Detailed Explanation of Key Points of Cucumber Fertilizer and Water Management Techniques

Cucumbers planted in soil with 80% humidity produce more than double the yield of those planted in soil with 40% humidity. Sufficient water should be ensured during cucumber growth, with timely irrigation to maintain a moist environment. In the early growth and development stage of cucumbers, ensuring an adequate amount of nitrogen fertilizer can also increase the number of female flowers differentiated.

Spraying ethephon: When cucumbers grow 1-3 true leaves, the flower buds in the leaf axils of nodes 2-21 differentiate successively, but it has not yet been determined whether they will be female or male flowers. This is the optimal period for spraying ethephon. The concentration of ethephon sprayed is generally 100-200 mg/L. Too low a concentration has no effect, while too high a concentration inhibits further differentiation of flower buds, resulting in empty nodes.

If sprayed twice, a concentration of 200 mg/L gives good results; if sprayed three times, a concentration of 100 mg/L gives good results. Generally, spraying 1-2 times is sufficient. When spraying, use a sprayer at 4 PM on a sunny day to spray both sides of the leaves. If it rains after spraying, re-spraying should be done.