What are the key points to note when fertilizing cucumbers? Essential tips for growers

Cucumber is a fairly popular vegetable, sweet in taste, very crisp to eat, and not expensive. As a vegetable, growing cucumbers is relatively simple, but to achieve high yields you must master the key step of fertilizing. So what are the key points to note when fertilizing cucumbers? Let's take a look together below.

1. The amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied must not be too large

The main fertilizer for cucumber growth is nitrogen fertilizer. If you can master the method of using nitrogen fertilizer and control the amount well, it can increase cucumber yields. Applying nitrogen fertilizer to cucumbers is not a case of the more the better. During the seedling emergence stage, using too much nitrogen fertilizer will cause the cucumber seedlings to grow excessively, leading to larger leaves, paler leaf color, very thin stems, and the whole cucumber seedling becoming prone to disease infection and unable to tolerate cold damage. If too much nitrogen fertilizer is used during the fruiting period of cucumbers, the entire cucumber crop will show excessive vegetative growth, a drop in fruit set rate, deformed fruit flesh, and a bitter taste in the cucumbers.

2. Unbalanced fertilization of cucumbers

During cucumber growth, if the amount of fertilizer applied is relatively large, the salt content in the soil will increase, which will hinder the cucumber's absorption of water and nutrients, greatly affecting cucumber growth and also causing deformed fruit. Therefore, when topdressing, be sure to pay attention to the fertilization ratio, especially the ratio of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, which should be determined according to the growth stage.

3. Topdressing must be adequate

When planting cucumbers, the base fertilizer must be sufficient, but as the cucumbers grow, the base fertilizer can no longer meet their needs, so appropriate topdressing is necessary. To ensure long-term, stable growth and nutrient absorption in cucumbers, later-stage topdressing can reduce premature aging caused by fertilizer deficiency, shorten the harvest time, increase cucumber yields, and lower the probability of deformed cucumbers. According to relevant experience, to meet the nutrient needs of cucumber growth in the later stage, topdressing must be done seven or eight times; in addition, organic fertilizer also needs to be used in combination.

4. Points to note when using foliar fertilizer on cucumbers

In addition to base fertilizer and topdressing, spraying an appropriate amount of foliar fertilizer can help cucumber growth. Generally, the specific foliar fertilizer to supplement is determined according to the signs of nutrient deficiency in cucumbers. The main points to note are as follows.

First, foliar fertilizer sprayed on cucumbers must not contain large amounts of hormones; otherwise, it will lead to weak plants in the early stage of cucumber seedlings, reduced cucumber yields in the later stage, and lower market quality.

Second, when spraying foliar fertilizer on cucumbers, do not mix it with fungicides.

Third, the time to use foliar fertilizer on cucumbers is during the full fruiting period. At this time, cucumbers need more fertilizer, but the root absorption capacity at this stage is relatively weak, so spraying foliar fertilizer can supplement the nutrients needed by the cucumber plants.