What are the latest control methods for excessive vegetative growth in cucumbers?
Excessive vegetative growth in cucumbers is the phenomenon of leggy growth in cucumber vines. Leggy cucumber growth affects the plant's development, causing the plant to only flower without setting fruit, so that the cucumber's nutrients cannot be concentrated in the fruits that have already set. This causes a decline in cucumber quality, and it also very easily triggers pests and diseases, causing a large drop in cucumber yield. But many friends have not yet found a way to control it for the time being. Below, the editor brings you methods to control excessive vegetative growth in cucumbers. Let's take a look!
1. Watering
When growing cucumbers, water them at the right time according to the cucumber's growth conditions and various conditions. The main purpose is to ensure soil moisture content and surface temperature. During the fruiting period, water at least once a week, and replenish water before and after each harvest to prevent leggy growth. After harvesting the top cucumbers, also water promptly to promote the growth of new cucumber roots.
2. Topdressing
When nitrogen is sufficient, promptly supplement with phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. When topdressing, mix the fertilizer with water, and decide the amount of fertilizer based on the planting area. Then topdress once every 1-2 harvests. In the middle and late stages, when watering, apply it together with farmyard manure, about 1000 kg per mu. Pay attention to the application of nitrogen fertilizer, as one of the main causes of leggy growth is excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer.
3. Temperature
Unsuitable temperature is also one of the causes of leggy cucumber growth. The most suitable growth temperature for cucumbers is around 28 degrees. If it exceeds 30 degrees, it is very easy to cause leggy growth in cucumbers. So we must control the temperature around the cucumbers and not let it exceed 30 degrees. The nighttime temperature can be lowered appropriately, which helps the cucumber accumulate nutrients in its body.
4. Humidity
Although cucumbers relatively prefer water, the relative air humidity should not exceed 85%. If it exceeds this range, work to reduce humidity should be carried out immediately. Strengthen the ventilation of the cucumber plot, especially in the evening, ventilate for at least one hour, because humidity at night is relatively high. This can appropriately reduce nighttime humidity, control the plant's growth rate, prevent leggy growth, and improve the rate of flowering and fruiting.
5. Vine tying
When the cucumber vines grow to a certain length, we need to begin the work of tying the vines. The first time, tie the vine to an upright pole. When it enters the vigorous growth period, the vine can be bent. The degree of bending depends on the length of the vine and the growth rate.
6. Protecting fruits
When cucumbers begin to produce the first batch of fruits, the plant's growth will be somewhat restricted, so a relatively high fruit-setting rate must be ensured on the first batch of fruits. If the number of set fruits is insufficient, it can easily lead to runaway growth. Proper fruit protection can not only increase the yield of the first batch, but also prevent leggy growth in the plant. It can also promote early maturity and enable an earlier market launch to recover costs.
The above are the methods compiled by the editor to prevent excessive vegetative growth in cucumbers. In fact, proper harvest timing also has a relatively good effect on preventing excessive growth. Because if harvesting is too late, it will hinder plant growth, so for runaway plants, harvesting can be appropriately delayed to control the plant's growth rate. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and I hope it is helpful to everyone.