When to plant cucumbers? Introduction to planting time and methods
Cucumber planting time
Under normal conditions, cucumbers are suitable for sowing in early spring from January to March, and in summer and autumn from June to August.
Cucumber growing tips
1. Soil selection and land preparation: choose a slightly clayey sandy loam with a pH between 6.0-7.5, rich in organic matter, with good drainage and irrigation, and good water and fertilizer retention. Avoid continuous cropping with cucurbit crops; the previous crop is best as paddy rice. For land preparation, use deep furrows and high beds, with a bed width of 1.8 m-2.0 m (including furrows), a bed height of 30 cm, a north-south orientation, double-row planting, and a plant spacing of 30 cm.
2. Timely sowing, seedling raising and field planting For spring sowing, use seed soaking and sprouting followed by seedling raising, or direct sowing with plastic film mulching. For summer and autumn, either soaked-seed direct sowing or dry-seed direct sowing can be used. Seed soaking and sprouting is widely used in cucumber sowing. Use 50-55°C warm boiled water to scald the seeds for disinfection for 10 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scalding. Then soak in about 30°C warm water for 4-6 hours, rub clean, scoop out and drain, and keep moist in a 28-30°C incubator or warm place to promote sprouting; germination begins after 20 hours. For early spring seedling raising with a small arch shed for warmth, use seedling cups or a seedbed to raise seedlings. Transplant when the seedlings are 15-20 days old (2 true leaves), on a clear evening. Be careful to protect the root system. Water thoroughly before lifting the seedlings, lift them in order, and transplant with soil to prevent root damage.
3. Fertilizer and water management and earthing up Applying sufficient base fertilizer is one of the keys to stable and high yields. Cucumbers respond well to base fertilizer. During land preparation, deep plow and apply more decomposed organic fertilizer, applying 2000 kg-3000 kg per mu, 50 kg of hair fertilizer, and 30 kg of superphosphate as base fertilizer. When the plants have 2-3 true leaves, begin topdressing. Cucumber roots have weak absorption capacity and are sensitive to high-concentration fertilizers. Topdressing should follow the principle of “frequent application and light application,” with topdressing once every 6-8 days, applying 5 kg-6 kg of urea per mu.
When to sow cucumbers? Cucumber planting time and planting methods
Cucumber planting time
Early spring from January to March, and summer-autumn planting from June to August.
Cucumber growing tips
I. Seed selection and seedling raising: For winter-spring greenhouse cucumber cultivation, choose excellent varieties with strong cold resistance, strong disease resistance, high yield, and good market prospects. Before sowing, ① Build the seedbed well (choose a plot with dry terrain, good ventilation, good drainage, and where cucurbit or solanaceous vegetables have not been planted in the previous crop), prepare nutrient soil (seedbed soil: decomposed organic fertilizer: compound fertilizer = 7:3:0.01, mix evenly), and water thoroughly; ② Seed treatment: remove shriveled seeds, place the seeds into 50—60°C hot water (three parts boiling water mixed with one part cold water) and stir constantly until about 30°C, then let stand and soak for 6 hours, remove, air-dry, then spray with 800-fold New High Lipid Film solution and mix well; ③ Sowing: evenly scatter the treated seeds in the seedbed at a suitable sowing rate. After sowing, cover with 1—1.5 cm thick nutrient soil, and spray New High Lipid Film to preserve warmth, retain moisture, increase fertilizer efficiency, and promote emergence.
II. Transplanting and field planting: ① Prepare the land and make beds. Apply base fertilizer half a month before field planting, ensuring that all kinds of elements are reasonably matched (NPK ratio 1:0.25:1). Water thoroughly. Plan the beds, arrange plant and row spacing, and plant at a reasonable and timely time. ② Cover with film for warmth: winter temperatures are low, so use two-shed three-film covering, and spray the ground and plants with New High Lipid Film to preserve warmth, retain moisture, and prevent pests and diseases. According to temperature changes, allow light and lower temperature at appropriate times every day, and keep the greenhouse temperature at around 25°C. ③ Fertilizer and water management: after field planting, reasonably control water and fertilizer according to temperature changes and growth and harvesting conditions to ensure balanced and sufficient nutrition.
III. Promoting flowers and strengthening fruit: After the plants finish recovering from transplanting and resume normal development, promptly spray Flower Promoter No. 3, which can effectively inhibit excessive growth of the main shoot and lateral buds, promote flower bud differentiation, produce more flowers, and set more fruit. Spray Zhuangguadi Ling during the bud stage, young fruit stage, and fruit expansion stage to thicken the fruit stalk, increase the cyclic fruit-setting rate, promote fruit development, prevent deformity and fruit drop, improve the high-quality commodity rate, and increase yield and income.
IV. Pest and disease control: The main diseases of winter greenhouse cucumbers are: downy mildew, anthracnose, powdery mildew, fusarium wilt, gummy stem blight, black spot, angular leaf spot, and mosaic virus. Choose highly targeted pesticides (such as DT50%, chlorothalonil wettable powder, agricultural streptomycin, etc.). 800-fold New High Lipid Film solution can effectively control them.
