Balcony cucumber cultivation methods: teaching you how to grow cucumbers well at home

Now more and more people are opening up their own small vegetable gardens at home, growing vegetables themselves, natural and healthy, and eating with more peace of mind. Cucumber is a common vegetable. Today we will learn about balcony cucumber cultivation methods!

1. Sowing time

Balcony mini cucumbers are generally sown in early spring, though they can also be sown in summer. For spring sowing, use seed soaking and sprouting before raising seedlings or direct sowing under plastic film; for summer sowing, you can choose either soaked-seed direct sowing or dry-seed direct sowing. After sowing, seedlings usually emerge in 3-4 days, and they emerge faster after seed soaking.

2. Container selection

Flower pots, wooden tubs, and foam plastic boxes are all fine; there are no special requirements. The most important thing when choosing a container is drainage and air permeability. For the growing soil, it is best to choose fertile, loose, well-drained potting soil, which is beneficial to cucumber growth.

3. Seed soaking treatment

Before planting, the most important step is soaking the seeds. Soak the seeds in warm water for half an hour; note that during soaking they must be stirred constantly. After the water temperature drops to room temperature, continue soaking for about 8 hours, then remove the seeds, wrap them well in wet gauze, and place them at about 26 degrees to sprout. Once the sprouts appear, they can be sown.

4. Dibbling the seeds

Evenly dibble the sprouted seeds on top of the fine, crumbly potting soil, cover with a layer of fine soil, and water once, making sure to water thoroughly. In spring, during the cucumber seedling stage, moisture must be controlled well; during the growing period, keep the soil moist at all times. Observe carefully: during the flowering period, water should be controlled; during the fruiting period, the water requirement is high, and generally watering once every two to three days is enough.

5. Apply sufficient base fertilizer

Applying sufficient base fertilizer is the only way to ensure better cucumber growth. The base fertilizer should mainly be decomposed organic fertilizer. During the fruiting period, fertilize together with watering; liquid fertilizer can be applied once a week. Cucumber roots have weak absorption capacity, so topdressing should preferably be done frequently and lightly, topdressing once every week, with more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer.

6. Set up trellises and guide the vines

Cucumber is a vine plant, so when the tendrils appear, set up an A-frame trellis to guide the vines. When the vines grow too long to stand upright, tie them to the trellis in time, tying once every 3-4 leaves. The tying should not be too tight. Each time you tie the vines, keep the tops of the vines fixed at the same height for easier management.

7. Pinching the growing tips

When the main cucumber vine climbs to the top of the trellis, pinch off the growing tip in time. Pinching can promote the growth of later cucumbers. Pinching, removing tendrils, and removing old leaves should all be done carefully; only by doing these well can the cucumbers grow, bloom, and fruit normally.

8. Harvest in good time

From sowing to transplanting, cucumbers take only about 45 days; from transplanting to the first fruit setting, about 30 days; the harvest period is 1-2 months. The suitable temperature for cucumber growth is between 25 and 28 degrees; too high a temperature will stop growth, so in hot summers a shade net should be added before seedling emergence to prevent the seedlings from being scorched.

The above are the balcony cucumber planting methods compiled for you by Tuliu.com. We hope they can help you.