What are the precautions for growing cucumbers in summer? Read this article to understand
Cucumber is a gourd vegetable that many people enjoy eating very much, and it has a very large planting area in our country. When growing cucumbers, we need to reasonably adjust cucumber management methods according to seasonal changes. Especially in summer, because of the high-temperature and high-humidity environment, there are many places that require our attention. So today, the editor has brought you the precautions for growing cucumbers in summer. Let's take a look!
1. Mulching with straw and tying vines
Summer temperatures are very high, which can cause great harm to cucumber seedlings. Therefore, after entering summer, we should cover the bed surface with about 4 cm thick rice straw to prevent the soil temperature from getting too high, accelerate water evaporation, and promote cucumber growth. Then, when the cucumber vines begin to vine out, use wooden strips and other items to set up trellises, keeping the height at about 150 cm, mainly in an A-frame shape. When the vines grow to about 35 cm, vine tying can begin. Then tie the vines once about every 3 nodes to provide sufficient growing space for the cucumbers.
2. Water and fertilizer management
Summer is the peak growth period for cucumbers. At this time, the growth rate of cucumbers accelerates, and the yield also increases. Therefore, in summer, water and fertilizer work must be done well. During the entire growth period of cucumbers, fertilizer should be applied at least about 3 times. According to the soil fertility and the cucumber growth stage, control the amount of fertilizer applied and the nutrient ratio, generally mainly using a three-element compound fertilizer. Then also appropriately spray foliar fertilizers such as potassium dihydrogen phosphate. In summer, also pay attention to controlling the amount of watering, keeping the soil moist is enough; do not water too much, to avoid excessively high water temperature causing root burn, root rot, triggering root diseases, and reducing yield.
3. Pruning at the right time
Cucumbers have relatively strong growth ability and branching ability. So in summer, we should often observe the growth of cucumbers and do a good job of pruning. When growing cucumbers, all side branches of the cucumber should be removed, and pinching should be done within 1-2 leaves. If the number of stems exceeds the main stem, pinching should also be done in time. Promote the lower branches to bear cucumbers and enhance growth ability. Then, before the cucumber vines are lowered, remove unhealthy leaves such as old, weak, diseased, and pest-damaged leaves from the lower part of the plant. Avoid consuming too many nutrients, improve field ventilation, reduce the spread of pathogens, and lower the incidence of pests and diseases.
4. Intertillage and weeding
Summer is also the time when weeds have the strongest growth ability. If weeding is not done in time in summer, weed overgrowth will occur. This causes the nutrients and water for cucumber growth to be taken away, so weeding must be done in time to ensure cucumber growth. However, also pay attention to controlling the amount of weeding; do not remove all of them, to avoid the soil temperature getting too high. Then also carry out intertillage regularly to avoid soil compaction, which affects cucumber nutrient absorption and reduces yield. Moreover, proper intertillage can also achieve the effect of weeding.
The above is a brief introduction to the precautions for growing cucumbers in summer. In fact, these are also the basic management tasks we need to do well when growing cucumbers in summer, so everyone must pay more attention. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can help everyone!