How to grow strong cucumber seedlings at home: care rules - from seedlings to planting in the ground

Apparently, you are looking for information about how to grow cucumber seedlings at home.

Let's say that you already planted seeds cucumbers in cups and wait for shoots. Or you have already waited and want to know what to do next, how to care for young seedlings in order to grow strong cucumber seedlings. So this material is definitely for you.

However, even if you only preparing or about to sow, then in this article you will also find all the necessary information on the correct sowing of cucumber seeds for seedlings.

How to plant cucumbers for seedlings: a selection of materials

So, if you have not planted yet, then the sequence of measures for preparing and sowing cucumber seeds for seedlings is as follows:

• choose a suitable variety of cucumbers;
• determine the timing of sowing;
• carry out pre-sowing seed preparation;
• choose planting containers and buy or prepare soil by yourself;
• sow the seeds directly.

How to pick a good variety of cucumbers

If you haven't decided on the right variety yet, now is the time.

Note! The site already has a number of detailed overviews about the most popular and best varieties of cucumbers:

• The best varieties for outdoor cultivation.
• For growing in a greenhouse.
• The best self-pollinated (parthenocarpic) varieties.
• Bee-pollinated varieties.
• Cucumber varieties with bunch ovary (bunch cucumbers).
• Varieties for growing on a windowsill (balcony).

When to Sow Seeds: Optimal Sowing Times

The issue that worries absolutely all novice gardeners requires special attention.

Note! The site already has a detailed article about how to correctly calculate the timing of sowing cucumbers for seedlings, including indicated favorable days for planting in 2020, according to the lunar calendar.

Seed preparation for sowing

Another important component of the successful planting of cucumber seeds for seedlings is their pre-sowing preparation.

Advice! Read a separate detailed article on the methods of processing cucumber seeds before sowing.

How to sow seeds for seedlings correctly

The time has come, it's time to sow. What to do next? In what containers, in what soil, to what depth?

Note! About, how to sow cucumbers for seedlings correctly, described in maximum detail in this material.

How to properly care for cucumber seedlings at home: rules of care and maintenance

We hope you came across this article precisely for the sake of this paragraph.

So, after the first shoots appear, and this usually takes about 2-5 days (depending on whether you planted dry or already processed or germinated seeds), you will need take shelter, and lower the temperature of the content (up to + 18-20 degrees for a couple of days), rearranging containers with seedlings on a light window sillto slow down the growth of the aerial part (to seedlings did not stretch) and let the roots develop.

In the future, for the successful cultivation of cucumber seedlings, you will need to adhere to the following rules for their maintenance.

Video: caring for cucumber seedlings

Temperature

In the future, you should maintain the following temperature regime:

• during the day - +22 .. + 25 degrees (if sunny) and +20 .. + 22 degrees (if cloudy);
• at night - +16 .. + 18 degrees.

This requires protect seedlings from drafts and when ventilating the room, cover them in advance.

And also thermophilic cucumbers do not like sudden changes in temperature (including night and day).

Lighting

For full vegetation of cucumber seedlings the duration of daylight hours should be about 10-12 hours (12 and higher is optimal).

As a rule, in April-May there are no more problems with natural lighting: the daylight hours are quite long, which means that you will not have to use additional lighting.

Accordingly, even west or east windowbut better - southeast or southwest, ideally - southern (although it also has its drawbacks - sunburn may appear on the leaves of plants).

Of course, some gardeners manage to grow seedlings in the north window, without backlighting. However, if the weather is often cloudy, then you will hardly be able to grow strong seedlings ...

Another thing if you want grow cucumbers on the windowsill in winterto get a harvest at home. Here you cannot do without light windows and mandatory illumination with phytolamps.

Watering and moisture

By the way! Unlike peppers or tomatoes, cucumbers are more moisture-loving plants.

Cucumbers are very demanding for watering and, with a lack of moisture, significantly slow down their growth, therefore it is recommended to ensure that the substrate has always been slightly wet... Naturally, for watering you only need to use warm (room temperature) and settled water, and water so that the earthen lump is completely saturated with moisture.

This does not mean that you need to water every day. This is wrong: this way you will ruin your seedlings (simply flood). Watering is necessary only when the top layer is just beginning to dry out, inside the substrate should always remain slightly damp.

In addition, it is recommended periodically (once every 3-4 days) spray foliageto increase the humidity. Obviously, in room conditions, the air is dry enough, especially if the batteries are still working.

Thinning

If you sowed several seeds at once in one container, then when it will be clearly seen that one of the plants is noticeably stronger, the rest will need to be quickly disposed of (this is usually done at the stage of appearance of cotyledonous leaves). And you don't need to pull them out together with the roots, because the selected strong plant can be damaged, and just cut off the aerial part at soil level with scissors.

