There is not a single person who would not like such a dish as a cucumber-based salad. It is especially nice if the growing of greens was carried out step by step on the windowsill or on the balcony with his own hands. There is such a category of gardeners that is not limited to the cultivation of tasty and healthy fruits in dacha beds, balcony cucumber - the pride of any specialist.
Table of contents
- Is it possible to dream of growing cucumbers on the windowsill or on the balcony
- The best varieties that can be grown on the windowsill
- Basic rules for growing
- When to plant cucumbers at home?
- How to plant and replant at home
- Care of the first shoots and seedlings in the apartment
- When and how to pinch?
- Watering and feeding
- How to pollinate
Is it possible to dream of growing cucumbers on the windowsill or on the balcony
It may seem impossible to many novice gardeners to grow cucumbers on a windowsill, but this is quite realistic. Of course, you will have to work hard to get a harvest, but for those who like to show their talent in agricultural technology, this process is a real pleasure. In addition, such an activity can become a family hobby.
There are no restrictions on the landing dates. But planting is one thing, and caring is to follow a step-by-step plan of measures, especially in winter, is quite another. Conditions for success - installation near an improvised bed of a lamp with daylight from November to February, proper watering, attention to flowering, pinching and garter. Lack of illumination negatively affects the growing season.
The best varieties that can be grown on the windowsill
The main rule, how to grow greens in the room, is the correct choice of seeds. What grade to use for planting? If we take for cultivation the first variety that came to hand, the development of seedlings will be slowed down, which is likely to lead to the death of the seedling.
The following varieties are suitable for the cultivation of cucumbers on the windowsill.
Balcony
The unpretentious early ripe grade with the term of ripening of fruits of 40-42 days from the moment of emergence of shoots. The yield per square meter is 8-11 kg. In order to successfully grow this variety and get a big crop, the main thing is to water it properly according to the instructions.
Buyan
The grade which is not demanding pollination differs in the long term of fructification. Zelentsy ripen on 44-48 days after the first shoots. The average yield is 3.5–5 kg per m2.
Ant
The characteristic quality of the variety is ultra early ripening, the fruits appear at 37-38 days after the mass germination of seeds.Pollination of the plant is not required. With 1 m2 with proper care can be removed 10-12 kg.
Marathon
Hybrid requiring pollination, has a high yield (over 25 kg per 1 m2). For window growing is ideally suited for its compact scourge size and high disease resistance.
Olympiad
The plant, although it has a long lash, adapts well at home. Fruits ripen at 47-49 day after germination of seeds on the soil surface. When grown in a greenhouse with the observance of technology, up to 45 kg is removed from 1 m2, at home it is also noted high yield - over 24 kg per 1 m2.
Basic rules for growing
The key to obtaining a good crop of cucumbers will be the inviolable fulfillment of the basic rules of agricultural engineering:
- Plant only suitable for window growing varieties.
- Disinfect the soil and seeds.
- Observe the temperature regime characteristic of each stage.
- Exclude drafts.
- Control the degree of soil moisture and air, as well as the level of illumination.
- To make transplantation and garter in a timely manner, to introduce fertilizers and fertilizing
- Hand pollinate the flowers of those varieties that require it.
- Periodically loosen the soil to ensure access to oxygen roots.
When to plant cucumbers at home?
Most often, seed sowing on seedlings is done step by step in March. A month later, the strengthened seedlings are transferred to individual pots. Such a decision is due to the appropriate times of the year, when there will simply be no shortage in good light.
How long is the technology most suitable for planting?
You can start planting in January, it is also practiced quite often. There are no strict restrictions on the time of landing on the street, when determining the period, you must be guided by the opportunity to create favorable conditions for the vegetation of the plant.
The necessary soil for growing early varieties in the pot
For the cultivation of cucumbers using loose fertile soil. A ready-made universal substrate or a mixture of equal parts prepared independently: fertile soil, humus, sand, ash, rotten sawdust. Why not do this at home? For aesthetic reasons, do not fill the house with these smells.
To disinfect the substrate, it is necessary to warm it in the oven.With the help of such a procedure, it will be possible to get rid of various larvae and spores that can later become infected with young shoots.
