five-year-old seeds produce the largest number of female inflorescences.
• The seeds, covered with a special multi-colored shell, germinate much later and require constant moisture. When the soil is overdried or underfilled, the plant may die while still in the soil.
• It is better to grow seedlings in small ones, and after the appearance of the third true leaf, transplant them into a large container.
• The optimum temperature for germination is 22 degrees at high humidity air. To achieve a similar effect, you need to spray the room three times a day, or keep a damp cloth under the cups with seedlings.
• After the first shoots appear, it is necessary to slightly lower the room temperature, humidity, and increase the amount of sunlight.
• To prevent young shoots from stretching, a fluorescent lamp is needed. The help of lamps is also necessary before laying the buds on cloudy days (hybrids can do without backlighting).
• Watering with warm, settled water will help the plant absorb moisture faster.

After the appearance of the first true leaf, the seedlings can be fed with liquid,. It is important to ensure that water and liquid with trace elements do not get on the leaf during the daytime. A drop of moisture can cause burns.

Dishes for planting cucumbers

To grow cucumbers on the windowsill, you need to choose the right container. Then the plant will feel comfortable all season. Cucumber roots are located shallow from the soil surface and like to be warmed up by the sun and watered by warm rain. A 5-liter plastic bucket or pot will suffice for one plant. It is good if its width prevails over the height.

Care rules

Even inexperienced gardeners can follow the rules for caring for cucumbers on the windowsill. The main thing is to follow the instructions clearly and not rely on "maybe":

• Cucumbers love diffused sunlight. On the southern window, their leaves will burn from the heat, and on the western window, the stems will stretch out, most of the fruits will have a characteristic, pear-shaped shape.
• It is better to water the plants after sunset or in cloudy weather under the root, along the edges of the pot.
• The soil for adult plants can be similar to that used for sowing seeds, with the addition of potash, phosphorus, nitrogen fertilizers,. When landing in a permanent location, drainage should be provided. If there is no expanded clay at hand, then you can use ordinary pebbles or break ordinary foam into small pieces.
• After the appearance of the fifth leaf, the plant needs support. You can stretch a special net along the window or whip with ropes. The trellis net on the windowsill looks aesthetically pleasing and is a good support during fruiting.
• In summer, the biggest problem when growing cucumbers on the windowsill is the heat: the percentage of humidity in the room and outdoors decreases, the earthen mixture dries quickly even with frequent watering... Mulching potted soil will help keep the root system from overheating and retain water. Chopped bark, straw, sphagnum moss, sawdust, fresh grass are suitable for mulch.
• When growing non-hybrid varieties, it is recommended to pinch off the top of the plant after 7–8 leaves. This technique will give an impetus to the growth of side shoots, on which a greater percentage of female flowers are located.
• Proper care and cultivation of cucumbers is not only timely watering, fertilization, but also regular harvesting. In order for the plant to bear fruit at full strength, it is necessary to collect greens every day. Then he will have the strength to abundant flowering and setting new fruits.

Growing problems

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

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

When you do everything right, follow the advice of experienced colleagues, it is difficult to understand why the cucumbers set up, but do not grow. A similar situation is observed when the temperature drops below +16 or in extreme heat. Then the plant sheds fruits or inhibits their growth in order to maintain strength.

Everyone can grow cucumbers on the windowsill. The main thing is not to be afraid to make a mistake and love the business you are doing. And the reward for your efforts will be new knowledge and a crispy cucumber for lunch.

In winter, the lack of fresh vegetables and fruits is especially felt. Although they can be bought on the market for exorbitant prices, the quality of the fruit is often poor. It is much more beneficial to grow vegetables at home.

We create conditions in the apartment - selection of dishes and soil

Cucumbers can be grown on an insulated loggia, glazed balcony or windowsill. It is important to equip a place for active growth of bushes with good lighting where there are no drafts. It is desirable that this is the south side. We create conditions as close as possible to natural ones.

Young plants require not only a lot of light, but also warmth. It is best to place the cucumber pots where there is heating. With sufficient light, the stems will not stretch too much, and the fruits will have an ugly shape. If you want to grow cucumbers on the windowsill, insulate the window, make additional thermal insulation, exclude drafts. To protect the root system from hypothermia, we install cucumber containers on a heat insulator.

In winter, daylight hours are short, but for rapid growth cucumbers need daylight. Therefore, we provide additional lighting for seedlings, artificially increasing the length of the day to 12-14 hours. For this we use special phytolamps, fluorescent or infrared lamps, including them over shrubs.

The optimum temperature for the growth of seedlings is 20 degrees above zero. If the temperature in the room is higher, we monitor the moisture content of the soil.

