The seeds of zucchini came to Europe from the subtropics of Latin America. Italian cuisine first appealed to overseas wonders. Unripe fruits are not only tasty. Supporters of a healthy diet rated a low-calorie zucchini rich in dietary fiber and trace elements. Healthy vegetable is pretty unpretentious. The main problem - at a temperature of +14 degrees the growth of the bush stops. In less than 3 months of summer, the plant will not have time to form a healthy shrub and give a full harvest. Only one way out - to grow zucchini through seedlings, but it can stretch out, and you need to know what to do.
Temperature below +5 degrees for the plant is destructive. Growing zucchini in the open field in our climate is possible only from the first days of June, when the threat of return frost is over. And at the end of August, even in the middle lane and near Moscow, night temperatures are possible just above 0.
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The main reasons why the seedlings of zucchini can stretch
Summer residents can not wait to get an early harvest. As a result, inexperienced gardeners get additional problems instead of early vegetables. Pale elongated seedlings - the result of too early onset of cultivation. Weak seedlings appear as a result of the repetition of the traditional mistakes of novice gardeners.
Sowing seeds too early
For a young plant, sunlight is as important as water and root nutrition. If the seeds are planted too early, the seedlings need to be artificially illuminated.
Sowing seeds too early has another consequence for the cottager - in the phase 3-4 true sheets seedling should be determined to a permanent place. If there is a greenhouse, it is necessary to plant according to all the rules.
In an open ground, planting melons until the establishment of an average daily temperature above + 12-14 degrees is absolutely contraindicated.
Unsuccessful choice of location for growing
Inexperienced gardeners sometimes do not match the possible with the desired. As a result, the boxes are placed in not the most suitable places.
Lack of nutrients
Quite a rare situation, since the gardeners prepare the ground for the seedlings with special care. It happens that for planting zucchini seeds used completely unsuitable for melon crops purchased ready substrate.
Useful recommendation
Calculate the time of planting zucchini seeds is not difficult. For example, you are going to plant seedlings on a permanent place in the garden June 1st. It takes 30 days to grow seedlings: 5 days for seedlings and 25 days before the appearance of 3-4 true leaves. Conclusion - seeds are embedded in the soil May holidays.
Is it possible to plant overgrown seedlings
You should not worry too much if the seedlings are stretched out from a lack of light or outgrown due to too early planting of seeds. All melons and gourds, including squash, have a remarkable property - rapid formation of additional roots on the stem.
What if the rassadny material outgrown
Heat-loving vegetable marrow almost suspended in development at temperatures of + 14-17 degrees.
If you live in a private house, seedlings should be put on an unheated veranda (watch the temperature - place a thermometer nearby).City dwellers can place boxes with overgrown seedlings on the glazed balcony.
Preparing for transplant
If the boxes were kept in a cool place to slow down the growth of seedlings, the seedlings went through a good tonic hardening. Similarly, it is necessary to prepare for life in the open air and untransfected seedlings with 3-4 leaves.
In addition to quenching seedlings it will be useful to get a complex root feeding. Approximately 1 week prior to planting seedlings at a permanent place, squash should be watered with a solution nitrogen fertilizer.
If possible, use organics - feed the sprouts with fermented mullein infusiondiluted at least 1:10.
It is much easier to use standard ready mixes like "Master" or “Kemira”. The industry produces water-soluble fertilizers balanced in elemental composition. It is very easy to prepare the working solution - 5 grams (1 teaspoon) of fertilizer from a bag is easily dissolved in 2 liters of water.
For uniform distribution of liquid fertilizer it is necessary to irrigate directly. before and immediately after feeding.
Deepening overgrown plants
Pumpkin plants, including squash, quickly form adventitious roots at the point of contact of the stem with the ground. These roots develop from miniature villi on the stem of a zucchini and in 1-2 weeks a stunted sprouting sprout can outrun its neighbors by the growth force.
Overgrown plants are buried in reasonable limits - quite enough up to 1 sheet.
A little about the intricacies of transplanting zucchini:
- Best for growing seedlings to use peat pots. Without the slightest stress for the plant, plant the bush to the desired depth along with the pot.
- Grown in a common planting box, zucchini seedlings are necessary transplant with a clod of earth. The more this lump will be, the better the recovery process after the “operation” will go. Small suction roots are damaged in any case - the plant will “hurt” until they are fully restored. It is necessary to water before transplant the day before. The plant must be saturated with water, and the clod of earth must acquire a friable structure.
Landing in the hole
Already found out that the seedlings will have to be buried no more than 5-7 cm. Approximately with this calculation should be prepared and the wells.
Zucchini - strong-growing vegetables with a very powerful bush. When nested, the distance between the holes should be about 1 m. Your zucchini has already suffered once from a lack of sunlight - let them grow normally in the garden.
If the garden bed is prepared in advance (since autumn) according to all the rules - you can plant squash without additional feeding. In the area with depleted land will have to add fertilizer to each well.
- Supporters of organic farming for 2-3 seedlings planted at a distance of 20-30 cm (triangle), use 1-2 buckets as a top dressing compost or rotted manure and 1-2 glasses wood ash. Everything is mixed well and only then seedlings are planted.
- Holidaymakers of the day off, city dwellers, prefer to use chemical mineral fertilizers of factory production.The method of application is indicated on the package and it must be strictly followed in order not to receive a product hazardous to nitrates.
The most convenient way is to use complex feedings of the finished composition like “Kemira” or “Master” using the method of preparing the working solution indicated on the package. Only for open ground solution will require much more. Approximately 1 l of solution is given per well..
It is undesirable to cook it, however, it is possible to feed any tree or shrub in the garden with unused one. At 10 liters of water (1 bucket) requires 20-25 g of fertilizer.
As already noted watering is required before and immediately after it. This contributes to the uniform distribution of fertilizer in the soil.
Post-treatment care
Properly planted seedlings take root quickly and after a week it starts to grow. What should be done for the successful acclimatization of squash in the garden.
- The first 2-3 days is desirable prettier landing. Agrofibers are best suited for this purpose. The fabric stretched on the arcs can not be removed during the whole season - it will reliably protect the plants from the stinging sun and possible night cooling.
- The easiest method is to protect the saplings from the sun with green branches, in wet soil the branches will hold on in the “live” state just those 2-3 days that so affect the survival rate of the seedlings.
- Watering should be 2-3 times a week at least 10 liters (1 bucket) per well.
Such popular among summer residents loosening after watering is much more efficient to replace mulch wells. The hole itself is filled with a layer of at least 5 cm of mulch - with straw, old sawdust, husk, crushed bark, etc. The result is that you can water less often (conveniently for citizens), there are no weeds.
Do not despair if the seedlings have outgrown - a few simple tricks will make the zucchini bush even stronger:
- hardening cool air verandas or balconies;
- recessed landing in the nutrient soil;
- optimal lighting conditions;
- competent watering;
- mulching.
Mistakes are also valuable in that they are taught to find a solution and not to repeat them in the future.