Adding earth

During the entire period of growing cucumber seedlings, it is very desirable to add earth a couple of times as the shoots grow. Moreover, it is advisable to add soil when the rudiments of roots begin to appear on the stem (for example, at the stage of 2 true leaves). If you do this earlier, then the seedlings may freeze in development.

But do not sprinkle above the cotyledon leaves (only up to them)!

Also, adding soil is used when pulling seedlings.

Pickling cucumber seedlings

Dive cucumbers Not recommendedas their root system is very susceptible to even minor damage. Therefore, it is recommended to initially sow seeds in spacious containers. Moreover, cucumbers have a very short growth period before fruiting, which means that there is, in principle, no special point in bothering with a pick.

However, if it is necessary to transplant it, it should be carried out very carefully when the seedlings will be about 2 weeks old (10-14 days), or rather, when the plants appear 2 well-developed cotyledonous leaves (and the first real one will begin to form). Naturally, it is necessary to get and transplant seedlings only together with an earthen clod, trying in no case to destroy it and damage the roots of the plant. You can deepen directly to the cotyledons (especially if the seedlings are stretched out). And after picking, it is recommended to spray the seedlings with a solution "Epina" or "Zircon" to quickly recover from the stress received.

Video: picking cucumbers - why and how to carry out

Top dressing

If you immediately prepared a sufficiently nutritious soil (or used a purchased one), then the seedlings do not have to be fed at all. But if poor soil was initially used, then additional fertilizing will be required. Moreover, if the appearance of the seedlings clearly hints that the plant lacks some macro- or microelements. In this case, feeding is simply necessary.

As a rule, during the cultivation of cucumber seedlings, it is fed 2 times:

• The first top dressing is recommended when the first true leaf appears or is just beginning to appear in the seedlings (in principle, it is possible even earlier, when there are 2 cotyledons). For example, if you allow the use of mineral fertilizers, then the solution ammonium nitrate or urea... And if you are an ardent supporter of organic farming, then you can prepare a liquid solution of mullein or bird droppings (according to the attached instructions).

It is also advisable to give the plants during this period phosphorus, which is responsible for the growth and development of the root system, i.e. you need infusion-extract of superphosphate.

It is especially important to feed with phosphorus after the dive.

• The second top dressing, as a rule, is performed 3-5 days before planting the seedlings in a permanent place in the ground (when the seedlings have 3-4 true leaves). For this, a complex mineral fertilizer is suitable, which contains all the main macroelements, for example, a solution of nitroammofoska (all 16% each). Or you can prepare a similar complex top dressing from individual fertilizers, taking 2-3 g of ammonium nitrate or urea per 1 liter of solution, 3-4 g superphosphate and 2-3 g of potassium sulfate.

By the way! There are special ready-made fertilizers for cucumber seedlings.

Hardening seedlings before planting in a permanent place

5-7 days before planting the seedlings in a permanent place (in a greenhouse or open ground), you should start hardening the seedlings so that they can adapt to outdoor conditions, which are noticeably more severe than at home. To do this, the seedlings of cucumbers must be gradually (from 1 hour to a day) taken out into the open air in the same greenhouse or on the porch, as an option, on an open balcony or loggia.

Important! During hardening, the temperature should not fall below +6 .. + 8 degrees, it is optimal to keep around +15 .. + 18 degrees.

Problems arising when growing cucumber seedlings

When growing cucumber seedlings at home, certain problems may arise that need to be responded to in time:

• Thin elongated stems plants indicate lack of light... In other words, you need to rearrange the seedlings on a lighter windowsill or start lighting them up. Alternatively, you can also add earth.

Seedlings of cucumbers very prone to pulling, therefore, in the first days after germination, carefully monitor the growth of your plants.

• If the leaves (especially the lower ones) have become drythen you need increase humidity... For example, place containers with water next to the seedlings or put a damp towel. Spray periodically.
• Yellowing of leaves cucumber seedlings can be causedlack of nitrogen (most often)... But sometimes this is a consequence of development downy mildew (very rarely).
• If the leaves appeared White spots, then most likely it is powdery mildew.

When to plant cucumber seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse

Planting seedlings in the ground is started last (much later than tomatoes and even peppers), because cucumbers are a very thermophilic culture.

Advice! Detailed information on the timing and rules for planting seedlings in a greenhouse and open ground you'll find in this separate article.

Further care and cultivation of cucumbers in the garden in the open field and in the greenhouse

Note! The site already has a separate article about how to grow and care for cucumbers in the open field after planting seedlings or sowing seedsto get a good harvest.

Caring for cucumber seedlings is no more difficult than caring for tomatoes (unless tomatoes like drier air). To do this, you just need to follow the basic rules. Good luck!

Video: growing cucumber seedlings at home - from sowing seeds to planting in the ground