It is very important to plant cucumber seedlings on time. To carry out planting work in 2018, summer residents are guided by weather conditions. Others believe that seeds should be grown according to the lunar calendar. Both beginners and experienced gardeners want to know how to sow cucumbers for seedlings at home. All specified dates when sowing cucumbers for seedlings are taken from the sowing calendar of the current season.

Growing cucumbers at home

Growing cucumbers in pots at home, on a windowsill is possible. Now, the question arises before amateur gardeners, to what depth can home cucumbers be sown. This culture does not like it when the roots are injured. That is why it is recommended to plant the seed correctly the first time, so as not to transplant the sprout later, since the roots are still damaged during the transplant.

Note! Amateur gardeners should understand that there are times when it is better to plant cucumber seeds in open ground, since often the potted seedlings do not germinate and later begin to bear fruit. It is advisable to sow raw materials on a warm bed in greenhouses.

There are several ways to help plant seeds in pots, and then transplant the grown sprouts into the garden. You need to plant cucumbers in peat containers, which can be buried along with the sprout. This culture grows well in greenhouse conditions.

Sowing cucumbers for seedlings

1 way

A good way to grow cucumbers on a windowsill is with peat pots. But there are also disadvantages here, for example, the soil in such containers dries out quickly. This can be avoided by placing the organic pots in a plastic container that collects water in between after watering, which means there is less evaporation.

2 way

In organic and coconut seedling tablets, cucumbers grow at a rapid rate - they will need to be planted in open ground, in greenhouses or greenhouses.

3 way

Our grandmothers also used this method. They took eggshells, stuffed them with earth, and planted seeds. You can plant raw materials there a week before planting in the soil, because there is very little soil in the shell. This method helps to get an early harvest.

4 way

There is a more economical way than growing seedlings in peat pots - containers from newspapers. The paper is wrapped in the shape of a snail. After the sprouts have grown, they should be transplanted into the ground together with a newspaper pot.

Important! When planting seeds, it is worth considering the fact that newspaper sheets fall apart quickly.

To grow seedlings in this way, you need to take disposable glasses, wrap it in newspaper, set it inside and pour earth. Then you can plant cucumber seeds for seedlings.

Cucumbers in cups for seedlings

Favorable days for sowing cucumbers for seedlings

Experienced gardeners believe that April-May is a great time to plant cucumbers. First of all, experts are guided by the favorable days for planting, they determine the time for planting seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse.

Who eats cucumber seedlings in the greenhouse

In the Urals, sprouts are transferred in late May-early June, and on the southern side, planting is carried out in early May. It can be planted in the greenhouse 2-3 weeks earlier.

Each region has its own planting period. How do you know when the time is right? First you need to research the spring weather of previous years.The period is considered favorable when the temperature does not fall below +5 ° C.

Important! You should not engage in planting cucumbers the day before, on the day after and during the full moon. This activity will not give any results.

Many gardeners prefer to plant seedlings according to the lunar calendar. On the basis of the lunar every year, scientists create a sowing area, where they indicate the exact rules for caring for the crop (when to water, transplant, weed).

In the current 2018, the dates for sowing cucumber seedlings in the lunar calendar are:

  • in March, the numbers 27 and 28 are considered the most favorable, as well as the period from 19 to 24 (the entire period from 17 to 29);
  • in April, the periods from 5 to 9 and from 20 to 24 are considered the most favorable (the entire planting period from 16 to 28);
  • in May, the most favorable numbers are considered - 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (the entire period from 15 to 27).

Preparing seeds for planting

How to feed cucumber seedlings

Gardeners strive to grow a good harvest every year. For this they spend a lot of time and effort. Therefore, it is worth listening to their advice.

