When growing pumpkin crops, gardeners usually do not have difficulties. However, it also happens that there is simply nowhere to plant them, since there is no garden plot. What to do in such cases? Alternatively, you can plant bottled cucumbers and place them on the balcony. In every apartment, empty eggplants accumulate or they are left next to garbage cans, so there will be no problems finding a suitable container. Next, it will tell you how to grow cucumbers in plastic five-liter bottles, growing in this way is not difficult.

Pluses of the way

The main advantage of planting cucumber seeds in five-liter bottles is the price. You don't have to pay for the container.

The advantages of this method of growing cucumbers:

  • ease of use (growing cucumbers in bottles from under water is not difficult, the container takes up little space);
  • unhindered penetration of ultraviolet rays;
  • installation on a balcony, in a greenhouse or on a site does not take much time;
  • a greenhouse (steam) effect is created under the bottle, because of which the seeds germinate faster;

    Seedling

  • economical water consumption;
  • maximum protection against weeds, which take useful components from seeds, and bears;
  • annual soil change, due to which harmful substances do not accumulate in the soil.

Preparing to plant in a bottle

Tomatoes in plastic bottles

To plant cucumbers in five-liter bottles, you need to know a few rules.

Cucumbers

Each plant is capable of accumulating toxic elements, and in order to protect the culture as much as possible from this, you need to choose only the container that was used for water.

  • Before use, the bottle is cleaned of debris and dust.
  • Its upper part is cut off exactly (1/3).
  • To drain the water, a small hole is made on the side.

Cucumber seedlings are allowed to be planted in a horizontal position, for which the container is cut lengthwise. A hole is made on the bottom (water will drain through it) and earth is poured. The result is something like a mini greenhouse. However, this method also has disadvantages. During transplanting, the roots can be easily damaged, which makes the plant more susceptible to the occurrence of diseases characteristic of it and stops forming new ovaries. In this case, there can be no question of any fruiting.

The soil

The first thing a gardener should take care of is choosing the right soil. The root system of the cucumbers planted in the mini-greenhouse is rather limited. It needs an additional power source, namely, fertile land. It should contain all those nutrients that will help the plant grow faster and make the fruits as useful as possible.

To do this, it is recommended to prepare a mixture of sand, humus and sod land (1: 1: 1). To get enough air for the roots of the cucumber, add coconut substrate to all other ingredients. But before adding it, you need to carefully check the composition for the presence of larvae. To protect the plant from pathogens, the soil should be treated with a special disinfectant. For this, a solution of copper sulfate with potassium permanganate is often used (for 1 liter of hot water, 30 ml of both).

Some people prefer soil from the store, which is already treated from pests and with fertilizers.Which of the options to choose is up to the gardener.

Important! If there are not many landings, it is recommended to take a liter, not a five-liter bottle. This will save you money on the ground.

Seed preparation

Cucumbers in a bucket: growing

Growing this crop at home is not so difficult. The second thing to do is to prepare the seeds for planting. If everything is done correctly, then the harvest will turn out to be large and tasty.

Many producers (this does not apply to all) before selling the seeds for preparation, which consists in the treatment with mineral fertilizers. This is usually indicated on the packaging. However, some gardeners collect seeds from the cucumbers themselves, harvesting them for further planting. Such planting material should be treated with potassium permanganate. Add the seeds to the pale pink solution, keep for 2 tsp.

Seed preparation

Further preparation:

  • Additional processing. In order for the seeds to sprout faster, gardeners often resort to an etching procedure using potassium humate or aloe juice.
  • Germination. In salted water (1 tbsp. Spoon for 1 tbsp. Water) moisten a piece of gauze and wrap the seeds in it. Store in a dry warm place for 2 days, periodically checking and dampening.

Next, we plant cucumbers in a five-liter bottle (we stick 2-4 seeds into the prepared soil). When the first cucumber sprouts, all the rest (which are considered weak) are removed so that nutrients, water and trace elements are not taken away from the strong.

Cucumbers under bottles: growing

Cucumbers in tires: growing

Many grow cucumbers under bottles. They do this for the following purposes:

  • Greenhouse in a greenhouse. We are talking about growing in greenhouse conditions. First, a bottle is prepared (the bottom is cut out, the upper third), and then it is placed in the hole (the seeds are also there).

    Greenhouse in a greenhouse.

  • To retain moisture. This method is suitable for those people who rarely come to the country. The sprout grown in the open field is covered with a five-liter bottle (7-15 cm deep). You do not need to screw the plug. If it's cold outside, then use lutrasil (synthetic canvas).

Pros - protection in cold weather, water saving.

Cons - insufficient nutrition. To grow a large crop, you need to use additional funds (mineral and nitrogen fertilizers).

Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse

Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse

Consider a step-by-step algorithm for cultivating cucumber seeds using the "bottle" technology in greenhouse conditions:

  1. Before installing the bottles in the greenhouse, you need to remove the top layer of soil, and then add straw and manure (horse manure is suitable).
  2. Then cover everything with earth and pour plenty of hot water.
  3. Part of the soil should be covered with foil and left for 2-4 days.
  4. After this time, the container prepared with cucumbers is dug into the ground and covered with a synthetic cloth (lutrasil).
  5. In the future, you need to monitor the growth of seeds or seedlings, periodically watering.

Thanks to this method, the gardener will not have problems with harvesting and applying additional fertilizer.

Important! In order not to flood the plant with water, a small hole should be made in the wall of the container (excess liquid will drain from there).

Cucumbers on the balcony

This method is good in that it does not need to have a vegetable garden. All that is required is a balcony (preferably insulated), hybrid varieties of cucumbers or self-pollinated.

The container is cut (the upper part is removed). At the bottom of the bottle, you need to make a couple of small holes. Pour soil into the container and place the seeds to a depth of 1-3 cm (2-3 pieces are enough). When they sprout, remove the weak ones, leaving 1 strong shoot.

To ensure a good and tasty harvest of bottled cucumbers in a greenhouse or on a balcony, you need to follow a few rules: watering (but not pouring) in a timely manner, feeding and harvesting. It is not recommended to set high humidity, as this can harm the plant, provoking the appearance of, for example, a spider mite. If small dots of white color are found on the leaves, you must immediately treat them with an insecticide, otherwise all the work of growing cucumbers in bottles will be down the drain.