Seedlings can be grown in small disposable cups filled with special soil or in peat cups... We make several holes at the bottom. For cucumbers, it doesn't matter what container they are planted in:

• Large deep planters can be purchased for planting multiple seedlings.
• If space permits, plant each plant in a separate pot.
• One of the container options can be a plastic 5-liter water bottle, in which we cut off the upper part with a neck.
• You can make your own wooden boxes 60-70 cm long, planting no more than 5-6 plants in them, otherwise they will interfere with each other's growth and increase the mass.

The container should be large enough with holes at the bottom for excess moisture and ventilation. It should be remembered that cucumbers have a developed root system. We take the volume of a flowerpot or box at least 4 liters so that the cucumber sprout feels comfortable. We put drainage at the bottom: small pebbles, brick chips, crushed stone or expanded clay. You can pour a layer of sand at least 5 cm thick. Pour soil on top and cover with mulch.

The soil in which vegetables will grow depends on them accelerated growth and ripening of fruits. It should be loose, saturated useful substances, it is good to pass air and water. The shops sell ready-made soil for indoor plants and for pumpkin crops, which has the characteristics listed. It is better to prepare the soil substrate yourself by mixing the following ingredients:

• garden soil, peat;
• leafy soil;
• fertilizers: phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium 5-6 g each, lime 20-60 g;
• humus;
• wood ash;
• rotted sawdust, which has acquired a dark shade;
• coarse sand.

We disinfect the resulting soil mixture. First, we ignite in the oven, setting the temperature to +200 degrees, then spill it with a solution of potassium permanganate. This will destroy harmful bacteria and insects that may have been present in the soil.

Choosing seeds - which varieties grow better at home?

For planting, breeders have bred a large number of self-pollinating, fast-growing, high-yielding varieties, mostly hybrid species. They are marked with the F1 symbol, which means that the varieties are heterotic. For such crops, bees are not needed to pollinate flowers; they have the ability to form fruits on female peduncles on their own. These hybrids are called parthenocarpic.

For growing in winter on a windowsill, the following varieties of cucumbers are suitable:

• Shchedrik. The fruits ripen after planting in 1.5 months. Up to 6-8 pieces are formed in the ovary. The length of cucumbers reaches 11-12 cm, they have a rich green color of a dark shade. Productivity from a bush on a windowsill is up to 20 fruits.
• Khutorok. Cucumbers ripen 30 days after the first shoots appear. This is one of the super fast varieties. Cucumbers have black thorns, grow up to 10 cm in length. The peculiarity of this variety is that it requires pollination. To carry out pollination, we pluck a barren flower - this is a male flower with stamens, we transfer the pollen from it to the pistil of a female flower. Only thanks to this procedure will ovary occur.
• Crisp also belongs to early ripening varieties, but the fruits, ready for consumption, ripen only after 50 days. Its advantage is that it does not require pollination, it gives high yield... Differs in tallness, can decorate a loggia or balcony, like a liana. If properly cared for, you can get up to 40 fruits per bush.

Among the varieties suitable for growing at home, you can name the Miracle on the window, Our Masha, Courage, Prestige, Room miracle, Claudia, Marinda. Cucumbers of the Nasha Masha variety ripen in 30-40 days, the Marinda variety has a high yield and the simultaneous ripening of all fruits. When choosing a variety, pay attention that it is suitable for growing in an apartment.

How to plant the seeds correctly?

Theoretically, seeds can be planted at any time, taking into account that the plant will bear fruit in 2-2.5 months. The best time for planting is February, when daylight hours increase significantly, this makes it easier to care for cucumbers. In spring, the sun shines brighter and warms better. Purchased seeds, when packaged, undergo appropriate processing. To test them for germination, we place them in a saline solution: dilute half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water. Seeds that have settled to the bottom are considered suitable for planting, those that have surfaced are not suitable, we throw them away.

We sow seeds either in a seedling box or in a container without subsequent transplantation. Before landing, we carry out preparatory activities... We place the seedlings in a solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes. Then we rinse and put in a saucer on a cotton cloth or cotton swabs. We put the dishes in a warm, dark place with a temperature of +25 degrees. We make sure that the fabric does not dry out. When sprouts appear with a length of 5 to 10 mm, we transplant them into a container with soil. Before planting, dry the germinated seeds a little, this contributes to the active growth of seedlings.

We plant planting material into pre-soaked earth. If planted in dry soil, the seeds will sink too low after watering. Sprouted seeds are buried in the soil by 1.5 cm.Cover the container plastic wrap to create a greenhouse effect so that the seedlings grow faster. We put the containers in a well-lit place. We keep the temperature in the room at least 20 degrees. As soon as the first shoots appear from the ground, we remove the film to prevent fungal diseases that may arise due to condensation under the film. We regularly water and feed the seedlings.

After the appearance of the first true leaves, we transplant the seedlings into large containers, making every effort not to damage the root system. If the seedlings were grown in peat cups, we plant them in the ground without removing them from the cups.

Watering and feeding with fertilizers - how regularly to carry out?