  • A month before sowing, you need to put the seeds near the battery. This will allow you to get abundant shoots and the absence of dummies.
  • For the whole day, you will need to soak the seeds in water with the addition of nitrophoska and ash. Then the seeds are rinsed and wrapped in wet gauze until they swell. All this can take 2 days.
  • It is possible to ensure that the plant is hardy and not afraid of temperature changes. To do this, planting material must be placed in the refrigerator with vegetables. This rule does not apply with hybrid varieties.
  • You can use purchased land or prepare your potting mix yourself. To do this, you need to mix peat and a little sawdust.
  • As soon as 2 leaves appear, you will need to feed the sprouts with a nitrophoska solution. Watering is carried out once a week with warm, settled water.
  • Before planting, the prepared beds must be treated with a solution of copper sulfate. Seedlings are planted at a distance of 60 cm perpendicular to the ground.

Preparing cucumber seeds for planting

Seedling growing

Is it possible to bury cucumber seedlings

To speed up fruiting, you must use the seedling method. Outdoors, the first crop is obtained 2 weeks earlier than conventionally grown crops. During planting, the sprout should have 3-4 leaves. That is, about a month should pass.

To obtain seedlings, seeds are sown during April in a small container up to 12 cm high.

  1. A soil mixture should be prepared in advance: take 1 part of sawdust and combine with 2 parts of humus and peat. You should get 10 liters of the composition, where 1.5 tablespoons of nitrophosphate and 2 tablespoons of ash are added.
  2. Place the prepared soil mixture in containers to the top. Sow 1 sprouting seed in each pot. In 3 weeks, the seedlings will be ready.
  3. When 2 leaves appear, the seedlings will need to be fed with a solution of 3 liters of warm water and 3 small spoons of nitroammophoska or nitrophoska.
  4. Watering is carried out once a week, spilling the container completely.

Growing cucumbers by seedling method

Further care: advice from experienced gardeners

  1. For planting seedlings, you need to choose a special soil. That is, the pack should say “cucumber soil”.
  2. It is necessary to water the planting material with warm water and keep it in a room with a temperature of +25 degrees until shoots appear. It is advisable to cover the pots with polyethylene to create a greenhouse effect. As soon as green shoots appear, the film will need to be removed.
  3. After sprouting, the temperature drops slightly.
  4. Light should be monitored, especially on cloudy days.
  5. Drafts should not be allowed, because cucumbers love warmth.
  6. A week before transplanting into the ground, the seedlings need to be hardened and the temperature lowered to 18 degrees so that the plant becomes hardy and resistant to low temperatures.

Diseases of cucumbers

Cucumbers are real record holders for diseases. They are affected by the most terrible pests for vegetable crops. It is worth considering the most basic ones.

Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is quite common in vegetable beds. Cucumber leaves suffer from it. Less commonly, the disease can be found on the stems, even less often on the fruits. It is very easy to recognize an infection. A white spot should form on the leaves, gradually covering the entire leaf. Over time, the foliage will fall off, and the plant will die. You can prevent the development of the disease if you remove weeds in time, monitor the temperature, and carry out proper watering.

Wrestling:

  • It is advisable to give preference to hybrid varieties during planting.
  • At the first sign of damage to the foliage, the infected leaves are burned.
  • The bushes need to be sprayed with a mullein.
  • In order not to face the disease next season, it is necessary to remove plant debris and dig deep into the ground.

White rot

White rot is able to cover all parts of the plant: foliage, flowers, stems. All these surfaces are covered with mucus and bloom. This disease most often appears in greenhouses, as there is a humid environment.

Wrestling:

  • Sparse planting and remove weeds.
  • Maintain the temperature regime in greenhouses.
  • Diseased leaves are plucked and burned outside the garden.
  • They process the greenhouse and add top dressing to each bush. A bucket of water contains 2 g of copper sulfate and 10 g of urea.

Root rot

Neither seedlings nor adult plants are immune from root rot. In cucumbers, part of the root system dies off. Because of this, the stem becomes thin, and the plant dies. Root rot appears due to improper planting, cold watering, untreated soil, temperature fluctuations.

Wrestling:

  1. Watering should be done with warm water.
  2. Timely cleaning of weeds.
  3. The affected plant must be removed.
  4. The soil should be disinfected.
  5. After disinfecting the soil, all trellises and boxes must be washed with powder.

To grow excellent seedlings for your site, you need to follow the rules of sowing technology. A method proven by experienced gardeners will help to get a rich harvest at the beginning of the season. The most important thing is to properly care for the cucumbers.