Since the cucumber is a heat-loving plant, it is recommended to plant it through seedlings. So there are more guarantees for successful and friendly seedlings, as well as the fact that the plants will grow strong, healthy and bring a plentiful, high-quality crop. Unfortunately, even at the stage of growing seedlings, problems may arise that need to be able to be addressed in a timely manner.
The main reasons for drawing seedlings of cucumbers
Often people who are engaged in growing seedlings, especially beginners in this business, begin to notice that it has been stretched out. At such moments, they begin to look for a way out of the situation and wonder whether it is possible to plant sprouts in this form. To begin with, you should establish the reason for the stretching, and eliminate it.
- There may be several reasons:
- lack of lighting;
- improperly selected temperature conditions;
- violation of the regime of soil moisture;
- "Close" growing conditions of seedlings;
- planting seeds in unsuitable soil;
- lack of top dressing, or their incorrect conduct.
Elongated seedlings lead to the improper development of mature plants, their strong weakening, low productivity.
Did you know? The ancient Greeks and Romans began to cultivate cucumbers. The first greenhouses were erected on the territory of Ancient Rome to grow fruits at the table of the emperor Tiberius, who loved these vegetables very much.
What to do and how to save weakened seedlings
If the problem was discovered in time, then when the conditions in which the seedlings are grown are brought to the recommended, they can still be reanimated. The crop of plants grown from such seedlings will not be affected. In addition to establishing conditions, it is possible to produce a bush and stop growth by pinching. This method is suitable for short-fruited varieties.
Video: if the seedlings of cucumbers extended
Light mode
For seedlings, light is very important. If it is not enough, then the sprouts will begin to stretch in search of additional lighting. Therefore, containers with seedlings from the very beginning should be placed in well-lit places.
It is better if it is a windowsill, on which the sun shines for most of the day, facing the south side. With insufficient lighting, an additional light source should be organized in the form of a phytolamp, LED lamps, which should be installed at a distance of 20 cm from the shoots.
Important! If an ultraviolet lamp is selected as a source of additional lighting, then it can be turned on for no longer than 9 hours a day.
The first 2-3 days seedlings need to be lit around the clock. In the next 14 days, light should come to the crops for 16 hours a day. In the next 14 days, the lighting duration should be reduced by 2 hours.
If the plants have already stretched out due to lack of light, then this parameter must be brought back to normal: install a lamp and extend the daylight hours to 12 hours, place a mirror so that the sun's rays illuminate the sprouts throughout the day.
Watering mode
The first time after sowing, the soil should be moistened with a spray if the top layer dries. Excessive overflows should not be, they become the cause of elongation of sprouts and the development of fungal diseases.
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During irrigation, it is necessary to ensure that water falls only under the root and does not come into contact with ground parts. Drops can cause burns. Important procedures should also include spraying. The humidity in the room where the seedlings are contained should be maintained at 75–80%.
Temperature mode
When growing cucumber sprouts, the temperature regime should be changed several times. After planting, crops are recommended to be placed in temperature conditions + 22 ... + 28 ° С. This temperature regime must be maintained until the shoots have risen. When sprouts appear, the temperature must be reduced to + 18 ... + 20 ° C. If this is not done, stretching will occur.
When the seedlings appear massively, the daytime temperature should be + 21 ... + 23 ° С, night temperature - + 18 ... + 20 ° С. If pulling is detected, it is necessary to control the temperature in the room, bring it to the norm + 18 ... + 20 ° С and adjust the light mode.
Tightness
Since cucumber sprouts do not like to be disturbed at the time of development, it is recommended to sow seeds not in one common container, but in separate containers: plastic cups, peat pellets with a diameter of 41–44 mm, peat pots. So you can avoid a picking, which is undesirable for cucumbers. 1-2 seeds are planted in each container. When two shoots appear, the most developed is left, and the weaker is removed.
Important! Removing a weak sprout is done by cutting with scissors. When pulling out, there is a risk of damage to the root system of a strong plant.
In the future, the sprouts are no longer disturbed. It is only necessary to add 1-2 times to topsoil. If the seedlings are very long, and the reason clearly lies in the fact that they are cramped in pots, you need to transplant into more spacious containers.
Video: how to plant cucumbers for seedlings
Top dressing
Cucumber seedlings need additional nutrition. Otherwise, it will grow weak, and possibly unviable. Fertilizing is advisable to carry out 2-3 times before landing on a permanent place.
When scheduling feeding, you can use the following recommendations:
| Application Period | Fertilizer Options |
| When the first leaflet appears |
|
| When a second leaf appears | mineral fertilizers in a dosage increased by 2 times |
If the seedlings are too weak, then after 14 days after the second feeding, you can spend the third. During it, the same elements are used and in the same dosage as the previous time.
In addition to root, it is useful to carry out foliar spraying. It is necessary to adhere to the recommended terms and compositions of fertilizer mixtures. Pulling can occur with too much nitrogen in the soil, or a deficiency of potassium.
Important! By the time of landing on a permanent place, high-quality cucumber seedlings should be no more than 30 cm high, have 2-3 leaves of dark green color and a well-developed root system.
Features of planting elongated cucumbers
If none of the actions, including pinching over the second leaf, helped, you can try to plant the elongated sprouts. However, this should be done in a certain way. First you need to harden - take out the sprouts every day for 3-4 hours on the street, hiding them from direct sunlight.
Before moving the sprouts into the ground, you do not need to water them. It is better that the soil is dry. Planting is carried out according to the scheme of 30-50x60 cm. The wells are fertilized with complex fertilizer or superphosphate. The root system of sprouts with an undestructed earthen lump is carefully transferred into the pits and sprinkled with soil.
Planting depth - to the place that was above the soil when growing in pots. Then the soil is slightly tamped and watered with warm water. The tops of plants are tied to a trellis or support, placing the stem not in interference. Additionally tie the side shoots.
If the sprouts have buds at the time of planting, then they must be removed. Their presence will negatively affect the crop, can lead to the development of diseases and dropping of ovaries. Soon after planting, you can produce yeast top dressing for better growth and fruiting.
Tips from experienced gardeners
In order to grow healthy seedlings and prevent them from stretching, you must adhere to several recommendations from experienced gardeners:
- Select loose, light soil saturated with nutrients for sowing. This can be a storey substrate for seedlings, or a mixture of peat, sand, humus mixed by hand.
- Before sowing, disinfect the seed in potassium permanganate, Alirine-B, Fitosporine-M, Gamair-SP and calibrate.
- Sow in containers with drainage holes giving air access to the root system.
- Observe the sowing depth of 1-1.5 cm.
- Until seedlings appear, keep crops under the film, airing them daily.
- When growing, make sure that the ground organs of the plants do not touch each other.
- In 5–7 days, begin the procedure of hardening the sprouts.
- Planting seedlings in a permanent place to produce when it reaches the age of 25-30 days.
So, when growing cucumber seedlings, a problem such as stretching can occur. If it is discovered in time and eliminated, then you can count on a full-fledged crop.