To successfully grow cucumbers at home, you need to follow the basic rules:

• regular watering and feeding;
• ensuring the required temperature regime, sufficient humidity and illumination;
• formation of the correct bush.

Water the newly transplanted seedlings sparingly, without flooding the roots. If the roots are bare, add earth. Watering young seedlings can be done with a syringe, burying it in the ground, this will prevent the root system from washing out. Watering cucumbers boiled water, which must stand for at least 3 hours. We water every day, if additional lighting is installed, you may need to water it twice a day.

Watering is especially important during flowering and fruit ripening. In the summer, we spray the plants on the balcony with water, this will not only humidify the air, but will also additional food for cucumbers.

We regularly feed the plants:

• You can fertilize the seedlings with fermented banana peel infusion, diluting it 1:10. Use once every two weeks.
• Young seedlings can be fed with urea or other mineral fertilizers with similar properties.
• When the first flowers appear, water the plants with a solution of wood ash, diluting a glass of ash in a ten-liter bucket.
• During the ripening of the fruits, we apply mineral fertilizers, diluting 12-25 g in 10 liters of water. Pour half a liter of solution under each plant.

If the plants are weak, we carry out foliar feeding from mineral fertilizers with the addition of trace elements. Prepare the solution as follows: add 10-20 g of double superphosphate, 5-15 g of urea, 10 ml of a mother liquor of trace elements or 1-5 g of sulfuric magnesium to 10 liters of water. Prepare the solution 24 hours before use. After stirring, the solution is filtered through 4 layers of gauze. It is advisable to spray the bushes with the resulting mixture in the afternoon. Rinse off the remaining salt from the leaves with clean water. Consideration should be given to the feeding recommendations for each variety. It is important not to overdo it with fertilizers.

We take care of cucumbers and fight pests

After the appearance of the first 4-5 leaves, we do the first pinching: we break off the upper growth point. This is necessary in order for the plant to sprout lateral shoots. We leave 3-4 lashes. When 6 leaves appear, we make a second pinch. Next, letting 11 leaves grow, pinching the main stem. In the future, we remove the lateral processes that take away the forces from the plant and interfere with the growth of fruits. Set aside one leaf at a time over the ovaries. We tie the overgrown lashes to provide sufficient lighting and support the plant. We stretch out strong threads or twine, we tie shoots to them.

You can install meter props and tie bush lashes to them. We remove the excess whiskers, as they take away from the plant a lot of nutrients necessary for the growth of fruits. To form beautiful bush The pots should be rotated regularly so that the plants stretch evenly.

Cucumbers are very fond of moisture, so we spray the stems 2-3 times a week from a spray bottle. We spray the plants in the same way as we water them with settled water at room temperature. We regularly water it, preventing the top layer of the soil from drying out. Do not overmoisten the earth, as excess moisture can lead to rotting of the root system and the death of the bush. Plants placed on the windowsill may lack moisture due to dry air. To maintain the required humidity level, place containers with water next to the cucumbers or place the pots in large containers filled with water.

For good plant growth in winter, we provide additional lighting that extends the daylight hours. We turn off the lamps at night. We protect cucumber bushes from drafts and cold air. If the varieties require pollination, we do it by hand when the flowers appear.

Without proper care, the following diseases of green vegetables are possible:

• Anthracnose - fungal disease from which fruits and leaves suffer.
• Powdery mildew - the causative agent is a fungus. It is manifested by the appearance of white bloom on the leaves.
• Root rot is accompanied by complete wilting of the bush. The disease occurs due to waterlogging, the root system begins to rot.
• White rot - affects fruits, foliage and stem, they are covered with a white bloom.

It is important to identify the disease in time and fight it by spraying with special chemicals. If you do not fight, then the disease will affect the entire plant, and the bush will die. In addition to diseases, whiteflies, spider mites and aphids can harm the bushes. If there are few insects, they can be removed by hand. With a large number, you will have to spray the bushes chemicals against pests. If control measures are applied in time, then it is easier and faster to overcome the disease and destroy pests, the main thing is to observe the reaction of the plant.

Picking vegetables is a reward for your efforts

The timing of ripening and harvesting of fruits depends on the variety of cucumbers. Basically, the sprouts appear 1-2 days after planting. The duration of the growth of the bush is different for each type of cucumber. The earliest ripening varieties give the first fruits in a month, for others it takes 40-50 days before the first harvest appears. Determine that the cucumber can be picked by size. If the fruit has reached a length of 10 cm, we pluck it. We collect the fruits every day to remove the load from the bush, which has to supply food to the ripe fruit. If you pick the cucumbers on time, the plant can begin to bloom again and bring additional harvest.

Some varieties for growing on a windowsill are not only suitable for eating in fresh, but also suitable for salting. But you should not count on a bountiful harvest from the windowsill in order to make a reserve of conservation for the winter. Making efforts to care for green vegetables is better and healthier for the sake of getting fresh vegetables.