When to sow cucumbers? Detailed explanation of planting time and methods
Cucumber planting time
Early spring from January to March, summer and autumn planting from June to August.
Cucumber growing tips
1. Seed selection and seedling bed preparation: For winter and spring greenhouse cultivation of cucumbers, excellent varieties should be selected that are cold-resistant, highly disease-resistant, high-yielding, and have good market prospects. Before sowing, (1) build the seedling bed (choose a plot with dry terrain, good ventilation and drainage, and where no melons or solanaceous vegetables have been grown previously), prepare nutrient soil (seedling bed soil : decomposed organic fertilizer : compound fertilizer = 7:3:0.01, mix evenly), and water thoroughly; (2) seed treatment: remove shriveled seeds, place the seeds in 50—60°C hot water (three parts boiling water mixed with one part cold water), stir continuously until about 30°C, then let stand and soak for 6 hours, remove and air-dry, then spray with 800-fold diluted Xin Gao Zhi Mo (New High-Fat Film) and mix well; (3) sowing: evenly scatter the treated seeds in the seedling bed at an appropriate seeding rate, after sowing cover with 1—1.5 cm of nutrient soil, and spray Xin Gao Zhi Mo to retain heat, preserve moisture, increase fertilizer efficiency, and promote emergence.
2. Transplanting and field planting: (1) Prepare the soil and make beds. Apply base fertilizer half a month before planting, ensuring a reasonable balance of nutrients (NPK ratio of 1:0.25:1). Water thoroughly. Plan the beds, arrange row and plant spacing, and transplant at the right time. (2) Mulch for warmth: Winter temperatures are low, so use double-shed, triple-film covering, and spray Xin Gao Zhi Mo on the ground and plants to retain heat, preserve moisture, and prevent pests and diseases. Adjust light exposure and temperature daily according to temperature changes, keeping the greenhouse temperature at around 25°C. (3) Fertilizer and water management: After planting, control water and fertilizer reasonably according to temperature changes and growth and harvest conditions to ensure balanced and adequate nutrition.
3. Promoting flowers and strengthening fruit: After the plants recover from transplanting and resume normal growth, promptly spray Cu Hua Wang No. 3, which can effectively inhibit excessive growth of the main shoot and lateral buds, promote flower bud differentiation, more flowering, and more fruit set. Spray Zhuang Gua Di Ling during the bud stage, young fruit stage, and fruit-swelling stage to thicken the fruit stem, increase the rate of continuous fruit set, promote fruit development, prevent deformities and fruit drop, improve the proportion of high-quality marketable fruit, and increase yield and income.
4. Pest and disease control: The main diseases of winter greenhouse cucumbers are: downy mildew, anthracnose, powdery mildew, fusarium wilt, gummy stem blight, scab, angular leaf spot, and mosaic virus. Targeted pesticides should be selected (such as DT50%, chlorothalonil wettable powder, agricultural streptomycin, etc.). 800-fold diluted Xin Gao Zhi Mo can effectively control them.
When to plant cucumbers? Introduction to cucumber planting time and methods
Cucumber planting time
Under normal conditions, cucumbers are suitable for sowing from January to March in early spring, and from June to August in summer and autumn.
Cucumber growing tips
1. Soil selection and land preparation: Choose 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. Prepare the land using deep furrows and high beds, with a bed width of 1.8 m-2.0 m (including furrows), bed height of 30 cm, oriented north-south, double-row planting, with a plant spacing of 30 cm.
2. Timely sowing, seedling raising, and field planting: For spring planting, use seed soaking and germination followed by seedling raising, or direct seeding with plastic film mulch. For summer and autumn, either soaked-seed direct seeding or dry-seed direct seeding is acceptable. Seed soaking and germination is commonly used in cucumber sowing. Use 50-55°C warm water to scald and disinfect the seeds for 10 minutes, stirring continuously to prevent scalding. Then soak in about 30°C warm water for 4-6 hours, rub clean, remove and drain, and keep moist in a 28-30°C constant-temperature incubator or warm place to germinate; germination begins after 20 hours. For early spring seedling raising with a small arch shed for warmth, use seedling cups or a seedling bed; transplant when the seedlings are 15-20 days old (2 true leaves), in the evening of a sunny day. Take care to protect the roots: 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. When preparing the land, deep plow and apply additional decomposed organic fertilizer at 2000 kg-3000 kg per mu, 50 kg of hair fertilizer, and 30 kg of superphosphate as base fertilizer. Begin topdressing when the plants have 2-3 true leaves. Cucumber roots have weak absorption capacity and are sensitive to high-concentration fertilizers, so topdressing should follow the principle of "frequent application, light application," applying once every 6-8 days at 5 kg-6 kg of urea per mu.