When is the best time to plant cucumbers? Cucumber planting time and methods
Cucumber, also known as húguā, cìguā, wángguā, qīngguā, etc., is an annual trailing or climbing herbaceous plant of the genus Cucumis in the Cucurbitaceae family. Cucumber is a vegetable widely cultivated throughout our country, deeply favored by consumers, and has good planting value. So, when is the best time to plant cucumbers? And how should they be planted? The planting time and methods of cucumber are introduced below.
Image: Cucumber planting
I. Cucumber planting time
1. Planting time of spring cucumber:The sowing period of spring cucumber is determined by the field planting period. The suitable calendar seedling age at field planting is 40-50 days, and the physiological seedling age is four leaves and one heart. If calculated by calendar seedling age, sow 40-50 days before field planting. The length of physiological seedling age is related to the seedling raising method: 50-55 days when raising seedlings in a sun-facing bed or solar greenhouse; 45-50 days when raising seedlings in a heated greenhouse; 45 days when raising seedlings in an electric heating wire greenhouse. Therefore, different seedling raising methods mean different sowing times. Practice has proved that rapid seedling raising not only saves time, but also produces seedlings quickly and vigorously, with high early yield. Where conditions permit, rapid seedling raising should be used as much as possible. The field planting time of spring cucumber is after the local late frost, when the average temperature of the ten-day period reaches above 18t. In Beijing, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang areas, field planting is generally after late April. To recover quickly from transplanting, choose sunny days to plant seedlings, and do not plant on cloudy or windy days. The planting density is mainly determined by variety characteristics.
Image: Cucumber planting
2. Planting time of autumn cucumber:Autumn cucumber cultivation refers to cultivation in frost areas where harvesting is completed before the first frost, while in frost-free areas year-round, it refers to cucumbers that are marketed in autumn after summer cucumbers are pulled up. The growth period of autumn cucumber is only 80-90 days. It can be cultivated directly or raised as seedlings and transplanted, in open fields or greenhouses. Autumn cucumbers are generally sown about 70 days before Frost's Descent, and seedling transplanting can be carried out 7-10 days earlier. Because the seedling stage and early growth stage are in the high-temperature and rainy season, pests and diseases of autumn cucumber are severe, and yield is also relatively low.
II. Cucumber planting methods
1. Variety selection:Choose varieties with high yield, strong disease resistance, good commodity quality, and suitability for spring open-field cultivation, such as Jinchun No. 4, Zhongnongda No. 11, Zhongnongda No. 12, Bomei No. 4, Deruite 902, Zhongnong No. 12, etc.; varieties suitable for autumn open-field cultivation include Jinyou No. 3, Jinyan No. 2, Tangshan autumn cucumber, etc.
2. Seedling raising:The seedling age is about 35 days. Standards for strong seedlings: intact cotyledons, 3-5 true leaves, relatively short internodes, a 45-degree angle between the petiole and the main vine, dark green leaf color, thick leaves, sturdy stems, well-developed root system, and no pests or diseases.
Image: Cucumber planting
3. Fertilizing and making beds:Prepare the land and apply 5 cubic meters of decomposed organic fertilizer, 25-30 kg of superphosphate, or 10-15 kg of diammonium phosphate. Before field planting, plow and make beds, with a bed width of 1.2 m and a height of more than 15 cm, and cover with plastic film.
4. Field planting:Plant as early as possible on the premise of ensuring no freezing damage after planting. In Chengde area, planting is generally in late April to early May. Temperature index requirements: the minimum night temperature is above 5°C, and the soil temperature at 0-10 cm is above 12°C. Autumn open-field cucumbers use the direct sowing method. 4000-4500 plants/mu, planted in large and small rows, with a small row spacing of 40 cm, a large row spacing of 80 cm, and a plant spacing of 25-30 cm, using the dark water method for field planting.
5. Pruning and pinching:For those that bear fruit on the main vine, remove all lateral branches. For those that bear fruit on lateral vines, after fruit setting, leave one to two leaves and pinch the tip, and remove all tendrils. When the stem exceeds the top of the trellis, pinch the tip promptly to promote the growth of the lower fruits. You can also use the method of twisting the tip to inhibit upper growth.
Image: Cucumber planting
6. Fertilizer and water management:Water and cultivate in time. The amount and frequency of watering depend on the weather and growth stage. Water to help seedlings recover 5-7 days after planting; control water, cultivate, and harden seedlings before fruit setting; when the root cucumber is 10-12 cm long, water to promote cucumber growth; during the fruiting period, water once every 5-7 days. The principle of topdressing is light first and heavy later, with small amounts applied multiple times. The cucumber-promoting fertilizer is applied after the root cucumber has set, and the peak-fruiting fertilizer is applied after the root cucumber is harvested. The use of organic fertilizer for topdressing is advocated.
7. Harvesting:Cucumbers are suitable for early harvesting. The single fruit weight is 100-150 g in the early stage and 150-250 g in the middle and late stages. In particular, the root cucumber must be harvested early so that the upper fruits and vines grow at the same time. In the early stage, during consecutive cloudy days, harvest early in time to prevent premature aging or disease of the plants.
[Editor's concluding remarks]Cucumbers like a warm environment, are not tolerant of cold, and have a relatively large demand for water, so special attention is needed during cultivation. The above has introduced the planting time and methods of cucumber for everyone, and I hope it can be helpful to everyone!