Content:
Gardeners are paying more and more attention to joint plantings, rightly believing that the proximity of several cultures has a beneficial effect on crops. Any summer resident wants to use his site with maximum efficiency. This article has covered how to plant corn and cucumbers together.
Conditions for the growth of corn
Corn is a thermophilic plant native to South America. It has been cultivated there since ancient times. In Russia, it has also been grown for a long time, mainly for livestock feed, although varieties of sweet corn are grown in the gardens. She loves neutral, loose, light loamy or sandy loamy, nitrogen-rich soils. And places where acidity is increased and there is a risk of waterlogging (although the culture is moisture-loving) are not suitable for growing it.
This vegetable needs very powerful aeration of the soil, its embryos consume a lot of oxygen for their growth, so loosening of the top layer of the earth is very important for it.
Planting and caring for corn
Lighting plays an important role for this culture. She loves very bright sun, but a short day length, at least in the first period of growth.
Mineral fertilizers are required containing:
- nitrogen;
- phosphorus;
- potassium;
- calcium;
- magnesium.
The best predecessors are potatoes, wheat, and vegetables.
Cucumbers
The cucumber is native to India. It is one of the few vegetables that is eaten unripe, the finer its seeds, the tastier it is.
Cucumber is a thermophilic and moisture-loving crop. It should be planted when the soil temperature reaches 10-12 degrees.
How to care for cucumbers
Prefers sandy and loamy soil, with good aeration. He loves a cucumber when it is fed with mineral fertilizers, manure and peat compost.
From mineral fertilizers he prefers:
- potassium;
- magnesium;
- phosphorus;
- nitrogen.
Cucumber consists of more than 90% water, therefore, watering plays an important role in its cultivation, both in the open field and in the greenhouse. It is necessary to water it with warm water every 5-6 days, during the fruiting period in 3-4 days, and in drier summer - every day. Watering is best in the morning or evening. It is very good to do drip irrigation, in this case the soil will always be moist and the leaves will remain dry.
This green vegetable will grow better after crops such as:
- peas;
- tomato;
- bow;
- beet.
What to plant next to cucumbers in the garden
Comparing all the components of agricultural technology for growing these two crops, you can see a lot in common:
- Both cucumber and corn are both thermophilic.
- Both love watering.
- They have the same predecessors.
- The same mineral fertilizers are required.
These crops growing in the neighborhood are helpful to each other. Corn is both a curtain plant and a support. A light shade from the leaves of the queen of the fields will protect the cucumbers from direct sunlight and winds.Cucumber, covering the soil, does not allow it to dry out, which favorably affects the cultivation of corn. These vegetables, grown together, have a significantly longer fruiting period. Lines raised from the ground are less susceptible to diseases. This tandem will benefit both species: the yield of gherkins is increased 5-6 times and corn also has a noticeable increase in sweet cobs.
Corn has a root up to 1.5 meters long, in cucumbers, the root system does not fall below 35 centimeters, therefore, there is absolutely no threat to interfere with each other or intertwine.
Seed preparation
Corn seeds dry up very much during the winter period, so before planting they need to be soaked for 10-12 hours, and sometimes for a day in warm water. To do this, take a saucer, put a layer of cotton wool on it, cheesecloth on it and spread the grains on it at some distance from each other. Then everything is covered with the same cotton-gauze pillow, moistened with water and placed in a warm place. Care should be taken to ensure that the water is constantly covering the cotton cake. You can also place the seeds in a container with a lid to reduce the evaporation of the liquid.
Cucumber seeds need to be soaked in the same way, and they can also be hardened to resist adverse weather conditions. To do this, wrap them in a damp cloth and place them in the refrigerator.
Cucumbers on corn
Both those and other seeds must be disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate before planting. It will also be useful to soak them in growth stimulants, for example, in aloe solution, for which you need to mix aloe juice and settled water in one-to-one proportions.
Among summer residents, there is an opinion that if honey is used as a growth stimulator (one teaspoon per glass of water), then there will be no bitterness in the cucumbers.
Planting cucumbers with corn in open ground
There are no definite rules on how to plant cucumbers with corn. All agricultural technology is carried out, as when planting these crops separately.
Both vegetables should be planted when the soil warms up to 15-18 degrees.
Corn seeds will sprout in a couple of weeks, and cucumbers in a week. It is much better if the corn is planted 2-3 weeks earlier - by the time the mustache appears on the cucumbers, they already have something to cling to.
It can be planted both with prepared seeds directly in the garden bed, and with seedlings grown on a windowsill or in a greenhouse. It is necessary to plant corn seedlings in the ground at 30 days of age. therefore, it is necessary to sow the grains into the prepared container a month before the sowing scheduled according to the plan. She really does not like disturbing roots, so it is better to grow her one plant at a time in a glass or in a special cassette.
Landing schemes:
- You need to make a bed 20 cm high and plant cucumbers on it according to the scheme 30 × 60 or 30 × 50 in two rows, plant corn in a row in the middle of the bed. The whiskers that appear on the greens should be directed to the corn stalks. Two-way planting prevents corn from falling to one side.
- Make holes at a distance of 30 centimeters from each other, sow 2-3 cucumber seeds and the same amount of corn. After germination, leave one at a time, the strongest sprout.
- Plant corn on a 1-meter bed in 3-4 rows, and next to each plant 1-3 cucumber bushes.
After the first shoots appear, it is advisable to mulch with freshly cut grass to reduce weeds and reduce soil drying.
Correct planting of cucumbers with corn
Transplanting
For seedling growing, seedlings can be planted in the same way as when planting seeds.Carefully remove the plant from the container, pre-moistening the soil so that it does not crumble from the roots, and place it in a prepared hole a little larger than a lump of earth on the seedlings. The hole must first be watered with water. Top up with dry earth and carefully compacted.
To avoid problems with pollination, corn must be planted in 2-3 strips, as it self-pollinates.
Planting in a greenhouse
In regions with colder climates, of course, it is advisable to use greenhouses in the country to extend the summer. In the greenhouse, gardeners combine different plantings both to save space and to help each other. Corn grows well in a greenhouse with cucumbers. Only in this case it will be necessary to carry out artificial pollination.
With proper planting and caring for these neighbors, you can get much more harvest than growing each vegetable separately. In addition, corn plantations located on the border between the plots will be a beautiful hideout from prying eyes.