Seed preparation for planting
The preparatory process for sowing on the balcony is not significantly different from the usual procedures that are used when growing crops in open ground or in a greenhouse. In addition to the disinfection carried out in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, you need to sort the best quality seeds. A feature of home cultivation is the preliminary germination of seeds. This must be done in order to determine the exact number of bushes that fit in the box. In the cold season, adult seedlings are nowhere to be transplanted, and throwing out the developing shoots is blasphemous. Making all the windows cucumbers - not a way out, therefore it is better to sow only germinated specimens.
How to plant and replant at home
Seeding is convenient to do in wooden boxes or individual pots. You can also use plastic cups, it is important that there is a hole on the bottom to release excess moisture. After germination, the seeds are buried 1.5 cm in moist soil. Before the emergence of shoots on the soil surface, the container should be covered with glass or plastic film to create the greenhouse effect. The temperature regime at this stage is at least 25 °. After 2-3 days, it will be possible to observe how green dots make their way through the soil. After the shoots seem, you need to remove the shelter and reduce the room temperature to 20 °.
To transplant the grown seedlings with 3-4 leaves, you need in more capacious pots, which can hold up to 5 liters of soil. Also, some owners use boxes, where 3-4 bush are planted per 1 m2.
Care of the first shoots and seedlings in the apartment
Caring for seedlings is different trepidation, it is at this stage it is important to help the shoots to get stronger, which in future development will play a positive role.
Lighting in the spring and summer
Cucumbers need a lot of lighttherefore, it is better to choose a window sill or a loggia for the garden beds from the south or southeast side. On cloudy days and in spring you need to compensate for the lack of lighting by installing daylight lamps. To prevent the plant from drying out in the summer from sunshine, the glass is tinted with thin tulle. Light shading protects the scourge from ultraviolet radiation.
Watering cucumbers
Seedlings are moistened by spraying. For this it is better to use a spray. It should be filled with heated water only.
Feeding seedlings
After sowing, the seedlings are in a warmed place with a temperature regime not lower than 23 ° for 25-28 days. During this time, it is necessary to introduce several dressings: the first time 15 days after the emergence of shoots and another 10 days. As a nutrient composition is recommended to use complex fertilizers.
Garter grown older lashes
For the garter use trellis net, which is easier to wrap a semicircle. After immersing it in the ground and fixing should be run on the formed wall of the stalk. Then he will turn around the grid himself. You can correct it, but do it carefully so as not to damage the plant. Extra mustache removed.
The garter is also organized with the help of a cord, which is fixed on a specially made rack frame. The sequence of the process is as follows:
- to the top of the frame is attached cord (from natural fibers);
- the end of the cord goes down to the root zone of the bush, turns around (not tight!) several times around the stem and
- returns to the top rail;
- Both ends of the cord are connected to each other.
When and how to pinch?
To increase the harvest it is necessary to form a cucumber bush. Often the plant lays male shoots on the stem, the so-called barren flowers. To prevent their formation, you need to remove the side shoots from the bottom after the garter of the lash. Next, pass along the stalk 6-8 sheets and pinch it (cut off the edge). Such a procedure provokes the formation of side branches, on which the green leaves are well tied.
Watering and feeding
For irrigation only warm water is used., cold liquid inhibits the development of roots and reduces the formation of ovaries in the sinuses. It is necessary to irrigate bushes once a week. In summer, the intensity of moisture, if necessary, increase to 2-3 times a week. You can also spray the whips throughout the day using warm, clean water.
It is necessary to introduce fertilizer into the soil regularly, approximately once in 10 days. The first time it needs to be done 2 weeks after seeding. For these purposes, ready-made mixtures of mineral substances or organic-based solutions are used:
- mullein and water (1:10);
- bird droppings and water (1:15);
- infusion onion peel, etc.
How to pollinate
When choosing pollinated varieties, it is necessary to provide artificial pollination, in conditions of open ground, bees perform such a function.
Before you spend it, you need to learn how to distinguish barren flowers from female flowers. Female inflorescence is formed on the green seal that looks like a mini cucumber. The process of pollination consists in transferring pollen from a male flower to fertile. To do this, break the barren flower and maximally open the stamens, removing all the petals.It only remains to touch the stamens of the female flower, repeating the procedure several times (to be sure). This should be done carefully so as not to damage the delicate inflorescence.
How to successfully grow cucumbers on the windowsill? The secret lies in the systematic care of plants, which will certainly thank a generous harvest.
Hello. the first two leaves have already come out, others have already appeared from each sprout))))