When is the best time to plant cucumbers? Cucumber planting time and methods
Cucumber, also known as hu gua, ci gua, wang gua, qing gua, etc., is an annual trailing or climbing herbaceous plant of the genus Cucumis in the Cucurbitaceae family. Cucumber is a vegetable widely cultivated throughout China, highly favored by consumers, and has good cultivation value. So, when is the best time to plant cucumbers? And how should they be planted? The planting time and methods for cucumbers are introduced below.
Image: Cucumber planting
1. Cucumber planting time
1. Planting time for spring cucumbers:The sowing period for spring cucumbers is determined by the transplanting period. The suitable calendar seedling age at transplanting 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 transplanting. The length of the physiological seedling age is related to the seedling raising method: 50-55 days when using a cold frame or solar greenhouse; 45-50 days when using a heated greenhouse; 45 days when using an electric heating wire greenhouse. Therefore, different seedling raising methods mean different sowing times. Practice has shown that rapid seedling raising not only saves time, but also produces fast and vigorous seedlings with high early yields. Where conditions permit, rapid seedling raising should be used as much as possible. The transplanting time for spring cucumbers is after the local late frost, when the average temperature of the ten-day period reaches above 18t. In the Beijing, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang areas, transplanting is generally done after late April. To help the seedlings recover quickly, choose a sunny day to plant; do not transplant on cloudy or windy days. The transplanting density is mainly determined by variety characteristics.
Image: Cucumber planting
2. Planting time for autumn cucumbers:Autumn cucumber cultivation refers, in frost-prone areas, to cultivation that finishes harvesting 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 cucumbers is only 80-90 days. They can be grown directly or raised as seedlings and transplanted, in open fields or greenhouses. Autumn cucumbers are generally sown about 70 days before Frost's Descent; seedling transplanting can be done 7-10 days earlier. Because the seedling stage and early growth stage are in the hot, rainy season, autumn cucumbers suffer severe pests and diseases, and yields are also relatively low.
2. Cucumber planting methods
1. Variety selection:Choose varieties with high yield, strong disease resistance, good marketability, 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 melon, 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 roots, 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 transplanting, plow and make beds with a width of 1.2 m and a height of more than 15 cm, and cover with plastic film.
4. Transplanting:Transplant as early as possible on the premise of ensuring the plants are not frozen after transplanting. In the Chengde area, transplanting is generally done in late April to early May. Temperature requirements: minimum nighttime temperature above 5°C, and soil temperature at 0-10 cm above 12°C. Autumn open-field cucumbers use the direct seeding method. 4000-4500 plants per mu, planted in wide and narrow rows, with a narrow row spacing of 40 cm, a wide row spacing of 80 cm, and a plant spacing of 25-30 cm, using the dark-water transplanting method.
5. Pruning and pinching:For varieties that bear fruit on the main vine, remove all lateral branches; for those that bear fruit on lateral vines, after fruit set leave one to two leaves and pinch off the tip, and remove all tendrils. When the stem grows beyond the top of the trellis, pinch off the tip promptly to promote the growth of lower fruits; the twisting-tip method can also be used to inhibit upper growth.
Image: Cucumber planting
6. Fertilizer and water management:Water and cultivate in time; the amount and frequency of water depend on the weather and growth stage. Water for seedling recovery 5-7 days after planting; before fruit set, control water, cultivate, and practice seedling hardening; when the first fruit reaches 10-12 cm, water to promote fruit 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. Apply fruit-promoting fertilizer after the first fruit sets, and apply peak-fruit fertilizer after the first fruit is harvested. Organic fertilizer is recommended for topdressing.
7. Harvesting:Cucumbers are suitable for early harvesting. Single fruit weight is 100-150 g in the early stage and 150-250 g in the middle and late stages. In particular, the first fruit must be harvested early so that the upper fruits and vines grow at the same time. During continuous cloudy days in the early stage, harvest promptly to prevent plant early aging or disease.
[Editor's concluding remarks]Cucumbers like a warm environment, are not cold-tolerant, and have a relatively high demand for water, so special attention is needed during cultivation. The above has introduced the planting time and methods for cucumbers, and we hope it will be helpful to everyone!