How to grow cucumber seedlings: how to cultivate strong seedlings during the cucumber seedling stage

SummarySelecting varieties: choose excellent varieties suited to the local consumer market. Soaking seeds to promote germination: soak in hot water at 52-55°C for 30 minutes, then place in a germination box at 26-30°C to sprout. Preparing seedling soil: choose peat, perlite and vermiculite. Sowing seeds: sow the seeds in plug trays or on a seedling bed. Reasonable topdressing: during the seedling stage, a 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution can be sprayed. Pest and disease control: use chlorothalonil and carbendazim, etc., for control.

1. Selecting varieties

When growing cucumbers, the first step is to choose excellent varieties suited to the local consumer market. Generally, in northern regions you can choose excellent dense-spined varieties, such as Jinchun dense-spined, Changchun dense-spined, Xintai dense-spined and Shandong dense-spined, while in southern China varieties such as Zaoqing No. 2 and Zhengtangqiu No. 206 are suitable. For specifics, consult your local seed dealer or agricultural technology department.

2. Soaking seeds to promote germination

Soak the purchased cucumber seeds to promote germination. Generally, soak them in hot water at 52-55°C for about 30 minutes, stirring while soaking; after removing them, rinse with clean water, then soak in clean water for about 6-8 hours, wrap them well in moist gauze, and place them in a germination box at about 26-30°C to sprout. At the same time, keep the seeds moist. After about 2-3 days, when half of each seed has turned white, they can be sown.

3. Preparing seedling soil

Generally, plug trays can be used for raising seedlings, or nutrient pots or whole beds in the ground can be used. The seedling soil needs to be a prepared nutrient soil; you can choose peat, perlite and vermiculite in a 2:1:1 ratio as a common mix, or prepare it differently. When using soil as nutrient soil, note that the soil must be fertile, loose and airy; you can use garden soil plus organic fertilizer. Chemical fertilizers must not be used on the seedling bed, to avoid burning the roots.

4. Sowing seeds

First prepare or fill the seedling bed or plug trays with nutrient soil, then water thoroughly. After the water seeps down, sow the seeds in the plug trays or on the seedling bed, cover with a 0.5-1.0 cm layer of nutrient soil, then cover with a layer of plastic film, or set up an arched shed to keep warm and moist, maintaining the temperature at 24-30°C. After the cucumber seedlings emerge, remove the plastic film; the arched shed can remain, but ventilation management should be strengthened.

5. Reasonable topdressing

After the cucumber seedlings emerge, the seedlings need to be hardened off, and the seedling bed should be kept moist; do not water too much, and strengthen ventilation management to avoid excessive elongation producing leggy seedlings; stiff seedlings must not appear. During the seedling stage, a 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution can be sprayed, and when the cucumber seedlings have grown 3-4 true leaves, they are transplanted.

6. Pest and disease control

During the seedling stage, attention must be paid to pest and disease control; seedlings are especially prone to damping-off and Rhizoctonia rot. When pests or diseases occur, promptly use broad-spectrum fungicides such as chlorothalonil or carbendazim for control.