Boron Supplementation Methods and Precautions for Cucumbers During the Flowering and Fruiting Period

Cucumber is a boron-loving crop. During its growth and development, especially during flowering and fruiting, it requires a relatively large amount of boron. Once the boron fertilizer supply is insufficient, it will affect pollination and fertilization, causing flower drop, leading to fruit drop, reducing the fruit-setting rate, and producing deformed cucumbers such as curved cucumbers, pointed-tip cucumbers, and big-bellied cucumbers. It will also cause skin suberization, rough and uneven surfaces, and hollow interiors, with both yield and quality declining significantly. Therefore, during the flowering and fruiting period of cucumbers, attention should be paid to supplementing boron fertilizer to ensure boron supply and prevent boron deficiency in the plants. The specific methods are as follows.

When cucumber seedlings have been transplanted and survived, grown to 6-8 new leaves, and begun to show flower buds, boron fertilizer should be supplemented promptly. Along with promoting flowering, strengthening flowers, protecting cucumbers, and plumping cucumbers, spray the leaves once every 10-15 days with a 0.1% borax aqueous solution or 0.1% boric acid aqueous solution, or 1000-fold liquid boron aqueous solution, or 1000-fold active boron aqueous solution, etc., mixed with 600-800-fold amino acid compound microelement fertilizer aqueous solution and sprayed together, for 3-5 consecutive sprays.

Spray evenly to wet all leaves and flower buds, until water droplets begin to drip down. Boron fertilizer is most easily absorbed and the boron supplementation effect is best when sprayed after the morning dew has dried but before high temperature and strong sunlight appear, and when high-temperature, strong-sunlight weather ends, that is, from 8-11 o'clock and 16-19 o'clock. Spraying is not suitable during high temperature and strong sunlight. In addition, when directly sowing cucumber seeds or transplanting cucumber seedlings, applying 0.5-1 kg of Sulibor per mu as a base fertilizer also has a very good boron supplementation effect.